Search results for query: *

Forum search Google search

  1. WI: Roman Empire collapses during the Crisis of the Third Century?

    "to both discover the way to henosis and to achieve it. " Granted that Iamblichus argued that reason could not achieve henosis but I didn't see where he argued that the necessity of ritual to achieve it was a divine revelation rather than a logical conclusion derived from the nature of the...

  2. WI: Roman Empire collapses during the Crisis of the Third Century?

    I would've extended that courtesy but you kept opening up more issues....and I was perhaps too zealous to answer each one. We can also save time thus--the question of what constitutes a philosophy vs. what constitutes a relgion can be sidestepped by instead addressing the question of what...

  3. WI: Roman Empire collapses during the Crisis of the Third Century?

    You made specific claims that Iamblichus claimed divine revelation as the source of much of his statement. My "kind of debate technique" consisted of not accepting that at face value and addressing the ever-more specific claims you made about Iamblichus. If you make more specific claims, I'll...

  4. Napoleon Wins Decisively at Waterloo...then what?

    I wonder if the loss means that Wellington doesn't become as important in the Tory party. He probably gets the C-in-C spot as he's the best British general available but does he still get the PM spot in 1828?

  5. WI: Roman Empire collapses during the Crisis of the Third Century?

    A proper connection with the gods couldn't be done through reason, but his ontological structure of Monad all the way on down was derived from his Neoplatonic studies. He disagreed with the Neoplatonists over the practice of theurgy but that doesn't mean he wasn't otherwise solidly rooted in...

  6. WI: Roman Empire collapses during the Crisis of the Third Century?

    It was certainly persistent as a philosophical school, and tremendously influential on Christianity OTL. However, what kind of mass appeal did it have; was it a competitor in terms of people's everyday practices?

  7. WI: Roman Empire collapses during the Crisis of the Third Century?

    Iamblichus still didn't argue that his ontology was arrived at through divine revelation. He added a sacramental element onto what was still a continuum of philosophical thought. Did he say they actually intervened or was it simply that the theurgy could link one's soul to the divine. No...

  8. US House elections from 2000 on under proportional representation REDUX

    FYI, you have seven states with one Representative and five with two. How would you make PR work with that? I'd also note that strong presidential systems tend to reduce party number. The idea is that with a head of government who has a term that is set by law rather than a legislative...

  9. WI: Roman Empire collapses during the Crisis of the Third Century?

    Worship Neoplatonism didn't argue that the way was revealed by the Gods. It was a function of philosophical inquiry that evolved from Platonic thought. Iamblichus did argue that theurgy was a part of reestablishing that connection in a manner that couldn't be done by philosophical thought...

  10. WI: Roman Empire collapses during the Crisis of the Third Century?

    Worship Not deities but the Buddha and the Bodhisattvas. By your logic, Plato was practicing religion because he believed in the immortality of the soul, one that kept reincarnating and Aristotle was practicing religion because he believed in a Prime Mover. Sets of ethical values...

  11. WI: Roman Empire collapses during the Crisis of the Third Century?

    Religion Neoplatonism has no forms of worship.

  12. WI: Roman Empire collapses during the Crisis of the Third Century?

    Buddhism Buddhism wasn't primarily a philosophical school; it was a religion.

  13. WI: Roman Empire collapses during the Crisis of the Third Century?

    Neoplatonism vs.Christianity Neoplatonism was a philosophical school; not something that had a dumbed-down version you could offer to soldiers and barbarians. Christianity could be very theologically intricate, but could also be sold quite simply--"Listen to your priest, believe in God and...

  14. WI: Roman Empire collapses during the Crisis of the Third Century?

    Aurelian The Aurelia gens had a particular connection with the cult of Sol Invictus. Someone else could put in all that effort to start it in Gallia, but there is no particular reason for him to do so...

  15. WI: Roman Empire collapses during the Crisis of the Third Century?

    Vs. Invictus What allowed it to spread in Rome pre-Constantine? As has been pointed out, the cult of Sol Invictus was a creation of the Roman state--it has a weaker foundation than a religion that didn't require the government to create it. This TL also kills Aurelian before he can resurrect...

  16. WI: Roman Empire collapses during the Crisis of the Third Century?

    How? By Christians going through the area and proselytizing. There were a number of Christian centers in Gaul by 270 AD.

  17. WI: Roman Empire collapses during the Crisis of the Third Century?

    One case You've cited one case, most barbarians weren't forced to convert to come into Rome. The argument that Christianity would be slower to spread isn't one that I'm contesting; only that the perpetuation of the Roman Empire is a prerequisite for it doing so.

  18. WI: Roman Empire collapses during the Crisis of the Third Century?

    Greco-Roman culture It wasn't entirely dependent on there being an empire so much as a Greco-Roman culture. That culture tremendously impressed Rome's barbarian conquerors, hence the initial conquerors often seeking an imprimatur even from powerless emperors such as Honorius and Arcadius...

  19. Who Is Your Favourite Diadochi?

    Ptolemy Ptolemy didn't get greedy; he knew he couldn't grab the whole empire so he simply carved off a very rich portion thereof.

  20. Down the Road to Defeat: The 1952 US Presidential Election and Beyond

    Castro's Soviet deal His economic deal with the Soviets was made in February 1960. That was one month after operations had actually begun according to you source. (presumably, Castro wasn't privy to the October 1959 deliberations of the Eisenhower administration, so he wasn't reacting to it)...
Top