Category Archives: History

cannibalism as necessity

Posted on September 19, 2012 by christopher fisher

In the midst of our present civilization, with all its abundance, the idea of enslaving and cannibalizing other people (including children and babies) is horrific and revolting, but it is a reality of human nature that this can come about under dire circumstances. What protects us from this result is the accumulated capital of the past, and our capacity to protect that capital by formulating an appropriate moral order to guide our actions. If we are reckless about the connection between our moral order and the accumulation of capital, then we are asking for disaster.

Continue reading →

Posted in History, Morality, Standard of Living | 2 Comments

dating the biblical book of mark

Posted on September 19, 2012 by christopher fisher

One must therefore, I believe, be prepared to take seriously the tradition that Mark, at whose home in Jerusalem Peter sought refuge before making his hurried escape (Acts 12.12-17) and whom later in Rome he was to refer to with affection as his ‘son’ (I Peter 5.13), accompanied Peter to Rome in 42 as his interpreter and catechist, and that after Peter’s departure from the capital he acceded to the reiterated request for a record of the apostle’s preaching, perhaps about 45. Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, History, Textual Criticism, Theology | 2 Comments

history channel likes to rewrite history

Posted on September 17, 2012 by christopher fisher

Of course, portraying a cold blooded killer being executed for killing a little girl goes against the “death penalty is immoral” meme, so one would never expect them to add an interesting “psychopath” angle to a story about a bloody feud. Continue reading →

Posted in History | Tagged | 2 Comments

ww2 did not save america from the great depression

Posted on July 17, 2012 by christopher fisher

Rationing, building war machines, young men being forced out of the workforce to other countries just to die in battle. These do not lend themselves to a feeling of prosperity. Apparently, though, common sense is not common. This paper reviews journals and other contemporary sources to confirm what should be obvious: war does not cause prosperity. Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, History | 1 Comment

jewish heroes stand up against fascist

Posted on July 17, 2012 by christopher fisher

With America’s own flirting with fascism, it is ironic that it was four Jewish men who brought down a key piece of FDR’s controls, the first New Deal. Steve Horwitz details the story of the Schechter brothers, butchers from NY that refused to violate kosher laws to conform with the New Deal Continue reading →

Posted in Goverment, History, Leftists | 1 Comment

on the rapid expansion of Christianity in the first century

Posted on June 14, 2012 by christopher fisher

First, the movement spread with impressive speed: within 10 years of the death of Jesus, there were communities of believers in Judaea, Samaria, and Syria (Acts 1-11); in 15 years, communities could be found in Asia Minor (Acts 14); in 20 years, through Asia Minor and into Greece (Acts 16-18); and in 25 years, in the capital city of Rome (Acts 28:14)-with ambitions to spread the movement also to Spain.16 Such rapidity of expansion is the more impressive when it is remembered that the evidence for the movement’s spread concerns the existence of ekklesiai (associations, gatherings, communities) and not simply the conversion of individuals. Continue reading →

Posted in History | Leave a comment

the great depression did not end till after world war 2

Posted on June 1, 2012 by christopher fisher

It was not until 1947, when wartime economic controls were ended and government spending and employments levels fell dramatically, that prosperity was restored. Federal government expenditures fell from $98.4 billion in 1945 to $33 billion by 1948, the first year of genuine recovery. Keynesian economists expected a two-thirds reduction in government spending to lead to another depression, but they were dead wrong… Private sector production increased by almost one-third in 1946 alone, as private investment boomed for the first time in eighteen years. Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, History | 1 Comment

christians cut down trees

Posted on January 8, 2012 by christopher fisher

Christianity countered and destroyed this mentality. Christianity seems to have been a civilizing force well into the past.
Continue reading →

Posted in History | Tagged | Leave a comment

the first intellectual property pirate

Posted on October 26, 2011 by christopher fisher

It can be argued that the first documented IP pirate converted an entire nation and saved literature at the same time. Columba should be held as a modern hero for these acts. Continue reading →

Posted in History, Intellectual Property | 1 Comment

the rise of technology in early christianity

Posted on October 15, 2011 by christopher fisher

The codex, like the Guttenberg Bible and the internet afterwards, represented literature for the underclass, literature to the people, easy to distribute and cost effective… Without the codex would we have Christianity in its modern form? Most likely not. Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Ehrman, History, Textual Criticism | 1 Comment