When Louis XVI gave Ben Franklin a diamond-encrusted snuffbox; the gift troubled Americans: it threatened to corrupt him by clouding his judgment. By contrast; in 2010 the Supreme Court gave corporations the right to spend unlimited money to influence elections. Zephyr Teachout shows that Citizens United was both bad law and bad history.
#379627 in Books Harvard University Press 1996-10-01 1996-08-27Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.23 x .48 x 5.50l; .45 #File Name: 0674437764176 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Four StarsBy VictorA very nice book. I; a humble person; appreciate the research and translations passed on to the general public.2 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Delightful peek into a fascinating piece of historyBy jeanniebearMany years ago I experienced a vivid vision of a woman of what seemed like the period of early Greece. She was a spiritual teacher who had a large following; dressed plainly in the Greek philosopher's type garment. During this vision; the woman was addressing her followers in something like a town square. In a flash; she was dragged away and into a building by someone who was wearing chain mail armor. I knew that she was murdered; but my vision did not show me the murder scene. In the vision it seemed to me that the murderer felt jealousy because of her magnetic qualities that he could never have and because she was widely admired and he wanted to be. I never forgot that vision and to this day I can still see it clearly in my mind's eye. I was led to Hypatia recently while reading a book which mentioned her and told her story; briefly. I was stunned and felt a shudder of familiarity when I read this; which was just a paragraph. Was this the woman in my vision?I had not previously heard of Hypatia; but through subsequent research; I was led to Maria Dzielska's book. One reviewer who disliked the book said that it was boring because of the dialogues between people we don't even know; however; this was one of the reasons I enjoyed the book; given that there appears to be no extant writing by Hypatia. The letters were written between students who were part of Hypatia's inner spiritual circle. The letters reveal not only information about Hypatia; but share insights about the political/social/cultural milieu of the times and particularly its spiritual atmosphere. I found myself wishing I could be part of this circle; with the mystical experiences they shared; and the quenching of the thirst to; "...elevate oneself into another dimension of existence and to direct merging with the One." Here is a lovely quote from the book; as written between two of Hypatia's students; who travel from the city to take part in Hypatia's teachings: "In the picturesque countryside near Cyrene; the two friends find refuge from the hubbub of the city with its markets and financial operations; which they see as an outrage to the human spirit. They speak of avoiding the struggle for offices; honors; and political careers that gratify only superficial ambitions; and not genuine human values."Hmmmm; might not many of us today; in the frantic pace of our "modern" world be inclined to say something quite similar?The study of Hypatia is not about what some suggest as "marauding Christians" attempting to destroy pagans and their beliefs; nor is it about the prejudice of women; as attributed by some feminist writers of today. One of the refreshing aspects of this book is that it does not appear to have an agenda; but only to extract historical truth among shards of scant documents on this interesting woman. Maria Dzielska's reasoned conclusion about Hypatia's ultimate demise comes at the end; in a bit of a surprise ending.Wonderful book!0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. GreatBy YVONNEThis shows how wrong history can be. Great book
