Arnold Toynbee’s A Study of History is a 12-volume monster. I have read only the two-volume abridgement (many years past), which preserves Toynbee’s central thesis that there is a pattern to history. Civilizations rise and fall primarily in response to specific challenges; whatever those challenges are will be defining, and they must also be of the right pressure.Continue reading “Rewind the Clock”
Category Archives: Opinions
Graeber’s “Debt”
Too many books sit unread on my shelf. This weekend, I finally made my way to Debt, The First 5,000 Years by David Graeber (2011). The first chapter prepared me for disappointment. Graeber proudly announces his role in protesting the IMF and occupying Wall Street (I did not know his background before buying his books).Continue reading “Graeber’s “Debt””
Free Speech
April 25, 2022. Two synchronous events: Elon Musk buys Twitter and Erdoğan sentences Osman Kavala to life imprisonment. If we take Musk at his word, he purchased Twitter to expand free speech: “Free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and Twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future ofContinue reading “Free Speech”
Protective Arts 