Showing 581 articles
Farewell to Delia Steinberg Guzmán
Author: Sabine LeitnerSeptember 8, 2023
I would like to dedicate this article to my teacher Delia Steinberg Guzmán, International President of New Acropolis from 1991 till 2020, who passed away peacefully on August 15. A few years ago, she said in an interview: “We should all take time to think: why are we in the world? Not because we feel [...]
Theseus and the Minotaur: The Defining Human Image
Author: Siobhan FarrarSeptember 8, 2023
The image of Theseus, hero of Attica, standing at the centre of the labyrinth, holding a magical thread (called a clue) brandishing his sword, about to face destiny in a moment of reckoning with the Minotaur, is perhaps one of the most defining scenes from mythology with a symbolism both rich and complex. What this [...]
Intuition and its Application in Natural Science
Author: Sara Ortiz RousJuly 7, 2023
Our duty is to keep alive in the human being his spiritual intuitions. H.P.Blavatsky The only really valuable thing is intuition. A.Einstein Introduction One of the main characteristics of the human mind is its ability to form concepts, principles and theories for the purpose of understanding the world around us. Einstein used to say [...]
Capitalism and Socialism in Plato’s Republic
Author: Gilad SommerJune 24, 2023
Capitalism and Socialism are commonly portrayed as two contrasting approaches to the distribution of resources within a society. In very simple terms, Capitalism advocates for the freedom of economic activity and individual ownership of property, while Socialism promotes regulated economic activity, and communal ownership of property. Based on these basic definitions, one can understand why [...]
What Has Philosophy Taught Me?
Author: Antonin VinklerMay 14, 2023
Probably, all of us philosophers have to regularly answer questions such as – “What do you need this philosophy for?”. Today I am asking myself that same question – why do I need it in life? what has it taught me? And since it has taught me quite a few things, I will list some [...]
The Challenge of Coexisting with AI
Author: Juan Carlos del RioMay 13, 2023
AI is not a new phenomenon. Humankind, since its beginnings, has tried to create machines and automata, either to place them at our service or to extend our human capabilities. Many of these stories reflect the admiration for these creations and, at the same time, the fear of losing control over these advanced technologies. We [...]
Adam Smith v. Plato: on the Division of Labour and Market Forces
Author: Julian ScottMay 11, 2023
In Book II of Plato’s Republic, Socrates imagines how a typical society might develop from simple beginnings into a more complex and organized entity. He speculates that, initially, everyone might do everything for themselves, such as building their own houses, making their own clothes and growing their own food. But soon, he says, people would [...]
The Wonders of the Mineral World
Author: Agostino DominiciMay 11, 2023
The mineral world, and more specifically the world of precious stones and metals, has always been invested with an aura of awe and mystery. Throughout the ages, kings, magicians, priests and alchemists have often surrounded themselves with special objects born from the mineral world. Objects like magic rings and swords, sacred statues and amulets have [...]
The Symbolism of Renewal
Author: Jean GrunfeldMay 11, 2023
As we approach the Vernal or Spring Equinox (First Day of Spring) once more, human beings today and over millennia have found various ways to note and celebrate the renewal of Nature’s cycle. The Spring Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere takes place every year on or around 21 March. In 2023, the Spring Equinox will [...]
Risk and Technology: The Cost of Progress
Author: Florimond KrinsMay 11, 2023
The introduction of new technologies has always brought many debates and controversies until they were finally accepted and became an integral part of societies. It is natural to oppose some kind of resistance when habits and lifestyles are suddenly changed by new ways, especially when it is hard to predict if their outcome will be [...]
The Mystery of Time in Various Cultures
Author: Miha KosirMay 11, 2023
Part I, Individual Perception of Time Why is the phenomenon of time a mystery? It is easy to understand the idea of time taken as a norm to measure the passing minutes and hours, which we do with atomic precision, but when we start questioning the nature of time, it all starts to change. Many [...]
Time and Identity in Virginia Woolf’s Work
Author: Ana Luisa LellisMay 11, 2023
One could say that most Western writers from the beginning of the 20th century have pondered upon questions of time and identity. Many authors, arguably inspired by technological developments and by the social impacts of the First World War, began to consider how the changes of the turn of the century mirrored onto individuals and [...]