Civil Memory

An Uncivil Civil War

Anders L. | Wood From Eden | 4th November 2024 | U

Reflections on the Finnish Civil War of 1918, fought between the working classes, the “reds”, and the upper classes, the “whites”, causing 40,000 casualties — over 1% of the population. “The vast majority of all civil wars are not civil wars as much as regular wars that just happen to be fought within the borders of a state. Political conviction is usually not strong enough to make people risk fighting and dying” (5,900 words)

The Lost Art Of Memory

Adam Robbert | The Base Camp | 31st October 2024 | U

The medieval and antique mind valued memory or recollection; the modern one emphasises imagination and creativity. Compare St. Thomas Aquinas with Einstein, both seen as geniuses by their contemporaries. Einstein was hailed for an imagination “unfettered by definite tracks”. Thomas was the man of memory, whose “knowledge increased as page is added to page in the writing of a book” (1,800 words)