I'm still working my way, very, very slowly, through Gibbon's massively over-rated ginormous tome. He isn't a fan of the prophet Mohammed. Nevertheless :
"Even in a conqueror or a priest, I can surprise a word or action of unaffected humanity; and the decree of Mahomet that, in the sale of captives, the mothers should never be separated from their children may suspend or moderate the censure of the historian."
you’re actually reading Gibbon?! I look forward to your comprehensive report!
ReplyDeleteAre you implying that the US could learn something about human right from slave practices?
ReplyDeleteIs Gibbon another one in the series of "most prominently displayed, least read book in the shelf" (kind of "The Art of Computer Programming" for people who don't do programming) ?
ReplyDeleteRichard G I'm reading the abridged version, which at 1080 pages is a mere 40% of the total. From the descriptions of the missing chapters, it seems to me that the editor's choice of which parts to skip and which to retain is very strange.
ReplyDeleteElie Thorne Oh, definitely, just as they could learn stuff from the Nazis. To wit :
ReplyDelete1) It's fucking monstrous.
2) Don't split up families. No, not even if you're selling them into slavery.
PS. 3) Don't do slavery. See 1).