The tea bag has a curious story. The typical tea bag of today is an invention of the 20th century. It became popular towards the second half of the last century. Before that, all tea that was consumed in the world was loose-leaf. How very different the tea-drinking experience used to be. It required more … Continue reading Story of the Tea Bag and Us
Anaxagoras on Change: Everything Contains Everything
One of the last pre-Socratic philosophers of Ancient Greece, Anaxagoras hailed from the Ionian city of Clazomenae but is notable for being the first one to bring philosophy to Athens. There he taught and flourished for about 30 years until the mid-5th century BCE when he went back to Ionia due to charges brought against … Continue reading Anaxagoras on Change: Everything Contains Everything
Not-Infinite Being of Parmenides
Parmenides, in his prime in the early 5th century BCE, was a very influential pre-Socratic Greek philosopher. He was one of the leading figures of the school of thought named after his home city - Elea. According to 19th-century Scottish philosopher's Thomas Davidson's translation of the fragments available to us from the work of Parmenides, … Continue reading Not-Infinite Being of Parmenides
Spreading the Word: Devil’s Many Faces
This Friday I share with you a short and very interesting video about Devil. The manifestation of evil has kept us fascinated, horrified, bewildered since the beginning of history. We have interpreted and reinterpreted the meaning of, behind, and around devil, and continue to do so. So who or what is it? Pure evil? Fallen … Continue reading Spreading the Word: Devil’s Many Faces
Spreading the Word: Interview with Historians
This Friday I share with you a recent interview with two contemporary historians - Yuval Noah Harari and Rutger Bregman - in this highly engaging and interesting online talk, moderated by Zanny Minton Beddoes, editor-in-chief of The Economist. Kick back with your favourite drink and have a listen to the exchange of two fascinating minds. … Continue reading Spreading the Word: Interview with Historians
Spreading the Word: Mystery of the Bronze Age Collapse
This Friday I share with you a truly fascinating, informative and thought-provoking documentary video on the historical mystery of the Bronze Age collapse. A deep-dive summary of latest research and archeological discoveries, theories, hypotheses, climate and DNA analyses of the distant past of more than 3,000 years ago - from the time when entire civilizations, … Continue reading Spreading the Word: Mystery of the Bronze Age Collapse
Spreading the Word: Are We Really That Special?
This Friday I share with you a short video on our, human, origins. Lately I have been noticing how much undetected bias there is in our high regard of our own uniqueness, cognitive faculties, creativity etc. It helps to put things into perspective. To put our perceived specialness into perspective. To remind ourselves what a … Continue reading Spreading the Word: Are We Really That Special?
Spreading the Word: Life in Shakespeare’s England
This Friday I share with you a fascinating video -"Social disorder in Shakespeare's England". It is a lecture by Oxford University's Dr Healey who specializes in this period of British history. Besides being an interesting historical overview, it also helps to form a better understanding of the social and cultural context in which Shakespeare lived … Continue reading Spreading the Word: Life in Shakespeare’s England
Spreading the Word: Discussing Homer’s Iliad
This Friday I share with you a podcast episode where BBC's Melvyn Bragg talks about the epic poem Iliad with his guests, scholars and historians. It is both an informative and also highly enjoyable discussion. Expect emotions, knowledge, passion, good storytelling, and humour. After this, you are likely to want to read it yourself. Enjoy! … Continue reading Spreading the Word: Discussing Homer’s Iliad
Ancient Tale of Happiness
Human longing for a happy life is probably as old as the humanity itself. However, happiness is one of those fleeting concepts that receives new meaning with the change of time, shifts in values, developments in culture. In other words, happiness is a moving target. What has been our track record so far in trying … Continue reading Ancient Tale of Happiness
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