Over the past week, I’ve amused myself with George R. R. Martin’s newest book, Fire and Blood. For those of you without the inclination to read a… Read more “Fake History: A Practical Guide to Inventing the Past”
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How Not To Measure a Country’s Power
How can we quantify the power of a country? Putting so many demographic, economic and military factors into a single number may seem like a daunting task,… Read more “How Not To Measure a Country’s Power”
The History of Happiness: Are People Getting Happier?
Over the last few centuries, the lives of people have improved in almost every quantifiable way. Education, lifespan, living standards, hygiene, and countless other factors have steadily… Read more “The History of Happiness: Are People Getting Happier?”
What the Swedish Empire Tells Us About History
As long as humans have studied history, we have tried to simplify its broad sweep into theories. Great man theory, first articulated by Thomas Carlyle in the… Read more “What the Swedish Empire Tells Us About History”
Middle Earth Isn’t Medieval: Part II
Welcome back to Part II of my two part discussion on whether J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth qualifies as a medieval world (Part I here). Last… Read more “Middle Earth Isn’t Medieval: Part II”
Middle Earth Isn’t Medieval: Part I
Fantasy and medieval settings go together like peanut butter and jelly, like wizards and towers. Consumers of fantasy are so used to seeing fantasy worlds set in… Read more “Middle Earth Isn’t Medieval: Part I”
To the Last Man: Demography and the Roman Army’s Darkest Hour
A little while ago, I wrote about how the Second Punic War lasted so long that many of the men in Hannibal’s army would have had more… Read more “To the Last Man: Demography and the Roman Army’s Darkest Hour”
Tragedy and Farce 