By Matthew Ehret “Every artist, every scientist, every writer must decide now where he stands. The artist must take sides. He must elect to fight for freedom or for slavery. I have made my choice” Paul Robeson, 1937 America today stands at a crossroads. Where an entrenched oligarchy strives desperately to keep hold of those…
Author: mattehret
Remembering John F. Kennedy’s Vision for the Future that Should Have Been
By Matthew Ehret “Man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe….” President Kennedy, 1961 Inaugural Address Where China and Russia are currently leading a…
The Post war US-China Alliance that Nearly Was
By Matthew Ehret Some limited moves have been made in the direction of geopolitical cooperation in our troubled age. President Trump has had favorable meetings with the Presidents of Russia and China, followed by a historic visit to North Korea to meet “his friend Kim”. Yet in other respects tensions have never been higher between…
The Spirits of Confucius and Socrates Smile on the Growing China-Greek Partnership
By Matthew Ehret Many people have a difficult time thinking about the common themes linking Confucian China with the Christian west. As of the November state visit of Xi Jinping to Greece, it was demonstrated that the leading representatives of two of the oldest cradles of modern civilization had no troubles understanding each other. Prime…
How Classical Painting Liberates us from the Shackles of the Senses
An exploration of Schiller’s Aesthetics as it pertains to political revolutions past and future By Matthew Ehret This article is based on a lecture given on Feb. 11, 2019 in Montreal Canada. German poet Friedrich Schiller (1759-1805) wrote his twenty six Letters on the Aesthetical Education of Man in 1794 in order to address this…
Why Must Aesthetics Govern A Society Worthy Of Political Freedom? Ask the CIA
In the mid-1990s, a series of exposés featured on the London Independent and elsewhere brought a dark secret to light. Many were startled by the revelation that the entire evolution of 20th century modern art was directed in large measure by the CIA! This not only included the direct financing of abstract painters like Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko,…
Alma Deutscher’s Plea for Harmony Strikes a Universal Chord
An incredible speech was given by the 14 year old composer Alma Deutscher upon receiving the European Culture Prize at the Vienna State Opera on October 20, 2019. At this prestigious ceremony, the young musician, whose works have sent shock waves through the musical world since she began composing at young age of 6 made…
The New Silk Road Ushers in a Potential Renaissance for the Middle East
By Matthew Ehret With the transformation of the rules of the “Great Game” in the Middle East since 2015, a sweeping set of development/reconstruction programs led by China now have a chance to become hegemonic across the formerly hopeless, terrorist-infested region. This new positive dynamic is returning the Middle East to its historic role as…
Brunelleschi, Cusa and Kepler: The Makings of the Italian Renaissance
In this symposium, we look into how Brunelleschi, Cusa and Kepler played primary roles in shaping the Italian Renaissance. In the first class, given by Cynthia Chung, we investigate why the dome of the Santa Maria del Fiore is so special. How did a dome spark a Renaissance? Why did the Florentines work on such…
India and Other Asian Nations Join the Polar Silk Road
By Matthew Ehret The best partnerships occur when all participants have special talents to bring to the relationship which makes a whole more powerful than the sum of its parts. This is the beauty of the multi-polar alliance formed by Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping and a growing array of Asian, African and South American statesmen…
