The Fleming Foundation Cultural Commentary
Slightly corrected Perspective from July 1985 Everyone wants to save the American family. Not a day goes by, it seems, without some politician or professor issuing a call to arms or an invitation to a congressional hearing. For a long time the family had been a conservative/Republican issue, but last fall both Mr. Mondale and Ms. Ferraro made a great show of their own wholesome domestic life—it worked better with the Mondales than with the Zaccaros. What a world. We are back to the old political slogans of mom and apple pie, and they have even less substance than...
I have some work to do on the conclusion of Chapter 6–a discussion of Faulkner’s “An Odor of Verbena” delayed because I can’t see to find my copy of the book. I am therefore moving forward with Chapter 7. From Judicial Combat to the Private Duel It took many centuries for Germans to begin to accept some of the more humane traditions of Roman law, which would, in any event, be interpreted by kings and their courtiers as justification for ever expanding the royal prerogative and diminishing the primitive liberties of their subjects. Judicial combat, while a far cry from a...
In this first part of a two part mini-series on Seneca and Stoicism, Dr. Fleming explores the themes of Stoicism and how it fits with the disjunction between Roman moral philosophy and pagan behaviors. We also explore the thinking of Marcus Aurelius and how we can understand his existence in contrast with Caligula and Nero. Original Air Date: September 30, 2016 Show Run Time: 41 minutes Show Guest(s): Dr. Thomas Fleming Show Host(s): Stephen Heiner The Fleming Foundation · Christianity and Classical Culture, Episode 6: Seneca and Stoicism Part I Christianity and Classical Culture℗ is a Production of the Fleming Foundation....
Weekly News Roundup, September 30. The Debate, The Hate That Dare Not Speak Its Name, NFL Traitors. If you’re new to the Foundation and our work, please register as a free user and get access to some of our content. Show Sponsor: Members Who Support Our Work Original Air Date: September 30, 2016 Show Run Time: 29 minutes Show Guest(s): Dr. Thomas Fleming Show Host(s): Paul Youngblood The Fleming Foundation · From Under the Rubble, Episode 7: News Roundup September 30 2016 From Under the Rubble℗ is a Production of the Fleming Foundation. Copyright 2016. All Rights are Reserved.
This was my second Perspective in Chronicles, June 1985 Murray Rothbard, [with a nod to Milton and Pope] described American conservatism as “chaos and old night.” Apart from the nasty implication that we are all dunces, there is something to what he says. It is getting harder every year to figure out just what it is that makes a conservative. Consider Newt Gingrich—the Carl Sagan of politics. He wants to colonize the stars, mine the galaxies for precious minerals, and open up the entire universe to free trade and economic opportunity. In between star treks, Gingrich plans to overthrow the...
Overgrown Children The exaggerated display of emotions is not limited to children. Adults who throw temper tantrums are no longer despised, as they once were. They are often celebrated for their spontaneity or, in the case of successful athletes, adored for getting away with doing as they please. There was a time when tennis was a gentleman’s game, when the loser congratulated his victorious player and did not blame the umpires. Even in the 1970’s, when crybabies like Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe were staging their amateur theatricals on the court, Arthur Ashe was still acting like a grownup, on...
Pundits and polls are all over the place on who “won” the First Debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Rodham Gorgon. But I haven’t seen any major analysis of how they did among those who will decide this election: suburban, white voters in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan. It’s because, assuming he wins Florida and North Carolina, which he likely will, those are the “swing states” he needs to win. Any combination of Ohio + Michigan or Pennsylvania and he’s in like Ronald Reagan. The New York Post reported from a bar in Youngstown, Pa., “[Ken] Reed, 35, is a registered...
Please imagine two foes from the annals of history, say, Wellington and Napoleon, or a pair of ideological adversaries, like Burke and Robespierre. Obviously there’s a whole ideological mythology trailing in the wake of each of these combatants, and to this day the world – whether it is conscious or oblivious of it – is divided between partisans of one or the other. So, whether they know it or not, folks who opine that the European Union is a good thing for Europe are on Napoleon’s side; so 3.5 million Russian secret policemen endorse Robespierre, even if 3.4 million of...
On this special edition of the podcasts of the Fleming Foundation, our founder, Dr. Thomas Fleming, shares his impressions of the first Presidential Candidates’ Debate of the 2016 Election. If you’re new to the Foundation and our work, please register as a free user and get access to some of our content. Show Sponsor: Members Who Support Our Work Original Air Date: September 27, 2016 Show Run Time: 37 minutes Show Guest(s): Dr. Thomas Fleming Show Host(s): Stephen Heiner The Fleming Foundation · FF Podcast, Special Edition Trump The Fleming Foundation Podcast℗ is a Production of the Fleming Foundation. Copyright...
In this episode of The Best Revenge, Dr. Fleming takes a look at the role of diets in our daily lives. What was the purpose of a diet traditionally and what is the essence of the fad diet that dominates our (American) lives these days? Where did it come from? Where is it going? How do we deal with our friends and neighbors besotted with these schemes and how can we “revenge” ourselves upon such a joyless practice? Original Air Date: September 27, 2016 Show Run Time: 43 minutes Show Guest(s): Dr. Thomas Fleming Show Host(s): Stephen Heiner The Fleming...
