1. Wisdom leads to pleasure
Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle are the golden trio of ancient philosophy, and with good reason. All three were key players in the development of Western ideas. Yet, these great men can often overshadow other brilliant individuals.
Epicurus (341–270 BC) wrote more than 300 works during his lifetime. And whilst the majority of them have been lost, what remains of Epicurus’s philosophy is packed with timeless knowledge.
1. Wisdom leads to pleasure
Epicurus emphasises the importance of pleasure, but not pleasure as we know it today:
‘By pleasure we mean the absence of pain in the body and of trouble in the soul. It is not…
Lessons from ancient Rome’s greatest political speaker
Marcus Tullius Cicero (106–43 BCE) was a politician who lived through the fall of the Roman Republic. He is regarded by many as one of the greatest politicians and public speakers of the ancient world.
Luckily for us, Cicero was a keen writer as well. He wrote extensively about politics, philosophy, and oratory. And after two thousand years of history, there’s still plenty that today’s politicians can learn from this legendary statesman.
Self-Reflection is Key
In all walks of life, it can be painful to admit we’re wrong. Too many of us struggle to be introspective and acknowledge our faults.
Politicians are no…
At night, he transformed into a different person
Libby Squire battled her own inner demons during her adolescence. Her school years were plagued with mental health issues and she continued to struggle whilst at college.
Despite her depression, Libby managed to get into Hull University to study philosophy. She arrived in September 2017 and was known as an intelligent, fun, and outgoing student who loved to learn.
But Libby’s bright future was shattered by a sick individual whose night-time activities were nothing short of repulsive.
The Butcher
Pawel Relowicz had arrived in England in 2015. As a resident of Hull, he became part of the local Polish community and found…
The Führer was a lucky man
On the 7th of April 1943, Claus von Stauffenberg was helping to organize the German retreat in Tunisian. When the retreat came under fire by a pack of American P-40 fighter-bombers, Stauffenberg was wounded and sent to hospital immediately.
His injuries were severe. His left eye had been destroyed, his right hand had been blown off, and he only had three remaining fingers on the other hand. Doctors also feared that the damage to his legs would prevent him from walking again.
Thankfully, they were wrong. After being transferred back to Germany, Stauffenberg made a quick recovery. The medical staff…
A barbaric crime that sparked a political conversation
In 2004, the murder of Kriss Donald shocked the residents of Glasgow, Scotland. The nature of the teenager’s death was simply horrific.
But beyond the brutality of the act itself, the reason for his abduction and murder caused people across the United Kingdom to reconsider the popular perception of racially-motivated hate crimes.
The Gangs of Glasgow
In the 1990s, racial tensions in the south of Glasgow started to escalate, and the Pollokshields area was particularly bad. Here, Pakistani gangs would quarrel with Scottish gangs.
The people of Pollokshields — regardless of their own ethnicity — were fearful of these criminals. As well as racist…
The man who discovered π (pi)
Some of humanity’s most influential thinkers come from the ancient world. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, and many others all belong to this fascinating and vast era of history.
Archimedes is probably a name you’re familiar with given many regard him as the greatest mathematician of ancient times. Yet, the details of this man’s monumental achievements aren’t common knowledge.
Early Education
Little is known about Archimedes beyond his mathematical and scientific endeavours. But historians have managed to piece together parts of his life using ancient sources.
Archimedes was born in the third century BCE in Syracuse, a city on the island of Sicily…
A shining light in the Dark Ages
Certain parts of our past crop up again and again. Nazi Germany, the USSR, the Industrial Revolution, the Renaissance, and the Roman Empire are just some of the periods we’re regularly exposed to.
The Dark Ages don’t get much attention, however. Whilst they’re sometimes featured in popular culture, the average person has little knowledge of this period.
As for Alfred the Great, most people probably recognise the name, but few would be able to explain why this king was such an impressive individual.
The Vikings
When Alfred became King of Wessex in 871, the Saxons were in the midst of a bloody…
This woman certainly wasn’t afraid of heights
Being afraid of heights is a common fear. Most people wouldn’t dream of ascending into the air with a small basket and a hydrogen-fuelled balloon.
But this wasn’t the case with Sophie Blanchard. She soon became a legendary performer who was admired by the citizens of Europe, including Napoleon Bonaparte.
Jean-Pierre
Jean-Pierre Blanchard is an essential part of Sophie’s life. Indeed, his own career as a balloonist is rather like a prequel to his wife’s story.
He came from a poverty-stricken background but managed to work his way up the social ladder by becoming an inventor. …
This eighteenth-century businessman was a moneymaking mastermind
There’s much we can learn from the life of Josiah Wedgwood. He started out as a simple pottery maker but went on to develop an exceptional business with a reputation that went beyond the borders of Great Britain.
Regardless of your own entrepreneurial plans, it’s worth paying attention to the moneymaking techniques of this eighteenth-century businessman.
Innovation and quality
Wedgwood liked to shake up the market with fresh ideas. He would spend hours and hours in his laboratory, trying to develop products that would stand out from the crowd. …
The disturbing case of the Edlington brothers
The true identities of the Edlington brothers are still unknown. They were just children when they tortured their victims, and as such, both were granted anonymity.
Whilst it’s hard to fathom how two children could be so evil, their horrific home life is a textbook example of a troubled upbringing leading to dire consequences.
House of Horror
The two boys were born in the late 1990s and raised in Edlington, an English town in South Yorkshire. And throughout their childhood, they were surrounded by negative influences.
Both parents were unemployed and terrible disciplinarians. Their mother — who had given birth seven times because…
Jacob Wilkins
Writer from England. Interested in fiction, history, philosophy, politics, crime, culture.
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