Month: December 2019
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I Bought a Little City
Donald Barthelme’s 1974 short story “I Bought a Little City” is a surreal and satirical take on the American Dream, consumerism, and the power dynamics of ownership. The story follows an unnamed narrator who, upon hearing that the city of Galveston, Texas, is up for sale, decides to purchase it on a whim. From the…
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Exaption
Exaptation is a concept in evolutionary biology that refers to the process by which a feature or trait that originally evolved for one purpose is later co-opted for a different purpose. In other words, exaptation occurs when a biological structure or behavior that evolved to serve one function becomes useful for a completely different function,…
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Zoltar Speaks: An Amnesty
“Not accepting others as part of us we cannot recognize ourselves. Not knowing ourselves we feel alone. We reject in others what we reject in ourselves. In need of an amnesty to unlock the danger” As social beings, we depend on our connections with others to form our identities and understand ourselves. However, when we…
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Genius Loci: Information is Overrated
The esoteric tweet that “Information is overrated in respect to the importance of Location” is a thought-provoking statement that invites us to reflect on the significance of the physical environment in our lives. The tweet suggests that location, or the “genius loci,” as Alexander Pope called it, is a crucial factor that should be taken…
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“All Power to the Imagination”:
The power of the imagination is often overlooked in problem-solving. While logic and reason are essential tools, imagination allows us to think creatively, to see possibilities where others see roadblocks, and to find solutions that may not have been immediately apparent. However, it is not enough to simply trust the imagination to work; we must…
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The New Panopticon
The concept of the panopticon was first introduced by the philosopher Jeremy Bentham in the late 18th century. It referred to a prison design in which a central tower allowed guards to observe prisoners without the prisoners knowing whether or not they were being watched. This design was intended to create a sense of constant…
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Actual vs Virtual
“The virtual is opposed not to the real but to the actual. The virtual is fully real in so far as it is virtual. […] Far from being an object of knowledge, the virtual is, on the contrary, that which makes knowledge possible, indeed, creates knowledge.” Deleuze According to Deleuze, the virtual is not a…
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Rhizomes
In the philosophical work of Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari, rhizomes refer to a way of thinking about networks, connections, and structures that is in contrast to the more traditional hierarchical models. Rhizomes are root systems that spread horizontally and grow without a central point of control, unlike trees with their trunks and branches. In…
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Reality vs the Real
The distinction between reality and the real is an intriguing philosophical concept that has captivated the minds of many thinkers throughout history. Reality, as we know it, is a symbolic construct that we use to make sense of the world around us. It is composed of our perceptions, beliefs, and experiences, all of which are…
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Use You Illusion
Optical illusions are intriguing phenomena that can trick our eyes and brain into perceiving something that is not actually present or perceiving it differently from reality. These illusions can be caused by various factors, such as the way our eyes perceive light, shadows, or depth perception, light, color, shape, and contrast, to name a few.…