The Council of Nicaea, to which a book has just been dedicated, deserves our full attention, so rare is it that decisions taken by an assembly 1700 years ago are still binding today.
An object of fascination for over a century, the flying car embodies a missed opportunity. From promising advances to costly disappointments, its story tells of our disappointed hopes, our fear of risk and what our dreams of tomorrow say about our present.
In his column, the former Federal Councillor shares a book that has made a lasting impression on him. This month, he comments on the comic strip «I, Julius Caesar».
Switzerland doesn't like heroes, especially its own. That's not a problem in itself. Unless, that is, it removes the individual from history, at the risk of rendering it unintelligible. In this sense, Switzerland would do well to reappropriate its great figures.
There are thousands of dictionaries and other resources available online today. So, with the help of a computer and a good Internet connection, you can have fun reconstructing the history of a word. Let's try it with «civilité».
In the 19th century, a strange figure fueled the tales of travelers climbing the mountains of Switzerland: the «Alpine cretin». Whether a folk monster or the object of medical interest, his story reveals much more than a simple health phenomenon.
At least since the 18th century and Voltaire's sojourns in Lausanne and Geneva, the Lake Geneva region has been a haven for many intellectuals, attracted by its peaceful political climate and the prospect of a relaxing life.
Every month, former Federal Councillor Pascal Couchepin shares a piece of reading that has struck a chord with him.
Major entrepreneurs played a direct role in building the federal state born in 1848. These economic figures subsequently became rarer, often giving way to the leaders of employers' associations. An evolution that has left its mark.
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