The Use of Myth

Hesiod stands at the beginning of the anthology. He is the first to write down stories that had been circulating for centuries. His account is not a moral arc in the way the Hebrew tradition would later tell its story. Hesiod is part farmer’s almanac and part chronicler. This is how the seasons work, andContinue reading “The Use of Myth”

The Discipline of Fear

All Hallows’ Eve was my friend Chris Adams’ favorite holiday. He loved its costume and horror that was the foundational décor of Halloween. He made annual pilgrimages to Salem, Massachusetts, drawn to its haunted history. He understood Halloween as America’s truest folk rite: a night when the nation remembers that it was founded on superstitionContinue reading “The Discipline of Fear”

The Golden Path and the Silicon Limit: How I Learned to Love AI

Frank Herbert’s God Emperor of Dune is not a prophecy about technology but a meditation on necessity. Leto II Atreides sacrifices his humanity to become the immortal worm who rules humankind for 3,500 years. He is a tyrant by his own design and a self-martyr in service of pedagogy. He becomes the embodiment of controlContinue reading “The Golden Path and the Silicon Limit: How I Learned to Love AI”