WWB Trainer
WWB Takeaways
Post Medieval by Mike Prestwood.
Stories from 1500 to 1950.
The history of modern civilization.
New looks at the Renaissance, Enlightenment, and the rise of science.
MODE:
~
5 minutes
of takeaways.
10 takeaways. Ten complete ideas.
1.
From History: born 1564
1564 to 1642
Born in 1564, Galileo transformed humanity’s view of the universe through observation and math. His 1638 work Two New Sciences laid foundations for physics and influenced later breakthroughs, including calculus.
2.
From History: born 1844
1844-1900
For Nietzsche, the collapse of inherited meaning is not a tragedy but an opening. With “God dead,” humanity is no longer bound to borrowed values, inherited morals, or cultural scripts. Meaning must now be created—through strength, intellectual honesty, and the difficult work of becoming. Nietzsche’s philosophy is not about despair, but about responsibility: if the old meanings have fallen, then living authentically means daring to create new ones.
3.
From History: Patterns might mislead.
Just because two things happen together doesn’t mean one caused the other. Critical thinking demands we question whether we’re seeing real causation—or just a misleading correlation. Always ask: What’s the evidence?
4.
Quote:
- Charles Darwin.
- 1859.
Evolution is not about desire, nor is it a contest of strength, or intellect. It’s about reproductive success. The individuals, and species, that possess traits best suited for the current environment are more likely to survive, and to pass on those traits. Over millennia, these traits accumulate, leading to races, sub-species, and eventually separate species unable to interbreed.
5.
Quote:
- Roger Williams.
- May 6, 1682..
The exact birth and death dates of Roger Williams has been lost to history…so far at least. We think he was born around 1602, give or take a few years. We know he passed in 1683, and by April 1st. We also know he was alive on January 15th. We also believe he was about 80 or 81 when he passed. It’s interesting how much is lost to time for even the famous just a few hundred years ago.
6.
Quote:
- Max Planck.
- circa 1900.
From History:
Planck didn’t advance physics by defending what he believed, but by surrendering it when the evidence refused to cooperate. His “act of despair” reminds us that truth doesn’t yield to confidence. It yields to honesty—especially at the moment when our most trusted explanations stop working.
7.
If you use the modern definition of separatist that includes intolerance of others, then Roger Williams was not a separatist. Furthermore, he supported all people living, and working together in the same community for the common good. Sometimes people forget the context of the time and conflate his desire to separate from the Church of England run by the government with the separatist movement based on races. I think some with a desire to promote white supremacy do this on purpose.
8.
Nietzsche was not preaching despair; he was diagnosing it. His declaration that “God is dead” described a cultural shift, not a celebration. Born in 1844, trained in philology, and appointed professor at 24, Nietzsche watched traditional moral frameworks erode without replacement. His work urges us to face that void honestly.
9.
Government should act like we all do on a ship. When on a ship out at sea, the captain is in charge and primarily concerned with a safe trip across the ocean. On any given ship will be a mix of religions, races, and worldviews. The captain must be concerned about safety and should allow all to practice whatever traditions they want so long as they don’t hurt others.
10.
In the 1700s, David Hume challenged the assumption that cause and effect are logically guaranteed, exposing the limits of induction and separating correlation from causation. His skepticism sharpened scientific thinking. In 30 Philosophers, this is contrasted with karma (via the Gautama Buddha) and extended through cause-and-effect toward holistic eudaimonia beyond Aristotle.
“Done.” Refresh for another set.
WWB Trainer
(c) 2025-2026 TouchstoneTruth.
Writing and coding by Michael Alan Prestwood.
(c) 2025-2026 TouchstoneTruth.
Writing and coding by Michael Alan Prestwood.
