Eleanor Konik @eleanorkonik@scholar.social

Hello, Scholars (& Friends!)

My undergrad degree was in philosophy and I passed the bar exam in 2012 (oof) so now I teach (yay). My interests are broad and varied; I enjoy reading academic papers on random topics like feudalism and the role of priestesses in ancient Rome.

I'm working on an epic fantasy novel inspired by the environmental crises in northeast Africa, but I won't talk much about the writing process nearly as often as I'll squee about obscure research dives.

#introductions

@bookandswordblog This is sort of a random question and I feel kind of dumb for needing to ask it, but if you have a minute...

What was the basis of the Akkadian class structure? I understand that the Spartan ruling class were soldiers, and the Roman senators were large land-owners, and feudal warriors had a lock on war training and technology, but I'm pretty shaky on Mesopotamian social hierarchy beyond 6th grade level "there were kings and warriors and priests and government officials, yay."

My husband sent me the wikipedia article about aerogels, but I'm having a lot of trouble wrapping my head around them. The wikipedia article alludes to more modern aerogels not being so prone to shattering as the silica ones.

I found this article (http://www.robaid.com/tech/less-brittle-aerogels-increase-the-usability-of-the-lightest-solid-material.htm) which makes me wonder: could aerogels ever be superior to other building materials, like concrete or wood or steel (leaving aside questions of how expensive they are to produce)?

I came across Karen Haegemans' journal article about Dido: "Elissa, the First Queen of Carthage, through Timaeus' Eyes" while I was researching dynastic inbreeding. Since I'm a giant nerd I couldn't resist doing a detailed point-by-point analysis.

https://eleanorkonik.com/haegemans-elissa-of-carthage/

Apparently during the time of Dido, the Tyrian commoners preferred her brother Pygmalion as king, although no explanation is given as to why. Most sources I've come across said he was a murderous, incompetent tyrant.

Has anybody seen any good longform writeups about what went down at the Hugos last night?

If you're curious about where I come down on the side of wealthy oligarchs or mob rule, here's my in-depth response to the idea that "destroying American monuments is ludicrous!" -- https://eleanorkonik.com/removing-monuments/

tldr; Plato was born an aristocrat and prefers aristocratic forms of government. I was born middle class and prefer ... competent, ethical government.

The "cancel culture is what Plato warned us about!" article was really thought-provoking for me, and I wish I had the credentials to do a thorough analysis of #Plato and Plato's Republic from the perspective of modern thoughts on #tonepolicing -- but more importantly, it helped remind me that Plato came from aristocracy.

I'm not sure I've ever been called a "drone" before, but it's an interesting echo of the op-ed I was originally responding too -- the idea that riotous anger can only come from "ignorant masses" with an implication that such anger never comes from a place of thought or education.

The original op-ed: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/06/22/anti-statue-movement-has-taken-turn-into-absurdity/