Aldous Huxley and Brave New World: The Dark Side of Pleasure

“None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.” (Goethe) These words were written by Goethe nearly 200 years ago, but are perhaps more relevant in our time than they were in his.  For many people assume we live in a free society simply because the West has not morphed into a dystopian hell like the one depicted in George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four. Tyranny, most people […] Read more »

Carl Jung and the Shadow: Integrating the Hidden Power of Your Dark Side

“The shadow, when it is realized, is the source of renewal…When there is an impasse, and sterile time in our lives—despite an adequate ego development—we must look to the dark, hitherto unacceptable side which has been at our conscious disposal.” ~Edward Whitmont Learn how to do shadow work for yourself, easily and effortlessly, HERE. Read more »

Carl Jung, the Shadow, and the Dangers of Psychological Projection

“The sad truth is that man’s real life consists of a complex of inexorable opposites—day and night, birth and death, happiness and misery, good and evil. We are not even sure that one will prevail over the other, that good will overcome evil, or joy defeat pain. Life is a battleground. It always has been, and always will be.” (Carl Jung, Approaching the Unconscious) “Of the many metaphors used to […] Read more »

The Ideas of Socrates

“In this lecture we examine the ideas of Socrates. We look at his exhortation to ‘care for your soul’, his conviction that knowledge of virtue is necessary to become virtuous, his belief that all evil acts are committed out of ignorance and hence involuntarily, and finally his presumption that committing an injustice is far worse than suffering an injustice.” ~Academy of Ideas Read more »

Public Schools, the Fixation of Belief, and Social Control

In this video, the Academy of Ideas looks behind the reasons for compulsory public schooling, and what you learn may shock you. Recommended Reading: Dumbing us Down – John Taylor Gatto – http://amzn.to/2vJb3lc (affiliate link) The Prussian Connection to American Schooling, by John Taylor Gatto: For Part 1, CLICK HERE. For Part 2, CLICK HERE. For Part 3, CLICK HERE. For Part 4, CLICK HERE. The New Dumbness, by John Taylor Gatto, […] Read more »

Nietzsche and Truth: Skepticism and the Free Spirit

Aline and I are free spirits who have taken Nietzsche’s “experimentalism” and used it to challenge our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to an extreme degree. Much of our insights and growth has come through experimenting with new ideas, while challenging our older ideas—older ideas which stem from past traumas, societal norms, biological factors, and childhood experiences. Being able to continually challenge and work through our old beliefs while remaining flexible […] Read more »

Carl Jung and The Achievement of Personality

In this video we examine a chapter from Carl Jung’s Collected Works in which he investigates the achievement of personality, describing it as: “the prototype of the only meaningful life, that is, of a life that strives for the individual realization of its own law.” ~Academy of Ideas How to Support the Academy of Ideas: Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/academyofideas PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/academyofideas Carl Jung and The Shadow: https://gum.co/jung-shadow Amazon Affiliate Link: http://amzn.to/2kI9BuL Read more »

The Psychology of Obedience and The Virtue of Disobedience

This is extremely relevant to the current drama playing out on the world stage.  Are you willing to develop your inner sense of Self to the degree that is necessary to leave behind this corrupt system of external rule?  Are you willing to take responsibility for yourself, and learn how to work together with others in a Voluntaryist manner; with those who also desire self-rule?  When push comes to shove […] Read more »

Joseph Campbell and the Myth of the Hero’s Journey

In this video the author’s explore the relationship between mythology and the unconscious, and look at the mono-myth Joseph Campbell called the myth of the hero’s journey. Joseph Campbell was also the mentor of George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars: Read more »