Lexintenebris
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Slavery
Ever wonder whether you may be considered property or not? Most of you have not, thankfully, but many have. It is not a new question either. It has been asked and answered multiple times throughout history. What is disturbing is how often the answer has been in the affirmative. Today, such a notion seems unimaginable. To an African torn from his homeland and sold into slavery in South America, how…
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Neocolonialism
Do you consider a person free if someone else controls their income, dictates how they spend their money, and determines which opportunities are available to them? Most people would answer no. Yet this question extends far beyond individuals. It applies equally to nations. For centuries, colonial powers exercised control through military conquest and direct political rule. Colonies were governed…
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Epistemic Erasure and the Architecture of Knowledge
Do you ever wonder who created algebra — and why? Was it simply designed as a method of punishing students? To answer that, we have to look much further back in history. The Islamic Golden Age (8th–14th centuries) was a period of intense intellectual development. Centered in major cultural and scientific hubs such as Baghdad, Cairo, and Córdoba, and anchored by institutions like the House of Wisdo…
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Damnatio Memoriae
Damnatio memoriae means “condemnation of memory". It refers to the ancient Roman practice of deliberately erasing a person from official history, public records, and visual culture after their death or political disgrace. How it worked in Ancient Rome: Official Erasing: The Roman Senate would declare a condemned leader an enemy of the state. Destruction of Imagery: Statues and portraits of the i…
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Islamic and Western finance
Do you know what the extra money owed to a lender beyond the original sum is called? Interest. It is a cornerstone of modern Western financial systems, embedded in law, banking, and global markets. Yet in Islamic finance, it is strictly prohibited. Sharia is the religious law and moral code of Islam. Literally meaning “the clear, well-trodden path to water,” it governs many aspects of a Muslim’s …
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Adelphoe
When is one too strict and when too liberal? This is a question that's been asked for more than two millennia. Ancient Rome hosted many playwrights and oratores, and one playwright stands out for his reflection on morals through his characters, typically parents and children, and his idea of humanitas. We remember his six plays for their unique elements: the break of the fourth wall and the dupl…
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The trial of Galileo Galilei
Would it be lawful to arrest a scientist for discovering something that goes against what was previously believed? Intuitively, no. Then why was it acceptable to do so with Galileo Galilei? This blog's, Lex In Tenebris (law in the darkness), whole purpose is to analyse situations like these and question them, focusing on ethics, legislation and morality. In 1633, The Inquisition tries Galileo, f…
