From the Forum to the Feed: Why Sulla, and the Threats Against Senator Mark Kelly Show Us That a Classical Education Still Matters

 

From the Forum to the Feed: Why Sulla, and the Threats Against Senator Mark Kelly Show Us That a Classical Education Still Matters

In the relentless churn of the modern news cycle, it’s easy to become numb to the outrageous. Yet, some moments still possess the power to shock. Recently, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, publicly attacked Senator Mark Kelly, a retired Navy Captain and astronaut, disparaging the character of a decorated combat veteran who has commanded the Space Shuttle

The target of this vitriol was Senator Mark Kelly. This is not a man of ambiguous character or service. Captain Kelly’s 25-year career in the United States Navy and NASA is a testament to courage under fire and the pursuit of discovery. He flew 39 combat missions during Operation Desert Storm and later commanded the Space Shuttle Endeavour, representing our nation at its highest heights. His strength of character is further defined by his resilience at home, standing steadfastly by his wife, former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, following her attempted assassination. Kelly advocates for gun control, motivated by this attempted assassination. By any traditional measure, he is the embodiment of a life dedicated to the service of the American republic.

And yet, in a social media post, his former commander-in-chief declared that Kelly “was suffering from a terminal case of Trump Derangement Syndrome” and mused that his alleged actions were “an act of Treason, punishable by DEATH.”

Faced with this, we have two options. We can see it as an isolated, unprecedented spasm of political fury—the chaotic noise of our current era. Or, we can recognize it for what it is: a political tactic so old its origins lie not in social media algorithms, but in the sun-baked marble of the ancient world.

To understand the strategy at play, we need to trade the digital glow of our screens for the Roman Forum of 82 BC.

The Playbook Written in Stone: Sulla’s Proscriptions

After winning a brutal civil war, the Roman general Lucius Cornelius Sulla declared himself dictator. To consolidate his power and eliminate his rivals, he revived and perfected a terrifying tool: the proscriptio.

Sulla had lists of names posted publicly in the Forum. Any man on that list was immediately stripped of his citizenship, his property, and his legal protections. He was declared an enemy of the state. A bounty was placed on his head, and anyone could kill him without penalty. His assets were confiscated by the state, and his sons and grandsons were barred from holding public office.

This was not simply a list of enemies. It was a brilliant and brutal piece of political communication. As a historian, I can tell you it served three strategic functions that are startlingly relevant today:

1. It Created a Single Source of Truth: In a city rife with rumors, Sulla’s list was the only one that mattered. It authoritatively defined who was a friend and who was an enemy. There was no room for debate.
2. It Weaponized the Public: The proscriptions turned ordinary citizens into instruments of the state’s purge. Neighbors turned on neighbors, driven by fear or greed for the reward. Sulla didn’t need to use his own soldiers for every killing; he had outsourced the terror.
3. It Isolated and Dehumanized the Target: A man who was a respected senator one day was, by the next, a hunted animal. The proscription severed all his social and political ties, making him utterly vulnerable and serving as a chilling example to anyone else who might consider dissent.

The Forum Becomes the Feed

Now, fast-forward two millennia. The technology has evolved from stone tablets to digital screens, but the strategic function of public denunciation remains the same. A powerful political figure’s social media feed has become the modern Roman Forum.

When Donald Trump publicly attacks General Kelly, he is not merely venting. He is executing a modern proscription.

He is attempting to strip a man of his most valuable asset: his public character. The goal is to reframe a four-star general with a lifetime of decorated service as a "traitor." The threat of "DEATH" is not a literal order, but it serves the same function as Sulla’s bounty: it signals to a mass following that the target is no longer part of the tribe. He is an enemy, and any attack on him is justified.

Look at the mechanics. A single post creates an authoritative "truth" for millions of followers. It weaponizes them to amplify the message, swamp social media, and attack the target’s reputation. And it isolates the target, casting him out from the political movement he once served at the highest level. The playbook is identical.

Why a Classical Education Is Not a Luxury, But a Necessity

This brings us to the crucial question: So what? Why does a 2,000-year-old parallel matter?

It matters because without this historical context, we are civically blind. We see the event with Trump and Kelly in a vacuum, dismissing it as more partisan chaos or the unhinged behavior of one individual. We fail to recognize the pattern.

A classical, humanistic education—one grounded in history, literature, and philosophy—is not about memorizing dates or long-dead figures. It is about learning the patterns of human nature, power, and rhetoric that are timeless. It provides the framework to understand that while the costumes and the technology change, the fundamental dramas of power, loyalty, and betrayal do not.

Studying Sulla doesn't just teach you about the late Roman Republic. It teaches you how authoritarians consolidate power. It shows you that publicly denouncing former allies is a classic move to enforce absolute personal loyalty over institutional allegiance. It gives you the vocabulary and the conceptual tools to identify a proscription when you see one, whether it’s chiseled in stone or posted online.

This type of education is the antidote to historical amnesia. It allows us to distinguish the signal from the noise. It transforms us from passive consumers of shocking headlines into discerning citizens who can say, "I have seen this before. I know what this is. And I know where it can lead." It allows you to disregard all the noisy news of the day, and identify what the really important stories, in this case, will the electorate let President Trump get away with another indecency and illegal act?

The tools may have changed from the Forum to the feed, but the echoes of history are a clear warning. A liberal arts education is not an indulgence for the elite; it is a foundational requirement for anyone who wishes to understand the forces shaping our world and safeguard the future of our own republic. It is our responsibility to learn how to listen.

Reference

Cartwright, M. (2016, May 6). Sulla's second civil war. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/article/913/sullas-second-civil-war/

Your PhD is a Toolkit, Not a Destination

Today, 32 years ago, the European University Institute conferred me a full-time, research doctorate. 

The world of learning, for me, began much earlier as a card catalogue. I was twelve, standing in the hushed grandeur of the Royal Dutch Library. My mother, a researcher herself, taught me how to navigate that universe of knowledge, one meticulously typed card at a time. I can still recall the scent of aging paper and wood polish, the satisfying click-clack of the small drawers, each one a portal. 

That library was a promise: if you followed the system, if you learned the structure, you could find anything. You could chart a course from A to B, from question to answer. This was the map I would follow for years.

The Education Money Myth: A Data Analysis of 12 EU Nations Reveals Why Some Countries Get Top PISA Scores for Less.

Executive Summary

This analysis investigates the correlation between per-student education expenditure and student performance, as measured by average PISA 2022 scores, across 12 selected EU countries. Utilizing a framework based on the Sapir (2005) classification, the study groups nations into Nordic, Continental, and Southern blocs to compare systems with similar socio-economic structures, and traditions in education. The central research question is whether increased financial investment in education is associated with improved academic outcomes.

The study reveals a statistically significant, moderately strong positive correlation (r = 0.68) between spending and performance across the entire sample. This indicates that, overall, higher expenditure is associated with better PISA scores. The relationship is most pronounced in the Southern bloc (r = 0.72), where systems appear more sensitive to financial inputs, and weakest in the Continental group (r = 0.31), suggesting other factors may have a greater influence. The findings highlight that while Nordic countries generally pair high spending with high performance, outliers like Portugal and Poland achieve strong results on a modest budget, whereas France underperforms relative to its investment.

The analysis frames secondary school achievement as a crucial precursor to the production of tertiary-level STEM graduates, which is identified as a primary driver of economic innovation and growth. Consequently, the core policy recommendation is to prioritize increased investment in primary and secondary education, particularly within the Southern European countries where the link between funding and performance is strongest. The report concludes that while financial investment is a key lever for improvement in under-resourced systems, maximizing returns also requires a focus on spending efficiency and effective educational strategy to achieve the desired outcome of a larger pool of STEM graduates.

Introduction

The relationship between national investment in education and student performance remains at the heart of educational economics and policy reform in Europe. In particular, ongoing debates question whether increased financial inputs—measured as per-student expenditure—lead to improved educational outcomes, as captured by standardized assessments such as the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). 

This inquiry is especially salient within the European Union, where significant similarities exist but also disparities persist in both education spending and student achievement across geographic and economic blocs. We analyzed education spending and student Performance in a subset of countries in the EU, based on the Sapir's report of European socio-econonomic systems, and perform a correlational analysis using OECD's PISA 2022 data on the academic performance of 15-year olds.

Are We Teaching All Wrong? Frequency vs. Effectiveness and a Surprising Negative Correlation

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Executive Summary

This report provides a comparative analysis of the frequency and effectiveness of eight widely used pedagogical methods across global educational systems. Drawing on data from the World Bank EdStats, OECD Education at a Glance 2023, UNICEF Global Education Monitoring, and peer-reviewed literature, we examine the correlation between usage frequency and instructional effectiveness. 

The findings reveal a significant mismatch between the most frequently used methods (e.g., Direct Instruction) and the most effective ones (e.g., Collaborative and Inquiry-Based Learning). We present two correlation coefficients (Pearson and Spearman), identify statistically significant relationships, and recommend evidence-based shifts in instructional strategy to improve learning outcomes globally.

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Introduction

Education systems worldwide aim to optimize student learning through instructional strategies. However, there is often a disconnect between methods that are most commonly used and those that have been shown to be most effective. This report seeks to bridge that gap by comparing the frequency and empirical effectiveness of eight pedagogical methods across different regions. It also evaluates whether countries most heavily rely on the pedagogies that actually yield the highest learning gains, particularly in reading, math, and science.

From Horsepower to AI: How the Spirit of Bugatti Inspires a New Generation of Innovators in Ferrara

(qui sotto la versione in Italiano)

From Horsepower to AI: How the Spirit of Bugatti Inspires a New Generation of Innovators in Ferrara

There is a certain magic that lingers in the air of Ferrara. It’s a city of Renaissance walls and quiet canals, but beneath the cobblestones runs a current of audacious innovation—a history of believing in nascent genius. Here, at the Smiling International School, my colleague Mr. Arun and I often feel like we are tapping into that very current. In our "Robotics and Behaviour" club, a group of bright, ambitious students are not just learning about the future; they are building it, one line of code and one 3D-printed chassis at a time. They are prototyping their own self-driving vehicles.

What makes this project truly profound is not just the advanced technology they are grappling with, but the ghost of innovation that watches over them. For it was here, in this very city, in this same building almost exactly 125 years ago, that a young, visionary mechanic received the backing that would change the world of automobiles forever. His name was Ettore Bugatti.

Bugatti Gullinelli Prototype 2, 1901

A Legacy Forged in a Ferrara Stable

The turn of the 20th century was a time of immense technological ferment in Italy. The very concept of the internal combustion engine, while revolutionary, was not entirely new to the country. In fact, an Italian professor from the University of Padua, the Verona-native Eugenio Bernardi, had already patented his first petrol-fueled engine in 1882.¹ Petrol or gas fuelled engines still power 85% of cars. An invention, however, is one thing; a brilliantly engineered, commercially viable automobile is another. This is where the story pivots to Ferrara and the unique genius of Ettore Bugatti.

A Guide for Papua New Guinean Students Seeking Scholarships to Study Abroad

Navigating International Scholarships

Introduction

As the former Vice-Chancellor of the Papua New Guinea University of Technology (UNITECH), I remain passionate about helping students find opportunities to study abroad. I frequently receive requests for guidance, and this post aims to provide a clear, realistic starting point for your journey.

The dream of international study is achievable, but it requires dedication and thorough research from you, the applicant. This guide outlines the major scholarship pathways available. My goal is to help you focus your efforts, understand the landscape, and take ownership of your application process.

1. Traditional Partners: Australia and New Zealand

Australia and New Zealand have long-standing educational ties with Pacific Island nations and offer significant, well-established scholarship programs.

The Degree Dilemma: How AI Cheating & Stagnation Are Reshaping Higher Education and Careers

Bullet Point Summary:

• 🎓 Political Divide: College education levels are increasingly correlated with political affiliations, highlighting a societal schism (CNN, 2025).
• 🤖 AI & Cheating: Widespread use of AI for assignments (almost 90% of students) is devaluing traditional college work, with some students seeing tasks as "hackable" (Walsh, 2024; CNN, 2025).
• 🏛️ University Inertia: Academic institutions are struggling to adapt assessment methods, and AI detection tools are proving unreliable, leading to educator disillusionment (Walsh, 2024).
• 📉 Value Perception: The perceived value of college is declining, with high costs and questions about the relevance of traditional learning methods (Walsh, 2024; CNN, 2025).
• 💼 Job Market Transformation: AI is forcing a rethink of hiring practices, especially technical interviews, as tools emerge that can "cheat" traditional assessments (Walsh, 2024; Hard Fork, 2025).
• 🛠️ Trades on the Rise: Skilled trades offer a viable, debt-free alternative with high demand and earning potential, gaining renewed respect (CNN, 2025; Walsh, 2024).

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The Degree Dilemma: AI, Political Divides, and the Job Market Revolution

The once-unquestioned trajectory from high school to a four-year college degree, and then into a stable career, is now fraught with complexities and re-evaluations. Only for those of us working in education, is education a goal in itself, for the rest of the world it is a means to an end. They want it to do an imporant job: offer a rewarding career, a satisfying life-style and possibly some personal satisfaction. In that order.