Showing 249 articles
Metaphysical Goods
Author: Sabine LeitnerSeptember 8, 2023
It is easy to understand theoretically how the sound of a violin is produced. But it is very difficult to turn this intellectual understanding into the actual ability to play the violin well. Similarly, as humanity, we have already grasped many profound concepts a long time ago, but in some cases it has taken us [...]
Growing Nihilism Among Young People
Author: Istvan OrbanSeptember 8, 2023
Nihilism is the viewpont or belief that things and life in general are meaningless. It comes from the Latin word nihil, which means ‘nothing’. Nihilism does not accept those moral and knowledge-based values that are owned by societies. Nihilism became known in the 18th century in Europe, when German writers and philosphers discussed the negation [...]
Humanity’s Relationship with Trees: A History of Climate Change
Author: Florimond KrinsSeptember 8, 2023
The notion of climate change is not as recent as it may seem. We can find its roots way back in the 15th century, a time of European explorers and ocean travels, opening new routes of communications with the Far East as well as discovering the so-called “New World”: the American continent. This continent, even [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
The Importance of Context
Author: Sabine LeitnerMay 11, 2023
“They were locked into a room without food or water, and they did not know how they would be able to get out again.” – Do you find this sentence alarming? Well, it might sound scary, especially if we imagine it was done by an employer to their employees or by a terrorist organization to [...]
The Crisis of the West and the Coming of the New Times
Author: Jorge Angel LivragaJanuary 26, 2023
Let us begin by saying that in Greek the word crisis means, in addition to problem, change. So it is not only problems the West is facing today, but also a period of change. To overcome this crisis stage, the first thing we must do is [...]
Language of Symbols
Author: Sabine LeitnerJanuary 26, 2023
The ‘Language of Symbols’ – a topic that is not only fascinating but is somehow also related to the causes of our current situation. Most of our problems today are the result of human action. Every action reflects our thinking, our worldview, the ‘story’ we tell ourselves why we do what we do. Our modern [...]
Heraldic Symbols of Famous Cities
Author: Istvan OrbanJanuary 26, 2023
Heraldry, nowadays an auxiliary science of history, was once connected to armoury and the art of war. The name derives from the heralds, the officers of arms, who were originally messengers of the monarchs (ancestors of the modern diplomats), as well as the organizers of tournaments. This title still exists, even today. Heralds also have [...]