Category: Politics and Society
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Episodes of Covertness [in the spirit of secret signatures]
Antiquity and the classical world Literature and scholarship Art & design Espionage and resistance Erasure, cover-ups, and what time reveals A List of a Hundred Episodes Antiquity and the Middle Ages Early Modern, and Artful Disguises Literature and Wordcraft Music and Sonic Ciphers Maps, Encyclopedias and Traps Coins, Currency and Craft Espionage, War and Resistance…
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Hidden Names and Secret Signatures in History
Introduction History is full of secret signatures and hidden marks left by creators who longed to be remembered. Throughout the ages, artists, builders and even bystanders have embedded their names or symbols in their works—sometimes openly, but often in clever or concealed ways. In periods when open self-promotion was frowned upon or credit was officially…
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The Rule of the Thumb, and Wife-Beating in Seventeenth Century England, [which the Americans immediately threw out.]
Abstract “Rule of thumb” is a seventeenth‑century English expression meaning a rough‑and‑ready guideline based on practical experience—literally, on what one could measure with a thumb. It has nothing to do with any law about wife‑beating; that story is a much later myth. Earliest appearances and literal sense In an age before precision tools, many crafts used the…
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Best-known Curves in Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
Public finance and the size of the state Inequality, growth and the environment Macroeconomics, labour and money Trade, debt and external balance Innovation, technology and marketing Business operations and product life Psychology, memory and performance Society, crime and population Quantitative linguistics and information Narrative structure and the arts
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The Sorites Paradox, Ship of Theseus, and the smoke that broke the Planet’s back.
Introduction The Sorites Paradox, often called the paradox of the heap, is a classic philosophical riddle that arises from the vagueness of our language. It asks: at what point do small changes make a big difference? If removing a single grain of sand from a heap leaves it still a heap, and repeating this seems…
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The Two Travelers and the Bear
Two friends are walking together through a forest when suddenly a ferocious bear crashes through the bushes in front of them. The first traveler, thinking only of his own safety, quickly scrambles up a tree, hiding in the branches. The second traveler, slower to react, finds himself alone facing the bear. With no time to…
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The Belly and the Members
In this fable (which carries a political allegory), the body parts of a human—hands, feet, mouth, teeth, and so on—grow discontented with the stomach (the belly). They feel that they do all the work—collecting food, chewing, transporting—while the lazy belly sits idle in the middle, taking all the nourishment they provide. In their resentment, the…
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The Frogs Who Desired a King
In a certain marshy pond, the frogs lived free and, it must be said, somewhat chaotically. They croaked and cavorted as they pleased, but eventually some frogs complained that they lacked a proper ruler to establish order and dignity among them. So they petitioned Zeus, the king of the gods, to send them a king.…
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The Oak and the Reed
By a riverside stands a mighty oak tree, proud and unyielding, next to a cluster of slender reeds that bow and flutter with each breeze. The oak boasts of its great strength and firmly rooted stability, sneering at the flexible reeds for bending meekly to even a slight wind. The reeds reply, “Do not worry…
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The Wolf and the Crane
A greedy wolf devours his prey so ravenously that a bone becomes lodged in his throat, causing him great pain and the fear of choking. In need of help, the wolf seeks out a crane with a long neck and beak, and promises, “Oh, kind friend, I’ll reward you richly if you use your slender…
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The Miller, His Son, and the Donkey
A miller and his young son set out to town with their donkey to sell it at the market. As they walk alongside the donkey, not riding it, they first pass some villagers who scoff: “What fools, trudging on foot when they have a donkey that could carry them!” Hearing this, the miller decides to…
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The Donkey in the Lion’s Skin
A vain and foolish donkey finds a discarded lion’s hide. Draping the lion’s skin over himself, the donkey imagines he can now pass as the king of beasts. Indeed, as he walks through the fields, other animals and even people flee in terror, believing a fierce lion is on the prowl. Enjoying this newfound respect…
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The Lion’s Share
A lion joins a partnership with other animals—often a fox, a wolf, and a smaller beast like a jackal or ass—to hunt. Together, they succeed in bringing down a large prey (such as a stag). When it comes time to divide the meat, the lion arrogantly assigns himself the first portion because he is king;…
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Belling the Cat (The Mice in Council)
A community of mice is terrorized by a marauding house cat that pounces on them stealthily. Desperate to find a solution, the mice convene a council to discuss how to protect themselves. Many ideas are debated. Finally, a young mouse proposes a bold plan: hang a bell around the cat’s neck. That way, the bell…
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The Bundle of Sticks (The Old Man and His Sons)
An aging father with several quarrelsome sons seeks to teach them a final lesson before he dies. He gathers his sons and sets a bundle of sticks (or in some versions, a bundle of arrows) before them. He first asks each son to try to break the bundle when it’s tightly bound together. Despite their…
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The Dog and its Reflection
The 17th-century engraver Wenceslaus Hollar depicts the greedy dog dropping its real bone while lunging at the illusion in the water. A dog crossing a stream with a piece of meat in its jaws looks down and sees what appears to be another dog in the water, carrying a larger piece of meat. Not realizing…
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The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse
A town mouse, accustomed to the luxuries and bustle of urban living, once visited his cousin, a country mouse, who lived a simpler life in the fields. The country mouse humbly served rustic fare—plain grains and acorns. Finding this provincial meal and quiet life dull, the town mouse boasted of the refined delicacies and sophistication…
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The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
A cunning wolf, unable to catch enough prey due to vigilant shepherds, devises a deceit: it dons the fleece of a sheep to blend into the flock. Disguised as one of the herd, the predatory wolf can prowl among the sheep without alarming them. Yet the ruse proves its own undoing—accounts differ on the ending.…
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The Lion and the Mouse
A mighty lion and a humble mouse cross paths in this tale of unexpected reciprocity. The lion, king of the savanna, initially captures the tiny mouse and, amused by the little creature’s pleas, decides magnanimously to spare its life. The grateful mouse squeaks that it will return the favor someday, which the lion finds laughable—how…
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The Fox and the Grapes
A hungry fox spies a cluster of ripe grapes hanging high on a vine. The grapes look delicious, and the fox eagerly leaps to snatch them, but they hang just out of reach. After repeated failures to obtain the fruit, the fox scoffs, “Oh, you’re probably sour anyway!” and trots off, convincing himself that he…
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The Boy Who Cried Wolf
This fable, numbered 210 in the Perry Index of Aesop’s tales, concerns a young shepherd boy who repeatedly deceives villagers by shouting that a wolf is attacking the flock. Twice the alarmed villagers rush to help, only to find the boy’s cries were a prank. When eventually a real wolf appears and the boy desperately…