Kendric Tonn

Been reading John Dower's "Embracing Defeat" lately, which is a rather good history of Japan during the occupation. Bleak stuff, though.

I really enjoyed the book. Iirc, it's accessible but not dumb, and really did make me completely reevaluate my read of the latter part of Michelangelo's career/life

If you want a popularized & accessible, but quite good, account of one of these premodern projects, and the intersection of artistry, political maneuvering, practical creativity, and--yes--application & adaptation of cultural patterns, i recommend:

"A Taste of Armageddon" from ToS, two planets are locked in eternal simulated war. Pretty good episode!

Article is short but interesting, actually, with some thoughts from Beck