The age of conquest brought us our little household aloes and cacti. The economy of household plants finds its roots in the European enlightenment when European scientists obsessed over cataloguing all of the new plant species they encountered overseas, which they called “exoticks”. Exoticks were kept in botanical gardens for preservation and for show. The European public was amazed by the flora they’d never seen before and wanted to keep a few for themselves, eventually cultivating them in their homes. Read full article here
Culture
The Priest in the Arena
The phrase “man in the arena” has been popularized in recent years, but a lesser known, more dangerous archetype is the “priest in the arena”. This figure is responsible for a process called theocratic capture, where an institution surrenders to a cult demanding unaccountable authority, fueled by claims to privileged knowledge. These cults often target powerful institutions and attempt to monopolize conversations with scaremongering tactics and hostile treatment of allies. It is important to identify and stop theocratic capture before it can gain control. Read full article here
Merv
May 29, 2023
