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3 of the stupidest wars ever fought in world history
There are a lot of good reasons humans have gone to war in the past few centuries, believe it or not. Halting or preventing genocides, declaring
Tag : World History
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The 5 most underrated commanders in military history
It’s hard not to focus on the giants of military history, whether they are remembered for their skill on the battlefield or just remembered because
5 min read
This is why everything about history’s most infamous assassination was dumb
The dark and mysterious Black Hand gives weapons and aid to a small group of revolutionaries. One of these men — with two shots — kills two
3 min read
The Fascinating Town Atlas of the Netherlands
We want to thank our colleague Cynthia Smith, who originally published this on Worlds Revealed: Geography & Maps at The Library Of Congress, for
3 min read
The Fascinating Town Atlas of the Netherlands
We want to thank our colleague Cynthia Smith, who originally published this on Worlds Revealed: Geography & Maps at The Library Of Congress, for
1 min read
“under the veil of secrecy, dangerous plans and harmful teachings can be accepted just as well as noble intentions and profound knowledge; because not all members themselves are informed of such depraved intentions, which sometimes tend to lie hidden beneath the beautiful façade”
under the veil of secrecy, dangerous plans and harmful teachings can be accepted just as well as noble intentions and profound knowledge; because not
4 min read
Jules Verne and His Geographical Novels
We thank Cynthia Smith and the staff of the Library’s Worlds Revealed blog from the Geography and Map division for permission to publish this
4 min read
Jules Verne and His Geographical Novels
We thank Cynthia Smith and the staff of the Library’s Worlds Revealed blog from the Geography and Map division for permission to publish this
4 min read
When Nixon went to China and Life Magazine came to Salem
For some reason, I’ve been going through the archives of Life magazine over the last month or so: it started with the photographs, and then I had
2 min read
The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen
Hermetic Library Fellow T Polyphilus reviews The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen: A Game of Tall Tales and Playing Roles as told by
1 min read
“An absolutist, monarchical government could regularly violate the ‘rights’ of its citizens. The despot decided what privileges each individual would enjoy—and everything according to one’s station. Moreover, if whatever you say or do is automatically scrutinized for possible subversion, what chance is there for a free society? The only recourse, it would seem—short of a revolution—is to operate in the shadows.”
An absolutist, monarchical government could regularly violate the “rights” of its citizens. The despot decided what privileges each individual
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“The issue also contained a defense of the government’s right to snoop on its citizens—i.e. the opening of letters and private correspondences of people suspected of subversion—and also its right to protect loyal subjects from mail-tampering by secret societies (apparently, Hoffmann was paranoid that the Illuminati were spying on him).”
The issue also contained a defense of the government’s right to snoop on its citizens—i.e. the opening of letters and private correspondences of
1 min read
“the prudent but strict curtailment of the freedom of the press; the minute police supervision of all teachers and professors; and the ferreting out Illuminism in its most secret recesses…. The result will be that henceforth no one will be able to corrupt the opinion of the people … and that the real happiness of the people will no longer be threatened by the destruction of religion and the subversion of society.”
the prudent but strict curtailment of the freedom of the press; the minute police supervision of all teachers and professors; and the ferreting out
1 min read
“Weishaupt’s concept of virtue stems from his Rousseauian influences. Jean-Jacques Rousseau equated true virtue with the purity of mankind in its infancy before it was corrupted by civilization. This virtue was still apparent in the ‘savage’ races still being encountered by explorers in the forests and jungles of North and South America. By comparison, the despotism of western culture, with its class structures and inherent inequality, was considered inferior and contemptible.”
Weishaupt’s concept of virtue stems from his Rousseauian influences. Jean-Jacques Rousseau equated true virtue with the purity of mankind in its
1 min read
“The public character of its meetings, the almost infinite number of its initiates, and the ease with which they are admitted have removed from Masonry every trace of political inclination. And if an exception is made of some very few and almost unknown lodges in which the light is preserved in its purity, all the others are nothing more than entertainment centers or schools of superstition and slavery.”
The public character of its meetings, the almost infinite number of its initiates, and the ease with which they are admitted have removed from