The question arises: was this Catholic ruler somewhat insane? His son, Don Carlos, was undoubtedly so; as was his grandmother, Joanna, who was already labeled with the nickname "The Mad." In Philip, the specifically Habsburg psychosis took on a fully developed form.
When discussing the early modern culture of the Netherlands, everyone first thinks of painting. This painting was rooted in a healthy sense of reality and a broad, prejudice-free outlook, which the world-encompassing imperialism bestowed upon the entire nation. Holland also shared the characteristics of all merchant-dominated power: prosaicness,...
In every era, one particular art form holds hegemony: in the Renaissance, it was sculpture, and in the Baroque, it was music. The turn of the 16th century marks the birth of modern music, with a series of significant innovations gaining ground. The sonata, the instrumental work, becomes the victorious opposite of the cantata, the vocal composition:...
Pascal is unique: he was both the most modern and the most Christian spirit of his time. His exceptionally sharp logic and clear insight met with passionate and profound religiosity. He was the clearest mind that his homeland ever gave to the world, and he was the finest soul anatomist of his century: beside him, Descartes seems like a mere...
The 17th century was still capable of transforming science and philosophy into stimulants. Its sole desire was to turn life into enjoyment, to arrange paradise here on Earth. They wanted to savor life without paying its price. They sought to enjoy the fruits of wealth without the toil of labor, the dazzling brilliance of social power without its...