Plutarch was a priest, magistrate, ambassador, and essayist born in Chaeronea in Greece around 46CE (d. 120CE). The Greek states had already been part of the Roman Empire for two centuries by the time of his birth, and it is no surprise that at some point Plutarch became a citizen of Rome, changing his name to Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus. Plutarch (or Lucy, as I’m sure his friends called...
The Seven Beauties of Science Fiction is a book written by Istvan Csicsery-Ronay Jr, a professor of English at DePauw University and published in 2008. I wanted to have a bird’s eye view; I ended up in outer space. (Preface) There’s something inexpressible about SF[1]. This inexpressible something, the author suggests, reflects the role of SF in helping us parse and express the role...
Taking a Fresh Look at Antiochus’ Criterion of Certainty Introduction to Antiochus With Antiochus of Ascalon (c.125-88 BCE), Platonism took a dive back to its roots – or at least, it claimed to do so. Antiochus’ teacher was Philo of Larissa, who was the last of the Academics who were associated with the actual Academy of Plato. Antiochus is considered to be the first major philosopher of...
This is not an introduction to chemistry or even to atomic theories. It’s an introduction to what atoms are with the aim of providing enough background to be useful for understanding molecular biology. Introduction “Nothing exists except atoms and empty space; everything else is opinion.” (Democritus c. 400 BCE) Atoms are the building blocks of the world. There are different...
The Stars at Noon is the third novel by American author Denis Johnson, published in 1986. We follow a nameless woman in Nicaragua. She’s from the United States. It is possible that she was once a journalist; it’s possible that she still is. That’s all irrelevant except insofar as it informs the present: she earns money prostituting, she’s resigned to the state-of-affairs...
Pirahã[I] is a language which will make you rethink everything about the role of language in forming culture, perception, and even consciousness. If you’ve ever thought about the link between language and mind, then the basis for the implications will not be extraordinarily new. What will be new is how far those implications are stretched, and how possibly alien a human language could be. This...
Fiskadoro is Denis Johnson’s second novel, published in 1985. The novel is set beyond some apocalypse. It is not a dying world, although it is set in the shadow of one. Fiskadoro describes a vibrant culture, be it one scarred by radiation and bombs, employing shibboleths to ward off the present: “the quarantine will be lifted” (is there even one?), “Bob Marley will...
Hide and Seek is the third episode of the franchisee show Stargate Atlantis[1]. It first aired in July 2004. Spoilers? Yes. Synopsis: An energy-feeding shadow is freed and a shield stone is found. They get rid of the shadow and can’t use the stone any more. Fin. DVD Commentary Instructions: (1) Print off this commentary. (2) Hire a voice actor – someone with a deep voice and who is well...
The Origin of Speech is the title of an article published in Scientific American in 1960 by Charles F. Hockett. It is often cited, even today, for its suggestion that there are 13 “design-features” shared by all languages. The 13 design-features of language: Vocal-auditory channel – While it is true that we have cultural adaptations that don’t require vocalizing communication – sign...
Nobody Move is a novel written by Denis Johnson. Beginning in July 2008, Nobody Move appeared as a four-part serialized novel in Playboy before being published in book form in 2009. Incidentally, that veritable literary journal does a fine job summarising the story: It maps a colliding and eliding of characters and agendas: a hapless gambler and sometimes barbershop singer trying to survive, a...
