Purpose and the Ottomans

Purpose From First Principles

Marco Giancotti | Plankton Valhalla | 4th December 2025

“Humans seem to really, really want to find the purpose of things. This has the nice effect of making us “storytelling animals”, because every story is the chronicle of intents fulfilled or thwarted. The same tendency is the cause of many of our self-inflicted torments. Seeing goals everywhere is the natural way of being human, and it takes years of practice to keep this propensity temporarily at bay” (10,800 words)

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Venetian Report On The Ottomans

Roman Helmet Guy | 11th December 2025

Venetian intelligence on the Ottomans in 1534. A good four paragraphs are dedicated to naming all lands under Ottoman rule, followed by assessments of the two empires’ respective military prowess as well as allegiances and enmities, near and far. “The Sultan makes no important decision without Ibrahim (Pasha), and Ibrahim alone does everything.” An intriguing snapshot of geopolitics from the time (9,400 words)