Recently I was assigned at work a small writing project to create one-page summaries of the history of the Declaration of Independence and the Revolutionary War for a pop-up exhibit kit for libraries. These documents were improved by the editing of one of my colleagues, though still substantially as I had drafted them. The Revolutionary… Continue reading The Revolutionary War & Declaration of Independence
Author: BH
Boethius & The Consolation of Philosophy
This talk today is about the late Roman, early medieval statesman, philosopher and scholar Boethius, and more particularly about his last work, a slim volume of prose and poetry called The Consolation of Philosophy that he wrote in 523 AD. I should say at the outset that I have absolutely no warrant for giving this… Continue reading Boethius & The Consolation of Philosophy
A Social History of Truth
Talk given at Sunday Seminar, United Methodist Church, Denver CO, 26 Sep 2021 I have two things I’d like to talk about today. The main one is a book by historian and sociologist Steven Shapin called A Social History of Truth: Civility and Science in Seventeenth-Century England [Bookshop.org, WorldCat]. It looks at the early history… Continue reading A Social History of Truth
Welcome to the White House, Mr. President.
Snow day!
Our first snow day here in Raleigh! Classes at our respective colleges are canceled, so we’re all here at home, watching more snow fall. At least we’ll get to listen to the inauguration speech. The picture shows the view off our porch overlooking the lovely parking lot of the apartment complex. There’s maybe three or… Continue reading Snow day!