The truth, as surprising as it may seem, is that “tyrant” is not an inherently negative word. In fact, it has no connotation at all. “Tyrant”, by Webster’s definition, is “an absolute ruler unrestrained by law or constitution”. As a proud member of a western society, I feel uneasy about that definition, but itContinue reading “President Trump and the Common Misuse of “Tyrant””
Category Archives: Tyranny Ancient and Modern
Tyranny Ancient and Modern)
The term “Tyrant” has been used throughout history and goes all the way back to the Ancient Greeks around the Peloponnesian War era. As history has progressed, the definition of a tyrant has changed quite a bit from its original meaning. A tyrant used to be known as someone who rose to become a rulerContinue reading “Tyranny Ancient and Modern)”
What it Means to be a Tyrant
In modern day society, the word tyrant scares most people. If a country is said to be ruled by a tyrant then it probably means that he or she is a very harsh ruler who will not step down as a leader. If they were elected, it is most likely assumed that it was notContinue reading “What it Means to be a Tyrant”
The Road to Tyranny
Shifts in cultures and time periods can often cause confusion and misinterpretations of words or concepts. In modern society, the idea of tyrannical government is a prominent example of this change in interpretation over time. The modern connotation of a tyrant is an authoritarian individual who leads a nation with force, ruthless policies, and littleContinue reading “The Road to Tyranny”
Ancient Tyranny in the Modern World?
Tyranny hasn’t always meant what we take it to mean now. To the Greeks it meant something much different. For the Greeks the word tyranny had less of a connotation. The word “tyrant” was not originally used as a person who was domineering or autocratic but instead a non-hereditary ruler. A tyrant was someone whoContinue reading “Ancient Tyranny in the Modern World?”
Tyranny: Ancient and Modern
Defining Tyranny Then and Now In his May 2019 article, “Recognizing a Tyrant or Tyrant-to-Be,” Pierre Lemieux responds to a reply he received to his tweet claiming that the Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orbán is a tyrant. The twitter user posted, “Have you ever asked some hungarians [sic] what they think of him? They adoreContinue reading “Tyranny: Ancient and Modern”
Trump the (almost) tyrant
In his April 2019 article, “Psychoanalyzing History’s Most Merciless Tyrants”, The Washington Post’s Herbert Wray discusses several “Tyrannical Minds” throughout recent history, delving into their childhood and financial upbringing, mental evaluation, and political decisions. While his use of the word “tyrant” is correct in modern context, it is equally as fitting to definition priorContinue reading “Trump the (almost) tyrant”
Tyrant or Leader?
In Chapter 5, “Dawn of the Empires”, the author defines tyrant as a “ruler with absolute power, sometimes granted through election in times of crisis, sometimes seized through force of arms”. The author also refers to a tyrant as a “single autocratic ruler” (Spodek 141). However, the modern day definition of “tyrant” is a cruelContinue reading “Tyrant or Leader?”
1001 HH215 The West in the Pre-Modern World 