Is Aristotle right saying that “man is a political animal”?
The present essay is an attempt to assess Aristotle’s claim that man as “a political animal” made in his treatise The Politics. Obviously, such an assessment requires clear understanding of what the philosopher meant by his definition given three hundred years BC. And the only way to grasp the meaning of Aristotle’s writings is […]
Trip to Paris Day 2
Visit of the Chateaux de la Loire
Libros de caballería en Don Quijote: Del criticismo hasta la parodia chistosa
Este ensayo está dedicado al papel de los libros de caballería en el Don Quijote de Cervantes. La misma trama de la obra maestra se basa en la colisión de fantasías necias contenidas en los libros de caballerías con las realidades de la época del autor. Pero Cervantes no sólo presenta claramente al público todos […]
The column of Trajan
The column of Trajan is one of the most impressive monuments of Roman art and architecture (See Picture 1 of Illustrations). It attracted my attention by its size and superb marble carvings containing a lot of historical information. Another consideration which defined my choice was the almost perfect state of preservation of this antique masterpiece. […]
Chivalry books in Don Quixote : From Criticism to funny Parody
The present essay is devoted to the role of chivalry books in Cervantes’s Don Quixote. The very plot of the novel is based on the collision of foolish fantasies contained in chivalry books with the realities of the author’s time. But Cervantes not only clearly presents to the public all drawbacks and shortcomings of chivalry […]
Trip to Paris (Day 3)
3rd day in Paris was all about visiting the War Museum.
Trip to Paris (day 1)
Eiffel Tower from the Palais de Chaillot (Place du Trocadero) Place de la Concorde Arc de Tromphe Les Champs Élysées The Grand Palais Palais place du Trocadéro
Sidonius Appolinaris on King Theodoric II, the Visigoth, 455
Sidonius Appolinaris The letter written by Sidonius Appolinaris to his brother-in-law Agricola represents an enthusiastic panegyric to the Visigoth king Theodoric II. The real meaning of this document remains unclear without careful analysis of its contents on the one hand and without additional information about its author, its addressee and the conditions of its creation […]
Desiderius Erasmus, Adages
Desiderius Erasmus c.1520 In his work Adages (1515) the famous Dutch humanist Erasmus of Rotterdam explains the meaning of numerous Greek and Latin proverbs using the examples taken from his own times. These comments provide the Christian moralist with an excellent opportunity to criticize the sins and exactions of secular and clerical authorities of the […]
Giovanni Boccaccio, Prologue to the Decameron
Black death in Florence (1348) Boccaccio’s description of the outbreak of the Black Death in Florence in 1348 is a valuable source of information not only for historians but also for those who study human behaviour under extreme conditions. As an eyewitness the author of the Decameron reported in details how different groups and classes […]