Fundamentalism is a system of beliefs and memes which reinforce each other and dismiss all contradictory thoughts and doubts. It traps and enslaves people of all religions, in different ways. It causes a person to become intolerant of facts that challenge one’s personal belief system, and it makes them distrustful of all other points of […]
In his famous treatise Meditation six, Rene Descartes struggles to come to grips with the material world and how we perceive it. He explores the causal relationship between mind and body. Descartes manages to convince himself that he does indeed exist, simply because he is capable of THOUGHT. He is able to synthesize his hypothesis […]
It’s no secret that the Internet was created by the US Department of Defense on behalf of America’s Military-Industrial Complex [MIC]. It was originally conceived under the Eisenhower Administration in the early 1960s as a secure communications network linking several important universities, think tanks and research labs together, which would be able to survive a […]
The mainstream media [MSM] has many subtle, effective techniques at its disposal to promote specific agendas through stories they choose to report on. The methods they use are nothing short of tactical rhetorical weapons unleashed upon an unsuspecting public. There are several tactics employed in this rhetorical war. According to authors Dietram Scheufele and David […]
Feudalism is arguably the most important and recognizable characteristic of Medieval life. Feudalism was a form of political and social organization which evolved from the dissolution of Charlemagne’s empire and the rise of absolute monarchies. Feudalism remains the common model of European society in the Middle Ages. Urban life for most citizens declined significantly after […]
The unique character of ancient Greek civilization can be attributed to several factors: synthesis, adaptation and constant improvement are recurrent themes in ancient Greek society. It was a fluid, constantly evolving yet relatively stable world. The Greeks created a distinctive culture which subsequent civilizations admired and copied: one based on logic, reason, and the exaltation […]
According to scholars, the key elements associated with a ‘civilization’ generally include the following requirements: cities and a system of government; creation of enforceable laws; formalized religion; social stratification; specialization of labor; writing and record keeping; comprehension of mathematical principles; engineering; metallurgy; and support for the arts. Each of these inter-related criteria is vital to […]
Hegemonic institutions pervade our culture, as diverse agendas are presented and reinforced by different cultural structures throughout society. It is important to recognize these power structures and the dominant ideals they represent in our everyday lives. James Lull’s famous essay Hegemony defines the subject as, “The power or dominance that one social group holds over […]
Much of Europe was devastated by the “Black Death” during the late Middle Ages: The Bubonic Plague wiped out approximately two-thirds of the population on the continent. Urban areas in Northern Europe were severely depopulated. However, some Italian city-states like Venice, Milan and Ferrara managed to survive the times virtually intact, due primarily to their relative […]
The USA is a dying imperial power: corrupt to the core, hollowed-out, lacking a soul and empty within. We are a brutal, overbearing nation filled with violent, desperate, shamelessly ignorant people. The Enlightenment (c.1680-1780) brought some hope of redemption to society following the Dark Ages. Applying the concept of humanism, philosophers recognized our innate capacity […]
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