Latest news with #Enlightenment
New York Times
13-06-2025
- General
- New York Times
When Myth Is the Message
This personal reflection is part of a series called The Big Ideas, in which writers respond to a single question: What is history? You can read more by visiting The Big Ideas series page. We in the modern world tend to understand the word 'myth' as a synonym for 'falsehood.' But that is not how our ancestors understood it. Indeed, the ancient mind did not draw the same line between myth and fact that we do. Whether we are speaking of Zeus forcing his father to vomit up his siblings or Jesus being born in a manger, these tales were never meant to be read as factual reports. They were meant to fire the imagination, to illuminate hidden truths and, most of all, to bring about transformation. The power of myth lies in its capacity to move a listener from one state of being to another — from confusion to clarity, from despair to hope, from disorientation to meaning. Myths are the packaging for truth. They are the language of religion. Scripture deals in what might be called 'sacred history,' a narrative realm that blends fact and fiction to convey timeless truths. The authors and transmitters of these sacred texts were not seeking facts; they were seeking meaning. Our modern conception of history — the critical analysis of observable and verifiable past events — is only a handful of centuries old. It arose alongside the Enlightenment and the scientific method in the 1600s, and while immensely valuable, it is not the lens through which sacred texts were written. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Scotsman
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
Poll reveals majority of Scots have never heard of Scottish Enlightenment or David Hume
Sign up to our History and Heritage newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A majority of Scots have never heard of the Scottish Enlightenment or Scotland's most famous philosopher David Hume, a new poll has revealed. The poll found 56 per cent of respondents did not know of the Enlightenment - the period in 18th and 19th-century Scotland characterised by a flood of intellectual and scientific accomplishments - nor of Mr Hume himself. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A statue of David Hume against the backdrop of Edinburgh's Old Town | Scotsman/Canva The survey, commissioned by the David Hume Institute and carried out by ScotPulse, also found seven in ten (72 per cent) people were interested in history and wanted to learn more. Fewer than one in five respondents thought the past was not relevant to how their lives are lived today, the survey showed. Mr Hume is a historian and economist best known for his highly influential system of empiricism and philosophical scepticism published during the 18th century. But his views on race and his association with the slave trade has sparked criticism in recent years, with the University of Edinburgh removing his name from one of its campus buildings over concerns on the 'distress' caused to students. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A total of 2,194 people aged 16 and over in Scotland were interviewed from February 4-10 for the poll. Susan Murray, director of the David Hume Institute, said: 'This survey poses an interesting question for an institute named in honour of one of Scotland's most famous Enlightenment thinkers. Does knowing about the enlightenment matter to Scots today? And what does it mean to be named after a historical figure that almost half of Scots have not heard of? 'When we began thinking about this, we had more questions than answers, but the survey told us we are not alone in wanting to understand more.' A footnote first published by Mr Hume in 1753, as part of a wider essay on national characteristics, contained the view there were several races of humans, but claimed all were inferior to white Europeans. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A project, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, has aimed to investigate Mr Hume's legacy. A conference on the back of the project will be held in Edinburgh today.
India Today
04-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- India Today
The real Casanova: The spy, alchemist and librarian behind the lover's legend
In 1755, Giacomo Casanova, locked away in the attic prison of Venice's Doge's Palace, stared at the wooden ceiling above him. Imprisoned for "public outrages against the holy religion" -- possibly linked to his dealings in occultism and freemasonry -- his future looked Piombi, named for its lead-covered roof, was infamous for its unbearable heat and isolation, and he was sentenced without trial to five years in the attic prison. But this was Casanova -- charming, clever, and impossibly hard to contain. He refused to sit the next 15 months, battling illness and despair, he quietly chipped away at his cell's roof with a smuggled iron bar. After months of sawing, hiding tools in a Bible, and teaming up with another inmate, Father Marino Balbi, on the night of October 31, 1756, he climbed out through the roof. He slipped into a hallway, broke into an office, and dressed as an official and full of confidence, he simply walked out the front daring escape became one of history's most legendary jailbreaks and is recounted in his Histoire de ma vie, and backed up by records from the Doge's the same man known for his flings also pulled off one of Europe's most unbelievable prison breaks. And that's just the beginning. advertisement EARLY LIFE OF A RUNAWAY PRIESTBorn in Venice on April 2, 1725, Casanova was the son of actors. Or possibly a Venetian nobleman -- he speculated in his memoirs but could never confirm. His father died when he was young, and he was sent off to study became a priest briefly as well, but let's just say temptation won. He abandoned the church for gambling, travelling, and chasing stories across even pursued law at the University of Padua but soon found the allure of adventure more compelling than legal studies. His life was a tapestry of diverse roles: soldier, violinist, gambler, spy, and even intelligence and charm opened doors to Europe's elite circles, where he engaged with some of the era's most prominent his own account, he had affairs with more than 120 women, but his memoirs are filled with more than bedroom tales. They reveal a man hungry for experience, status, and ENEMIES, AND CHESS WITH VOLTAIRECasanova's travels brought him into contact with luminaries of the Enlightenment. In Geneva, he visited Voltaire at the Chteau de Ferney. The two reportedly played chess, but it wasn't exactly a found the philosopher arrogant; Voltaire found him entertaining. Still, they debated everything from God to logic. Casanova might've preferred wine and women, but he could hold his own in a salon full of Enlightenment thinkers. DINNER WITH CATHERINE THE GREATCasanova's journeys took him as far as Russia, where he managed a brief audience with Catherine the Great in 1765. She was one of the most powerful rulers in Europe; he, a wandering intellectual with a scandalous to accounts from that time, they talked about censorship, politics, and the freedom of thought. Casanova respected her, and the feeling -- at least diplomatically -- was ELECTRICITY, AND A SHARED VIEW ON SEDUCTIONCasanova also met Benjamin Franklin, an esteemed physicist and one of the founding fathers of America, in Paris in 1783. They spoke about electricity, revolution, the burgeoning field of aeronautics, and yes, to Casanova's memoirs, he once told Franklin that 'seduction is a science.' Franklin didn't argue. The two admired each other's cleverness, though they walked very different SWORD AND A WOMAN IN WARSAWIn Warsaw, he got into a duel over a mistress. His opponent was a Polish noble, and the ensuing duel left Casanova with a slashed hand. Ever the romantic, he considered the injury a badge of love, claiming he "bled for love."The duel made it to the local gossip and court letters -- proof that Casanova, even when embarrassed, knew how to spin a good story. HENRIETTE: THE ONE WHO GOT AWAYDespite the countless lovers he wrote about, there was one who haunted him -- Henriette, a French noblewoman. Their time together was brief, just around three months, but left him with grace and without bitterness. And he never got over her real identity remains unconfirmed, many scholars believe she was based on a real French JUST A LOVER -- ALCHEMIST, INVENTOR, AND SPYBeyond his romantic endeavors, Casanova dabbled in alchemy, freemasonry, and worked briefly as a secret agent for the Venetian Inquisitors of State and attempted to sell a lottery system to the French government. His reports, coded and clever, are stored in Venetian archives. He even designed a steam-powered machine to raise canal Paris, he dabbled in alchemy, claimed to be a Rosicrucian, and ever the showman, he wowed a rich widow by pretending to speak to her dead husband. He used chemistry and a few party tricks to convince her it was real. She sued him later, but nothing came of it -- possibly due to his influential was sometimes as a nobleman, sometimes as a priest, and once even as a violinist.A MAN OBSESSED WITH HOW HE'D BE REMEMBEREDCasanova cared deeply about his reputation -- not just as a lover, but as a thinker. He did write letters to figures like Rousseau, d'Alembert, and Goethe, though not all of these exchanges developed into lasting wanted to be taken seriously. In many ways, he was. But the tales of his bedroom still overshadow his debates with royalty, his prison escape, and his late-life reflection. advertisementTHE LIBRARIAN OF BOHEMIAEventually, the drama wore thin. In his 60s, exiled from Venice, Casanova settled into a quiet job as a librarian at Castle Dux (in today's Czech Republic). Hired by Count Joseph Karl von Waldstein, he spent his final years result? A massive 12-volume memoir, Histoire de ma vie ('Story of My Life'), filled with stories of escape, passion, betrayal, and sharp observations about the people and politics of 18th-century Europe. It remains a vital historical 2010, the Bibliothque nationale de France acquired the original manuscript of Histoire de ma vie, which had long been held in private hands in Germany. Its authenticity was already well established among scholars. You can read parts of them today -- and they're just as wild and witty as you'd June 4, 1798, Giacomo Casanova passed away quietly in Castle Dux, at the age of may be forever stamped with the label of a legendary lover, but his life was anything but one-dimensional. From debating philosophers to breaking out of a fortress prison, he lived like a man in constant pursuit of greatest seduction wasn't of women -- it was of history itself. And somehow, it worked.
DW
02-06-2025
- DW
Berlin's Museum Island reflects city's tumultuous history – DW – 05/30/2025
Initiated 200 years ago, Museum Island was in ruins after World War II. Then the UNESCO World Heritage site was reborn thanks to a master plan. Berlin's Museum Island uniquely encapsulates Germany's modern history — from the ideas of the Enlightenment to the destruction of World War II, from the Cold War era to its current ultra-modern restoration that has turned the ensemble of museums into a tourist magnet. Standing as a testimony to Europe's architectural and cultural developments, the historical complex of museum buildings was recognized by UNESCO in June 1999 as a World Heritage Site , and this year it is celebrating its 200th anniversary since the first building's foundation stone was laid. #DailyDrone: The Museum Island Berlin To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A legacy of the Enlightenment During the Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815), when the French invaded the historic German kingdom of Prussia, many artworks were plundered from its capital, Berlin. When the looted works were returned after the war, Prussian leaders decided to create a museum to showcase the treasures publicly. The Altes Museum (Old Museum) was the first building in the series of five institutions that would later become known as Museum Island. Simply called the "Museum" in its early years, the Altes Museum's foundation stone was laid in 1825, and it opened in 1830. A historic illustration from 1885 shows the Altes Museum, the oldest building of Berlin's Museum Island complex Image: imageBROKER/picture alliance At the time, after decades of war, Prussia was economically and financially ruined, "and yet they invested in such a cultural building, hiring the best architect of the time, [Karl Friedrich] Schinkel," Hermann Parzinger, outgoing president of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, tells DW. It's a fact he particularly likes to point out in the current context, as politicians question the importance of funding culture. Amid the ideals of the Enlightenment, education was recognized as a priority. Thinker and statesman Wilhelm von Humboldt viewed museums as an important pillar of the educational reform he developed. "The museum, as a space of the citizen's aesthetic education, was very important to him," explains Parzinger. "So it was more than just building a museum; there was a vision behind it, and art, together with science, played a very central role." A museum ensemble built over 100 years During the colonial era, the collection of ancient artifacts grew, along with leaders' aspiration to showcase German national Romantic artists. More museums were needed in Berlin to house those works. In the century that followed, four more major museums were therefore added to the complex located on the northern part of Spree Island, in the historic heart of Berlin: the Neues Museum (New Museum) opened in 1859; the Alte Nationalgalerie (Old National Gallery) followed in 1876; the Bode Museum (then the Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum) came in 1904; and finally, the Pergamon Museum, designed to house the monumental Ishtar Gate of Babylon, was completed in 1930. The Pergamon was the last museum to be added to the original Museum Island complex Image: Thomas Robbin/imageBROKER/picture alliance Short-lived glory before World War II For a few years before World War II, Museum Island was one of the crown jewels of European culture. The Nazis celebrated the classical and ancient works in the Museum Island collections, which they saw as part of a supposed Aryan heritage. During World War II, museum officials partly evacuated valuable artifacts to underground bunkers, mines and castles across Germany. This move saved many exhibits — including the bust of Nefertiti and large portions of the Pergamon friezes — but also contributed to the dispersal of several other treasures. The bust of Nefertiti is housed in the Neues Museum and is one of Museum Island's most popular artefacts Image: Maurizio Gambarini/IMAGO After the war, when the Soviet Red Army occupied the area in May 1945, art collections throughout Germany were looted as war reparations. So-called Trophy Brigades of the Red Army sent millions of historical items to Moscow and St. Petersburg, with many landing in undocumented private collections. Many objects were later returned to Berlin in the 1950s, particularly during the rule of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, but it is estimated that around a million works of art, more than four million books and manuscripts, and a considerable number of archival materials are still kept in Russia and its neighboring countries. Even though German and Russian institutions developed common research efforts into those contested objects over the past decades, today, "because of the war [in Ukraine], everything is on hold and interrupted — and we don't know when we can resume these contacts," says Parzinger. Rebuilding Museum Island In divided Germany, Museum Island landed in East Berlin, under the control of the German Democratic Republic (GDR). The communist state "simply didn't have the resources for reconstruction after 1945. The buildings were repaired, but not completely renovated," explains Parzinger. Many of the Museum Island buildings are neo-classical in style and feature elegant colonnades Image: Jürgen Ritter/IMAGO The Neues Museum, which had been particularly damaged, was left untouched, as a symbolic ruin of war. Parzinger clearly recalls his own visit to East Berlin as a student, in 1984 — decades before he became, in 2008, the president of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, which is the government body that oversees Berlin's state museums, including those that are part of Museum Island. His student visit is when he first saw the bombed-out shell of the Neues Museum: "I remember there were huge trees growing out from the stairwell. There was no roof, and you could see the crowns of the trees above the building. It was unbelievable to me." When the Berlin Wall came down, it was therefore essential to completely renovate the buildings and make them fit for the future, explains Parzinger. What's known as the Master Plan outlines the multi-phase restoration of the five museums that make up the UNESCO World Heritage ensemble. Museum Island's five buildings are being renovated as part of a decadeslong, multi-phase plan Image: Jens Kalaene/dpa/picture alliance An outstanding approach to restoration Certainly the most important restoration project was the resurrection of the Neues Museum. British architect David Chipperfield's design was initially met with strong resistance. He integrated the ruins into a new construction, working with the scars of war by leaving bullet holes and missing ceiling frescoes visible; purists opposed, calling for a restoration that would have been faithful to the original neoclassical building. But pushing through with this "magnificent concept" was the only right decision, says Parzinger enthusiastically, adding that he still keeps discovering new details every time he returns to the building. The renovated museum won numerous national and international architecture awards. David Chipperfield's design of the James Simon Gallery echoes the neo-classical style of historic buildings in a modern way Image: W. Wirth/Zoonar/picture alliance Housing the Egyptian museum and the papyrus collection, the Neues Museum's most famous exhibit is the pharaonic bust of Queen Nefertiti. Last year, a petition was launched to have the 3,370-year-old bust returned to Egypt. But for the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, there is nothing to discuss about its return: "Nefertiti came to Berlin as part of a completely legal, well-documented discovery," maintains Parzinger. Nevertheless, Parzinger has been a key figure in the restitution debate, particularly concerning the return of the Benin Bronzes and other objects with colonial histories. After 17 years at the helm of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, he is now retiring and being succeeded by Marion Ackermann. She becomes the new president of the foundation on June 1, just as festivities for Museum Island's 200th anniversary year are launched. "The 200th anniversary of Museum Island is a great opportunity for us to become even more attractive," Ackermann tells DW. As she takes over, the buildings' restoration will continue, as defined by the Museum Island Master Plan. One recent notable milestone in the completion of the plan was the opening of the James Simon Gallery in 2019. As a new addition to Museum Island, it serves as the main entrance, providing orientation to visitors. The Pergamon is currently closed until 2027 as it undergoes its makeover. The Altes Museum will be next. The Pergamon Museum closed in 2023 for renovations; it will reopen partially in 2027 and fully in 2037 Image: K-H Spremberg/Shotshop/picture alliance When all restorations are completed, four of the five historical buildings will then be connected by a handicap-accessible underground ramp known as the Archaeological Promenade, inspired by historic bridges between the museums that were destroyed during World War II. All additions and restorations contribute to further anchor Museum Island's status as Germany's blockbuster equivalent to the Louvre in Paris or the British Museum in London. By giving a new lease of life to the museum complex on the Spree River, Museum Island is set to keep reflecting Berlin's history for centuries to come. Edited by: Brenda Haas
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump is reshaping businesses and institutions to benefit him, not voters
Is the US federal government mostly beneficial or detrimental? To the Trump administration and his DOGE cabal, the answer seems to be the latter. But are they right? What impact will their actions have on our economy and freedoms? I once heard two Mid-Columbian citizens discussing our history: 'The government provided the water, and the farmers took it from there' one said, receiving a nod of agreement. As I reflected, however, it dawned on me how many governmental contributions are ignored, for the government didn't just provide water; they also advanced electricity, roads, ports, schools, police and fire services, Hanford cleanup, airports, grants, subsidies, railroads, etc. Moreover, by establishing land-grant universities, such as WSU, the federal government supplied generous research funds for improving agriculture. Following WWII, a system was developed whereby federal government agencies, such as the NIH and NSF, furnished our nation's universities with needed research dollars for agriculture, medicine, engineering, science, etc. This often-overlooked funding helped to build our university system into the envy of the world and has been of immense benefit to society. When Trump cuts off federal funding to universities and governmental agencies, he's eliminating important support for medical research, technology, etc. People often assume that corporations such as Space X are wonderful examples of private entrepreneurship independent of governmental bureaucracy. But, on the contrary, Space X got much of its technology from NASA, and the success of many businesses is based on thousands of behind-the-scenes government-financed loans and research projects. As a professor, I've had a front-row seat to DEI and other overly woke policies, some of which do need to be moderated. The actions of the Trump administration, however, go far beyond this; for their attacks are excessive, and unfounded accusations of DEI and antisemitism are being used to muzzle and control our governmental institutions and universities. Trump thinks, if he can just take down Harvard, our whole university system will submit. The proper role of government is to follow, defend, and promote our Constitution, which is the salutary law of the land and embodies Enlightenment ideas going beyond most people's day-to-day thinking. Until recently the federal government has primarily done that, and most Americans have benefited exceedingly, although we have been sliding into oligarchy recently. Our economy has been performing strongly with growth, high employment, and expanding productivity. Contrary to Trumpian rhetoric, America has been a great nation for centuries, particularly following WWII. Our economy is the world's largest and pulling further ahead. It's true that some of our NATO allies have fallen short of their required contribution, and many nations do have higher tariffs on our products than we have on theirs. But these discrepancies are relatively small and could be addressed better with less bullying. The partisan ideology that America is the victimized pansy of the world is completely wrong, as is the accusation that our federal government is an inefficient, ever-growing monster. We have, in reality, prospered tremendously from the domestic and world orders Trump is now disassembling. Government should be the adult in the room, using the resources it commands to build a better society for all people, not just a privileged few. And it should nurture friendly and productive relationships with other nations. What we're witnessing instead is the ugly imposition of patrimonialism (mob boss rule), complete with protection rackets and shakedowns. Everything is personal to Trump, and he governs to enrich and exalt himself. The press, universities, corporations, courts, and government agencies must kneel before him and his gang of fascistic oligarchs. As Trump proudly boasts, both domestic and foreign leaders must now kiss his 'butt' for favors, such as relaxing tariffs. He's creating a corrupt, pay-to-play, mafia-style autocracy with Trump as the Godfather. Tragically, most Republican politicians, instead of fighting for the people, the rule of law, and for democracy, cheer with wild applause. Mark Mansperger of Richland, WA., is a professor of anthropology. His research includes cultural ecology, societal development and political economy. The views presented in this column are his own.
