mikhail epstein's definitions
conaster n from Latin cum, with + Greek astron, star - literally with star, the exact antonym to disaster; the fortunate outcome of an almost imminent disaster; the sensation of a catastrophe narrowly averted and later remembered from the vantage point of safety.
There were several conasters in my life that I cannot recall without thanking God for his undeserved mercy.
You were born under a lucky star. This conaster is an amazing mixture of chance and miracle.
You were born under a lucky star. This conaster is an amazing mixture of chance and miracle.
by Mikhail Epstein November 2, 2003
Get the conaster mug.astralgia, n. (Gr. astro-, star + Gr. algos Ð pain, grief, distress; cf. nostalgia) - a longing for stars and interstellar travels to the remote corners of the universe; homesickness for cosmos.
The film "Gattaca" is about astralgia. The protagonist, Vincent, though deemed genetically flawed and subsequently fated to Á low-level occupation, pursues to the end his dream of space travel.
by Mikhail Epstein November 16, 2003
Get the astralgia mug.an error of reducing higher or more complex processes, such as human behavior and thinking, to its elementary components or material bearers, such as physiological structures or chemical reactions.
Reductive fallacies abound in the popular works of Carl Sagan. For example, he wrote in his best-selling book The Dragons of Eden": "My fundamental premise about the brain is that its workings--what we sometimes call "mind"--are a conse`uence of its anatomy and physiology and nothing more".
by Mikhail Epstein November 6, 2003
Get the reductive fallacy mug.polypath n. ( Gr. polys, much, many + patheia, suffering) Ð a person with multiple disorders, such as neuropathy, myopathy, sociopathy, chronopathy, etc.
by Mikhail Epstein November 13, 2003
Get the polypath mug.slavior (to (en)slave + suffix ior, like in savior) Ð the prince of this world, the one who imitates the Savior and promises to save people but makes them slaves.
Outwardly the distinction between Savior and Slavior may be as subtle as one letter difference in their names.
For many old-believers, the Slavior is already here, in our very midst, and they refuse to serve this self-appointed sovereign.
For many old-believers, the Slavior is already here, in our very midst, and they refuse to serve this self-appointed sovereign.
by Mikhail Epstein November 2, 2003
Get the slavior mug.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 7, 2003
Get the thanatagog mug.a person who enjoys meetings and all sorts of administrative events and tries to attend as many of them as possible.
Being socially active is one thing, meeting for the sake of meeting is another. I try to stay away from meetniks for whom getting together is an end in itself. Meeting without meaning is worse than meaning without meeting.
by Mikhail Epstein October 2, 2003
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