Fluccish (Or The Lack Thereof)

Question Everything January 31, 2010

This weekend I have finished reading Snow, a novel by Orhan Pamuk, and I have seen Agora, a historical drama film by Alejandro Amenábar. Both deserve 5 stars. I liked it a lot.

With good intentions, I would recommend Snow to anyone who thinks he/she has something to say about the integration of Turkey to the European Union.

Source: www.orhanpapuk.net.

As for myself, the novel taught me this: While searching for an understanding, even if you think you are open minded, with little or no prejudices at all, question your own cultural heritage now and then. This applies quite generally and you might get often surprised.

No wonder I enjoy this quote from the Agora film:

“You cannot question your beliefs,” Hypatia tells Synesius, “I must.”

Source: Wikimedia.

For historical accounts of Hypatia’s life, a book “Hypatia of Alexandria: Mathematician and Martyr” by Michael Deakin seems to be a good source of known fragments. Here are reviews by J. L. Berggren and Fernando Q. Gouvêa.