fragility

I’ll be teaching a special methodology class in Lent term on — what else? — causation and explanation in history. Any reading recommendations from those more well-read than I in these matters — and I can tell from some of the comments that there are a number of you — will be welcome.
(am thinking about [...]

Read Full Post »

“saffron revolution”

tremendously anguished by events in Burma.

Briefly: an absurd fuel price hike last month caused (caused!) untenable price rises in transport costs and other trickle-down effects on the cost of rice and cooking oil, leading to small but numerous demonstrations around the country. The monks got involved when a particularly forceful dispersal on 5 September in [...]

Read Full Post »

disorganized blather on causation

I’m out of town for a bit & in the midst of packing, so this is messy thinking-out-loud & will be the only post for a few days.
Further to earlier musings, I have been thinking a little about what it means to explain something. There seems to be a difference between causal explanations like (1) [...]

Read Full Post »

links for 2007-09-22

Walter Benjamin’s Theses on the Philosophy of History
meditations on history …
(tags: history philosophy walterbenjamin)

Walter Benjamin’s Theses on the Philosophy of History
… poeticized. awesome.
(tags: history philosophy walterbenjamin awesome poetry clever)

Read Full Post »

thought-stubs

I’ve been woefully absent from the virtual world, mostly due to the highly absorbing presence of a certain boy. Just thought-stubs for now, and perhaps fleshed out in coming weeks:
1. What kind of knowledge is conferred upon us when we think about counterfactual history?
What purpose does it serve to speculate, for example, that if Archduke [...]

Read Full Post »

links for 2007-09-17

Historical Maps of Southeast Asia
o god
(tags: maps history resource)

The Book of Ratings | Angelic Orders, Part I
the definitive review of angels — all nine types of them!
(tags: angels ideas lists funny)

Read Full Post »

links for 2007-09-09

[minstrels] Acceptance — Robert Frost
let what will be, be.
(tags: beautiful poetry)

Read Full Post »

links for 2007-09-06

Latin Quotes, Latin Phrases, Latin Mottos and Latin Quotations
note to self: by hook or crook 90% of these must enter the thesis! (ok, maybe just one: Mater tua criceta fuit, et pater tuo redoluit bacarum sambucus)
(tags: latin language reference resource quotes)

Read Full Post »

links for 2007-09-01

Immanuel Wallerstein: The Vietnam Analogy
world-systems theorist/historian inveighs against bush’s (mis)appropriation of Vietnam as an analogy for Iraq–with an interesting prediction for the future at the end. any thoughts?
(tags: world news history analysis iraq war lookingahead)

Read Full Post »