language
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On the Allure of Secret Knowledge
A Philosophical Happy Hour on the allure of secret knowledge—as found in esotericism, gnosticism, the occult, and secret societies. of every kind Spend enough time on the internet—and “enough” is not very long—and you will encounter either an individual or a group proposing to know something that you do not. They will intimate that this…
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The Depth and Extension of Semiotics [an excerpt]
The following is an excerpt from the lectures for the Semiotics: Thought and Contributions of John Deely seminar offered at the Lyceum Institute. This seminar will be offered again in January (Q1) of 2025. Sign up for our Newsletter to be notified of when to register! Few truths elude our awareness, let alone our full…
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On Authenticity
The problem of authenticity—which we might also name as the struggle for authenticity—appears “upstream” of our current situation… but not far. For, in speaking of what is “authentic”, we most of all mean persons. Today, by contrast, our skepticism concerns the authenticity of events and of their presentation (especially events remote in time and space…
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On Propaganda
A Philosophical Happy Hour on propaganda’s causes, consequences, and cures. The advent of mass communication—beginning with the national newspaper but greatly accelerated first through radio and second, with great totalization, through television—ushered in a new paradigm for shaping the actions of human beings: propaganda. It has been used to impose faux cultural homogeneity, to establish…
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Jefferson, Natural Rights, and the Sources of the Declaration of Independence
Presenting the fifth in our Colloquium series for the year 2024, Dr. John Pinheiro (PhD in History, Director of Research at the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty), challenges the common narrative that reduces Thomas Jefferson’s thought in writing the Declaration to the philosophy of John Locke. Dr. Pinheiro was previously professor…
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On the Significance of Fictitious Entities
A Philosophical Happy Hour on the moral, psychological, and cultural significance of fictitious entities in human life. Cultural Role of Fictitious Entities Fictitious entities, myths, and media entertainment saturates much of our cultural ethos and society today. Many references we use and employ, metaphors we construct, the subterranean moralizing messaging we find is more often…