At this moment, we are unprecedentedly in control over the flow of information that reaches us, and at the same time more overwhelmed than ever by commercial, political and social messaging. This dissonance produces a positive economic effect as demand for information ubiquity fuels the market for filtration, aggregation and privacy services. Ostensibly, people are [...]
If one’s goal is to build up a valid understanding of human experience, one may begin by assembling the set of propositions that will serve as building materials for the foundation. Descartes believed that he could justify and vindicate our entire ontology in such a way, provided he could establish a foundational truth. “I think, [...]
Watching Chronicles of riddick again made me think about the strangely prominent role that artificial eyes play in the sci-fi genre.
The Old Testament writings attributed to Solomon in Ecclesiastes bear little similarity to the teachings of Jesus of Sirach in Ecclesiasticus, found in the Apocrypha. Similar themes run throughout both books, but the tone and organizational tendencies vary sharply from one writing to the other, reflecting the uniquely inspired thoughts and opinions of the [...]
“There was good sport at his making”
- King Lear, 1.1
Morris’ aesthetic theory holds that all human beings possess artistic inclination. While it is commonly held that high intellectual art cannot flourish but in a context of tension and inequity, Morris believes that any product of labor which is carefully and painstakingly wrought is necessarily [...]
Mary Shelley’s preface to Frankenstein begins: “the event on which this fiction is founded, has been supposed, by Dr. Darwin . . . as not of impossible occurrence” (13). Although valid interpretations focus on the monster as Victor Frankenstein’s daemonic twin, many overlook the monster’s strong ties to Charles Darwin, whose new scientific canon [...]
English derives the word “perversion” from its Latin roots: “versus,” meaning “turned” and “per,” meaning “through.” Perversion implies that an individual’s focus of personality has been shifted away from the normal expectations of society, and deflected inward upon the turbulent and violent id. Perversion is more complex than introversion, a mere “turning inward.” The perverted [...]
The Abyss narrates human struggle in the moments between failure and a second chance, between spiritual death and rebirth. For the characters, the experience educates them about facing their own mortality, but also illuminates for them idea that some things might not be doomed to such quick transience – things like love, brotherhood and [...]
As I was putting the finishing touches on my new site, I thought it would be cool to convert some of my old writing samples from college into posts …
Down and Out contains a broad survey of themes that relate to the condition of poverty. Though it represents a fictional creation in prose, Down and [...]
I had fairly high expectations for this film ever since I saw the trailer a few months back. At that point it seemed to me like it was going to be a well-produced, entertaining movie about elves fighting space marines. I was especially impressed with the way they designed the aliens, and I liked the [...]