Articles
What is Semiotics?
Ferdinand de Saussre's Linguistic Revolution
Semiotics is one of the cornerstones of so-called Continental Philosophy. No tradition other than Phenomenology had more influence on shaping the landscape of this tradition in the 20th century. Semiotics is the study of signs [...]
What Freud Meant by the Ego, the Id and the Superego
The three parts of every mind
According to the father of psychology Sigmund Freud, there are three parts of the human psyche: the ego, the id and the superego. These are originally Latin terms meaning ‘I’, ‘it’ and ‘upper-I’. The iceberg [...]
Modernism vs. Postmodernism
Our Two Warring Worldviews
“Postmodernity definitely presents itself as Antimodernity.” This statement describes an emotional current of our times which has penetrated all spheres of intellectual life. It has placed on the agenda theories of post-enlightenment, postmodernity, even of [...]
The Life of Plato
The Biography of Philosophy's Father
Alfred North Whitehead once famously described the history of philosophy as being a series of footnotes to Plato. The breadth of topics and subjects that Plato birthed is second to no other thinker. And yet, [...]
Analytic vs. Continental Philosophy
The origins of the modern divide in philosophy
There is a chasm in modern philosophy so broad that only a handful of voices have managed to be heard on both sides. Each is a peculiarity to the other — something foreign and quaint. [...]
What is a Paradigm? | Thomas Kuhn
The meaning of paradigm from Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
Thomas Kuhn's work The Structure of Scientific Revolutions is one of the most referenced academic works in history and one of the most influential and controversial books of the 20th century. Its release in 1962 [...]
Memento Mori: The Ancient Roman Secret to Living Life to the Fullest
How the Romans Kept Their Priorities Straight and their Egos in Check
Imagine setting out from your home one day, leaving everything you know behind and heading off into the world. And imagine...
What is Empiricism?
The Philosophy of Locke, Berkeley and Hume
A few centuries before philosophy schismed between Analytic and Continental Philosophy, it was schismed between another two schools. The setup is much the same — the Anglophones and the “Europeans”. Only back then, in the [...]
What’s the difference between subconscious and unconscious?
Different words for the underworld
Subconscious and unconscious are two words you’ll often hear bandied about like synonyms. But are they really interchangeable? Why are there two different words? And which one is correct? Let’s explore. The Origins: Janet and [...]