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purple motes

Artifacts to help you imagine more.

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  • Abelard castrated
  • Byzantine wife saves husband
  • Amphitryon & Geta duped
  • Chastelaine de Vergi tragedy
  • Aristotle’s advice to Alexander
  • Empress Theodora: woman leader
  • Tristan & Isuet
  • Xanthippe & Socrates
  • New Modern Sexism Scale

al-Jahiz

Abū ʿUthman ʿAmr ibn Baḥr al-Kinānī al-Baṣrī, known by his nickname al-Jahiz, was a ninth-century Arabic scholar who wrote learned and witty prose. Born in Basra, he spent most of his life in Baghdad. He was a leading light in the cosmopolitan society of the Abbasid caliphate.

al-Jahiz shows alternative to Ziolkowski’s magnanimity

Al-Jahiz blamed others for any errors in his book On Misers. Ziolkowski exonerated others for any errors in his book Solomon and Marcolf. … Read the post al-Jahiz shows alternative to Ziolkowski’s magnanimity

COB-91: how to deal with a fly on your nose

Bureaucrats should adopt BMING’s standard recommended protocol for what to do when a fly lands on your nose. … Read the post COB-91: how to deal with a fly on your nose

al-Jahiz the litterateur versus Yūhannā ibn Māsawayhi the physician

Al-Jahiz the litterateur deployed linguistic logic. Yūhannā ibn Māsawayhi the physician advocated test and observation. The latter triumphed. … Read the post al-Jahiz the litterateur versus Yūhannā ibn Māsawayhi the physician

Nahid in the Shahnameh: bad breath makes world history

In the Shahnameh, Nahid’s bad breath brings Alexander the Great to Greece. Al-Jahiz’s claim that Persian men have sex with women with bad breath is undone. … Read the post Nahid in the Shahnameh: bad breath makes world history

al-Jahiz on "substantial non-infringing uses" in ninth-century Baghdad

Al-Jahiz made a legal argument analogous to “substantial non-infringing uses” in discussing the legality of alcoholic drinks under Islamic law. … Read the post al-Jahiz on "substantial non-infringing uses" in ninth-century Baghdad

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