On The Think Of
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Hi, I'm Dario. I spend most of my time trying to understand the Classical World, its languages, its history, its values. I'm confronted with an alien reality, whose traces are still vivid as much as they are fragile and liable to vanish. This blog, however, is not about the Classical World, or at least not necessarily. I created this blog to offer my perspective on the world we live..
On The Think Of
4y ago
Everyone’s attention is to various extent attracted by the recent events linked to the ‘Black Lives Matter’ protests going on around the world. A significant part of the demonstrations has involved the tearing down of several confederate statues in the US, and slavery-linked statues in other countries. The symbolic value of destroying statues is enormous and its impact has important cultural implications that go beyond the moment of the protest. For all those who have an interest in history, from amateur historians to students and professional researchers, this aspect of the protest is incredi ..read more
On The Think Of
4y ago
Climate change was the most debated topic in 2019. It was amazing to see how so many people were being made aware of this issue of paramount importance in such a short time span. Especially among the younger generations, protests for climate justice had become a mass phenomenon. #FridaysForFuture put together more than 13,000,000 people from 7,500 cities in all continents. One could really feel that something, finally, was going to happen – politics could not ignore so many people, if not for ethical reasons, at least for the sake of consensus at the next elections. No doubt, these were the fi ..read more
On The Think Of
4y ago
There is a tune for everything in life. Literally. Anything you can think about, you can find a song that plays along really well. Half of the world is quarantined due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Myself included. The radio, of course, knows it and plays the the most appropriate song it can find: R.E.M.’s It’s the end of the world. But is it really the end of the world as we know it? Just like, last Christmas, Losing my religion prompted my reflection on atheism, this time I have had plenty of time to think about the situation we are in.
This time, however, I want to focus on one aspect in partic ..read more
On The Think Of
4y ago
I’ve always been a fan of the Star Trek franchise. I’ve watched with equal interest all the series since the earliest episodes featuring Captain Kirk wandering about the Galaxy and seducing alien ladies from unknown planets. Apart from J.J. Abrams’ three movies, we had to wait nearly 15 years from Star Trek Enterprise to see a new starship with a brand new crew bouncing (yeah, literally, given the spore drive) from planet to planet. And finally, 2020 has brought the legend back onto the screen: Star Trek Picard features Sir Patrick Stewart again in the role of the best Starfleet Captain ever ..read more
On The Think Of
4y ago
Productivity seems to be all that matters. One could say that our times require us to be active and productive 24/7/365. In fact, it’s an old story. Already in the 18th century, Thomas Jefferson argued that tropical climates encouraged laziness and relaxed attitudes, whereas the frequent variability in the weather of the middle and northern latitudes led to stronger work ethics. Environmental determinism was used to justify colonialism, racism, and even slavery. The ‘productive’ part of the world felt entitled to subdue, own, and exploit the ‘lazy’ part of the world.
This post is not about ..read more
On The Think Of
4y ago
Have you ever wondered what R.E.M.’s Losing My Religion sounds like on Christmas Day? It sounds great as always, at least to my ears. The song doesn’t really talk about religion though. “Losing my religion” is actually an old southern US expression for being at the end of one’s rope, and the moment when politeness gives way to anger. However, on Christmas Day it assumed the other meaning to me and prompted the following reflection. It’s just that kind of thought that caresses your mind for a moment and then it’s gone. Or at least it could have been so, but I have decided that it would have bee ..read more
On The Think Of
4y ago
It may just be an illusion, but today’s present is more precarious than ever. I say this could be an illusion since, after all, when has the present not been precarious? However, despite its frailty, the present is all we have: the past is gone and the future doesn’t exist. For this very reason, I firmly believe that aiming to live the present as if it were the most important moment in history does not constitute pure rhetoric. There is some philosophical if not even scientific grounding behind my claim. We have no power over the past, we can only influence the future, but we can certainly tak ..read more
On The Think Of
4y ago
Most people do not have time to scrutinise society. To many, in fact, this may seem like a luxury that only a few people can afford. To many others, this may even seem like a useless activity. However, it’s something that we must do, if we want to be good citizens. This is more or less the assumption on which the world-famous economist and former Greek Minister of Finance Yanis Varoufakis bases his ‘Talking to My Daughter: a Brief History of Capitalism.’ Varoufakis writes this in the epilogue of his book, in the hope that his daughter Xenia will have found his ‘lesson’ enjoyable and useful ..read more
On The Think Of
4y ago
A few days ago I’ve come across a captivating title: “Ten Arguments For Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now” by Jaron Lanier. I immediately got myself a copy. I’ve never used to spend a lot of time on social media, and I’ve always been sceptical about these platforms. I don’t have Twitter, Instagram or Snapchat, and I use Facebook just to remind myself of birthdays, at least the few ones I care about. Maybe I am underestimating the potentialities of social media. Maybe I just don’t understand it.
Going back to the book, if the author were ever to read this article, he would be astoni ..read more