Showing results for "Discourse" in Americas

Western philosophers have long claimed that God, if such a being exists, is a personal force capable of reason, and that the path to a good human life is also the path to a happy one. But what if these claims prove false, or at least deeply misleading? The Aztecs of central Mexico had a rich philosophical tradition, recorded in Latin script by Spanish clergymen and passed down for centuries in the native Nahuatl language—one of the earliest transcripts being the Huehuetlatolli, or Discourses of the Elders, compiled by Friar Andres de Olmos circa 1535.

In a time where patriotism can sometimes be perceived as a rather negative trait, it can be refreshing to listen to the accounts of those who were filled with boundless love for their country. Samuel Williams’ 1774 discourse reads as an ode to America. He draws continuous parallels between his native country and Jerusalem, both whom he believed to possess the qualities to reach a stage of ultimate perfection.