The First Meeting of Jerusalem and Ancient Greece: Josephus on Alexander, 333 B. C.
Alexander, the pupil of Aristotle for a while, met with the High Priest at Jerusalem on his way to conquer Asia, as reported by Josephus. From Book xi. 4-5, Jaddua the high priest was in terror when he heard that Alexander was coming. Alexander had sent a letter to Jerusalem during his siege of Tyre, asking for provisions, auxiliaries, and suggesting that Jerusalem send tribute now instead to him rather than Darius. The high priest had answered Alexander that…”he had given hi
Mar 294 min read
Plato's Phaedo on Ghosts: 80d-82c
Ghosts are souls that are somehow stuck in their involvement in worldly things, and so are not in the best condition. From both the Dixboro Ghost and the ghost in Hamlet , we conclude that these are stuck regarding revenge, or the injustice of their murders and revenge toward their murderers. In the Dixboro story, one mark of authenticity- aside from the question of what ghosts are- is that Martha undergoes a Purgatory, as well as revealing one and preventing another a murder
Oct 28, 20252 min read
Procol Harem: Whiter Shade of Pale
From Genius lyrics: We skipped the light fandango Turned cartwheels 'cross the floor I was feeling kinda seasick But the crowd called out for more The room was humming harder As the ceiling flew away When we called out for another drink The waiter brought a tray [Chorus] And so it was that later As the miller told his tale That her face, at first just ghostly Turned a whiter shade of pale [Bridge 1] [Verse 2] She said, there is no reason And the truth is plain to see But I wa
2 days ago2 min read
On Paul Minot: How Psychiatry Lost Its Mind...and Where It Might Be Found
Notes- [in progress] p. 2: "How much medical knowledge could we really have about psychiatric disorders, if we have no scientific understanding of how healthy thoughts and feelings are generated? p. 3: ...a pattern of signs and symptoms.....In the absence of any known cause maladies are referred to as "disorders"- as are all of psychiatry's diagnoses. Without a definitive cause to identify and correct, disorders often lack any definitive treatment." These are symptoms, as is
4 days ago4 min read
Aqualung Commentary: Tull Selection from “Rock Commentaries”
1971 Jethro Tull Aqualung (Almo Music Corp) Ian Anderson said, in Ann Arbor in 2010, that he is not “so miserable a bugger” as Roger Waters, of Pink Floyd, by which he means that he is not so dark and moody. In the flute of the woodland elfin type creature, the character of Ian Anderson brings a bit of light and color into the dark woods that makes his world a bit brighter than that explored by Floyd. He is the whistler, who brings us songs of a mysterious, high and beautifu
Jul 521 min read
Selection from the Rock Commentaries: Socrates on the Inspiration of Poetry
From Plato’s Apology, Phaedrus and Ion The best, or most beautiful and meaningful music comes to us, as we have been saying, not directly by knowledge, but by a kind of inspiration. Musical inspiration is different from religious inspiration, but is a kind of inspiration nonetheless.[5] While it comes from “within,” the source of the greatest songs is from “above” or “outside” the composers themselves, in some sense. Inspiration presupposes “art,” in the sense of technical a
Jun 79 min read
On Plato's Trojan Horse by Spencer R. Milton
[In progress...] I am looking forward to an opportunity to think out evolutionary thought, justice and the soul. The author has a reading of the Platonic cosmos of dialogues- excepting the Laws- which is going to be very helpful. I have been trying to link the development of human communities to the modern anthropology discoveries, understanding these as developing together. The family is older than man. There were many kinds of humans, but our species was demarcated by do
May 3131 min read
