The Roman Empire was considerably smaller than the Han Empire, since it centered on the
Mediterranean Sea.

drew its models for empire from the example of Alexander the Great.

was able to develop when Alexander the Great destroyed their greatest rivals on the Italian peninsula, the Etruscans.

forged an unparalleled number of ethnic groups and minor states into a single political entity.

grew largely through compromise and negotiation, rarely having to rely on violence.

from thales, who is often considered the first western philosopher, to the stoics and skeptics, ancient greek philosophy opened the doors to a particular way of thinking that provided the roots for the western intellectual tradition. here, there is often an explicit preference for the life of reason and rational thought. we find proto-scientific explanations of the natural world in the milesian thinkers, and we hear democritus posit atoms—indivisible and invisible units—as the basic stuff of all matter. with socrates comes a sustained inquiry into ethical matters—an orientation towards human living and the best life for human beings. with plato comes one of the most creative and flexible ways of doing philosophy, which some have since attempted to imitate by writing philosophical dialogues covering topics still of interest today in ethics, political thought, metaphysics, and epistemology. plato’s student, aristotle, was one of the most prolific of ancient authors. he wrote treatises on each of these topics, as well as on the investigation of the natural world, including the composition of animals. the hellenists—epicurus, the cynics, the stoics, and the skeptics—developed schools or movements devoted to distinct philosophical lifestyles, each with reason at its foundation.

with this preference for reason came a critique of traditional ways of living, believing, and thinking, which sometimes caused political trouble for the philosophers themselves. xenophanes directly challenged the traditional anthropomorphic depiction of the gods, and socrates was put to death for allegedly inventing new gods and not believing in the gods mandated by the city of athens. after the fall of alexander the great, and because of aristotle’s ties with alexander and his court, aristotle escaped the same fate as socrates by fleeing athens. epicurus, like xenophanes, claimed that the mass of people is impious, since the people conceive of the gods as little more than superhumans, even though human characteristics cannot appropriately be ascribed to the gods. in short, not only did ancient greek philosophy pave the way for the western intellectual tradition, including modern science, but it also shook cultural foundations in its own time.

calvin taught his followers that human beings needed to follow strict rules to overcome their nature and do good. second choice

on 6 november american voters will elect members of the house of representatives and the senate, which together are called congress.

both houses of congress are currently controlled by the republican party, which backs president donald trump.

the democrats think they can win control of the house of representatives this year by winning a majority of seats.

doing so would let them block or delay the president’s plans by refusing to enact them.

all 435 seats in the house of representatives are up for election.

if the democrats want to take control of the house by having the most seats, they’re going to have to claim at least 23 from the republicans.

graphic: the battle for the house of representatives