uchronia n. (Gr. ou, not + Gr. khronos, time; literally "no time"; cf. utopia, "no place) Ð a historical period when "nothing happens," a time of stagnation.
As soon as utopia finds its fulfilment in history, it turns into uchronia, a disruption of history itself.
by Mikhail Epstein November 13, 2003
thanatagog or thanatagogue (Greek thanatos, death + Greek agein, to lead; cf. pedagog, demagog, mystagog) - one who prepares old or terminally ill people for dying.
by Mikhail Epstein November 08, 2003
oneirogenic adj (from Greek oneiros, "dream" + genic; cf. photogenic, telegenic) Ð having a propensity to appear in somebody's dreams.
Some people are photogenic while others are oneirogenic. These characteristics rarely coincide. A person who is plain and unnoticeable in real life may haunt our dreams and imagination.
Have you noticed that cats are more oneirogenic than dogs?
To surprise your friends at a party, ask them: "Do you find me "oneirogenic"? If the answer is "yesÓ, ask them to recall your adventures in their dreams.
by Mikhail Epstein November 03, 2003
syntellect n (Greek syn, with, together + intellect) Ð the unified mind of civilization that integrates all individual natural and artificial minds through the mediation and accumulative effects of informational networks.
Intellectual network--inteLnet--will connect all thinking beings into one communicational network that gradually will develop into a new form of consciousness--syntellect. The syntellect will absorb and condense the potentials of all thinking beings and will operate on both biological and quantum levels.
by Mikhail Epstein November 06, 2003
bespite of conj (blend of "because of" and "in spite of" - a condensed form of the expression "because of, or perhaps in spite of."
This work, when done and published, will be met with keen interest by scholars and general public alike, bespite of its controversial nature.
Bespite of the intensity of the debate, there has been considerable advancement in our understanding of this global trend.
Bespite of the expectation of Truman's impending loss, Democrats turned out, and by means of an "underdog effect" assured Truman's victory.
Bespite of the intensity of the debate, there has been considerable advancement in our understanding of this global trend.
Bespite of the expectation of Truman's impending loss, Democrats turned out, and by means of an "underdog effect" assured Truman's victory.
by Mikhail Epstein November 15, 2003
thanatagogy n (Greek thanatos, death + Greek agein, to lead; cf pedagogy, demagogy, mystagogy) Ð initiation into death, preparation for dying.
Thanatology is the study of death and dying; thanatagogy is a practical branch of this knowledge. The Egyptian "Book of the Dead" is the most ancient manual in thanatagogy.
For Plato, philosophy is thebasis of thanatagogy. To study philosophy is nothing but to prepare oneself to die.
by Mikhail Epstein November 08, 2003
amort n. (Lat. amor, love + Lat. mort, death)
the double instinct of love and death; the ambivalent combination of Eros and Thanatos or the transformation of one into another; a cruel and (self)destructive passion that leads to the ruin of the loved or the lover.
the double instinct of love and death; the ambivalent combination of Eros and Thanatos or the transformation of one into another; a cruel and (self)destructive passion that leads to the ruin of the loved or the lover.
Amort is the most common theme of European literature, from Tristan and Isolde to The Ballad of Reading Gaol:
And all men kill the thing they love,
By all let this be heard,
Some do it with a bitter look,
Some with a flattering word,
The coward does it with a kiss,
The brave man with a sword!
And all men kill the thing they love,
By all let this be heard,
Some do it with a bitter look,
Some with a flattering word,
The coward does it with a kiss,
The brave man with a sword!
by Mikhail Epstein November 16, 2003