This week, I’m inspired by the remake of the classic “Battlestar Galactica.” I’ve written about this show before, and I make it no secret how much I loved the show. Part of what made the show enjoyable was the portrayal of artificial intelligence and the questions that arise from intelligent machines. I believe that a large part of the reasoning behind shows that depict intelligent robots are our own anxieties about intelligent robots (which are becoming more and more intelligent as time ticks by). Of course, we’re not the first society that has had fear and apprehension about technology or technological devices. In fact, there are several societies and movements throughout history that have viewed technology as detrimental to the human experience. This post will show the latest progress (that isn’t top-secret) on artificial intelligence and will highlight two anti-technology movements that are still referenced today.

I encourage everyone that is reading this to click on this link for Cleverbot! If you haven’t heard about this website, then let me tell you about it: essentially, the site is a chat site, but you never talk to another living person. Instead, all of your comments are listened to and responded to by a computer that is learning. That’s right, there is a website where you can have a conversation with an artificially intelligent computer that will learn from what you have said to it in order to respond better to people in general. I encourage us all to go there so that this computer can learn how to better interact with people. According to the site, the machine is around 40% human. Sometimes, the answers that are received from the computer are cryptic and down-right weird. However, there are times when the answers it gives are in perfect context and completely understandable. Sometimes, the computer can even be funny. For instance, I thought I would test the machine’s knowledge of pop culture, so I asked, “Do you like Lady Gaga?” To which the machine replied, “Yes. Me and Lady GaGa are married.” Considering that the machine is evaluating the text that you respond to, it is pretty incredible that it can generate those kinds of responses.

The next piece of artificial intelligence comes from a recent episode of Jeopardy. Most of you have probably guessed that I’m referring to the (by now famous or perhaps infamous) computer known as Watson. Watson appeared on the show and was programmed to actually think about (and learn from) the questions that it received. When this story first came out, I remember thinking of the old folk story “John Henry.” Here is a link to the story of John Henry. This link features the legends as well as some deliberation about the actual man. The gist of the story is that John Henry died while trying to beat a machine (which he does) in a contest to see who could get through a rocky mountain the fastest. In reality, Watson mopped the floor with the greatest Jeopardy champions that have ever been produced. Here are a few videos of Watson in action:

The last thoughts that I will leave you with are for a population that exists in the United States and is known for their incredible phobia of electrical technology: the Pennsylvania Dutch (also known as the Amish). These people believe that technologies separate a person from the glorious bounty of nature and God. Their belief carries them so far as to forsake all electrical appliances and devices. Needless to say, they are often criticized for a certain ignorance, and yet, they are also admired for their ability to survive in this world in the middle of a very progressive nation because of a belief. In a way, they are like the Luddites of old (click here for a link that explains the Luddite revolution that occurred in the eighteenth century) in that they believe that technology ultimately leads to oppression by our machines. That’s all for this week, I’ll be back next week with another interesting topic.

Greetings students,

This week, I’m going to continue looking at space ships in popular culture. There are obviously millions of choices in considering all of the science fiction space ships that people have developed. This time, I’d figure I’d look exclusively at some of the most popular space ship designs in movies and television shows. In particular, this week’s list will contain ships from Battlestar Galactica, Farscape, Robotech, and Independence Day. Only one of these is a movie, but all of these products depict long distance space travel as being feasible using one of the ships that they present. In Battlestar Galactica, the ship serves as home to the last surviving members of the human race. In Farscape, the ship is an actual living entity that is a key character in the show. Robotech had humans and aliens in space ships; the key factor that sets Robotech aside from any other science fiction alien invaders scenario was the fact that the space ships could transform (like Transformers but way more military minded) into fighting robots. Lastly, I thought I’d mention Independence Day because the aliens had some pretty cool looking spaceships that were supposed to be stylish and functional.

Battlestar Galactica (both the original and the remake) are awesome series that pose a lot of interesting solutions to the problem of long-term space travel. For one, the series considers that large space ships capable of housing thousands of humans are plausible and a good way to transport humans through space. In this series, the humans aren’t the only ones that have space ships; the cylon vessels in the series are quite different in design and principle. For those who don’t know, cylons are the robotic nemesis of the humans. The main difference between the human and cylon ships are that the cylon ships were devoid of decoration (since they are inhabited by robots), the cylon ships have superior engines and firepower. Another interesting design note is that the human ships have variety; no two human ships are identically alike (except for the fighters). The cylon ships are all identical. Here’s a video clip of the new series.

Farscape was an excellent franchise that featured a human astronaut (John Crichton) who finds himself sucked through a wormhole on a trail spaceship test only to board a living ship filled with aliens. There are a myriad of space ships that appear throughout the series, but the main ship is a living organism that is born in space and bonds with a humanoid pilot who then merges biologically with the vessel. The show has far too many different ships for me to list individually, but I hope the video below will give you an idea of how creative the show’s producers were in coming up with a means for the characters to travel through space.

Robotech was one of my favorite childhood shows. It was not until far later in life that I reflected on the show as pretty creative and imaginative. The giant fighting robot craze spread to America with the production of this show. I mentioned in the introduction that these vessels were similar to Transformers, and they are. Where Robotech is different from Transformers is that the vehicles did not have personalities of their own. Instead, the vessels were given certain design and function traits that matched the personality and character of the pilot. This show also has aliens that invade Earth, and they are worth talking about. The Zentradi were a race of giants that had specialized mechs and space ships. Another race of aliens (that had much slicker space ship designs) were the Invid. In both cases, I believe that the creators of the show dedicated quite a bit of time to thinking about the design and function of the actual spaceships. Here is a video from Season 1 that explains the ship:

Our last video is from the classic movie, “Independence Day.” I really enjoyed this movie, and I think that one of the main reasons for that had to do with the attention to detail and design in the alien ships. For those who haven’t seen the movie, the plot is incredibly simple: aliens attack, they destroy most of earth, and the humans figure out the aliens’ weakness and exploit it right in the nick of time. What is hard to explain is the way in which the alien space ships were designed and talked about during the movie. Let me just say that at a certain point, the protagonists visit Area 51 where an alien ship has been rebuilt and formatted for human use. The most haunting battle occurs close to the beginning of the movie when the humans learn that their weapons are ineffective against the alien technology.

That’s all for this week! I’ll catch you next week,

Class dismissed!

Greetings Pupils,

This week, for all you divergent thinkers out there, I’m going with the often covered topic of UFOs. Why do I pick UFOs? Recently, my friend has gotten into watching the X-Files, which he somehow managed to miss during his adolescence when the show was being aired. What we decided after he had watched the show for a while is that the UFO theme would have really wore thin if that was all the show ever focused on. Obviously, the show tackled a broader range of subjects, but I think that the UFO theme is a slightly empty thematic element. One of the things that helps to spruce up UFO folklore are the Objects that they fly in. In this post, I’m going to wax philosophic about what space ships in UFO stories reveal about our desire for intelligent life outside our planet that visits us.

In previous posts, I’ve addressed that the definition from the OED identifies the earliest entry of the word as describing an unidentified man-made (not an animal or an atmospheric event) flying object that defied identification or categorization. Of course, this definition leaves plenty of room for perspective and does not take into account solely extra-terrestrial vessels. Those are not the UFOs I’m going to be talking about in this post. I’m talking about little green men in some kind of space ship that interact with the human planet or population. Rather than talk about our own cultural expectations and societal want for the way we want alien encounters to be, I thought I’d just look at some really neat way we’ve come up to provide transportation for our aliens to come torment or praise or us.

Before getting to the meat of this post, I thought I’d also try to post some info that shows allegedly “real” UFO footage. Take all this footage with a grain of salt, but I feel that is fair to try and represent not only the pop culture recreations of the space ship, but to also show what people try to pass off as “real” UFO technology. Often times, there is very little difference between what occurs in the movies and what occurs in these films. On that note, let’s look at what people are passing off as “real” spaceships. Our first clip comes direct from paranormalnews.com. I think that this is an example of a blatantly fraudulent clip that shows an incredibly cliché pie-tin shaped saucer that passes behind some trees and then shoots incredibly quickly out of focus. The shape is recognizable and the setting is the quiet outdoors, secluded from anyone else. Here is a link to the blog and the video is at the bottom of the page. A consistent element in these videos is that the saucers are usually incredibly far away or they are erratic in their movement and mysterious in their appearance and disappearance. These types of videos typically rely on the mystique of the flying saucer folklore to create an appealing image that invites our active imagination to fill in the gaps. Why are the aliens here in their crafts but not talking to us? How do their crafts function for both atmospheric and space flight? What do the aliens that drive these crafts look like? Who cares!! That isn’t the reason that these videos are so popular or so widespread. The appeal is based around the need for mystery and the lack of certainty on the subject. The UFOs that pilot passing ships without any real contact can be anything that you want to be from the harbinger of death and destruction to the bringer of the next step in evolution. Here are three more videos that fit the criterion I’ve just relayed as well as swear that they are “REAL” videos:

Here’s the 2nd “real” UFO video:

Here’s the final “real” UFO video:

Before ending this particular post, I want to at least address one pop culture piece that I feel NAILED the entire space-ship design aspect of the UFO folklore and that has to be the Star Trek franchise. I can think of no other show that dedicated so much time and energy to inventing a pseudo-science that could fill in the technical gaps that might occur in a show in which interstellar travel is widely done by a variety of races. Here is a video of Prof. Lawrence Krauss, who is author of “The Physics of Star Trek,” explaining how the science in Star Trek would theoretically work:

That’s dedication people!! More than that though, I see that kind of time and energy as the fulfillment of what Star Trek had at its core: the idea that people would one day explore space as surely as they explored the planet they found themselves on. The science that people come up with to rationalize their desire to travel far distances is a stepping stone to figuring out the actual way of doing interstellar travel. Beyond that, the style and detail that went into the ships was excellent. Here are a few clips of different ships from the Star Trek Franchise that really speak to me. Next week, I’ll go on looking at different space ships. Rather than trying to give you the millions of different links to the videos, there is a youtube series called “Getting to Know Star Trek. Lesson: Ships” that has all the information you could ever want about the ships of Star Trek. Until next week,

Class Dismissed.

Greetings,

This week, I thought I’d look at different depictions of King Arthur in popular culture. It’s easy to point out the ways in which these movies ignore history or cater to myth, but there are reasons why it is worthwhile to consider why we depict King Arthur in certain roles and from particular backgrounds: collectively, we project our modern day cultural symbols and expectations onto the past. The study of this process is sometimes known as Medievalism, and I’ve found five videos that portray King Arthur in a way that spins the story to fit a contemporary audience’s desire of how they want the past to be represented. The first contender is from a 1990s television cartoon show, appropriately titled, “King Arthur and the Knights of Justice.”

To paraphrase the article linked to above, the original English King Arthur and his knights are imprisoned by Morgana. Merlin searches the timeline and brings a New England football team whose QB is conveniently named Arthur King back in time to free the originals. The interesting spin in this cartoon is that this Arthur is an American. Suddenly, this cartoon has connotations in which the Americans have to come in and save the British, which is in line with a popular American perception held about World War II. Overall, this cartoon directly depicts a modern American quarterback as King Arthur. Not only is this King Arthur not British, but he plays American football and not football-soccer or any other iconic British sport. This cartoon raises some questions that are good to keep in mind for the following few clips; questions like: what does this cartoon say about how we think about sports celebrities? Why is this aimed at entertaining children? Why do we ultimately want Arthur to be an American story?

A similar depiction of an American influenced King Arthur story is from the 1995 movie “A Kid in King Arthur’s Court.” In summary, a young kid clad in a baseball uniform is plucked from the present day by Merlin to ultimately restore King Arthur’s confidence. This story has the same reinforcing point as the previous analysis. Essentially, we like to see Arthur as somehow indebted to our modern American know-how. The argument lies over why we would depict Arthur as indebted to a modern American. The message seems to lie in the collective desire to see the mythical King Arthur as an American symbol.

The Disney film “A Spaceman in King Arthur’s Court” is another movie that has an American who goes back in time to help King Arthur. The movie is now titled “Unidentified Flying Oddball,” but it does offer a piece of film that shows King Arthur in need of or indebted to his modern American time-traveler.

These films no doubt owe a large debt to Mark Twain’s book, “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court.” This novel may be the first to depict a contemporary American man who finds himself transported to the past. In this story, the focus is on the superiority of technology and the ridiculousness of magic. Despite being able to call Hank (the Connecticut Yankee) from the future, Merlin is depicted in the novel as a sort of charlatan who often fails to solve a problem while Hank uses reason and modern science to help those around him. Of course, there is still a scene in the novel in which Hank and Arthur venture together in disguise and Arthur learns about justice and freedom from Hank. Thus, the novel ironically suggests that old Arthurian ideals of justice and chivalry are really inherited from new ideals of modern American values. These stories all seem to suggest that England owes a historic debt to America, and not the other way around.

Another film that depicts an American who time travels and finds himself in King Arthur’s presence is the cult classic “Army of Darkness.” Ash is the cause of and solution to King Arthur’s problem of battling the deadites in medieval England. The fact that all of these stories have the same common thread running through them, it is easy to point out that there is a trend to establish an American connection to the story of King Arthur. In some of our tellings of King Arthur, we want to show him how we do things today in America. In any case, I don’t believe that this depiction is accidental but feel free to argue the point if you see fit in the comments section below.

See you next week.

Greetings students,

One of the most prominent figures in pop culture representations of the Medieval ages is King Arthur and the round table. There are tons of stories about Arthur and his exploits, and there are even more stories about the Knights of the Round table or Knights that go questing on behalf of Arthur. Either way, it seems that many people throughout the years, from the Medieval period to the modern day, are always happy to hear tales about Arthur. So what is it about this mythical figure that is so intriguing? Why do we portray Arthur the way that we do in our contemporary culture? These are a few of the questions that I will attempt to answer in this article. Before beginning, I think that it should be noted that there is no evidence to suggest that Arthur actually existed. It is very likely that he did not. I will not say that it is certain that Arthur did not exist, because the truth is that there is not enough information known to completely rule out a historical model on which the character Arthur would have been based on, but whether or not Arthur was a real historical character, his impact on Western culture is undeniable.

The first question that I posed asked what the appeal of Arthur is, and I believe there are several responses that have interesting implications. The first is that most Arthurian legends depict Arthur as being the embodiment of chivalric values. In this light, Arthur behaves in the way that every leader should strive to behave: with honor, nobility, and fairness. The implication for this attraction is that there was a time in which a King ruled with values that were selfless and noble. This can also be viewed as a proto-democracy in which Americans can view their own country’s origin as built upon the noble traditions of Arthur. In other words, because America’s origin is related to the rebellion against a corrupt king, they are returning to values that were housed in ancient days before corruption had settled in. Further, Arthur has a round table where everyone sits as an equal, which is something that appeals to modern senses of democracy. Another aspect of Arthur that many find attractive is that he is a military leader. Arthur has no problem defending himself and those in need; he is also unafraid to wage his own wars against “evil-doers.” The ability for Arthur to enforce “goodness” and to put his money where his mouth is, so to speak, is incredibly appealing. This further reinforces the concept that Arthur is a noble spirit that works to defend the people who need it most. I am sure that there are many more qualities that people find appealing in Arthur, and I invite you all to submit them to the comments section below.

The modern representations of Arthur offer interesting insights into our view of the medieval ages. What I mean by “modern representations” of Arthur is the way in which he and his knights are depicted in our literature, films, video games, and everything else. Most of the time, King Arthur (and his knights) is portrayed in full plate armor with enormous castles at his disposal. The time period that most people like to place Arthur is around the fifth or sixth century when the Romans were leaving the British Isles. Sometimes, Arthur is seen as the son of (or last of) a Roman lord or noble. The problem with this is that plate armor would not exist for another eight or nine centuries and even the noble image of the horse-riding Knight would not exist until the French conquered England at the Battle of Hastings. After all, the term Chivalry comes from the old French word Chevalier, which means “horse-rider.” Don’t get me wrong, the English had horses, but the Romano-Britons and the Anglo-Saxons fought on foot and used horses for travel and field work. Another issue that troubles the Roman-born Arthur is the concept of a stone castle. The Romano-Britons would have built their structures out of timbers and not out of stone; therefore, there wouldn’t be any castles for Arthur to ride to or from in Britannia (modern day England). Yet, placing Arthur too far forward in history takes something away from him as well.

If I were to read you a story about King Arthur that included guns and cannons, many people would argue that this is not a proper representation of Arthur. Yet, there are stories that were written in the thirteenth century that depict Arthur fighting with cannons such as “The Knightly Tale of Gologras and Gawain.” This story was written in the late thirteenth and early fourteenth century when cannons were just beginning to emerge in battlefields throughout Europe. So what does that mean? The main thought that comes across in this question is that Arthur appears to be one of those figures that is highly adaptable and versatile to the culture that is remembering and representing him. That’s all for this week, next week I’ll take a look at the mythical and magical aspects of Arthurian legend.

Class dismissed.

Hello students,

This week, I grow weary of exploring secret societies (especially since the Masons actually keep track of who visits their websites and post comments [see the article on Freemasons and the comment by Tin Machine]), so this week, I’m going to delve into the bogeyman! That’s right, the bogeyman!! The bogeyman is a very popular character that strikes horror into children. He may live in the closet or under the bed, but most children are aware of (and greatly fear) the bogeyman. But who the hell is the bogeyman? And why is he so ingrained into American culture? The answer may surprise you, so I figure I’ll cut this article into two major parts. The first part will deal with the bogeyman as we know him today, and the second part of this article will give you the etymology of the term as well as some historical grounding for the big “B” man.

First thing is first: what do you remember about the bogeyman? In my own experience, I had a live-in nanny when I was very young, as my parents worked full time, and she would occasionally mention the bogeyman who would come to “get me” if I didn’t go to bed. This frightened me, so I would immediately comply without further details. However, as time went by, I realized that there was no bogeyman that “got me,” so I asked how the bogeyman could get me, and she said that the bogeyman lived in my closet and watched me. If I was good, then the bogeyman would not be able to “get me,” but if I was bad, then the bogeyman would emerge from the closet in the middle of the night, and he would “get me.” The reason I relate this childhood memory is not for psychological catharsis, but to mention a thing or two about the myth/legend of the bogeyman that are important to the modern fascination with the B-man. First, in the story that was told to me by my sadistic nanny is an element of the familiar. Most rooms have a closet or a bed, so it is not difficult to imagine someone (in this case, the bogeyman) creeping out of this location at night to “get” children. The familiar location (the closet and under the bed) and the inner intimate zone where one sleeps is crucial to any good horror story or myth because it adds an element of vulnerability (everyone needs to sleep at some point) in which you are defenseless against an omniscient observer. The second part of this story that really stands out at me now as an adult is the addition of a moral clause. That is, the monster won’t “get” you unless you’ve misbehaved or been a real douchey kid. If you’ve been a good kid, then the B-man can’t get you. So where does this myth/legend/ghost-story actually come from?

The OED (Oxford English Dictionary) is a great source for the actual root of the word. The entry for the bogeyman from the OED refers one to the definition for a “Raw-Head” which reads: “A bugbear or bogeyman, typically imagined as having a head in the form of a skull, or one whose flesh has been stripped of its skin, invoked to frighten children.” First, it is interesting that the definition recognizes that this icon was used to frighten children. This is pretty cool, because I think it shows that parents always used frightening imagery to ensure the moral and social correctness in their children. Second, there is the beginnings of the idea for the bogeyman in that definition. The definition explains that there are those that appear as if their skin is gone. These zombie-like creatures are exactly where the legend gets its name. The bogeyman is actually a “bog man.” That is, the bogeyman is a British reference to the souls who fall into the bogs (swamps) and perish there. The interesting part is that the bogs have a habit of preserving corpses and giving them the appearance of a Ramiro-flick extra (zombie). Here are a few articles that show Bog Men that have been found in Ireland and England:

National Geographic article about Bog Men and manicures

Irish Bog Men from 2000 years ago

Associated Press’s story about the Bog Men in Eur0pe

Until next week,

Class dismissed!

Greetings students,

This week, in keeping in line with my previous three posts, I’ll be looking into some of the myth and history of a secret society known as the Hashshashin (many different spellings abound) or Nizari. Although many people have never heard of this group directly, they have been referenced in films and stories for ages. Unlike many of the groups that I have looked at, this one does not have a contemporary counterpart that uses the same name. In some ways, this group is similar to the Templar Knights. That is, that this group operated as a religious group that developed political and military might. Also, this group was involved in the crusades and was widely known and feared. This post aims to provide an overview of the history, myth, and legends about this group. So who were the Hashshashin, historically?

There are a few known facts about the group. Here is a link to a website that features an overview of useful information. Essentially, it is known that the group was an offshoot of Shia Muslims (Nizari Ismailis) that most likely originated in Persia (modern day Iran). The most famous leader of this group was Hassan-I Sabbah who ruled over Alamut. It is known that under his leadership, the group built several strongholds, but very little else is known about the group or its leaders for certain. There was a stronghold that contained a library full of information about the group and their interests as well as the sort of information that attracted them. However, like most large literary vaults of ancient information, it was burned to the ground by invaders; this occurred during the end of the thirteenth century, after the Mongols had invaded and conquered Alamut. Several ancient and famous historians have made claims about the group, but their testimony is difficult to accept for fact. Aside from the incredibly basic information listed above, nothing else is really known for certain; all we have to go on are legends and myths.

So what are the big myths? Probably the biggest myth about this group is that they regularly consumed hash for their assassinations and initiations. The term Hashshashin literally means “hash-users” or “hash-eaters.” The stories (which sadly get passed around as facts) typically involve an initiation rite in which initiates are drugged and then taken through a ritual in which they would believe that they had died. When they “awoke” they would find themselves inside a gorgeous garden where a feast would be prepared for them by virgins. The leader of the group would then assume the role of a supreme being who would give orders to the initiate if he wished to remain in heaven. Another variant of the story says that initiates would become servants to the lush palace abounding with foliage and virgins while under the influence of hash. After a certain point, the members would be taken to a dungeon and were told that they could only return to “heaven” if they followed the orders of their leader. These stories have two major faults that some scholars have pointed out; the first is that drug use is clearly against the Islamic code. Second, some of these stories paint the leaders of this group as deceiving people into believing that they are God; this is also against Islamic tenets. Most likely, these stories were created by anti-Islamist or rival groups that were envious of the power and prestige that this sect had.

Though there may be merit to the idea that this group planned strategic assassination, most of the accounts are little more than myth or legend. Usually, the story is that the targets would not always be killed, but they would be left with some reminder that the group could kill them at any time. A person may wake up in their bed to find a dagger placed next to them with a note that says something to the effect of, “You are in our grasp.” Other accounts suggest that this group may have had an incredibly complex network of members who would infiltrate the highest levels of political structures to gather information as well as plan assassinations. Though there remains quite a bit of controversy over this group, the idea that they smoked hash and killed people for money is very likely based on our want of an exotic and deadly group than any real historical evidence. Until next week,

Class dismissed.

Season’s Greetings Students,

In keeping with my look at secret societies, this post explores the Knights Templar. This group is related to the Freemasons, but they operate independently. In other words, all Knights Templar are Freemasons, but not all Freemasons are Knights Templar. The group claims an origin that dates back to the twelfth century when the Knights defended Christians on pilgrimages to Jerusalem. I will explore the Knights Templar in three ways: their history, their mythology, and the group today.

First, I feel that I should make it clear that I am separating history from mythology in a loose way. That is, I believe that it is difficult to get an unbiased history about this group. The time frame that we are dealing with (back some 700–900 years) makes guaranteeing an objective, historical portrayal of the activities and beliefs of a group as large as the Templars difficult if not impossible. We can analyze several pieces of historical information that depict some beliefs that a few members may have had, but we can not make any claims about the universality of those beliefs among Templar knights at the time. At times, especially during the middle ages, history and mythology were easily interchangeable and ill-defined.

Several sources set the beginning of the order to a group of knights who petitioned King Baldwin II of Jerusalem for permission to erect a headquarters on a site near the Temple Mount where the Temple of Solomon had supposedly sat. One of the original names of the group was “The Poor Knights of the Temple of King Solomon.” The group drew attention when they were officially recognized by the Catholic Church after the Council of Troyes around 1129. At this point, they were divided into two major groups: one group was more concerned with the economic dealings of the group, while another group was dedicated to military activity. This created some concern from other religious and political group at the time, as the Knight Templars were priest/knights that were allowed to operate like a bank and an army at the same time. This was not how Catholic priests operated. The height of Templar power may have also led to their downfall: around 1139, Pope Innocent II gave the Templar Knights the ability to cross all borders at will, owe no taxes, and be loyal to no one except the Pope. As time passed and the order grew, concerns about the power that the Knights Templar possessed increased as the Order began making large political contributions in the 13^th century. Though not technically developing a bank that charged interest (usury was considered a crime in Christian nations), the Knight Templars did charge rent for objects that Knights collected from members or held for others. After several European defeats in Jerusalem and many failed crusades at the end of the thirteenth century, the Templars began to weaken politically and economically. Perhaps the most famous symbol of the Knight Templar’s destruction is the reason why Friday the 13^th is considered unlucky. On the 13^th of October 1307, King Phillip IV of France ordered the arrest of over a hundred Templar and charged them for acts of sacrilege, homosexuality, and idolatry. By 1312, the group had been officially disbanded by the Catholic Church, and the properties of the order were given to the Hospitalers. That is one of the stories that claims to be a historical representation of who the Knights Templar were. But there is more to the group than that in popular culture and in societies today.

Mythology around the Knights Templar centers heavily around the Holy Grail. According to lore, the Templar are charged with the possession and protection of the Holy Grail. Furthermore, there is the belief that the Templar held heretic ideas about the life of Jesus Christ. One of the common beliefs about the Templar concerns the relationship between Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene. Specifically, that the two had three children which settled in France and later became a royal dynasty known as the Merovingian. Dan Brown utilized this kind of mythology of the Knights Templar widely in his book, The Da Vinci Code. Most of those ideas about the children of Christ were mentioned in a book titled, The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail. These novels are generally considered conspiracy theory novels, and they are widely open for speculation and critique. Most importantly, these novels center around the belief that the Knights Templar were in possession of ancient relics of great power and mystery. It is very likely that the Knights Templar did probably possess some relics and treasures of the region, though their connection with legendary biblical incidents is still questionable. Many churches at the time claimed relics in the form of saint’s bones, body parts, and instruments of death. Of course these groups were operating a thousand years after the biblical events from which these articles claimed to belong to, so there is no way of knowing if they actually are the objects that they are believed to be. Finally, I think it is worth while to look at the group as it operates today.

There is quite a bit of commotion in the past few years regarding the town of Hertsford and its connection to the Knights Templar. There are several links here to: secret tunnels under the city that were used by the Templar:

Secret Tunnels in Hertford by The Insider

The Guardian’s Coverage of the Story

A Story Claiming that the Other Two Stories are a Hoax

In addition to that, the group today has a website that has all the information that they release publicly. It appears that they do not disclose information to non-members about their rituals, so it is unclear what their purpose and motivation actually is today. To the public at least, they are an upstanding charity that is concerned with improving the community.

On that note, have a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays,

Class Dismissed.

Greetings students,

This week, I said that I would continue writing about secret societies. As I addressed in last week’s post, there is a certain irony in writing about secret societies: if they were really that secret, then people like me wouldn’t be able to write about them. And yet, like the example that I provided last time (the KKK), there are certain groups that operate publicly and politically but in secret manners. This week, I thought I’d look at one of the most famous secret societies of all times: the Freemasons. The Freemasons have an almost legendary and infamous reputation, and they are also still in operation today.

First, let us delve into the Freemason society. Some people believe that to become a Freemason, there are insane rituals that a person has to go through in order to be considered one of the that elite brotherhood. This may have been true at a certain point; however, today’s Freemason’s are a little more translucent. Perhaps their reputation has caused modern members to branch out and attempt to be more upfront with their activities, but today’s Freemason’s have their own website and list some of the steps that they require to be a member. What is interesting is that some of these steps are pretty straightforward: a man must be a minimum of eighteen years of age. Already, this is something to consider: men are the only ones that are allowed to become Freemasons. Additionally, to join the society, the man must attend one of the events that a lodge hosts where he will encounter several members. After completing an application (which requires at least two existing members’ approval), the man must go through three different ceremonies in order to become a full-fledged member. So, what terrible causes do the Freemasons publicize? Teacher of the year awards, scholarships, and other charity works are listed on their site as part of their public works. This is where a few flags were raised for me. But here’s a video by some Freemasons about the work that they do:

Though the site publicly demonstrates a good amount of public charity work that the society propagates, they are lots of rites and rituals that seem to be completely secret and shielded from the public. Of course, this brings up the question of what actually goes on in these meetings and these events. Before delving into that answer, I thought about trying to identify how many Freemasons there. On their website, you can check to see how many lodges are in your area. In my area, there are over twenty lodges within a forty mile diameter. This means that there are plenty of people that I run into on a regular basis that are associated with this society. How are they so secret if there are so many of them? Well, on their website, they discuss the fact that they never solicit people to join them. They only accept recruits that seek them out. This begs several other questions about why they are so secret and are there rituals in which they orchestra events that are entirely self serving? There are several answers to these questions and most of the work has been by others about the secrets behind the Freemasons.

The origins of this group are intriguing. Officially, there were a group of independent societies that met in 1717 in a lodge and decided to form a super-secret society that would evolve into the group that we know today. However, there are several groups that claim that the group’s origins date from biblical times when the Temple of Solomon was being created. There are millions of sites that critique and criticize the activities and practices of the Freemason. To this end, I thought I would go ahead and let you browse several sites that I believe capture some of the skepticism that has surrounded this group. It turns out that there are tons of people out there that believe the Freemasons have infiltrated and operate at the highest levels of government both national and world-wide. Here is a video from the Discovery Channel that looks at the Freemasons; this video is only the first part of 9 different tapes, so use it as a launching point if you feel inclined to pursue more of this:

Two sites that are anti-Freemasons:

Freemasonry Watch-great site with all sorts of interesting stories and links.

The Skeptic’s Dictionary-decent site for those that are skeptical of the Freemason’s public claims.

Browse, Read, Study, and Decide for yourselves. Until next week,

Class Dismissed.

Greetings Students,

This week, I want to take a look at several “secret societies” that may be active today. But first, I feel that I have to say that there is an innate problem with writing about secret societies. If the societies were really that secret, then I would not be able to write about them in any way. However, it is interesting to note that there have been several societies throughout history that began as very secret cabals which are still operating though in much more transparent ways. In truth, if there are still powerful, active secret societies, then they are living up to their name and bucking any notice or recognition by the American population at large. The most recognizable secret society to date has to be the illuminati; this society is so un-secret, that even my spell check realizes it as a word that is used commonly in our language.

So what is the illuminati? The OED offers the first definition (the earliest recorded version of the word) as, “A name assumed by or applied to various societies or sects because of their claim to special enlightenment in religious, or (later) intellectual, matters.” This term “illuminati” dates from 1599, and the idea is pretty straight forward: it is not a specific group, but rather, it was developed as a term for groups that claimed to have special knowledge. However, the term “alumbrados” which is Spanish for the “illumined” refers to a group of religious heretics in Spain that claimed to be able to reach a pure, unfiltered communion with God while in the flesh. In many ways, this was a reaction against the organized religion at the time, but it is interesting to note that this group really felt that they could achieve Earthly perfection and total union with God in the physical form. What this meant was that the sacraments were useless to them and that they were free from sinning since they operated as a representation of God himself. It should be pretty apparent that members of this group viewed themselves as infallible and committed atrocities based on the belief that they were extensions of God on Earth. It is in this spirit that the term “illuminati” still refers to a group of people who are viewed to claim special powers which separate them from the rest of people on this planet. Given this working definition, it is interesting to consider the very many groups that operate with this kind of ideological impunity. Now that I’ve laid the foundation for the consideration of the term “illuminati,” I think it is fair to consider some of the groups that operate with this particular ideology in mind within this and the next few posts that I will submit.

A secret society that is very well known in the US is (ironically) the KKK. The KKK stands for the Klu Klux Klan. This group operates openly politically, but they operate politically in secret. Yes, it is quite possible that people you know are involved in the operation and advancement of the KKK’s agenda. I know that all progressive people claim that they do not know anyone who supports or operates within this group. The truth is that there are typically two kinds of people operating in this group. On the one hand, there are explicit supporters of the KKK which have no problem revealing their allegiances or support to this group. On the other hand, there are many members of this group that operate under the radar. That is, one does not need to be explicit in their support of the KKK’s agenda. In fact, the website for the KKK and its affiliates support members who contribute to the agenda in secretive ways. What is so secret about this group? Well, for one, the uniform that the KKK utilizes is meant to disguise participants and supporters from the public eye. When one is in the robes and cowl, they all look alike. This robbing of individual identity hides the individual from recognition by the public. The truth is that this group has members that are involved in local and national government and seek to promote the aims of the KKK.

So why should we care? The KKK embodies an attitude that somehow the white race (if such a thing really exists) is illuminated from the other races. That is, because of a supposed genetic trait, this group claims to have abilities and attributes that are superior to other racial groups. What is intriguing is the way in which these groups operate to forward this ideological base: they operate secretly in closed-door meetings with members whose identities are protected to achieve goals that ensure the failure of non-white groups. This means that there are groups operating in secret (somewhat) in the US that aim to affect political change and accomplish that fact. This should make you question certain rhetorical strategies in which people claim that non-white groups are somehow responsible for the ruin of the US. Unfortunately, there is not enough space in this single post to examine this conundrum further. For fun, I am inserting a video from Dave Chapelle that aims to deconstruct (undermine) the fact that KKK uses secrecy to achieve its aim. The video is from YouTube and in order to circumvent Viacom’s copyright claim, they have inverted the video so that the text is inverted. But you get the picture (if you’re smart). Until next time,

Class Dismissed.