Introducing a new feature at KnoxIndiana, trivia questions about Western Civilization. Consider this a warm up for basic training in the clash of civilizations!
Today’s Question:
What is a Pyrrhic victory?
Pyrrhic victory: A victory that is accompanied by enormous losses and leaves the winners in as desperate shape as if they had lost. Pyrrhus was an ancient general who, after deafeating the Romans, told those who wished to congratulate him, “One more such victory and Pyrrhus is undone.”
From "The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy", Hirsch
(Pardon the interruption. Today’s Blog Post starts here. )
Thomas Cahill: Starke County Public library has 3 out of 5 books from his new series, “Hinges of History”.
As we are often reminded, nowadays being post 9/11, there is a clash of civilizations taking place. Characterized as Islamic Civilization versus Western Civilization or as Pope Benedict XVI put it more specifically in his now famous lecture at the University of Regensburg in Germany, it is a clash of the Reason /Logos of Christianity/Western Civilization versus the Irrationality of Islam. (Of course my summary of the Pope’s lecture is over-simplifies his argument.) This clash is happening, I suppose, but it begs the question, “What is Western Civilization?” I fear that many Americans don’t really have a very good grasp of the subject.
There is a clever, refreshing and readable series of books that help answer the question. Thomas Cahill has written 5 books that comprise a planned set of 7 volumes that are collectively called the “Hinges of History” series. The 5 volumes in print constitute a fresh look at what is “Western Civilization”. These are great reads, clearly written and fresh. A bonus is that they are all self-contained. There is no need to read them in order or any particular reason to read all of them. These are highly recommended by me, Blogger, KnoxIndiana. Here is a list of the books:
(Our Library does not have)
How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe
(Our Library does not have)
The Gifts of the Jews: How a Tribe of Desert Nomads Changed the Way Everyone Thinks and Feels
Desire of the Everlasting Hills: The World Before and After Jesus
From the author’s web site: http://www.randomhouse.com/features/cahill/bio.html
Desire of the Everlasting Hills: The World Before and After Jesus was proclaimed by The New York Times Book Review as "a stunning success, the best of the series." Published in hardcover in November 1999 on the occasion of the two-thousandth birthday of Jesus of Nazareth, it hit bestseller lists across the United States with over 402,000 copies in print. Instantly after release, the paperback debuted on The New York Times Bestseller List at #4 on March 11, 2001. This volume brings a fresh and engrossing look at the impact of Jesus and early Christianity on the shaping of Western civilization. Again, with his unique and stimulating ability to re-create ancient times, Thomas Cahill vividly brings to life Jesus and the people who wrote about him, and offers a stunningly original interpretation of the New Testament.
Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter
Mysteries of the Middle Ages: the rise of feminism, science, and art from the cults of Catholic Europe
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