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If At First You Fall, Try, Try Again

  • Rasputin may be the most famous Russian monk, but he wasn’t the first to opine on geopolitical affairs. In the 16th century, his distant (and also lushly-bearded) predecessor Filofei proposed (in letters to a young prince named Vassilij) that Russia could be the third Rome. Consider what he meant then and what the implications of his suggestion might be today, then discuss with your team: could there be another Rome in our own era, and would it be good for the world if there were? Would Greenland be part of it? Be sure to explore the following concepts:

    • unipolarity vs. multipolarity | core vs. periphery | great vs. small powers

    • controlling vs. client state | soft vs. hard power | foreign assistance

  • Rome isn’t the only empire that keeps popping back up. Like certain movie franchises, a great empire can only fall once, but it can be revived—usually unsuccessfully—many times. Study the history of second chances at imperial grandeur. What were they trying to emulate or continue, and how close did they come to succeeding? Did any last longer than the regimes they sought to restart?

    • Neo-Assyrian Empire | Song Dynasty | Byzantine Empire

    • Carolingian Empire | Ottonian dynasty | Meiji Restoration

    • Neo-Sovietism

  • Destroyed buildings can also have second leases on life. Consider the following examples, then discuss with your team: is a reconstruction of a building a continuation or something altogether new?

    • Bibliotheca Alexandrina | White House | Notre Dame | Basilica of Saint Paul

    • Babylon | Shuri Castle | Yellow Crane Tower | Stonehenge | Shakespeare's Globe

  • In Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series, the great Galactic Empire is falling. Thirty thousand years of darkness and ruin await—even Palpatine couldn’t have lived that long—until a man who can predict the future using math comes up with a weird plan: a colony of librarians who, if left alone on the fringe of the known universe to write a great encyclopedia, could shorten the Dark Ages to a “mere” thousand years. Discuss with your team: would librarians be a good choice of profession for those entrusted to restart a great civilization? If not librarians, then who? And how much do you think math—and big data—can and should be used to predict the future?

  • Sometime in 2025, a dead airline will return to the skies. A private company is planning to de-extinct the once-legendary airline brand Pan Am for some very expensive charter flights, with hints of bringing it back in a bigger fashion down the line. And, speaking of fashion, Pan Am has already been revived as a South Korean clothing brand. Consider the examples below of other brand names that have been brought back from the dead to sell new products and services–even if they are unconnected to the companies that spawned them. Discuss with your team: is this kind of branding dishonest, and what derelict brands or companies would you want to reintroduce–and in what forms?

    • RCA | Westinghouse | Polaroid | RadioShack

    • Gateway | Nokia | Sansui | Eastern Air Lines

  • Could 3.5 inch floppy discs be next? (They do make good coasters.) From audio cassettes to instant cameras, many vintage technologies are enjoying a resurgence today, often driven by viral online trends that celebrate their limitations. Discuss with your team: why do some products and brands become popular again after gathering dust for so long? When do you prefer something older and (technically) worse to something newer and (technically) better?

    • disposable cameras | handheld gaming devices | vinyl | film

    • shortwave radio | AM radio | pager | magnetic tape storage | physical media

  • De-extinction isn’t just for passenger pigeons, bankrupt brand names, and outdated technologies. Artistic and musical can be brought back, sometimes unsuccessfully—and sometimes, perhaps, too successfully. Discuss with your team: is it true that old music is killing new music?

  • Rasputin may be the most famous Russian monk, but he was not the first to share his thoughts on world politics. In the 16th century, another bearded monk named Filofei wrote letters to a young prince, Vassilij, saying that Russia could be the "Third Rome." Think about what he meant at that time and what this idea might mean today. Then, discuss with your team:

    • Could there be another "Rome" in today’s world?

    • Would it be good or bad for the world?

    • Would Greenland be part of it?

  • To help your discussion, consider these ideas:

    • One superpower vs. many powerful countries

    • Important vs. less important countries

    • Big vs. small powers

    • Countries in control vs. those that follow

    • Power through influence vs. power through force

    • Foreign aid and support

Empires That Never Fully Disappear

  • Rome is not the only empire that seems to return again and again. Like movie franchises, a great empire may fall once but can be restarted—often without success—many times. Look at history and discuss:

    • Which past empires tried to bring back their former glory?

    • What parts of the old empire did they try to copy?

    • Did they succeed?

    • Did any of these "new empires" last longer than the original?

  • Some examples to explore:

    • Neo-Assyrian Empire | Song Dynasty | Byzantine Empire

    • Carolingian Empire | Ottonian Dynasty | Meiji Restoration

    • Neo-Sovietism

Rebuilding the Past: Is It the Same or Something New?

  • Destroyed buildings can also be brought back to life. Some are carefully rebuilt to look the same, while others change over time. Look at these examples and discuss with your team:

    • When we rebuild a famous building, is it the same as the original, or is it something completely new?

  • Examples:

    • Bibliotheca Alexandrina | White House | Notre Dame | Basilica of Saint Paul

    • Babylon | Shuri Castle | Yellow Crane Tower | Stonehenge | Shakespeare's Globe

Can Math Predict the Future?

  • In Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series, a great Galactic Empire is collapsing. A dark age of 30,000 years is coming—too long for even Emperor Palpatine to survive! But one man, using math to predict the future, creates a plan: he sets up a secret colony of librarians who will write a great encyclopedia. If they succeed, they can shorten the dark age to just 1,000 years.

  • Discuss with your team:

    • Would librarians be the best people to help restart a lost civilization?

    • If not librarians, then who?

    • Can math—or big data—really predict the future? Should it?

Bringing Dead Brands Back to Life

  • In 2025, a famous but long-gone airline will return: a private company is bringing back Pan Am for high-priced charter flights. Interestingly, Pan Am has already been revived as a South Korean fashion brand.

  • Look at these examples of old brand names being reused for new products—often by companies that have nothing to do with the originals.

    • RCA | Westinghouse | Polaroid | RadioShack

    • Gateway | Nokia | Sansui | Eastern Air Lines

  • Discuss with your team:

    • Is this kind of branding misleading?

    • What old brand or company would you like to bring back? What would you turn it into?

Why Do Old Things Become Popular Again?

  • Could 3.5-inch floppy disks make a comeback? (They do make great drink coasters!) From cassette tapes to instant cameras, many old technologies are becoming trendy again. This often happens because of viral online trends that celebrate their unique qualities.

  • Discuss with your team:

    • Why do some products and brands become popular again after being forgotten for years?

    • When do you prefer something older and (technically) worse over something newer and (technically) better?

  • Examples:

    • Disposable cameras | Handheld gaming devices | Vinyl records | Film photography

    • Shortwave radio | AM radio | Pagers | Magnetic tape storage | Physical media

Can Old Music Kill New Music?

  • De-extinction isn’t just for lost species, bankrupt companies, or outdated tech. Music and art can also be revived—sometimes successfully, sometimes not.

  • Discuss with your team:

    • Is it true that old music is replacing new music? Why or why not?

Can There Be Another Rome?

Rasputin is a famous Russian monk, but he was not the first to talk about world politics. In the 1500s, another monk named Filofei wrote letters to a prince called Vassilij. He said that Russia could be the "Third Rome."

Think about this:

  • What did he mean?

  • What does this idea mean today?

  • Could there be another "Rome" now?

  • Would that be good or bad for the world?

  • Would Greenland be part of it?

Here are some ideas to help your discussion:

  • One strong country vs. many strong countries

  • Important places vs. less important places

  • Big powers vs. small powers

  • Countries that lead vs. countries that follow

  • Power through ideas vs. power through force

  • Helping other countries

Empires That Come Back

The Roman Empire fell a long time ago, but people still talk about it. Some countries in history tried to bring back their old power. Sometimes, they failed.

Look at these examples and talk about them:

  • What old empire did they want to copy?

  • Did they succeed?

  • Did they last longer than the original?

Some examples:

  • Neo-Assyrian Empire | Song Dynasty | Byzantine Empire

  • Carolingian Empire | Ottonian Dynasty | Meiji Restoration

  • Neo-Sovietism

When We Rebuild, Is It the Same?

Some buildings are destroyed but later rebuilt. When this happens, is it still the same building, or is it something new?

Look at these examples and discuss with your team:

  • Bibliotheca Alexandrina | White House | Notre Dame | Basilica of Saint Paul

  • Babylon | Shuri Castle | Yellow Crane Tower | Stonehenge | Shakespeare's Globe

Can We Predict the Future?

In the book Foundation by Isaac Asimov, a great empire is falling. A dark time of 30,000 years is coming. One man uses math to make a plan. He creates a secret group of librarians to write a big encyclopedia. If they succeed, the dark time will only last 1,000 years instead of 30,000.

Discuss:

  • Are librarians the best people to restart a lost civilization?

  • If not librarians, then who?

  • Can math really predict the future?

Old Companies with New Lives

In 2025, an old airline will return. A company is bringing back Pan Am for expensive flights. But Pan Am is already back—as a South Korean fashion brand!

Some old company names are used again, but for different products.

Look at these examples:

  • RCA | Westinghouse | Polaroid | RadioShack

  • Gateway | Nokia | Sansui | Eastern Air Lines

Talk with your team:

  • Is this fair or dishonest?

  • What old company would you like to bring back? What would it sell?

Why Do Old Things Become Popular Again?

Could floppy disks come back? (They make nice coasters!) Many old things, like cassette tapes and film cameras, are popular again.

Talk with your team:

  • Why do people like old things again after a long time?

  • When do you like old things better than new things?

Examples:

  • Disposable cameras | Handheld games | Vinyl records | Film photography

  • Shortwave radio | AM radio | Pagers | Magnetic tapes | CDs/DVDs

Is Old Music Replacing New Music?

Old things don’t just come back in technology and companies. Music and art can also come back.

Talk with your team:

  • Do you think old music is stopping new music from being popular? Why or why not?

  • 拉斯普京可能是最著名的俄罗斯修士，但他并不是第一个对地缘政治事务发表看法的人。
    在16世纪，他那位留着同样茂密胡须的前辈菲洛菲（Filofei）曾在写给一位年轻王子瓦西里（Vassilij）的信中提出，俄罗斯可以成为“第三罗马”。思考他当时的含义，以及他的建议在今天可能意味着什么。然后，与团队讨论：在我们这个时代，是否还可能出现另一个“罗马”？如果有，这对世界是好事还是坏事？格陵兰会成为其中的一部分吗？请确保探索以下概念：

  • 单极世界 vs. 多极世界 | 核心 vs. 边缘 | 大国 vs. 小国

  • 控制国 vs. 附属国 | 软实力 vs. 硬实力 | 对外援助

  • 罗马并不是唯一不断被提及的帝国。
    就像某些电影系列一样，一个伟大的帝国可能只会真正倒下一次，但却可以被多次复兴——通常并不成功。研究历史上那些试图重现帝国辉煌的事例。他们试图模仿或延续什么？他们离成功有多近？是否有任何一个帝国复兴后的存续时间比它试图复兴的前朝还要长？

  • 新亚述帝国 | 宋朝 | 拜占庭帝国

  • 加洛林帝国 | 鄂图王朝 | 明治维新

  • 新苏维埃主义

  • 被摧毁的建筑也可以获得“第二次生命”。
    思考以下例子，然后与你的团队讨论：建筑物的重建是对原建筑的延续，还是一种全新的事物？

  • 亚历山大图书馆 | 白宫 | 巴黎圣母院 | 圣保罗大教堂

  • 巴比伦 | 首里城 | 黄鹤楼 | 巨石阵 | 莎士比亚环球剧院

  • 在艾萨克·阿西莫夫的《基地》系列中，伟大的银河帝国正在衰落。
    三万年的黑暗与毁灭即将到来——即便是帕尔帕廷（Palpatine）也活不到那么久——直到一个能用数学预测未来的人提出了一个奇特的计划：建立一个由图书管理员组成的殖民地，让他们被遗忘在宇宙边缘，撰写一部伟大的百科全书，从而将黑暗时代缩短到“仅仅”一千年。与你的团队讨论：如果要赋予某个职业重建文明的重任，图书管理员是合适的选择吗？如果不是他们，那会是谁？你认为数学和大数据在预测未来中应该扮演多大的角色？

  • 2025年某个时候，一家已消失的航空公司将重返天空。
    一家私人公司计划复活曾经传奇的泛美航空（Pan Am），最初以昂贵的包机航班形式运营，并暗示未来可能会有更大规模的回归。而在时尚领域，泛美航空已经以韩国服装品牌的形式重生。思考以下其他被复活的品牌名称，这些品牌被重新用于销售新产品和服务——即使它们与原公司已毫无关系。与你的团队讨论：这种品牌复活是否是一种欺骗？如果你可以重新推出某个消失的品牌或公司，你会选择哪个？它会以什么形式回归？

  • RCA | 西屋电气 | 宝丽来 | 收音机电台（RadioShack）

  • Gateway | 诺基亚 | 三洋 | 东方航空

  • 3.5英寸软盘会是下一个复活的对象吗？（它们确实可以当作不错的杯垫。）
    从磁带到拍立得相机，许多复古技术如今正迎来复兴潮流，这往往受到社交媒体上流行趋势的推动，而这些趋势往往强调这些旧技术的局限性。与你的团队讨论：为什么一些产品和品牌会在沉寂多年后重新流行？在什么情况下，你会更喜欢一款旧的（技术上较落后）产品，而不是新的（技术上更先进）产品？

  • 一次性相机 | 掌上游戏机 | 黑胶唱片 | 胶片摄影

  • 短波收音机 | AM广播 | 传呼机 | 磁带存储 | 实体媒体

  • “复活”不仅仅发生在旅鸽、破产品牌和过时技术上。
    艺术和音乐也可以被重新带回——有时候失败，有时候可能太成功了。与你的团队讨论：老音乐是否真的正在扼杀新音乐？

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