Tag Archives: Toynbee

The Garden of Finzi Contini & The Praetorians

Posted on April 16, 2017 by William Holland

It was hard if not impossible for Churchill to conceive of political realities outside the commanding heights of imperialism.  Its writ had no hold on Ireland nor India.  It fell to Truman after Roosevelt to politely admonish him to conceive … Continue reading →

Posted in Empire, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Arnold Toynbee Meets Putin

Posted on November 13, 2014 by William Holland

The ten volume set of A Study of History isn’t in print any longer, I’m told that Oxford University Press is considering reprinting the entire series, including maps and the noted final volume titled ‘Reconsiderations’, nevertheless, a classicist like Toynbee would … Continue reading →

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Structural Unemployment: The New Reality

Posted on May 23, 2012 by William Holland

Other than George Orwell, I can only think of two men who engagingly wrote about the social impact of superior technology on permanent unemployment:  Milton Friedman & Peter Drucker.  Dr. Drucker is a far more sophisticaed realist than the arcane … Continue reading →

Posted in Arnold Toynbee, Central Asia, Education, Frontier, Identity Development, Peter Drucker | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Fouad Ajami: Critical Of The Untested Redeemer That Became Barack Obama

Posted on August 11, 2010 by William Holland

There were two ‘wisemen’ who had the ear of both President Bush and Vice President Cheney immediately after September 11 and during crunch time in Iraq 2006.  They were Professor Emeritus Bernard Lewis from Princeton University and Dr. Fouad Ajami … Continue reading →

Posted in Arnold Toynbee, Politics, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Microsoft The Idolization Of Ephemeral Institution & Nemesis Of Creativity

Posted on August 7, 2010 by William Holland

Throughout his 12 volume study of the rise and decline of civilizations, Arnold Toynbee spent considerable time revealing examples whereby either governments, tribal chiefs, Church’s, political leaders or companies become intractable monolithic institutions both unable and unwilling to anticipate the … Continue reading →

Posted in Arnold Toynbee, Perils Of Specialization, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Clausewitz vs. Sun Tzu

Posted on July 18, 2010 by William Holland

Their is an old saying at West Point:  ‘beginners study tactics, amateurs study strategy, but only the best study logistics’.  Logistics being the formal study of how one achieves a goal.  Their is not always symmetry between these competing claims … Continue reading →

Posted in Antiquity, Arnold Toynbee, China, Ethics, International Relations, Kant, Morality, Politics, Raymond Aron, Sun Tzu, Theology, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Civilizational Growth Or Decline: Technique, Expansion, Finding The Criteria For Intelligibility Of Civilizations

Posted on June 28, 2010 by William Holland

It remains out of vogue in our age of political correctness to speak of either growth or decline of civilizations.  But I do believe that their are criteria to discover a field of intelligibility from which to study and determine … Continue reading →

Posted in Alex Tocqueville, Arnold Toynbee, China, Conservatism, Constitution, Education, Eric Voegelin, Ethics, Hans Urs von Balthasar, Harry Jaffa, International Relations, John Paul II, Morality, Near East, Perils Of Specialization, Politics, Raymond Aron, Shakespeare, Sun Tzu, Theology, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Arnold Toynbee: Tribal, Communal, Ethnic Conflicts; Their Origin and Future Trajectory

Posted on June 16, 2010 by William Holland

Arnold Toynbee’s 12 volume study of the genesis, growth and breakdown of dozens of Civilizations is back in vogue with the demise of Marxism and the robust acclaim given to market based solutions in political economies across the world. He … Continue reading →

Posted in Arnold Toynbee, Benny Avni, China, Conservatism, International Relations, Islam, Israel, Middle East Peace, Near East, Perils Of Specialization, Politics, Terrorism | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment