From Johnson's Russia List #4691 (December 16, 2000)

Those interested in Orthodoxy and politics will want to take note of the appearance of Emperors and Elections: Reconciling the Orthodox Tradition with Modern Politics (Troitsa Books, 2000), by Dr. Nikolas K. Gvosdev,
Associate Director of the J. M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies at Baylor University.

The book tackles the question of whether Orthodox Christianity can play a role in stabilizing democratic and republican traditions in the states that comprise the traditional heartland of Eastern Orthodoxy. Relying on a
detailed analysis of history and doctrine, Gvosdev finds that, not only can Orthodoxy co-exist with the institutions of modern democracy, but that "Orthodox concepts about the dignity of the individual and the importance of the community can make a valuable contribution to modern political
thought."

Review comment by Dr. Nicolai N. Petro, University of Rhode Island

I read this book first about 40 years ago and found it an excellent read, I have only just noticed that it has been reprinted it has been unavailable for many years.

I am looking forward to reading this book again. It was a good read the first time some 40 years ago.

An eastern perspective on the relationship between church and state, based on the concept of a unified commonwealth with Eastern Orthodoxy as the spiritual conscience and conveyer of the culture and heritage of the people, remains alive and well in many parts of the world today, especially in Russia. Nikolas Gvosdev's familiarity with Eastern Orthodoxy in a political context allows him to accurately capture in this fine book the ideology and problems of church-state relations and religious freedom in Orthodox lands ...

The book focuses not only on Russia but Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Georgia and the Mongol empire ... this is a wonderful book for those interested in the study of Eastern church-state relations and will serve as an advanced work full of rich details and analysis for seasoned scholars ...

(From the review of Elena Miroshnikova, Tula State Pedagogical University, as found in Nationalities Papers, 31:1 (2003), 105.

We used this book in my fourth grade classroom to present a puppet show. We made a back stop and the kids made puppets with various different features. We taped the story and as the tape played the puppets performed. Very cute, multi-cultural, and the kids had a blast!

Michel Foucault admitted in an interview that his writings were works of fiction, yet had a certain truth about them. Nikolas Rose's 'Powers of Freedom' is far less of a fiction that anything of Foucault's, but it is similarly a search for truth. I much prefer to read Foucault, though if you are a Foucault fan you won't be disappointed with Rose. He indeed builds on Foucault's ideas. And where Foucauld tends towards nihilism and depression, Rose keeps up a spirit of optimism and hope. Both advise using thought as a weapon in the never-ending battle against those who purport to rule us in our own name and for our own good.

There are many interesting ideas in 'Powers of Freedom'. I suppose the main one is that freedom is an invention of modern government. Before the modern age there was no such thing as freedom - one lived in fear of violence and intimidation from above and below. Only with the advent of the modern age with its mores of civility and self-control has sovereign power felt able to let its subjects reasonably alone.

Another idea, according to Rose, is that individuality is both an invention and a subjectivity. He develops Foucault's notion of a personal ethics and argues that our current 'wars of subjectivity' emerge around the concept that 'individuals can shape an autonomous identity through choices in taste, music, goods, styles and habitus outside the control of coherent discourses of civility or the technologies of political government. The politics of conduct is faced with a new set of problems: governing subject formation in this new plural field.' (page 179).

Today's scientists face a bewildering array of standards they should adopt to ensure effective communication across different formats (different journals, books, and electronic media). This guide helps authors recognize which symbols have the IUPAC impramatur and which should be avoided for clarity. This guide still has deficiencies. For example, it has very few guidelines for the different arrows employed to denote different sorts of reactions. Different usages are common in the literature, and it would be best if IUPAC would unify the field.

The author gives a brief but well-balanced account of the rise of the Alawites in Syrian politics. It focuses on the continuous discussion of sectarian interests this involves both in their own ranks and among their opponents. I understood many aspects of recent Middle-East history much better than after reading only such general overviews as Mansfield's.

The style of the book does not contribute to the pleasure of reading it. There are many small signs of it being translated from Dutch. To my taste, the text is somewhat overloaded with names, which might appeal more to specialists than to general readers.

Three unusual scientists : John Keely, Nikola Tesla, Walter Russell ... long overdue. These three men were indeed the greatest minds of the 19th & 20 century. Walter Russell was painter, poet, philosopher, scientist, sculptor, painter, teacher, lecturer, architect, and servant to mankind ... leader of the Twilight Club from 1895 to 1946 when it was disbanded to form the University of Science and Philosophy. The Twilight Club led to the foundation of many organizations such as the Kiwanis, Rotary, and Optimist Clubs ... the Boy Scouts of America ... Child Labor Laws ... Public Schools ... The Carnegie Library System ... and yet this man is virtually unheard of and written of very little.

Bravo, to Martha Keltz for shining light on these great men!!!!

NIKOLAS TESLA'S FRIEND TELLS OF FUTURISTIC EXPERIENCES