#scholasticism

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Philosophy
fromApaonline
1 day ago

Using the Absurd: How Erasmus Challenges His Students

Erasmus utilized humor, particularly absurdity, as a motivational tool in teaching Latin, enhancing engagement and challenging students.
History
fromMedievalists.net
4 days ago

New Medieval Books: Light on Darkness - Medievalists.net

Liturgy is central to Western cultural history, rich in artistic expression and emotional depth, influencing society for over a thousand years.
Philosophy
fromPhilosophynow
3 days ago

The Mirror & the Flame

Attar and Hegel both envision the self's journey towards wholeness through transformation and relation, rather than conquest or certainty.
US news
fromwww.npr.org
2 weeks ago

From Descartes to punk rock, X has an extraordinary history

X is a versatile letter with diverse cultural and symbolic meanings, originating from Greek around 800 B.C., representing the ks sound combination that rarely begins English words and remains somewhat redundant in the alphabet.
History
fromMedievalists.net
2 weeks ago

Heresiology in the Twelfth Century, with Alessandra Bucossi - Medievalists.net

Twelfth-century Byzantine preoccupation with heresy prompted production of extensive anti-heretical treatises addressing theological deviations in Latin and Armenian Churches from Constantinople's orthodoxy.
Philosophy
fromNature
1 week ago

How the idea of human superiority over nature was invented

Humans are part of nature, not separate from it, and this relationship shapes our understanding of ourselves and other animals.
OMG science
fromNature
1 month ago

Daily briefing: Galileo's notes discovered in the margins of an ancient book

Tectonic plates moved 3.3 billion years ago with higher oxygen levels; Galileo's annotations discovered in 400-year-old Ptolemy text; rotator cuff degeneration common in older adults regardless of symptoms.
fromThe Conversation
3 weeks ago

Notions of 'Christendom' often miss the mark - medieval Europe's ideas about faith and power were not so simple

Some citizens might see themselves as Christian nationalists simply because they are Christian and patriotic. Others, however, assert that the United States is rightfully a Christian nation that ought to be governed by Christian leaders, ethics and laws. As a historian, I'm aware that Christian nationalism relies upon a selective and often distorted view of American history.
Philosophy
History
fromwww.scientificamerican.com
3 weeks ago

Long-lost page of Archimedes' writings rediscovered in France

Scientists recovered a missing page from the Archimedes Palimpsest, a 10th-century medieval manuscript containing writings from the ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes.
Higher education
fromInsideHook
1 month ago

Are the Humanities Poised for an Academic Comeback?

AI-driven interdisciplinary courses combining humanities and artificial intelligence offer a potential pathway to revitalize humanities programs facing institutional cuts and declining enrollment.
Philosophy
fromThe Conversation
3 weeks ago

I was teaching virtue and knowledge while lying on the side

Self-deception enables vice through small permissions that gradually erode moral boundaries, as demonstrated through infidelity rationalized during relationship separation.
History
fromMedievalists.net
3 weeks ago

New Medieval Books: Silence of the Gods - Medievalists.net

Europe's last pagan peoples underwent Christian conversion from the 14th to 20th centuries while maintaining their indigenous religious traditions despite political pressure to adopt Christianity.
fromApaonline
3 weeks ago

Recommendation: U.K. Spinoza Circle

Spinoza was an heir to both Jewish and Christian culture-in Amsterdam he grew up in a Jewish community within a Protestant society-yet he distanced himself from both these religions. He did not want to be a member of a religious institution with strict, prescriptive codes of belonging and belief. He feared-quite rightly-that a [institutional religion would constrain philosophical freedom].
Philosophy
fromJezebel
1 month ago

The Time I Learned Greek Scholars Are Canonically Hotter Than Roman Scholars

It started with a book launch in 2021. I'd been living in London as a social media journalist when I asked my then-publication's culture editor to send me to one of these exclusive-sounding events, as 1) I'd never been and 2) I just really wanted to be a person who "has a book launch to go to." Thankfully, there was one that exact day-and he put my name on the list for the release of Mary Beard's Emperor of Rome. Huzzah.
Books
fromBig Think
1 month ago

How our view of "fundamental" has evolved over time

In antiquity, many opined about "the elements" in combination. Around 2500 years ago, Leucippus and Democritus founded the idea of atoms. Perhaps everything, they opined, was composed of indivisible building blocks. In the late 1700s, hydrogen and oxygen were discovered. Circa 1804, John Dalton revived atomism to explain chemical behavior. Then in 1869, Mendeleev developed the periodic table: organizing the atoms.
Science
Philosophy
fromApaonline
1 month ago

Why Engage with the Past? Philosophy and Its History

Philosophy departments distinguish between contemporary theoretical and practical philosophy addressing current issues, and history of philosophy studying outdated theories from past philosophers.
History
fromMedievalists.net
1 month ago

The Survival of Roman Education in Early Medieval Britain - Medievalists.net

Roman cultural practices persisted in Britain for generations after AD 410, with aristocrats maintaining traditional education and Christian learning similar to their Gallic counterparts.
Education
fromPsychology Today
1 month ago

A True Believer in the Intellectual Spirit

Entrenched anti-intellectualism, market-driven educational priorities, and political pressures are undermining liberal arts, academic freedom, and intellectual life while religious movements retain transformative power.
Philosophy
fromBig Think
1 month ago

The philosophy of indoctrination and how to fix it

Indoctrination occurs when beliefs are sealed off from questioning through prepackaged instructions that frame scrutiny as irrational or immoral, preventing rational evaluation of counterevidence.
Philosophy
fromApaonline
1 month ago

The Humanities Challenge: Expanding the Circle of Philosophy

Philosophy offers transformative insights and vision into human life, and public humanities must evolve beyond traditional academic formats to make philosophy accessible to broader audiences through innovative, engaging methods.
fromCN Traveller
3 years ago

The best things to do in Oxford

The Oxford Artisan Distillery (TOAD) produces its whiskey, gin, vodka and liqueur from heritage wheat and rye varieties rediscovered in the thatch of medieval roofs. It's an example of the extraordinary lengths the distillers go here to create their unique flavours while building a regenerative farming system along the way. Tour the distillery to find out all about the processes involved,
Food & drink
Miscellaneous
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

Edinburgh tomb of philosopher David Hume vandalised with satanic' symbols

David Hume's tomb and nearby memorials at Old Calton burial ground in Edinburgh were vandalised with disturbing occult-style drawings and paraphernalia.
fromNature
1 month ago

'What are we doing here?' The polymaths who searched for the meaning of life

A mentor once told me that, when writing a research statement for a professorship, I had to start with the most ambitious pitch I could imagine - and then go ten times bigger. It's tricky enough to do this as a cosmologist, given that the topic of study is the entire Universe. But there is a quest that is more ambitious still: to find out 'what are we doing here?'
Books
fromMedievalists.net
1 month ago

New Medieval Books: The Medieval Moon - Medievalists.net

In this book of moons, I am writing for people for whom the medieval world and its literatures and arts may be unfamiliar. I hope that in telling the stories of medieval moons, I also introduce these readers to the wonderful, mesmerising realm of medieval texts and images. But I also hope that this book may be useful to those with greater familiarity with medieval languages, literatures, and arts.
History
Higher education
fromTravel + Leisure
1 month ago

I Played Scholar for a Week at Oxford-and Discovered Why Deep Thinking Might Be the Ultimate Luxury

A returning student joins a pricey weeklong Wadham College retreat at Oxford, enjoying curated scholarly experiences while facing familiar last-minute reading anxieties.
Arts
fromArchDaily
2 months ago

Schwarzman Center for the Humanities - University of Oxford / Hopkins Architects

The Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities centralizes humanities teaching, research and outreach, creating a public 'street' and cultural venue emphasizing collaborative design.
fromPhilosophynow
1 month ago

The Educational Philosophy of Quintilian

What could be more important for the future of any society than the education of its children? Innovative theories abound. Educators are constantly presenting groundbreaking new paradigms for improving a child's academic achievement. In the past quarter century or so, these have included: * Expanding educational opportunities for preschoolers * Selecting the best teachers for a child * Making instruction more relevant * Establishing or strengthening character education * Providing a multidisciplinary education * Defining the boundaries for student-teacher relationships * Approaching literacy from a whole language perspective * Fostering critical thinking skills
Education
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

Online Course: Medieval Education: From Schools to Universities - Medievalists.net

Explore the history of education in the Middle Ages through the development of schools, curriculums, the growth of universities, and the diverse individuals who were involved in teaching and learning during this 1000 years of history. Class begins on Saturday, January 24th. This six-week course includes live 90-minute sessions with Ryder Patzuk-Russell each week from 12:00 to 1:30 pm EST.
History
History
fromMedievalists.net
1 month ago

New Medieval Books: Celtic Magic - Medievalists.net

Ancient and medieval Celtic-speaking peoples maintained distinctive magical beliefs and practices whose evidence appears in inscriptions, classical accounts, medieval manuscripts, charms, and medical recipes.
Philosophy
fromPsychology Today
1 month ago

How Ancient Philosophy Lost Its Mind-Twice

The shift from Classical Attic to Koine Greek correlated with a philosophical simplification from Plato's multipart psyche to the Stoics' unitary rational mind.
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

New Medieval Books: Interconnected Traditions - Medievalists.net

This open-access book brings together more than thirty essays on languages and the ways they develop, interact, and influence one another. Its main focus is the Middle East, where Hebrew, Arabic, and Aramaic long existed side by side and often overlapped in everyday use, scholarship, and culture. In line with Geoffrey (Khan)'s commitment to the maximally accessible dissemination of research, this Festschrift has been published in both open-access digital editions and affordable printed formats.
History
Philosophy
fromPhilosophynow
1 month ago

A Very Short History of Critical Thinking

Sophistry prioritizes winning and approval over truth, using deceptive, manipulative arguments that undermine ethics and honest critical thinking.
History
fromMedievalists.net
1 month ago

New Medieval Books: Blessed Mary and the Monks of England - Medievalists.net

English Benedictine and Cistercian monks (1000–1215) shaped medieval Mariology by deepening Marian devotion, theological reflection, and using Mary as a model for Christian life.
Philosophy
fromPsychology Today
2 months ago

Is Metaphysics Useful?

Analytic metaphysics often relies on armchair intuition and common sense, making it unreliable and potentially obstructive compared with empirically grounded science.
fromMedievalists.net
1 month ago

New Medieval Books: A Crusade Against the Turks as a Means of Reforming the Church - Medievalists.net

This project will focus on the Camaldolese hermits' proposal for achieving what they considered to be the most crucial task in the repair of the church, eliminating Islam and all Muslims. Our study will begin with an examination of the recipient of the Libellus, Giovanni de' Medici, who would become Pope Leo X. Next will be an exploration into the backgrounds of Paolo Giustiniani and Pietro Querini,
History
fromPsychology Today
2 months ago

What's the Point of Philosophy?

Unlike me, Dan Dennett, or-I suspect-most scientists studying the brain, Richard maintains that science is: i) neutral between the view that consciousness is (to simplify) identical to parts of your brain and what goes on inside of it, and the view that consciousness is a fundamental property of reality, found in all particles of matter (or, for that matter, other theories such as dualism and idealism) and ii) to be sharply distinguished from philosophy.
Philosophy
History
fromMedievalists.net
1 month ago

New Medieval Books: A Medieval Case for Islam's Superiority - Medievalists.net

An eighth-century Abbasid letter to the Byzantine emperor defends Islam, critiques Christian misunderstandings, and reflects Abbasid-Byzantine diplomacy and Baghdad's intellectual life.
fromPsychology Today
2 months ago

A Third Kind of Philosophy

Many philosophers strike me as like Polish apparatchiks in 1983-they turn up to work and do what they did yesterday just because they don't know what else to do, not because they seriously believe in the system they are maintaining. I think it's not been fully appreciated how much of a blow it is to the confidence of the field's youth that scientific ambitions are increasingly abandoned as untenable.
Philosophy
History
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

Reading in Byzantium: Literacy, Books, and a World of Texts - Medievalists.net

Byzantine reading was communal and performative, woven into religious, educational, and administrative life while preserving classical learning within a Christian intellectual framework.
Philosophy
fromPhilosophynow
1 month ago

Ancient Synergy

Roman Mithraism integrated Stoic virtues of wisdom, courage, and self-control, shaping rituals, social roles, and strong appeal among Roman soldiers.
History
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

New Online Course: Urban Europe: Towns and Cities in the Middle Ages - Medievalists.net

A four-week course examines the rise and management of medieval European cities, everyday town life, occupations, and religious and cultural influences.
#academic-censorship
History
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

10 Medieval Studies' Articles Published Last Month - Medievalists.net

Local populations in Anatolia used spolia to assert cultural continuity with the ancient and Byzantine past, challenging exclusive Western claims to that heritage.
fromApaonline
2 months ago

Why We Should Doubt that Academic Philosophy Benefits the Broader Public

A professional philosopher outside the academy walls can act as a popularizer (the goal here is to make philosophy more accessible to the general public), an applied ethicist (the major task is to offer an analysis of various specific moral issues that arise within a society), and a public intellectual (I limit this role to questions that have political connotation). Of course, there are overlaps between these roles and they certainly do not exhaust all possible forms of public engagement of a professional philosopher.
Philosophy
History
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

Military Education in Early Medieval Europe: Learning from Books - Medievalists.net

Early medieval military leaders learned warfare from books—Roman manuals, handbooks, and case studies—informing campaigns, sieges, and logistical planning.
fromApaonline
1 month ago

Something Stupid Like Philosophy

They escaped persecution in the form of violent antisemitism and came to Canada with next to nothing. They built their lives from the ground up and understood, through lived experience, what the normalization of cruelty did to the human spirit, how quickly people can be swayed by the opinions of the day, and how easily one could forfeit the human capacity to stop and truly think about what one is doing.
Philosophy
History
fromMedievalists.net
2 months ago

Ten Medieval Discoveries That Shaped How We Understand Sleep - Medievalists.net

Medieval Arabic and Persian physicians developed clinical observations and treatments of sleep, including recovery indicators, comparative treatment testing, and detailed descriptions like sleep paralysis.
fromMedievalists.net
1 month ago

10 Medieval Studies' Articles Published Last Month - Medievalists.net

In this paper we investigate whether infant and childhood feeding practices influenced the imbalanced adult sex ratio reported in medieval Europe from historical and osteological evidence. First, we examine hypotheses for the observed imbalanced sex ratios in Europe and the evidence presented to support these hypotheses. We then use stable isotope analysis (δ13C and δ15N) of incremental dentine in 64 first molars from adults at three medieval sites (Aulla, Badia Pozzeveri, and Montescudaio) in north-western Tuscany (11th-15th c. CE).
History
Philosophy
fromAeon
2 months ago

The West's forgotten republican heritage | Aeon Essays

Power to shape daily life has shifted to markets, corporations, and data systems, leaving citizens feeling powerless and fueling a turn toward authoritarian politics.
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