Latest Streaming Netflix Discovery

Medici, Godfathers of the Renaissance.  We all think we know about the Medici family, but there's always more to learn, and it never fails to be fascinating. After watching the first of four episodes last night, I'm wondering why we hear so much about the Magnificent Lorenzo and relatively little about the astonishing Cosimo. Not only did he finally find a way to finish the hubristically huge dome on the Florence cathedral, he brought decades of peace, prosperity and artistic flowering to his beloved city.

It's hard to look at the Italian Renaissance and not see our own times staring us in the face. The rising standard of living,  the explosion of knowledge and inventiveness,and the decay of a once-proud republic into a blatant oligarchy. I guess this is what happens when you actually get your Platonic ideal of a benevolent despot - it's hard to keep up your enthusiasm for the hard work of democracy when somebody is doing such a good job of running things for you.

At least in those days the ruling class believed in giving back lavishly to the community that allowed them to prosper. Our 19th century robber barons tried to emulate the Medicis, building huge edifices and public parks all over the landscape. Here in the 21st century, the robber barons just demand public subsidies for their pet projects. *sigh*