08-03-2009, 12:23 AM
My ancient warfare professor has given us this article by Michael P. Speidel as required reading. In fact his choice of four questions to answer this week include a question on this article.
Has anyone here read it and have any opinion on it? I forced myself through the reading though I grimaced the entire time. The logical leaps and thin connections Speidel makes to support his theory that Beserkers can be traced as far back as Assyria is laughable. Turned in as a paper in any level of college class this paper would be torn apart.
Unfortunately I am not allowed in class to critique the source. My professor has told me that explaining how poor a job the author did using an epic Assyrian poem as a source when he discounts one fantastic element (Assyrian warriors turning into wild beasts) while accepting as fact equally absurd ideas (Assyrian warriors throwing aside all armor and charging into battle naked yet immune to harm) is not allowed. Simple logic is not allowed in the class, I must accept everything written by any source he gives out unless I find other authored sources that critique the work, intellectually dishonest to say the least.
Is anyone is interested in reading the entire article it can be pulled from EBSCO.
Overall I am wondering who here if anyone has read this and has an opinion on it or could point me to some good opinions on the paper.
Thanks in advance.
Has anyone here read it and have any opinion on it? I forced myself through the reading though I grimaced the entire time. The logical leaps and thin connections Speidel makes to support his theory that Beserkers can be traced as far back as Assyria is laughable. Turned in as a paper in any level of college class this paper would be torn apart.
Unfortunately I am not allowed in class to critique the source. My professor has told me that explaining how poor a job the author did using an epic Assyrian poem as a source when he discounts one fantastic element (Assyrian warriors turning into wild beasts) while accepting as fact equally absurd ideas (Assyrian warriors throwing aside all armor and charging into battle naked yet immune to harm) is not allowed. Simple logic is not allowed in the class, I must accept everything written by any source he gives out unless I find other authored sources that critique the work, intellectually dishonest to say the least.
Is anyone is interested in reading the entire article it can be pulled from EBSCO.
Overall I am wondering who here if anyone has read this and has an opinion on it or could point me to some good opinions on the paper.
Thanks in advance.
Timothy Hanna
