Showing 423 articles

How do we know what we (think) we know?

Author: Florimond Krins

April 18, 2022

This is a question that Etienne Klein asked his students when they were mocking people who thought the earth was flat. We know that the earth is round, an almost perfect sphere, it is a scientific fact. And it is easier to say that now as we have been to space and seen it. It [...]

Towards Permanent Co-existence: Lessons from Permaculture

Author: Trishya Screwvala

March 28, 2022

The word ‘Permaculture’ was coined by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in the 1970s to refer to the “consciously designed landscapes which mimic the patterns and relationships in nature, while yielding an abundance of food, fibre and energy for provision of local needs” . What began as an ecological movement towards ‘Permanent Agriculture’, over time, [...]

Dionysus – The Mystical and the Heroic

Author: Svetlana Kiruta

March 28, 2022

“The myths about the god Dionysus tell us about the mysterious connection that exists between the mortal and the immortal in man. He is a symbol of the inner path, the return to the centre, to the throne of Zeus, a symbol of the heroic enthusiasm that inspires a disciple to walk the path, and [...]

The METAVERSE, A Philosophical Perspective

Author: Ilanit Adar

March 28, 2022

The Challenges of our Current Reality Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, many aspects of the reality that we have been accustomed to, have changed. All at once, reality has become an unstable and inconvenient place to live in. Many of our basic needs for social gathering and human interaction became very limited. This [...]

ART AS A JOURNEY WITHIN – An Interview with Olivia Fraser

Author: The Acropolitan Magazine Editorial team

March 28, 2022

For centuries art has been a natural means to express one’s inner journey – be it as a community or as an individual search. So has it been for Olivia Fraser, who has used her art to uplift, to produce wonder and beauty, and to find the ‘inner essence’ of things. Olivia Fraser moved to [...]

Stones of Time

Author: Zarina Screwvala

March 28, 2022

“Sometimes there’s only a hint, a possibility. What’s magical, sometimes, has deeper roots than reason.” – Mary Oliver, Such Silence   If you have visited Stonehenge on the Salisbury plains of England, perhaps you sensed a powerful feeling of mystery, of something hard to define. To the eye they are a series of immense standing [...]

The Wisdom of Trees

Author: Manjula Nanavati

March 28, 2022

“Trees are sanctuaries. Whoever knows how to speak to them, whoever knows how to listen to them can learn the truth. They do not preach learning and precepts, they preach, undeterred by particulars, the ancient law of life.” – Herman Hesse (1) There is a relative uncertainty as to when our earliest human ancestors evolved [...]

Matrix 4 Film Review

Author: Pierre Poulain

February 24, 2022

The Movie The Matrix, released in 1999, and its two sequels (Reloaded and Revolutions), released in 2003, have together been an international phenomena. The first movie in particular, was known as a modern version of Plato’s Myth of the Cave, and the two subsequent parts are of the same universe – the real world and the [...]

Are we all Culturally Appropriating?

Author: Gilad Sommer

February 8, 2022

The concept of cultural appropriation originated in academic circles in the 1980s. In the last decade, it had gained popularity, especially in the US, aiming to give autonomy to minority populations and to prevent the use of cultural elements to denigrate these populations and reinforce prejudice. Nevertheless, like many other things in the political correctness [...]

Embrace the Light and the Darkness

Author: Savonne Johnson and Tushar Sawant

January 27, 2022

Last year was a time of hardship and difficulty.  We encountered new challenges and trials that made us question ourselves in the face of fear and anxiety.  These fears can be catalysts for change.  Let us look at an example from our youth. When we were young, we believed things that were not true.  An [...]

Living Philosophy: How Words of Plato and Marcus Aurelius are Relevant Today

Author: Trishya Screwvala

January 3, 2022

First published in The Indian Express on 18th Nov 2021 As we begin to step out after almost two years of being largely confined to our homes, the occasion of World Philosophy Day today offers an opportunity to reflect on the challenges we faced, and the value and need of philosophy in these unprecedented times. [...]

For Your Soul to Grow

Author: Jorge Angel Livraga

January 3, 2022

I am not referring to your Divine Spirit which, because it is so, can neither grow nor diminish, be born nor die, but to that higher part in us which we commonly call Soul. It is common knowledge that physical exercise, for example, develops muscles, and that any learning must be based on tenacity in [...]