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ource of inspiration, reservoir of ideas: Ancient Greece and Rome long provided a shared cultural foundation. The Enlightenment thinkers drew extensively from these civilizations, as did the leaders of the 18th-century revolutions on both sides of the Atlantic. Greeks and Romans served as universal political models at a time when ancient languages formed the bedrock of elite education.
Take just one example among many: the Cato's Letters [1720-1723], penned by British writers John Trenchard and Thomas Gordon, both defenders of Whig positions, adopted the moral intransigence and conservatism of Cato the Younger [95-46 BC], one of Julius Caesar's fiercest opponents. Cato's Letters are still claimed as a founding text by American libertarians, especially those who joined the Cato Institute, created in 1977 by Ed Crane and Charles Koch. This think tank has long since moved away from its classical heritage, now championing radical economic deregulation. Only very recently did the Cato Institute reluctantly acknowledge the existence of climate change and global warming. It has also promoted increased immigration, citing the fiscal benefits it brings.
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Technologia imperatores: Unpacking the tech bros' fascination with the Roman Empire
