In ancient Athens, contributing to politics -and in extent to your country- was considered the norm and highly desirable. Being apolitical and selfish was frowned upon. All good citizens aspired to be politically active. It was rare for someone to...
April 4th 1968. Martin Luther King, Jr was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. Robert Kennedy, that was at the time serving as senator of New York, wanted personally to deliver the shocking news to the people of Indianapolis. In his improvised speech,...
The most honorable man of Athens according to Herodotus: Aristides. His sense of morality, justice, and prudence, made him famous all over the Greek world. He was reputed to be so fair-minded, that he was known to everyone as...
Our democracies today are representative. We elect politicians, politicians govern us. In Ancient Athens, you were ruling yourself. Participation was seen as a fundamental element of Democracy. Athenians that behaved as 'private citizens' were seen through a negative eye and...
Imagine a system of taxation where only the rich contribute, while middle and lower class citizens don’t have to pay any taxes. On top of that, imagine that in this system, the rich love to pay their taxes and...
As far back in time as 632 BC, an athlete tried to establish a tyranny in Athens. His name was Kylon. An ambitious Olympic Victor that came really close to taking over absolute power so as to Make Athens...
John F. Kennedy's Address before the American Newspaper Publishers Association, April 27, 1961 'Without debate, without criticism, no Administration and no country can succeed--and no republic can survive. That is why the Athenian lawmaker Solon decreed it a crime for...
I know that it may be just a detail but whenever I see depictions of the Roman Senate in session (in movies, paintings etc) senators are seated in a semicircular fashion around an open space where the speaker stands...
U.S. presidential election... -Voter turnout in 2016 dipped to nearly its lowest point in two decades (!)
Aeschines' Speech on Democracy Aeschines, an ancient Athenian politician, stated back in the 4th century BC that the defining characteristic of democracy is that it is rule by the Law! Not rule by a person, a group of chosen ones,...
"A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on." –Winston Churchill A comprehension on a satisfactory level of the functions and mechanisms of propaganda makes you a better citizen. WW2 poster I always...
"A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on." –Winston Churchill A comprehension on a satisfactory level of the function and mechanisms of propaganda makes you a better citizen. I always believed...
Visit : Origins of Democracy
Detail of the Erechtheion (acropolis of Athens) Some Brits ask: "How can you own something that was made back in the 5th century BC?" Some Greeks say: "Greek people want them back!" Is it that hard to comprehend that they’re all missing...
