Philosophy, Pop Culture Joseph Jackowski Philosophy, Pop Culture Joseph Jackowski

Arcane and Archetypes: Analyzing Netflix’s Arcane

Netflix’s Arcane is a modern myth, intertwining art deco aesthetics and alchemical symbolism to explore humanity’s eternal struggle with chaos and order. Central to this tale are Jayce and Viktor, whose journeys reveal the dangers of unchecked ambition and the duality of progress. Hex Tech serves as a metaphor for technological marvels that can save or destroy, depending on their wielders. While Jayce learns humility through his trials, Viktor’s transformation warns of losing humanity in the pursuit of perfection. Ultimately, Arcane urges us to embrace balance and compassion, reminding us that progress devoid of love leads to stagnation and ruin.

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Pop Culture, Society Joe Jackowski Pop Culture, Society Joe Jackowski

Cancel-Culture and the Joe Rogan Controversy

In order to discuss the controversy surrounding Joe Rogan, and the subtleties of cancel-culture, we first need to understand what cancel-culture is. Columnist Ross Douthat, in the New York Times, said, “cancellation, properly understood, refers to an attack on someone’s employment and reputation by a determined collective of critics, based on an opinion or an action that is alleged to be disgraceful and disqualifying.” There are two balancing components we should highlight in this definition, the first being an opinion or action is allegedly distasteful.

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Pop Culture, Science Erich Wenzel Pop Culture, Science Erich Wenzel

Could We Engineer Spider-Man’s Powers?

With the upcoming release of Spider-Man: No Way Home, I started thinking about an idea: How far away are we from being able to engineer Spider-Man?

Sure, we can escape into sci-fi territory very fast, but what technology or research is being done that could plausibly get us to a Spider-Man-like ability set?

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Pop Culture Erich Wenzel Pop Culture Erich Wenzel

Love Persevering

If you're like me, WandaVision has captured my attention on most Fridays. The quote above is from a scene in episode eight and left with a tug on my heart, causing me to think deeply about the connection between love and grief.

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