Classics and War

One reason I've got to sit on my hands for a moment instead of responding is because I'd just been rereading your What's a Left, What's a Right, What's a Value thread of all thing.

We're watching the various leftist progeny of the Enlightenment duke it out for "Democratization", IMHO.

I don't think any classical scholar -- having the benefit of our scientific discovery -- could find some moral authority in a nation whose President speaks in terms of "Excess" human lives. They had a handle on essential human worth, unclouded by the accidents of personality ... even those by which certain cultural accidents clearly are inferior to others.

For the Christian, it is now man-to-man. There are no Christian nations left. I abhor this persistent positing of the struggle as a Holy War of some sort.

It's packaging. They're just selling the Faithful (social justice Christian, renewed militant Islam, victimized Jew) their triangulation of the People of the Book. It's simply an efficient way to polarize folks and organize hate.

Hi, Askel -

You've said that the current state of affairs is now more of a man-to-man conflict, as there are no Christian nations left. There's a lot of truth in that statement, although I'd have to say that this struggle in which we're all engaged occurs in a much broader cultural and civilizational context. Belief in Christianity isn't necessarily the fault line along which this conflict is raging. The basic premises of our Western culture - the rights of the individual, the rule of law, private property - apply regardless of one's religious faith - or lack of it.

Just updating the GGG information, not sending a general distribution. Never got this message posted, although it was added to the catalog.

To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list. Thanks.

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I presented a seminar to the Region 10 Education System for teachers on their periodic career development days off. My theme was the use of NASA Educational Materials to encourage the study of Science and Technology.

I began the seminar with the first eight minutes of "2001" where the prehominids develope the bone as a tool, fight a war over a muddy waterhole, and in exultation the bone is hurled into the air where it becomes a satellite.

When the film clip finished I said that Clarke and Kubrick had condensed 1 MIllion years of tool building into 8 minutes.

I then explained that 2001 gave us a picture of the future where wants are met and space exploration can fulfill civilization's energies through exploration.

I have a degree in History with one of my Prof's being a world renowned Byzantine Scholar. The Illyad, Odessey, Troy, Greece, Athens, Sparta, Rome etc were all fascinating studies.

Great Post!

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