Papers by Larry Reedy
The third century CE saw a nearly complete breakdown in Roman government. In the roughly fifty ye... more The third century CE saw a nearly complete breakdown in Roman government. In the roughly fifty years between the assassination of Alexander Severus and the ascension of Diocletian, the Empire saw: the continuation of violently ambitious military commanders, endemic political instability, the outbreak of plague, widespread economic breakdown, and the incursion of traditional enemies from the North and East. This combination of fate and poor management nearly caused the state of Rome to crumble under its own weight. These destabilizing events tended to occur in the peripheral territories of the Empire and would work their way towards Italy. The same amalgamation of events, or at least the potential for these events, also occurred in the late 530s and the 540s, under the Emperor Justinian. This begs the question, "why did the Eastern Empire not suffer as the West did, despite the compact period in which these events occurred?" In fact, the East seemed to remain relatively stable throughout these trials. In this paper I will attempt to prove that the stability which occurred in the Eastern Empire was due to Justinian's: heavy handed rule, extraordinary luck, as well as his authoritative response to the Nika Riot in 532 CE which was the, "worst explosion of violence in east Roman history." 1 This will be done by briefly reviewing the events of the Nika Riot, the causes and events of the so called "Crisis of the Third Century," as well as the period of concern in the late 530s and the 540s. While Justinian would have no way of knowing that his hard-line response to rioters would help to preserve the Empire in the coming years, he nonetheless removed problematic elements from Constantinople, thereby preventing any opposition from gaining a foothold.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy," Shake... more There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy," Shakespeare's neo-sophist Hamlet spoke as he rebuffed his cohort, the neo-Stoic Horatio. 1 The neo-Stoicism of the 16th century thinker Justus Lipsius, which attempted to fuse Reformation Christian and Roman Stoic thought into a modern Stoic disposition, differed dramatically from the systematic Stoicism of antiquity. The outlook of the neo-Stoic consisted of maintaining a proper attitude to the events which surround them, while the hallmark of the intellectual branch of ancient Stoicism was the "laborious exercise of reason," which culminated in the logical exercises of the Hellenistic successors to the school. 2 By the Roman period, however, the methodically structured Stoicism of the Hellenistic period had begun the slow change into the attitudinal outlook exemplified by Horatio. In this paper I will argue that the shift from the theoretical Stoic philosophy of the established school of the stoa towards that of the early modern Stoic outlook was caused by the philosophical turn represented in the prominent "handbooks" of Roman Stoicism -those produced by the near contemporaries Epictetus (55-135 CE) and Marcus Aurelius (121-180 CE). To this end, I will examine the earlier Stoicism of the Hellenistic period, the role of the overlapping themes in Epictetus' Enchiridion (anglicized as the "Handbook") and Aurelius' Meditations, as well as how those themes which had been applied by successful members of dramatically different social strata appealed to the next generations of Stoics. These works stand apart due to their temporal prominence as well as the patchwork quality of their topics; these very topics still define Stoicism to this day. While both texts stand as the last major works of pre-Christian (and importantly, non-Platonist) Stoicism, it is crucial to note that their survival was almost accidental and certainly not intended by their producers.
The birth of the religious sect accompanied the emergence of natural philosophy in the period kno... more The birth of the religious sect accompanied the emergence of natural philosophy in the period known as archaic Greece. The passage of time has, in some cases, made the two approaches seem almost synonymous and interchangeable. The mystic philosopher, Pythagoras of Samos is the first personage who fits the this religious criteria. He led a group his devoted followers to the Achean colony of Croton in the late 6th century BCE. In Croton, Pythagoras created a community of and for his "believers" who were dedicated to his mystical teachings.
The tension between the elites and the masses has steered most of recorded history.
Conference Presentations by Larry Reedy
Recent scholarship has argued that Anglo-American "conspiracy culture," if worthy of study at all... more Recent scholarship has argued that Anglo-American "conspiracy culture," if worthy of study at all, belongs to the realm of the Social Sciences. Authors such as David Aaronovitch and Gerald Posner argue that belief in conspiracies is indicative of underlying psychological problems of individuals and of entire sub-cultures; if contemporary studies, like that of Aaronovitch, focus upon the genre written by the "true believer" they may be right. Often, this type of contribution to the collective body of work lacks rigorous analysis, research, and whose academic weight may appeal solely to cultural anthropologists interested in social outliers. There is room, however, for some middle ground. A skeptical review of the literature provides evidence that the genesis and longevity of this modern social group is grounded in legitimate historical interpretation with a long pedigree dating to antiquity - and not necessarily representative of latent psychosis. This talk seeks to provide a well documented discussion of the origin and historiography of popular theories and to provide an argument for why they have become widespread elements of Anglo-American folklore despite the fringe elements of their detractors and supporters. This is done by utilizing the Platonic division of education and by orientating theory devotees along the mystical alignment. Further, the argument is made that modern conspiracy theories perform the same function as ancient mystery cults - supplementary beliefs that bring the believer into a unique relationship with (what they believe is) reality.
Master's Theses by Larry Reedy
Heraclitus of Ephesus remains one of the most perplexing figures not only in the archaic period b... more Heraclitus of Ephesus remains one of the most perplexing figures not only in the archaic period but also throughout antiquity. The importance of his influence in the western tradition cannot be overstated. His works influenced the major movements in the occident beginning with Platonism, reaching his apex with the Stoics who considered him to be nothing less than a divine sage, and later affecting the philosophical evolution of Christianity. 2 He wrote a series of maxims as opposed to a systematic philosophy, which have been preserved in fragmentary form. Further, these adages are written in a way that gaining a definitive understanding of Heraclitus' meaning is exceptionally difficult, if not impossible to do. It is for this reason that he was given the distinctions of "the riddler" and "the weeping philosopher" in antiquity. 3 The unsettled aspects of his life are numerous. Information regarding his birth, life, and death did not survive apart from lively legends that have endured through biographers who wrote roughly seven centuries after Heraclitus' probable lifespan. Modern scholarship has tended to accept the ancient assertions from the biographer of thinkers, Diogenes Laertius (between 200 and 500 CE) concerning the dates of Heraclitus' philosophical prime in order to focus upon analysis of his philosophy. 4 Despite the prominence and lasting importance of his reporting, Diogenes Laertius is known to have been a poor prose writer, and since he was temporally removed from his subjects, he has certain reliability issues regarding dates. 5 The acceptance of that claim leaves an opportunity to better understand the writings of Heraclitus, but also the turbulent time in which he could have lived. It is in the spirit of providing more firm context of his life that this paper is being written.
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Papers by Larry Reedy
Conference Presentations by Larry Reedy
Master's Theses by Larry Reedy