Politics, more practically, less philosophically, oratorically and rhetorically

Postmodernism: A Brief Overview An era of breaking certainties Postmodernism is a cultural and philosophical movement that emerged in the mid-20th century as a reaction to modernism. It challenges traditional ideas like progress, universal truth, and reason. Key aspects of postmodernism: Rejection of grand narratives: Postmodernism questions the idea of a single, overarching story about history or society. It suggests multiple, often conflicting, interpretations of reality. Relativism : This viewpoint argues that there's no absolute truth and that knowledge is shaped by individual perspectives and cultural backgrounds. Irony and parody : Postmodern works often use humor and satire to critique and challenge established norms and values. Focus on language : Postmodern thinkers emphasize how language shapes our understanding of the world, suggesting reality is constructed through words. Fragmentation and pluralism: Postmodernism celebrates diversity and multiplicity. It rejects the ...

"Si vis pacem para bellum" ("If you want peace, prepare war") Vegetius (seeing history, this seems to be a characteristic of human beings in general, like it or not) A more pacifist but not entirely so, version of Vegetius' words might read:  "If you want peace, prepare defense". Far be it from me to criticize profound pacifists (a famous example of such a person is former Pink Floyd musician Roger Waters); on the contrary, I admire them, but my version is realistic in spirit: while it would be ideal to live in a world where we are all brothers, living in harmony and peace with one another, I cannot ignore the fact that human nature is well different . Therefore, I hope that the defense I am referring to would  never be utilized in practice. As someone familiar with the military world, I would like to share another 'updated' version of the aforementioned quote: "If you want peace, prepare deterrence"; its translation into Latin would...

Last updated Jun 9, 2026 Here  is the original, from which this is updated. Table of Contents Hide “Freedom must not be inherited, it must be built, every day, by those who refuse to be ruled by the shadows of history” Introduction The genesis of this article took its cue from the fact that, starting also from my own knowledge, I observed that in the countries in this respect most developed, there is only a police force with national or federal coverage . It also happens that in these countries, their armies, navies, and air forces are responsible for defending their territory, but exceptionally they also retain extraordinary tasks of assisting with the public security of the civilian population. Then maturing over time this awareness, I began to do more in-depth re...