In the previous episode towards the latter part of the Middle Ages, we uncovered a bunch of tensions and contradictions reflecting the soon-to-come transition beyond the end of the medieval period, including notably between Latin and the vernacular Italian, which all have a bearing with the progression of society and so of relevance to our story. Today, let’s explore similar trends on a topic closer to home, something more relatable to most of us here.

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Article written by Ash Stuart

Images and voice narration generated by AI

Further Reading & Reference

* Horobin, Simon & Smith, Jeremy. (2002). An Introduction to Middle English. Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 0-7486-1480-X.

* Barber, Charles & Beal, Joan C. & Shaw, Philip A.. (2009). The English Language A Historical Introduction. Second. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-85404-7.

* Corrie, Marilyn. (2009). A concise companion to Middle English literature. Blackwell Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1-4051-2004-3.

* Crystal, David. (2012). Spell it out: the singular story of English spelling. Profile Books Ltd. ISBN 978-1-84668-567-5.

More than 15 years ago, I wanted to write poetry, poetry as in, proper verse, like the ...

...Today I hope to take you on a journey to that fount, to the very origins of more than one type of Romance, buckle up!

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Article written by Ash Stuart

Images and voice narration generated by AI

Further Reading & Reference

* Kirkham, Victoria & Maggi, Armando. (2009). Petrarch. A Critical Guide to the Complete Works. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0226437415.

* Madame de Genlis. (1820) Petrarch and Laura. London.

After writing Episode 34, I realized that some of the key points I’m making there might not be sufficiently clear without going back in historical time to lay the foundations of it. Plus, in the previous released Episode, [33B], we have discussed the revival of only one strand of the intellectual literature and legacy from what’s called the (European) Classical Antiquity. Let’s briefly go back to that past to complete that picture first.

Also, as you can tell from the hints in the title, this is in some sense an extension of [Episode 30] that came out six weeks ago. I ended that episode by the potentially provocative suggestion that perhaps Rome fell when the Republic fell.

Let me now add some more color to my case behind that proposition.

We know that Rome...

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Article written by Ash Stuart

Images and voice narration generated by AI

Further Reading & Reference

* Everitt, Anthony. (2003). Cicero - The life and times of Rome’s greatest politician. Random House Inc. ISBN 978-1588360342.

* Scheidel, Walter (2021). Escape from Rome. The Failure of Empire and the Road to Prosperity. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0691216737.

* Clackson, James & Horrocks, Geoffrey. (2007). The Blackwell History of the Latin Language. Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 978-1405162098.

* Harris, Robert. (2006 etc). Imperium (A fictionalized-but-true-to-history trilogy of Cicero’s life as said in the voice of his secretary Tiro (who is said to have invented short hand!))

* The Works of Cicero - English Translations, Gutenberg

* The Works of Cicero - Latin Original, The Latin Library

* Plutarch - The Life of Cicero

In the previous episode I said we were going to explore the bigger story underlying a unique case of transcultural synthesis of knowledge and the resulting innovation. That story is not over, so we have this episode as a follow-up.

I trust in that episode I've...

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Article written by Ash Stuart

Images and voice narration generated by AI

Further Reading & Reference

* Dalrymple, William. (2024). The Golden Road. How Ancient India transformed the world. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1408864418

* Al-Khalili, Jim. (2010). The House of Wisdom. Penguin Press. ISBN : 978-1101476239

In the previous episode we saw the creation of a new branch of science that's proven indispensable to much modern progress and achievement, and in the process we saw a small example of a transcultural synthesis of knowledge and the resulting innovation. Let's now dive deeper into the bigger story underlying this.

But first let's...

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Article written by Ash Stuart

Images and voice narration generated by AI

In Episode 24, Reckoning Reality's True Rules, I reiterated a claim that mathematics was the queen of the sciences. I went so far as to proclaim:

Mathematics, at its most fundamental level, is a tool that not only allows us to represent reality, but with its sheer predictive power, offers us the best available means to find solutions.

I'll now show you why. With real-world examples and in a way that even the most ardent math-hater will make sense of it. Well, especially someone who has feared the subject so far. Give me a chance to demonstrate its beauty.

Let's first check out...

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Article written by Ash Stuart

Images and voice narration generated by AI

Further Reading & Reference

* Dalrymple, William. (2024). The Golden Road. How Ancient India transformed the world. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1408864418.

* Mason, Burton, Stacey. (2010). Thinking Mathematically. Pearson Education Ltd. ISBN 978-0273728917.

* Boyer, Merzbach. (1989). A History of Mathematics. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 047154397-7. (Foreword by Isaac Asimov.)

* Devlin, Keith. (2012). Introduction to Mathematical Thinking. ISBN 978-0615653631.

* Parrish, Shane. (2024). The Great Mental Models. Vol 3 (Systems and Mathematics). Penguin Random House LLC. ISBN 978-0593719992.

* Al-Khalilil, Jim. (2010). The House of Wisdom. Penguin Press. ISBN : 978-1101476239

In the previous episode, TecC 30 we looked at the fall of Rome. Or rather the many 'falls' of Rome. Or even, whether Rome fell at all! You might have noticed that Episode 30 is what I'm calling a 'milestone' article. Just as [Episode 20] was. Both represent a certain curtain-closing, an end of an era, if you like - one, of the Bronze Age, and the other, of the Iron Age/Classical Era, in some sense. But there are some key differences between the two. For, in our study of human innovation and progress, we are at a key juncture - juxtaposing these two great technological epochs to see how they compare on these counts. Let's get to it.

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Article written by Ash Stuart

Images and voice narration generated by AI

Further Reading & Reference

* Scheidel, Walter (2021). Escape from Rome. The Failure of Empire and the Road to Prosperity. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0691216737.

* Monty Python: “Romans Go Home”

* Episodes 21-30