Sublime

To be sure, in some respects Polybius tries to shoehorn the political life that he witnessed at Rome into a Greek analytical model that does not entirely fit. Saddling his discussion with terms like ‘democracy’ is, for example, deeply misleading. ‘Democracy’ (demokratia) was rooted politically and linguistically in the Greek world. It was never a r

we’re not simply the victims or dupes of our classical inheritance but classical traditions have provided us with a powerful template for thinking about public speech, and for deciding what counts as good oratory or bad, persuasive or not, and whose speech is to be given space to be heard. And gender is obviously an important part of that mix.

In a famous paper, ‘Death and the midlife crisis’, first published in 1965, Elliot Jacques argued that between the ages of 35 and 65 the work of creative artists changes, from a ‘hot’ and intense creativity to a more ‘sculpted’ one. This, he believed, showed that they’d worked through some of the emotional conflicts that had raged in their earlier

Instead of wondering at this result of misery in Mr Casaubon, I think it quite ordinary. Will not a tiny speck very close to our vision blot out the glory of the world, and leave only a margin by which we see the blot? I know no speck so troublesome as self.

There are countless stories of early Soul Midwifery. In ancient Hebrew, Sumerian and Egyptian times, priestesses were trained in music, healing arts and high magic, using chant, sacred dance and healing herbs. These wise women carried great wisdom and knowledge,