Sam Woolfe

Freelance Writer & Blogger

Book Review: Cosmic Pessimism by Eugene Thacker

Book Review: Cosmic Pessimism by Eugene Thacker
Cosmic Pessimism (2015) is a collection of aphorisms, fragments, and prose poems by the philosopher Eugene Thacker. Thacker, who is also Professor of Media Studies at The New School in New York City, offers many unique thoughts on pessimism and the human condition in this very short book. He explores various themes of pessimism: futility,…View Post

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Glitchy Portraits by Justin Bower: An Exploration of Humanity’s Relationship With Technology

Glitchy Portraits by Justin Bower: An Exploration of Humanity’s Relationship With Technology
Justin Bower is a Los Angeles-based artist who creates oil paintings that have the appearance of being digitised, yet they are, in fact, entirely hand-painted. His portraits feature anonymous subjects with expressive, glitchy faces, attesting to our close relationship with technology. His exhibit “The Humiliations” is intended to show how we are losing our free…View Post

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Secular Ecstasy: Mystical States Without the Supernatural Element

Secular Ecstasy: Mystical States Without the Supernatural Element
It is possible for anyone, regardless of his or her religious or metaphysical beliefs, to have a mystical experience. These mystical states of consciousness have been accessible since time immemorial. You can find accounts of profound altered states in ancient Hindu and Buddhist scriptures and in the descriptions of the Eleusinian Mysteries, those secret rituals…View Post

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We Must Imagine Sisyphus Laughing: Camus, Absurdity, and the Existential Jester

We Must Imagine Sisyphus Laughing: Camus, Absurdity, and the Existential Jester
In his essay The Myth of Sisyphus (1942), the French existentialist Albert Camus lays out his exposition of the human condition. He draws on the ancient Greek myth of King Sisyphus in order to typify what it means to exist as a human in day-to-day life, which is a rather bleak picture it turns out.…View Post

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What Does a Sustainable Diet Look Like?

What Does a Sustainable Diet Look Like?
It can be hard to know exactly what a sustainable diet looks like. For instance, a study from the University of Oxford, published in Climatic Change, found that the vegan diet produces the least greenhouse gas emissions. Comparisons were made between meat-eaters, fish-eaters, vegetarians, and vegans. In this way, a plant-based diet would be considered…View Post

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