A talk on facing Fortuna in the modern world:
Today, conspiracy theory has gone mainstream, and many of its most vociferous promoters can be found in radical protest movements and amongst the cultural left. Increasingly, important events are viewed as the products of a cover-up, as the search for the ‘hidden hand’ manipulating a particular story comes to dominate public life. Conspiracy theory constructs worlds where everything important is manipulated behind our backs and where we simply do not know who is responsible for our predicament. In such circumstances, we have no choice but to defer to our fate.The Roman idea about Goddess Fortune is not the only one superior to mere conspiracy theory, however: the Medieval ones were also superior. The two basic answers, St. Augustine's and Boethius', are quite different. Each has something to recommend itself. Compare Boethius' account with the Book of Job, for example.
It is through conspiracy theories that Fortuna reappears – but it does so in a form that is far more degraded than in Roman times. To their credit, the Romans were able to counterpose virtus to Fortuna. In a precautionary culture, however, fortune favours the risk-averse, not the brave.
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