Showing 12 articles
The Hero’s Journey of the 21st Century
Author: Julian PoweAugust 13, 2026
In our fractured times, we can all assuredly bear witness to the heroic contributions of some of our fellow human beings: friends, family and community members who are building for the common good, overcoming adversity, bringing people together and instilling hope. We all carry heroes from the past in our souls – for me, Socrates [...]
Are Wars Necessary?
Author: Sabine LeitnerJuly 31, 2026
As if we did not already have enough wars, the year 2026 has brought an explosion of further conflicts: millions more people displaced; homes, hospitals and vital infrastructure reduced to rubble; an economic impact that will probably be felt for years; not even mentioning the death of innocent civilians, amongst them many children. Why are [...]
Simone Weil: Attention, Compassion and the Power of Force
Author: Julian PoweJuly 31, 2026
“A philosopher and interested in humanity” were among Simone Weil’s last words, responding to her doctor’s inquiry about who she was and what she did for a living. She had been laid low in Ashford sanatorium in England by her exhausting efforts in service of de Gaulle’s Free French, her tuberculosis, her history of poor [...]
Artificial Intelligence vs. Human Intelligence: A Philosophical Perspective
Author: Yaron BarzilayFebruary 18, 2025
When writing this article, artificial intelligence (AI) has been one of the most spoken-about topics worldwide for a while, with equally mixed views of great excitement and heavy concern, as it is a significant disruptor already involved in almost every aspect of our lives. While a wide range of incredible possibilities is opening up before [...]
Gitanjali by Tagore: An Investigation
Author: Prof. Ananda LalJune 27, 2022
On 29th March 2021, The New Acropolis Culture Circle conducted an online session on Rabindranath Tagore’s Nobel Prize-winning work Gitanjali, with Prof. Ananda Lal. An authority on Tagore, he retired as Professor of English, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, and directs Writers Workshop, the oldest continuing publisher of Indian poetry in English. The professor’s doctoral thesis had [...]
Language and Culture
Author: Pinar AkhanApril 17, 2017
If you have ever tried to learn a new language, you might have noticed that it is not only about learning the alphabet, vocabulary and grammar. It also involves learning a new way of thinking and expressing yourself. Language carries references to the culture to which it belongs and, by interacting with a language, we [...]
A Revolution for the Future
Author: Pierre PoulainDecember 26, 2016
Do we need to learn from History? On December 3rd I was sitting in front of my laptop, wondering what might be the theme of this article. I didn’t want to write about something that I didn’t believe was important or significant. Usually I let my intuition identify a subject, but on that day, this [...]
The need for a vision of the future
Author: Sabine LeitnerNovember 12, 2016
I recently read a review of the book “Eden 2.0: Climate Change and the Search for a 21st Century Myth”. The central argument of the book is that humanity needs to find – rather fast – a myth that would enable us to transcend our differences and inspire us to follow a radically new course. [...]
The Anthropocene Age
Author: Istvan OrbanMay 17, 2016
More than 40 years have passed since the original report of The Club of Rome entitled The Limits to Growth was authored by Meadows et al. The book demonstrated that an economy built on the continuous expansion of material consumption is not sustainable. It opened the eyes of many people to the environmental problems created [...]
Against Separation, We Need Trust
Author: Delia Steinberg GuzmánOctober 4, 2014
The word “unify” comes from the Latin unus and facere, “to make one”, that is, to bring together various different parts that are coherent with another, and combine them in such a way that we can achieve a harmonious and homogeneous unity. It is an act of coming closer together, of connection, which, if it [...]
Forty Years Fighting Racism and Intolerance
Author: John GilbertAugust 8, 2014
A century with no solidarity One of the worst plagues that the twentieth century has had to bear is racial discrimination. It has not only plunged over half of the human population into oblivion and poverty, but during the periods of greatest alienation, it has also led to the systematic extinction of certain minorities. When [...]
Rowing Against the Current
Author: Jorge Angel LivragaMay 13, 2014
“The difference between a floating tree trunk and a boat made of the same wood is that the latter has oars and can row upstream.”Dr. N. Sri RamI heard these words from him in my distant youth. The phrase was not part of any of his lectures and I do not know if it is [...]