2021-02-15 22:40
How have philosophers, and others, come to dwell on such phenomena (if they may be called that) as angst, dread, nothingness, anxiety and other such foreboding--what, exactly? Feelings… Read More
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Ciceronianus; Causidus Blog
theblogofciceronianus.blogspot.com
A blog about law, history, philosophy, literature, current affairs and living a Stoic life.
2021-02-02 19:32
We live in a great Melodrama. More and more we exaggerate ourselves and our lives. We may have forgotten what drama and tragedy really are in our self-importance and self-pity.&n&hell…Read More
2021-01-21 22:14
It's difficult to characterize the strange departure of that strange man, on January 20, 2021, from that position he's more or less occupied for the past four strange, chaotic, and shoddy-se… Read More
2021-01-20 01:38
I think most if not all of us remember this song, i.e. For What It's Worth, by Buffalo Springfield. Perhaps most, but certainly not all of us remember the year it came out as well--196… Read More
2021-01-08 21:13
Although it may still be possible to claim that the United States is, or may in the future be, the "shining city on a hill" the late Ronald Reagan would refer to now and then, that claim is… Read More
2021-01-04 17:58
Most of us think of 2020 was a horrible year, and rightly so. But for me," horrible" isn't a specific enough description of what's taken place. "Sordid" may mean dirty or filthy… Read More
2020-12-23 17:19
Self-righteousness is one of our more annoying characteristics. It's also one of the most common of them. Through it we assure ourselves of our own goodness, and are inclined to… Read More
2020-12-14 22:13
Elvis Costello composed, and sang, a rather caustic song about the profession I've devoted the majority (I won't say the "best part") of my life to--that of the law. It bears the same… Read More
2020-12-07 17:03
Most of us will recognize this picture from Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. In this scene, one of our distant ancestors or another, encouraged or enlightened courtesy of the seemingly… Read More
2020-11-27 19:54
Much is being made of the Supreme Court's recent decision regarding the State of New York's restriction on attendance at religious services. I wonder whether that "much" may have somet… Read More
2020-11-19 21:27
The success and popularity of the Netflix "limited series" The Queen's Gambit reminds me of the surge in interest in the game which took place when Bobby Fischer won the world championship i… Read More
2020-11-12 16:11
The great Louis Prima, best remembered I think for Jump, Jive and Wail, also did a song called Yes, We Have no Bananas. The latter song may be better known, but is more offensive… Read More
2020-11-06 15:10
Welcome, all! Or better, perhaps--Come one, Come all, to America's Feast of Fools!Based somewhat loosely on the Medieval Feast (or Festival) of Fools--pardon me, Festum Fatuorum--this festiv… Read More
2020-10-29 16:05
Halloween is particularly well placed in the calendar this year, shorn of its festive cloak due to what the Pontifex Maximus, for reasons unclear to me, referred to as "the lady" Covid. &hell…Read More
2020-10-19 18:53
An organization previously unknown to me called the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) issued a report in 2016 regarding the views of Americans regarding, roughly speaking, whet… Read More
2020-10-15 16:58
There are nine Justices of the Supreme Court of our Glorious Union, not seven as there are brides and brothers in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, a genial if odd musical which includes a so… Read More
2020-09-30 19:57
According to the Book of Daniel, Belshazzar, King of Babylon, was enjoying a feast with his friends and courtiers using implements taken from the Temple of Solomon when he was surprised to s… Read More
2020-09-24 19:38
The Fifth Circle of Hell as described in Dante's cheery Divine Comedy is populated by the wrathful, those condemned by their indulgence in the sin of Anger, broadly speaking. Anger exp… Read More
2020-09-17 16:57
I think of this quote of Schiller's from time to time. Now is such a time, as the great, tawdry and tiresome spectacle of a presidential election is interminably played out before us i… Read More
2020-08-31 16:02
"Fear is an idiot" according to Ambrose Bierce. As I recall, his point was that fear is unintelligent, indeed stupid in the extreme. Fear cannot think, according to Bierce; it ha… Read More
2020-08-25 21:46
Brevity can be a desirable thing in American politics. A political speech that is brief and to the point would be admirable, for example. And as everythi… Read More
2020-08-17 17:40
It's arguable that Napoleon Bonaparte was the most able person who ever lived. All know he was a military genius. But I refer to his ability generally; of what it was about… Read More
2020-08-04 16:35
"Occult" when used as an adjective means closed, concealed, shut off from view. As such it may refer to something mysterious, and so we see alchemy, for example, referred to as an occu… Read More
2020-07-22 19:23
Let's retire, for a moment, from the turbulence of these wretched times, and consider philosophy.John Dewey thought that the most pervasive problem of philosophical thinking is neglect of co… Read More
2020-07-13 18:49
Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death is the name of an album made by the Dead Kennedys, a rock group which may or may not be properly described as a punk rock group, with a penchant for offe… Read More
2020-07-06 17:43
Normally, we hope not to be duped. These aren't normal times, it seems.We've grown to expect hoaxes. That expectation, when intelligent, allows us to avoid being fooled. Th… Read More
2020-06-26 17:02
It isn't easy to understand this statute. For me, at least.Just what is Teddy Roosevelt supposed to be doing (besides riding a horse)? Is he going somewhere? If so, where?… Read More
2020-06-18 15:24
There are moments when I feel I can take a certain pride in our legal system. These moments become less and less frequent, it's true. Whether this is the case becaus… Read More
2020-06-09 16:52
The words "Spiritus Mundi," Latin for the Spirit of the World or World Spirit, are probably familiar to most of us through W.B. Yeats' poem The Second Coming. In that poem he refers to… Read More
2020-06-02 20:38
"You can dream the American Dream, but you sleep with the lights on and wake up with a scream." Warren Zevon, Fistful of Rain It's likely that even cynical lawyers like myself hav… Read More
2020-05-21 20:45
"Grotesque" is one of the words the meaning of which will vary, even significantly, with context. In the world of art, it may be fanciful and absurd and not necessarily ugly and repuls… Read More
2020-05-07 21:42
There are more than one versions of the jazz composition Compared to What. My favorite is the live version performed by Les McCann, Eddie Harris and others at the 1969 Montreux Ja… Read More
2020-04-15 15:59
Children visiting our bonesWill know that they were onceNimble, motivated to movementBut in that fateful spring, fast with lifeHad clustered in dull arrangementLessened to mere being, in pla… Read More
2020-04-06 17:02
I wonder whether the interesting mask and attire shown above would suffice to protect us in this time of COVID 19. I suspect it would serve as well as, or perhaps slightly less well, t… Read More
2020-03-27 21:11
Edgar Poe (I understand he preferred not to be called "Allan" as he and his foster or adopted father of that name didn't get along) wrote a story entitled The Masque of the Red Death. … Read More
2020-03-16 20:24
A comparison of the coronavirus, or Covid-19, with the great plagues of the past is probably premature. Millions must die first if it is to rival the destruction caused by its infamous… Read More
2020-02-25 17:43
What better way to illustrate the smug, cruel, hectoring and thoughtless nature of the times then through this later sketch by Goya? Surely you see someone you've seen before among tho… Read More
2020-02-03 20:52
Ambrose Bierce, a remarkable man, has been mentioned by me before in the blog. Soldier of the Union in the Civil War, journalist, author, wit (though a bitter wit; hence his nickname "… Read More
2020-01-14 20:26
Our leaders are either sinister or buffoons, or sinister buffoons (the latter are arguably more dangerous, as it is impossible to take them seriously but they pose a serious threat). C… Read More
2019-12-10 22:43
Just what is cultural appropriation? Is it always inappropriate? It seems to be a term used in condemning certain conduct or people.Well, you see what I've done of course. … Read More
2019-11-25 20:54
The "Other Hitchens" as some may have guessed is Peter Hitchens, the brother of the late and more notorious Christopher Hitchens. Peter is, or was, a journalist by trade, and although… Read More
2019-11-18 17:36
I'm not much of a fan of Nietzsche. I've come to refer to him, perhaps unkindly, as Frantic Freddie. I quote him nonetheless, and in doing so include thereby a picture of him wea… Read More
2019-10-21 17:01
In the last post, I concluded that Stoicism isn't a religion, but could be religious, at least in a sense. But is that truly the case?I think that strictly speaking it can be if we use… Read More
2019-10-07 19:04
I find myself wondering, now and then, whether Stoicism can be considered a religion, and for that matter whether it should be considered religious. The answers I encounter when I read… Read More
2019-09-30 20:05
Well, there it is. Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution of God's favorite country, the United States of America. And, mirabile dictu, this not altogether clear, but succinct, lang… Read More
2019-08-26 00:55
The thought of agreeing with Newt Gingrich about anything is one I find disagreeable. For that matter, the sorry state of conservatism in these dark days is such that I'm disturbed whe… Read More
2019-08-12 20:26
I'm an admirer of Patrick O'Brian's great series of historical novels set during the time of the Napoleonic wars, featuring as their heroes Captain Jack Aubrey and Dr. Stephen Maturin, membe… Read More
2019-07-22 02:52
Above is a picture I took of Athens, on a full moon night last month. You can see the Acropolis in the distance. You can see moonlight on the sea. I'm father fond of the pi… Read More
2019-05-06 16:30
I read yesterday a book, apparently a classic of Christian Apologetics, entitled Your God is too Small: A Guide for Believers and Skeptics, by J.B. Phillips. It is an easy read… Read More
2019-04-22 19:05
It's Spring at last here in the northern portions of God's favorite country, and in this time of rebirth what is called the Mueller Report has been born and must be borne, if only in its red… Read More
2019-04-14 23:39
As the seemingly endless season of farce we call the presidential election begins, I think of Diogenes the Cynic. I suppose I also think of Aristophanes, as he wrote farces aplenty and… Read More
2019-04-08 16:32
This has become a pressing question, for me. Not with respect to life in general, I hurry to say. I suffer no existential crisis. How could I, being an aspiring Stoic? &hell…Read More
2019-04-01 18:17
I've only noticed recently, while reading Hey Rube, the extent to which his work resembles that of another old favorite, H.L. Mencken. I wonder somewhat why that's true. I… Read More
2019-03-18 21:48
Those of us who take the time to at least scan the news sources available will have learned that objective reality has been thrown into doubt. Those who scan more thoroughly will have… Read More
2019-03-04 23:53
The discouraging state of our politics has led me to ignore this blog for a bit, but I feel inspired, in a way, by a book I've been reading. It's by Richard Wolin and is entitled The S… Read More
2019-01-27 22:31
I find that the word "honor" is difficult to define. A review of dictionary definitions will establish that it has various meanings depending, of course, on its use in a sentence. &hell…Read More
2019-01-08 22:40
Now and then, and in any case too often, I find myself drawn to discussions, of a sort, concerning Heidegger in a philosophy forum I frequent. I don't think I can say I'm irresistibly… Read More
2018-12-17 20:16
A thread on a forum I frequent has motivated me to wonder something about the so-called Abrahamic religions, i.e. those which look back to the patriarch Abraham as a founder, directly or ind… Read More
2018-12-13 00:36
It occurs to me that the past is never past. Not, at least, in the sense that it ends, or is done. The past is ever growing. It is never over, never finished, and becomes l… Read More
2018-12-03 16:26
There's something about it, I think, that would explain its success and also explain why I wonder at it...and its success. I don't mean to say that as musical theatre goes, it's bad.&n&hell…Read More
2018-10-28 16:59
I first became familiar with the Danse Macabre through the music of Saint-Saens, who wrote a tone poem by that name. I thought it a rather jaunty tune, though in a minor key and so the… Read More
2018-10-11 23:00
Article II, Section 2, Clause 2 of the Constitution of our Glorious Republic provides that the President shall nominate, and "by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate" shall appoint… Read More
2018-09-27 21:18
"Invincible ignorance" has at least two meanings. In Catholic theology, it refers to the state, or condition, of persons who are ignorant of Jesus because their circumstances are such… Read More
2018-09-12 21:06
Today H.L. Mencken would be 138 years old, if only he was still alive. How I wish he was.The Sage of Baltimore was not a religious man and did not believe in an afterlife. … Read More
2018-08-24 16:18
There's something about us that makes us enjoy freakish displays. Traveling carnivals and circuses brought with them sometimes real, sometimes faked, human physical oddities and… Read More
2018-08-11 01:34
These are sad days here in our Glorious Republic, the home of the free and the brave, beautiful for spacious skies and purple (really?) mountains. This land which is my land… Read More
2018-08-01 23:00
The 19th century English poet, Gerard Manley Hopkins, had a remarkable way of using language in his poetry which sets him apart from other poets of the Victorian era, and from the En… Read More
2018-07-23 21:46
According to Plutarch "Great Pan is Dead!" are the words uttered in a loud voice (sometimes called a "divine voice") heard by the sailor Thamus on his way--by boat one would assume… Read More
2018-07-16 02:28
Vain, verbose, muddle-headed, ignorant, boorish, morose, opinionated, excitable, scatter-brained, loud-mouthed, meddlesome...all adjectives used at one time or another to describe Kaiser Wil… Read More
2018-07-01 22:15
There's something called "the Nothing." There's something called "Nothingness." They are (are not, perhaps) a concern to certain philosophers of a certain kind. Apropos of… Read More
2018-06-18 18:07
"What a piece of work is man" says Shakespeare's Hamlet, in an extended fit of irony. One can't help but agree...with the irony. The image above is, of course, taken from The Twilight… Read More
2018-06-07 23:02
I've noted previously in this blog that I'm not a fan of the pardon power granted the president by the Constitution of this Great Republic. It may be guessed, then, that I would… Read More
2018-06-03 16:27
I was always a fan of what was called the "New Journalism" as practiced by Tom Wolfe and a few others. I particularly liked his Radical Chic which so devastatingly mocked the propensit… Read More
2018-05-13 15:14
"Vulgar" is a word with a very broad meaning. It has Latin origins, and in those origins denotes a mob or common folk. It can mean unsophisticated, crude, offensive, undeveloped… Read More
2018-05-07 22:00
I wonder whether an artist of any kind can be said to long for success. Success is something it would seem great artists would wish to avoid, as their greatness to many is defined--if… Read More
2018-04-22 22:26
If you look for a definition of the word "prayer" you'll most likely find a reference to a solemn plea for help or expression of thanks addressed to God. The famous painting above is c… Read More
2018-04-09 17:45
In 1794, during the excesses of the French Revolution, the National Convention established by Decree what has since been called The Cult of the Supreme Being. It seems to have been cre… Read More
2018-03-23 17:19
I'm overwhelmed with wonder whenever I think of the Eighteenth Amendment to our Constitution, by which the production, sale and transportation of intoxicating liquors, and their import… Read More
2018-03-13 23:40
Pictured above (supposedly) are Pelagius, founder of the Pelagian heresy, and Augustine of Hippo; one a heretic and one a saint. Sadly, I'm not sure which is Pelagius and which is Augu… Read More
2018-03-05 23:02
Perhaps its in the nature of humanity's constructions to dissolve over time, as we do ourselves. Perhaps the proud early slogan of our nation, E Pluribus Unum--Out of Many, One… Read More
2018-02-26 18:49
These Latin words, most famously used by Cicero in two of his speeches in defense of persons accused of crime, are generally translated as, variously, "who benefits?" or "for whose… Read More
2018-02-13 19:35
A Happy Ash Wednesday to all!Well, it comes after carnival, so it seems appropriate that a post about Ash Wednesday would follow one about carnival. It seems inappropriate, though… Read More
2018-02-05 18:09
It being February, it seems appropriate to address the ritual, or celebration, of carnival in the West. It's a time of feasting, parading, drinking, role-reversal and excess. Rev… Read More
2018-01-24 20:13
Can a cat be an artist? Is the work pictured above, produced by a cat, a work of art? What is art?The seemingly endless series of award shows we encounter each year, for films an… Read More
2018-01-15 16:40
How the Sage of Baltimore would laugh; or is laughing if he found, to his surprise, that there is an afterlife. I've criticized him in the past in this blog for his elitism. His… Read More
2018-01-07 23:47
One thing that can be said of the Bible is that it has provided titles to authors of books, particularly (and appropriately?) books of fiction. The Bible is known to most of the West f… Read More
2017-12-24 16:34
Not to contribute to or perpetuate the purported War on Christmas, but the early Church, or someone, was wise to co opt (or usurp?) this season of ancient celebration and designate it the Ch… Read More
2017-12-10 22:54
It seems that in these unnecessarily interesting and unnerving times, many of us have become fascinated with our ancestry. We investigate it not only in the old fashioned way--search o… Read More
2017-11-26 17:58
The Milky Way, the galaxy of which our world is but a tiny part, is itself only a tiny part of the unimaginably vast universe in which we and all we know exist. Why do some of us insis… Read More
2017-11-17 19:43
The quote above is from one of Shakespeare's lesser-known (to me, at least) plays, Troilus and Cressida, and is brought to mind by...what should it be called? A tsunami, an avalanche?… Read More
2017-11-08 00:24
Holy Mother Church, or Sancta Mater Ecclesia in Latin. The One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, just as it's said, also in Latin, in the interesting picture above. Or, accordi… Read More
2017-10-30 21:29
The word "pagan" is derived from the Latin paganus, which was used to refer to someone from the countryside, someone rustic, unsophisticated, unlearned; something of a bumpkin, I suppos… Read More
2017-10-16 19:42
The cartoon above is one of a series drawn by James Thurber, entitled The War Between Men and Women. The title of this post is a modification of the title of a collection of the works… Read More
2017-10-09 19:11
I last addressed the totemic status of guns in our Glorious Republic a few years ago. Another massacre, another gun control "debate" (such as it is). It's time for the floa… Read More
2017-10-02 17:42
I turned 18 in 1972. That was the year the last draft lottery took place. The lottery applied only to those who had been born in 1953, though, and I was born in 1954.&nbs&hell…Read More
2017-09-18 22:05
These are famous words from a famous poem. No doubt they've been explained already by many, or at least analyzed; perhaps even by the poet himself. Wallace Stevens was a poet who… Read More
2017-09-11 22:30
I've tried for some years now to read The Education of Henry Adams. I have not succeeded in doing so. I'm trying to read it once more, and this time have read more of it than I e… Read More
2017-09-04 20:09
It seems there is a difference between "dead languages" and "extinct languages." An extinct language is one that is no longer spoken. A dead language is one that is no longer the… Read More
2017-08-27 22:10
In our Glorious Republic, the authority of the president to grant pardons is itself granted by the Constitution. It is granted in Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 of that remarkable doc… Read More
2017-08-20 07:13
Statues have been much in the news, lately. Not the one pictured above, but others. The one pictured above is of Henry IV of France. Not very popular among his people while… Read More
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