It was once better understood that the precondition for any nation’s durable survival resides in each passing generation’s capacity to recreate within their hearts and minds, the passion and ideas which birthed the institutions upon which said nation was brought into being. To the degree that the sacrifices, passion and ideals for a better world…
Category: Classes
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…
To What Purpose do We Seek the Beautiful?
Class by Cynthia Chung. We all have something that comes to mind when we are speaking of beauty. It is certain that almost everyone right now is thinking of something different from the person next to them about what is beautiful. Everyone seeks out beauty, But if we cannot explain why we think something is…
Frederick Douglass: Legacy of an Abolitionist
This conference webinar was organised by the Frederick Douglass Sculpture Committee (FDSC) to bring attention to a project that has been in the works, and for which the residents in Roxbury have been advocating for over a decade; a Frederick Douglass memorial statue. After a long process, the FDSC and the Boston Art Commission have…
The Poetic Principle in the World of the I Ching: Mankind’s Long Journey to Reason and Beauty
In this lecture Dr. Quan Le focuses on the I Ching, the first Confucian Classic (of five: Yi Jing, Shu Jing, Shi Jing, Chun Qiu and Zhou Li) which magnificently embodies the poetic principle famously outlined by Shelley, centuries later, in his Defense of Poetry which re-asserted that Poets are the true legislators of the world….
The Spirit of Win-Win Cooperation: 15-19th Century Diplomatic Success of China
Although it is well known that China has become the world’s largest and fastest growing economy in the world- outpacing the USA since the unveiling of the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, it is too often forgotten that this dominant position is not new, but merely a return to the “normal” state of world…
A Harmony of Interests: Inquiries into the True Nature of the American System
What ideas will shape the next centuries of human civilization as our species begins to confront the reality of our collective self-interest living on the earth? The use of the atomic for either peaceful or warlike purposes has given our species for the first time in history the dual potential to destroy all life as…
Life at the End of an Empire: St. Augustine’s Fight to Save Platonic Christianity
As part of the RTF Lecture Series “The Renaissance Principle Across the Ages“, Aaron Kalfon discusses St. Augustine’s role to save Platonic Christianity during the Roman Empire. During the course of the 76 years that Augustine of Hippo lived (354-430 AD), the world experienced a process of unprecedented turbulence, as the Roman Empire which had…
Symposium: Cultural Optimism, Art and the New Silk Road
On Sunday April 28, 2019, a symposium hosted by the Rising Tide Foundation was held in Montreal, Canada dealing with the unified growth of cultural optimism, beautiful art and economic development as it is being manifested today with the New Silk Road in Asia, Africa and beyond. Presentations were given by a pianist, a dancer,…
RTF Lecture: Frederick Douglass, Lincoln and the Fight to Save the Soul of America
To quote Martin Luther King: “Is anything more obvious than the presence of evil in the universe? Its nagging, prehensile tentacles projects into every level of human existence. We may debate the origin of evil, but only a victim of superficial optimism would debate its reality. Evil is stark, grim, and colossally real. … Within…
