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A new, digitally-native antihero has emerged, one that occupies the ever-growing webiverse between Love of Huns, coquette, bimbocore and ‘girl dinners’. That is, of course, the ‘girl’. Online, girls aren’t just young women, but whoever identifies with the messy reality of having feminine qualities in a masculine world (read: everyone). It’s as pretty as it is gross, equal parts self-care and self-sabotage.  But why is the girlification of culture happening now?

Probably the most important part of being a Christian is remembering who you are allowed to send nudes to. A lot of thought leaders have had their brand attacked simply because they accidentally sent nudes to the wrong person. And if you are an evangelical thought leader, your brand is hollowed ground; you must protect it at all costs. Probably the worst sin of all is making yourself stumble, over yourself.

This reissue of the Gossip Reading Club delves into a publishing experiment that tried to sell an actress who didn’t exist, all in the name of mocking the star machine that the magazine doing it was a part of. (Read the profile here.) What are your least favourite profile tropes? The needlessly detailed descriptions of the subject’s lunch choices? The exhaustive list of questionable imagery to show how beautiful the actress is?

Dear Classical Wisdom Kids, First, a quick clarification. I’ve had a few readers write in a bit confused to what belongs to what in the growing world of Classical Wisdom.  Fair dinkum as they say ‘Down Under’.  About a year ago we launched Classical Wisdom KIDS, to help bring ancient wisdom to future minds. The thing is a lot of the ideas, history and concepts obviously work just as well as for adults.

Dear Classical Wisdom Members, I don’t know if all kids are like this… but mine is somewhat obsessed with the continued legacy of historical figures. The questions usually begin with: And did they have any children? Boys? Girls? And what about those kids? Did they have kids? And are any of them alive today? She’s always disappointed to discover that they aren’t still alive, somehow. I’m not sure why this fascination occurs… perhaps it’s a way for a child to connect to these sometimes larger than life characters from the past.

In Bible class Sunday, we studied the second half of John 19, where Jesus is crucified and dies. After He dies on the cross, a man called “Joseph of Arimathea” asks for the body of Jesus to provide a proper burial for Him. We don’t know much about Joseph of Arimathea - but the Gospel accounts give us some interesting information about him. Arimathea was a city originally given to the Levites, and it was located near Mt.

(Pic above: Lobsang Rampa together with one of his Siamese cats, a polished stone ball, and Tibetan prayer wheel) Last week I received an email from a TV producer wanting to know if I’d be willing to share what I know about Lobsang Rampa. Ah, that name again! It’s curious how, more than forty years after he died, he is still remembered. Those of us of a certain age – which includes many of you, dear readers!

This episode is part of the Plato’s Academy Centre course on the Socratic Method. In this lesson, we will be learning who Socrates was, and why he became famous. We’ll also begin looking at the origins of the Socratic Method, and the role it played in his philosophy. There is no greater evil one can suffer than to hate reasonable discourse. – Socrates in Plato's Phaedo, 89d There is an optional Facebook Live video of this lesson.

Note to readers: This is a post requested by a History, Etc subscriber. If you’d like to support this newsletter, the accompanying podcast and the community we’re building around it, and submit ideas for new posts, please click the button below. PS If you’re already a subscriber, thank you! Remember to post any requests for content on the weekly Q&A thread. The Middle Ages can feel like - because it very often was - a thousand-year parade of men with savage beards doing deeds.