Western History 47: Who were the Good Emperors?

There were five good Emperors who followed the Flavians – Nerva (96-98CE), Trajan (98-117 CE), Hadrian (117-138 CE), Antonius Pius (138-161 CE) and Marcus Aurelius (161-180 CE).

 Nerva was more of a placeholder after the torrid period of Domitian’s reign. However it was under Trajan that Empire reached its furthest extent. A Spaniard by birth, Trajan was both a general and a statesman. He restored much of the power of the Senate, allowed for a greater freedom of speech and took over the key role of Chief Magistrate. Like his predecessor Nerva he worked to improve the lot of the poor especially that of the children. Education reform was a key priority.

Trajan’s adopted son Hadrian was a patron of the art but did believe in extending the Empire like Trajan did through Military conquest. He was more tolerant of Christians than the earlier Emperors but was not all hesitant in putting down the Jewish rebellion (Bar Kochba revolt) with brutality. Roman forces withdrew from Assyria, Mesopotamia and Armenia as the Empire became less focused on expansion in the East.

Hadrian focused on fortifying Roman territory in Germany and Britain (where he built the well known Hadrian’s Wall to safeguard the Province against the Picts). He also took it upon himself to visit all the provinces and extended the road system of the Empire to consolidate communication.

           

The next Emperor Antonius Pius continued the reforms especially in the areas of Jurisprudence, Government and Administration. The bureaucratic engine of the Empire was realized with Pius seeing himself as a ‘paternal autocrat’ who exercised his single ruler drive on behalf of the people.

Marcus Aurelius, the last of the Five Good Emperors was both a philosopher and a general. His work Mediations is considered a primer in Stoicism (together with the works of Cato, Cicero and Seneca) although his persecution of Christians (whom he suspected as agents of unrest) runs counter to the thoughts outlined in his writing. As a thinker Aurelius believed in a purity of life and championed the nobility of man. On the military front he fought the successful Danubian Wars, stared down a challenge to the throne (from one Lucius Verus) and seemed for all intent to have revived the expansionist drives of the Emperors prior to Hadrian.

Ranking I - Greatest British Monarchs

These would be my Top Ten. Key Criteria - contribution and impact on the success of the Nation and its defining culture.

1. Elizabeth I
2. Alfred the Great
3. Henry VIII
4. Henry VII
5. Henry V
6. William the Conqueror
7. Victoria
8. Edward I
9. William and Mary of Orange
10. Edward III

Of course this is up to debate. This does not imply that said figures were great human beings - Edward I and Henry VIII were certainly not.

Personal Reflection XII - Evolution vs Interventionism

Question - asked on facebook. How do traits based on instinct develop through random processes?

My Answer.

It occurs in stages and cannot be looked at simply through the lens of irreducible complexity. Certain protein structures (driving behavior) in the brain are selected for as they provide adaptive advantage.Later changes that provide for even more selective advantage are selected for on top of these so that the gene pool moves in a specific direction. Add to this Epigentic drivers that influence phenotype expression and you have the basis of the non-interventionist model. Having said this there are still a number of questions that remain unanswered - Foremost amongst these is the role of mutation. If they are indeed random and impact sequence reading (mostly negatively) how are they maintained in a system? For example...adding random letters to a book such as Moby Dick should the book worse not better. Yet this is an analogous process to the role of Random Mutation in ensuring variation. I suspect so-called "Junk DNA' may offer some protection in this regard.

Personal Reflection XI - How has the world changed since 1990?

Question asked on Quora

In a number of ways. Here are a few off the top of my head (not in any order).

1. The global economy is several times larger with nations such as China and India playing a more important role.
2. Large Western Cities such as London and Paris are much more multicultural than they used to be.
3. There is a strong consensus among the center-left and center-right that Free Trade works. This wasn’t the case necessarily in 1990.
4. Islamism is far more of a global threat than it used to be.
5. Unions don’t enjoy the level of power in the West today that they had in and around 1990 (although their decline in power in the US was becoming evident).
6. Identity politics play a more important role domestically. LGBTQI issues are much more prominent.
7. Technology…The Internet was a sideshow in 1990…Hell the World Wide web was not even around. Now it dominates almost every facet of our lives including our social interactions.
8. Growth of the Blogging culture and the fall of traditional media.
9. The GOP have moved more to the Right on political issues while the Dems have gravitated further to the left.
10. The Gramscian walk through the universities has turned many a university department into an ideological camp rather than an institute for free an open inquiry.
11. Women have greater representation in the professions.
12. Information is much more easily available…The challenge now is to distinguish the quality from the drek.
13. People are much more easily offended. Culture of victimhood is strong.
14. A greater percent of graduates are more likely to have to find jobs outside their field of study.
15. Birth rates in Europe have continued to plummet with the continent looking more Post-Christian than ever.
16. The Arab Gulf States have significantly expanded their international business outreach.
17. Russia has replaced the Communist Oligarch with a new Cult of Personality.
18. The Hispanic Population of the US has grown to become a very important player in California and several other South-Western US States.
19. Over 2 billion people have been added to the World population.
20. The EU has grown into a giant bureaucracy.
21. Viral Memes are everywhere.
22. Modern music is more likely to be contrived and derivative.
23. Cultural and moral relativism has a much greater footprint in the modern discourse.
24. While a global full out nuclear war between superpowers is considerably less of a threat the odds of a rogue nation (such as Iraq) acquiring nuclear weapons technology is much higher.
25. The US Debt total debt was only 55.5% of the GNP in 1990. Today it is 106% and widening.

Western History 46: Who were some of the Early Emperors?

The Emperors that immediately followed Augustus offered a mixed bag of colourful characters, tyrannical rulers, incompetents, intermixed with the occasional strong leader.

Tiberius (14-37 CE) and Caligula (37-41 CE) ruled over courts known for their decadence and suppression of dissent. Both are believed to have been murdered by the Praetorian Guard (Bodyguard of the Roman Empire) when their ostentatious behaviour threatened the integrity of the Imperial office. Claudius an uncle of Caligula, was declared Emperor by the Praetorians in 41 CE and although he wasn’t a brilliant ruler did initiate the Invasion of Britain. His forces captured the British warlord Caractacus, established a colony on the Island and dedicated a Temple in his honour.

Claudius’ successor Nero, the last of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty succeeded Claudius (who also died under suspicious circumstances) and ruled from 54-68 CE. Once again court intrigue dominated with Nero’s reign continuing the low points reached during the Age of Caligula. Anger at a loss of power drove the Pisonian conspiracy (65 CE) which followed on from the Great Fire of 64 CE. Nevertheless he the Emperor did claim victory following a successful peace treaty with the Parthians (62 CE) and the suppression of the Boudica rebellion in Britain a year earlier. The rebellion itself cost upwards of 70,000 British and Roman lives.

In 69 CE Rome had four Emperors – Galba, Otho, Vitellius and Vespasian – in a brief period of unprecedented instability. Vespasian, a general favoured by the Eastern Legions would eventually dominate establishing the Flavian dynasty. In his ten year long reign he captured Jerusalem (c. 70 CE) bringing an end to the Jewish revolt (with much brutality), ventured northwards to defeat the Gallo-Germans and increased training for civil servants, doctors and teachers. Unlike the Julio-Claudians he was not an extravagant man  and would be succeeded by his son Titus as Emperor.

Titus’ two year reign was noted for the competition of the Colosseum  and the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE (an event that destroyed the settlements of Pompeii and Herculaneum). A very competent military commander he died early as a result of a fever and was followed as Emperor by his younger brother Domitian.

Initially an outsider Domitian was intend on rivaling the Military escapades of his brother. He waged war in the Rhine land and introduced policies in Rome that were designed to reduce corruption. However he appears to have been a petty individual who cut short the advances of the General Agricola in Britain (who was fighting in the Picts in Caledonia – Modern Day Scotland).Domitian taxed the population heavily and was subsumed by a type of religious zealotry. An uneasy peace was signed with the Dacians but his unpopularity grew and in 96 CE Domitian was assassinated by an ex-slave, ending the Flavian Dynasty.

Western History 45: What was the Second Triumvirate? Who was Augustus?

The forces of Brutus and Cassius were defeated at Philippi by those of Marc Antony (a friend and ally of Caesar) and Octavian (Caesar’s adopted heir). A Second Triumvirate was born that dominated power politics in Rome. The Triumvirate consisted of Antony, Octavian and Marcus Lepidus (who would later drop off the political landscape). A point to note is that the First Triumvirate was the earlier post-Sulla alliance that consisted of Caesar, Pompey and Crassus (all of whom were now dead).

Antony, would then join forces with the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra but his forces would be smashed at the sea battle of Actium by a fleet led by Octavian’s loyal general Agrippa. Both Antony and Cleopatra would commit suicide shortly afterward leaving Octavian as the sole source of power in Rome

Octavian rule as the first Emperor of Rome taking the title of Augustus. The Roman Republic was officially dead with the Empire emerging in its place. Augustus would be venerated as a deity.

Augustus was a very competent ruler who reigned as Emperor from 27 BCE to 14 CE. He made peace with the Parthian enemy in the East, reformed the taxation system, improved road building, established a standing army and created the elite Praetorian Guard (a future player in Roman politics). Police and fire-fighting services were established and Rome expanded its territory into Hispania, Africa and Germania.

However the Romans did suffer some setbacks including a horrendous defeat at the Battle of Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD The three legions of Varus were ambushed and annihilated by the Cherusci, a Gothic tribe and former Roman ally. Rome would eventually vanquish Arminius (the leader of Cherusci) but the defeat at Teutoburg put a halt on Roman expansion into what is now modern day Germany

Personal Reflection X - The Commonality between the Alt Right and Alt Left

This is based on an answer I gave in Quora.

Having read considerably about each. Here is my take on the commonalities.

1. A rejection of the Mainstream medium narrative when it suits them.
2. The driving force of alienation
3. Focus on Grievance Politics
4. A general disdain for liberal democracy
5. Emphasis on Identity Politics
6. Effective use of the Internet as a means to promote the ideology
7. Absolute loathing of the other
8. Preference for Protectionist Economics
9. Reliance on Alternative News
10. Strong undercurrents of antisemitism
11. Presence of a violent element
12. Utopic view of what ought to be
13. Presence of a significant number of mentally unhinged individuals within the rank-and-file
14. A notable hostility towards Scientific Rationalism
15. Insistence on seeing themselves as victims.

Western History 44: Who was Julius Caesar and how did Rome transcend to Empire?

Julius Caesar was a patrician Roman whose family was allied with the faction of Marius. In his younger days he had fallen foul of the Sulla and was forced to flee Rome but he returned following the death of the dictator. Like Pompey he waged war against the Mediterranean pirates and later worked his way up the Roman hierarchy by holding at different times the ranks of quaestor and praetor. 

However his greatest victories were achieved in the Gallic War that resulted in the annexation of Gaul, the great victory at Alesia (52 BCE) and victories over a host of tribes that included the Arverni, Belgae, Suebi, and Veneti amongst others. Casear also made inroads into the Rhine region and included in his campaigns two invasions of Britannia (the first was unsuccessful and the second achieved only nominal gains). The events of the Gallic War were chronicled in Caesar’s book Commentarii de Bello Gallico - a great work of Latin prose

Caesar’s successes threatened the Roman elite. In 50 BCE the Senate directed by Pompey ordered Caesar to lay down his arms and return to Rome. The Great Roman General refused and immortalized his position with the phrase Alea iacta est (the die is cast). Caesar crossed the Rubicon River and led his army into Northern Italy. Pompey and his senate support fled south. Although they outnumbered Caesar in military strength they chose not to fight. Caesar pursued Pompey forces in Spain and then chased them to Illyria defeating them at the Battle of Dyrrachium in 48 BCE before finally vanquishing his rival at Pharsalus in Greece. Pompey fled to Egypt and was assassinated. His head was given to Caesar as a reward.

The great general’s grip on power was at its height. He defeated the force’s of the Egyptian Pharaoh at the Battle of the Nile (47 BCE) and installed Cleopatra as that nation’s ruler (he would have a son with Cleopatra named Caesarion). Opposition to Caesar came from Pompey’s sons but Caesar defeated their forces at the Battle of Munda in 45 BCE.

Caesar proved to be a competent ruler whose prestige was upped by the triumphs granted to him by the Roman Senate. He reformed the army, lessened the power of the elites, introduced the Julian Calendar and ordered the rebuilding of Carthage and Corinthia. He attempted to deal with the problems that were particular to the Italian peninsula (the causes of the Social War).

In March of 44 BCE, a month after being appointed dictator-for-life, he was however assassinated by a cabal of senators that included the Cassius brothers, Brutus and Casca. Rome was immediately plunged into Civil War.

Personal Reflection IX - Ten Jewish Books I have learnt the most from

1. The Way of God - Moshe Chaim Luzzatto - Very Logical
2. The Aryeh Kaplan Anthology I - Aryeh Kaplan - Especially the part on the 14 Principles of Faith
3. Those who forget the Past - Edited by Ron Rosenbaum - Excellent Essays on Anti-Semitism
4. Jewish People, Jewish Thought - Robert M. Seltzer - An excellent guide to Jewish intellectual thought
5. World Perfect - Ken Spiro - Outlines the Jewish intellectual contriburtion. A tad simplistic but worth a read.
6. Immortality, Resurrection, and the Age of the Universe - Aryeh Kaplan - More of Kaplan at his best.
7. The Jewish Approach to God - Rabbi Neil Gillman - Concise and easy to understand.
8. God is a Verb - David A. Cooper - Although Cooper is a tad PC his take on the Kabbalah is insightful.
9. The Holocaust Chronicle - Publications International Ltd - As mentioned before a wonderful reference work.
10. A History of Zionism - Walter Laquer - A must for every student of Jewish nationalism

Western History 43: How did the First Triumvirate emerge?

Sulla owed much of his success to the loyalty of his troops. He took Marius’ military methods a step further and used the army to dictate state politics. He was committed to using the army as a vanguard to secure his presence domestically and was ruthless in dispensing with opposition viz. the proscripto lists and the Marian Massacres. The former placed a bounty on the heads of those who stood in defiance against him with the latter directed at the pro-Marius elements who at one time were a considerable force in Rome.

The reaction to the Sullan party grew after the death of the so-called Perpetual Dictator. A revolt by Lepidus in 77 BCE started the trend that picked up steam when rebels in Spain (including a large Marian segment) under the leadership of Sertorius declared independence from Rome. The Senate was forced to act and instructed Pompey to take the initiative. He did and by 72 BCE the Spanish opposition was bought to heel.

However Rome’s problems continued with the War of the Gladiators (known as the Third Servile War).  Led by the Thracian fighter Spartacus this gladiator army beat back four Roman legions and wreaked havoc in Central Italy before being defeated by the Roman General Crassus and later by Pompey himself (who vanquished the remnants of Spartacus’ army). Pompey would also distinguish himself in the Third Mithridatic War

Pompey and Crassus would return to Rome as victors and emerge as Consuls. However Roman politics was extremely fragmented. Pompey’s would accumulate more accolades in his campaign against the Mediterranean pirates but perhaps his greatest moment as a general occurred with his capture of Jerusalem in 63 BC an event that signified the end of Jewish independence.

The great orator Cicero uncovered a conspiracy led by the senator Catiline to overthrow the Roman Republic and replace it with an aristocratic Senate. Catiline was forced to flee and for a brief point in time Rome’s march to a new oligarchy was halted.

However an informal First Triumvirate consisting of Julius Caesar, Pompey and Crassus would emerge as the power bloc in Rome. Crassus would lose his life campaigning against the Parthian enemy in Persia (53BCE) allowing both Caesar and Pompey to consolidate their base of strength.

Personal Reflection VIII - In Praise of me time

I am what Carl Jung would call the Introvert even though my line of work favours considerable interaction with people. So far I have managed this challenge.

One of the discoveries of growing older is the realization that time itself is extremely valuable. When one was younger, time seemed as plentiful as the atmosphere. It was there it was available and it seemed to last forever.  Then the milestone of forty kicked in and something triggered inside me. There are only twenty-four hours in a day and one needs to use them wisely. Now in my case I know exactly the cause of this trigger. Essentially it was the onset of fatherhood that had ambushed me at thirty-seven and was redefining my persona with each passing moment. However it was only at forty that this realization became intellectually apparent. Maybe I had blocked it out for a while but now in a brief respite I could contemplate what it truly was. It wasn’t time that was the problem but a deficiency of ‘me-time’ the opportunity to retreat and ‘be alone’ to charge one’s battery and escape even for a while the realities of adulthood.  Its not that this ‘me-time’ is better than any other time for most of my greatest moments are spent with my family but for somebody who is naturally introverted such ‘me-time’ is critical to my functioning. Supply it at the right amount and I function optimally on all fronts. Take it away and I cease to be the best version of Gavin that I can be. So in a sense I place great value on ‘me-time’. It is currency in my life whose value seems to appreciate with age. I am sure others feel the same way. It’s a healthy selfishness but one that when all said and done is extremely necessary.

Western History 42: How did the Roman Republic decline?

Land Reform was a key issue in Rome that was brought to a head by the rise and fall of the Plebian Gracchus brothers. Although the brothers achieved partial success in redistributing land to the peasants their reforms would eventually be rolled back following the assassination of each brother.

The Northern Germanic Tribes would continue to harass and threaten the integrity of Rome. Two of these tribes: Cimbri and the Teutones were the most menacing and between 113-101 BCE battled Rome. A corrupt Roman oligarchy failed initially to deal with the threat with the Romans suffering a disastrous defeat at Arausio. However the rise of Gaius Marius (a man who would hold the office of consul a record seven times) signalled a change in strategy. The Roman Army was reorganized, with Marius (a hero of the Jugurthan Wars in North Africa) building up a standing force comprised largely of landless fighting fit volunteers. The concept of the Standard was introduced (the Aquila or eagle) and the cohort consisting of approximately 480 men would serve as the principal unit

Marius’ much-needed military turning point came in 102 BC. He defeated the Teutones (and their allies the Ambrones) at Aquae Sextiae but had to wait a full year before vanquishing the Cambri at Vercellae.

However the rise of Marius would be challenged by Lucius Cornelius Sulla, an ambitious general who had distinguished himself during the Social War of 90-88 BCE. This was largely a conflict in the Italian Peninsula that saw Rome emerge victorious over its Marsic and Samnite local rivals.  Sulla was a shrewd military figure who has the notable accolade of being the only person in history to successfully enter and occupy both Rome and Athens. He would emerge as a powerful dictator in Rome in 81 BC after the death of Marius and would implement draconian measures to clamp down on enemies of the state. In a sense he was an early precursor of the modern autocrat. While there is much controversy about his methods and his Machiavellian approach there is no doubt about his brilliance as a general as evident in Sulla’s victories in both Civil Wars and the Mithridatic War. He died in 78 BC following a short retirement. It is often argued that Sulla’s marches on Rome (two altogether) set the stage for Julius Caesar’s march on Rome several decades later.

Western History 41: How did Roman influence extend after the Punic Wars?

Roman attention was turned toward Macedonia. The two powers had already fought a war between 214-205 BCE but it was in the Second War fought between 200-196 BCE that Roman victory was most pronounced (The Romans would defeat the Macedonians in a third war fought between 172-168 BCE as well).

Roman hegemony was challenged by the Galatians (in Magnesia), the Lusitanians (ancestors of the Portuguese), Pergamon, Rhodes, the Boii and various Iberian groups but with limited success only.

In 146 BCE the Romans sacked Corinthia, dissolved the Achaean League, and officially stamped their footprint as successors to the Greeks in carrying the mantle of Western Civilization.

Celtiberian resistance collapsed at Numantia circa.133 BCE in an event categorized by a mass suicide. In the years that followed Roman expansion would move into the Gallic lands (France).