As soon as I heard Quintus Curtius was writing a 2nd book, I anxiously awaited its release, and a few hours after it was available on Amazon I was devouring it on my Kindle.
Pantheon delves into the lives of some of the most brilliant and daring men throughout history. He recreates their lives through engaging, narrative essays that have the perfect blend of excitement and erudition.
One of the things that makes Pantheon so unique is that it stands alone as a work of a true scholar in our modern world. Most books on the subject of masculinity repeat empty platitudes for 200 pages trying to hype up the reader; Pantheon does a more effective job without even trying!
This book is reminiscent of something a scholar would have created centuries ago and doesn’t resemble the books of the past 50 years; and that was his goal.
Our modern society, with its abundance of material comforts and unrelenting smugness, has exchanged masculine conviction and strength for a weak-kneed relativism, in which everything is so perfectly balanced out that we are left paralyzed with inaction.”
Just reading the Prologue got my heart pumping. You must read it yourself, but it explores the desperate attempts of British archeologist Howard Carter to discover the lost tomb of King Tut. All hope seems lost after his prolonged and frantic searching, and just as time is running down he reaps the fruits of his labor.
You failed and failed, and then, after agonizing labor in fits and starts, you won. He knew what the elements of success were: unerring faith in one’s own ability, the backing of a dedicated person, and a sustained period of grueling labor. These were the ingredients of victory.”
One of my favorite essays from Pantheon was the ‘Ghost of Christopher Hitchens’. I am a Hitchens fan myself (See my review of Arguably), and it was interesting to see Quintus devise this scenario.
Essentially QC and Hitchens get into a debate on the virtues (or lack thereof) of religion. Quintus argues that:
…religion performs an essential moral function. Religions are the vehicles by which a society’s moral code is transmitted to the generations. Originally, temporal rulers found it indispensable to cloak their laws and commands in the garb of religion.”
Religion often get the scorn of the ‘Red-Pill’ community, but I agree with Quintus and think it plays an integral role in our society.
The Pursuit of Masculinity
Pantheon is about the unbridled and unapologetic pursuit of masculinity, truth, wisdom, and virtue throughout history. In fact, it is a perfect example of why I started this site, and why it needs to be featured without question.
…new approaches to man’s ancient problems were desperately needed, and would be gratefully welcomed. The unchanging themes of the life of man had cried out for a new voice, and a new technique, that might give them a contemporary resonance.”
The Wisdom our Society Has Been Missing
Another desirable aspect of this book is the fact that Quintus is much older than others in this realm of the internet. That is by all means a compliment, because too often books of this nature are lacking in maturity.
These are the type of guys who spend a couple weeks working on an eBook, slap a price tag on it and shove it down your throat as a “MUST READ FOR ALL MEN” type of thing; not Pantheon.
Quintus’s love of history and philosophy is abundantly clear and he doesn’t need to rely on clever marketing tactics to get his book out there (If you’re not familiar with his work, check out his Return of Kings articles). This needs to be emphasized because books of this nature must come from someone who’s spent decades in this pursuit, which the reader can clearly see, most notably in his impressive translations of numerous languages.
There are many blogs and books out there written by men in their early 20’s (Such as myself) espousing their own views of the world. This is a good thing for a number of reasons, but there comes a point where a young man must draw a line that he will not cross because he simply doesn’t have the knowledge or experience to remark on certain subjects; sadly, that line is crossed too often.
That said, some of the essays can be tough to read as the language and style can be quite complex. This is especially the case in the section where he explains Neo-Platonic philosophies. I won’t even attempt to explain that section, as I need to go back and try and read it again myself.
Pantheon is truly a remarkable piece of work, and hopefully it will facilitate the growth of NeoMasculinity in our society. I doubt all men are up to the challenge of reading this book, but it is a highly rewarding one for those that are.
http://masculinebooks.com/2015/04/13/pantheon-adventures-in-history-biography-and-the-mind-by-quintus-curtius/#sthash.1kIGvQxa.dpuf
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