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The Science of Religion; Philosophy and Faith

The majority of the world’s population has also found in religion a core belief system fulfills the innate human need for meaning and purpose, acting as a shield against existential angst and moral dilemmas. Additionally, it can be argued that religion establishes a common-belief system which fosters cooperation and understanding between members, thus making society less susceptible to friction. In fact, the use of religion as a social tool may largely explain its staying power and cross-cultural ubiquity.

Human societies have indeed found in religion a solution to induce individuals to be nicer to each other as it outsources social and moral monitoring to a supernatural force that is all-seeing and omnipresent.

Pompeii for Plebs: A Brief on the Smoking City

When the majestic Mount Vesuvius decided to erupt on 24th August 79 CE, it sent shock waves throughout the region of the devastation it wreaked on the people of the small cities underneath its shadow. It didn’t occur to the Romans that Mount Vesuvius was still an active volcano and that it might erupt anyContinue reading “Pompeii for Plebs: A Brief on the Smoking City”

The Collapse of Carthage and Rise of Rome

The Mediterranean Basin has been the cradle of world civilizations since the first settlements in Jericho thousands of years ago. Known in English and the romance languages as the sea “between the lands,” the Mediterranean has shaped the cultures and identities of many nations and civilizations over the course of history. No other such basinContinue reading “The Collapse of Carthage and Rise of Rome”

Admiral Zheng He and China’s Golden Age

One of the most enduring symbols of the Ming dynasty’s eagerness to extend international relations under the emperor Yongle, is the seven sea voyages of admiral Zheng He. Yongle’s predecessors had been cautious to the point of isolationism when it came to foreign relations, especially after the recent Mongol invasion which saw China being ruledContinue reading “Admiral Zheng He and China’s Golden Age”

Give Us Our Daily Bread; Or We Won’t Vote For You!

“The people who once gave out military commands, made magistrates, and summoned legions – the people who did everything – now content themselves and wait anxiously for two things – bread and circuses.” – Juvenal, Satire The Roman satirist Juvenal observed that the people, who once held some serious political clout, gave up whatever influenceContinue reading “Give Us Our Daily Bread; Or We Won’t Vote For You!”

The Fall of Pax Azteca: The Greatest American Empire

On the night of the 21st of February, 1978, on a residential street in the middle of Mexico City, a group of workmen were digging through the hard asphalt of the road. They were working for the Mexican City electric company and their job was to run cables across the street and through the wholeContinue reading “The Fall of Pax Azteca: The Greatest American Empire”

Building A Taste For The Finer Things: Why? & How?

This isn’t a blog about buying that Ferrari you probably can’t afford with the bank’s money who wishes you would, and has even gifted you with the perfectly legal yet morally questionable means of doing so. This is a blog about QUALITY, about 5-star hotels, Michelin star restaurants, family-farms, and friendly barbers, local pubs, and private jets…

Like most blogs, let us start with a quick history lesson; The Romans were often granted the title of one of the most civilized nations in the days of old. Partly because they dubbed every non-Roman person a barbarian… Partly because they had the most structured society, and as a society is merely in the bigger picture but a system, thus functioned the most efficiently…

The Richest Man in History and The History of The Richest Man

The fight for the richest man in the world will surely wage on for the next couple of years between Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Tesla genius Elon Musk, both with a combined net worth of $250 billion. But by no means are they the richest men in history. That title is believed to belongContinue reading “The Richest Man in History and The History of The Richest Man”

Bronze Age Globalism, and The Sea Peoples?

Around the years 1200-1100 BC, right at the end of the Bronze Age a wave of destruction razed across the region. It wiped whole civilizations off the map and discriminated against none. Ancient civilization like the Ugarit, Minoans, and Mycenaean Greeks disappeared altogether, completely disappearing from the records and leaving fragmented pieces of evidence behind. Some parts of the region took almost a 1000 years to fully recover from the disaster and its effects can still be seen to this day. What happened in the region stands to be one of humanity’s most hotly debated mysteries.

Swiss Influence & the Canadian Alps

Situated on the confluence of Western, Central, and Southern Europe, Switzerland has enjoyed its geopolitical station and has used it to its advantage numerous times throughout history. Switzerland lies in between two mountain ranges, the Swiss Alps which straddle the southern border of the Swiss Confederation and the Jura Mountains which are a sub-Alpine regionContinue reading “Swiss Influence & the Canadian Alps”