Gutenberg’s printing press was revolutionary for Western civilization—it increased the spread of information, led to widespread literacy, and catalyzed scientific development as new inventions and discoveries could be shared on a mass scale. It’s certainly a contender for “most important invention of all time”, and its positive effects on society cannot be overstated. However, asContinue reading “The Printing Revolution: How Mass Media Destabilized the West”
Tag Archives: history
How to Change the Culture, According to Charlemagne
Most cultural movements aren’t grass-roots—they’re top-down. Charlemagne’s cultural rebirth, the “Carolingian Renaissance,” proved how real cultural change is accomplished through a concerted effort by society’s elites… Let’s explore how Charlemagne transformed the West. In the late 8th and early 9th century, Charlemagne ruled vast lands from Northern Spain to the North Sea. Charlemagne was aContinue reading “How to Change the Culture, According to Charlemagne”
A Lesson in Cultural Preservation from Mont-Saint-Michel
Mont-Saint-Michel might be the most aesthetic place on earth. It’s a cultural icon today, but at one point it served as a prison, and then was almost completely lost to history. It’s story highlights the need to vigilantly guard our cultural heritage. Mont-Saint-Michel is what’s called a tidal island—a piece of land that’s connected to theContinue reading “A Lesson in Cultural Preservation from Mont-Saint-Michel”
The Great Tree of Western Civilization
By chance I was recently introduced to the ideas of Oswald Spengler – a German intellectual of the early 20th century whose claim to fame is the two-volume work The Decline of the West. The essential idea of Spengler is that civilizations may be described similarly to organisms, which either thrive, survive, or stagnate andContinue reading “The Great Tree of Western Civilization”
The Monk Who Saved Western Civilization
Thermopylae, Tours, Vienna—throughout the West’s history were a number of battles that scholars can point to and say ”this was the moment the West was saved.” Rescued from destruction at the last minute with the fate of a continent resting on a knife’s edge, battles offer a discrete point of separation between a culture’s continuationContinue reading “The Monk Who Saved Western Civilization”
Just War Theory in Antiquity
To fight or not to fight – that is the central question of Just War Theory. Though wars are usually waged in pursuit of man’s basic needs – land, wealth, a beautiful face – a theory developed in the western world suggesting that they need not always be fought for selfish reasons. Some wars mightContinue reading “Just War Theory in Antiquity”
Milites Christi: A Brief History of Medieval Warrior Bishops
In a time that honored martial prowess and piety above all else, the warrior bishop was the physical embodiment of the medieval ethos: a literal soldier for Christ, baptizing souls with water and blood – a militant dealer of sacraments and death. Like a metamorphic gemstone forged under the intense heat and pressure of tectonicContinue reading “Milites Christi: A Brief History of Medieval Warrior Bishops”
[Video] The Two Qualities that Made Charlemagne Great
After his death in 814 A.D., Charlemagne’s legacy as a great leader continued to live on as folklore, blurring the line between history and legend. So how did he do it? What qualities did Charlemagne embody that contributed to his success as a leader, ensuring he’d be remembered for centuries to come? Full Transcript CharlemagneContinue reading “[Video] The Two Qualities that Made Charlemagne Great”
On the Proliferation of ‘New History’
Historic literacy has reached all-time lows in the United States. In a recent poll conducted in 2020 and reported on by Forbes, only 15% of 8th-graders scored at or above grade level in the subject of U.S. history. This grim statistic should not surprise anyone who’s paying attention as our culture continuously enforces a mindsetContinue reading “On the Proliferation of ‘New History’”
[Video] Tytler’s Cycle of Civilizations
In this video we discuss Tytler’s Cycle of Civilizations, which describes the cyclical nature of societies’ rise and fall. Let’s explore the stages in further detail so we can understand where modern society rests within the cycle.