Art Deco is the incarnation of civilizational energy—the spirit of Achilles and Tesla in architectural form.
The ultimate style for high civilization...
Kenneth Clarke said:
“Vigour, energy, vitality: all the civilizations—or civilizing epochs—have had a weight of energy behind them.”
Art Deco embodies this vitality.
He claimed civilization had 3 enemies:
"First of all fear — fear of war, fear of invasion, fear of plague and famine, that make it simply not worthwhile constructing things, or planting trees or even planning next year’s crops."
Does this look fearful to you?
Art Deco often features exotic materials, such as ebony and ivory, and exquisite craftsmanship.
The fruits of a culture unafraid to try new things.
The next enemy is a lack of self-confidence. A culture regrets its past, stifling its ability to progress.
Art Deco's blocky, muscular designs show a civilization secure yet determined. Its aura is simultaneously ancient and futuristic.
A timeless spirit of crushing grandeur.
So many Art Deco designs look like they could be 5,000 years old. It's an artistic style that appreciates a civilization's past.
Finally Clarke warns against exhaustion:
"the feeling of hopelessness which can overtake people even with a high degree of material prosperity."
Art Deco's imagery is all about vitalism. God-like men, exalted maidens, mythical beasts—dreams of a civilization with a vision.
Art Deco embodies faith in social and technological progress.
It fosters a belief that the best is yet to come.
We need to be Art-Deco-maxing as a civilization.
It's the architectural style of a people who've triumphed—and aren't done yet.
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All empires repeat the same cycle, says 20th-century historian John Glubb.
He observed that for the past 3000 years every civilization has followed the same 6 stages before decline—what are they?🧵
Sir John Bagot Glubb was a British soldier and author who served as the commanding general for Transjordan's Arab Legion from 1939 to 1956.
In his later years he wrote about geopolitics and world history, and penned a succinct description of how civilizations rise and fall…
Glubb’s 1978 work, “The Fate of Empires and the Search for Survival,” is an idea-dense essay that argues all great empires follow an eerily similar pattern.
From observing 11 distinct cultures, Glubb draws some intriguing conclusions that have implications for modern society.
The East India Company was the most powerful corporation of all time.
It had an army larger than Great Britain's, and its influence shaped the borders of nations.
So how did a company become stronger than most countries?🧵
The East India Company's origins started with famed explorer Francis Drake.
His voyage in 1577 opened the world to the East Indies, and when he returned to England in 1580, he brought exotic spices from the Spice Islands that investors believed could be a lucrative venture.
Soon after, the Queen granted a charter to a group of wealthy merchants and explorers for the region. The new corporation was called “Governor and Company of Merchants of London trading into the East Indies” or more commonly the “East India Company.”
Alexander the Great’s tomb has been missing for centuries. Over 140 official attempts have been made to locate it. All have failed.
But one rogue historian thinks he’s finally found it.
He claims everyone's been looking in the wrong place…🧵
Alexander’s body wasn’t always missing. We know that figures like Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, and Augustus visited his tomb in Alexandria during the 1st century BC.
But somewhere along the way it disappears from the record…
By the time St. John Chrysostom visited Alexandria in 400 AD, he was unable to locate the tomb and said of Alexander "his tomb even his own people know not.”
There are a few mentions of the tomb afterward, but nothing reliable, and as of today no one knows where it is.
At least, that’s according to 18th-century historian Alexander Tytler.
He claimed democracies always follow a predictable pattern and are doomed to end in servitude…🧵
Tytler was a Scottish judge, writer, and Professor of Universal History as well as Greek and Roman Antiquities at the University of Edinburgh.
After studying dozens of civilizations, he noticed some intriguing patterns…
He believed that democracies naturally evolved from initial virtue to eventual corruption and decline.
In ancient Greece, for example, he argued that "the patriotic spirit and love of ingenious freedom...became gradually corrupted as the nation advanced in power and splendor."