Philosophical Center | Burning Man Journal

A Guide to Gifting, Givers and Gratitude: A Treatise from the Philosophical Center

June 21, 2019 By Larry Harvey

Publisher’s Note: This essay was written over a year ago, but due to Larry Harvey’s untimely death it was not released at the time. We are grateful to share it ...Read More

The Theme

Human Nature Is a Symphony, Technology Is Changing the Instruments

May 22, 2018 By Caveat Magister

Vanderbilt Professor of History Michael Bess is the author of Our Grandchildren Redesigned: Life in the Bioengineered Society of the ...Read More

Shenanigans, The Theme

BRC to Be Site of Groundbreaking Study to Determine if DJs Are Sentient

May 15, 2018 By Caveat Magister

WASHINGTON DC, May 15 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For decades scientists have debated whether DJs display signs of intelligence. This ...Read More

Global Art, Shenanigans, The Ten Principles

How Hard Is It to Be a Participant at the Smithsonian’s “No Spectators” Exhibit?

May 8, 2018 By Caveat Magister

The Mission Right now the Smithsonian is holding a major exhibit of “Burning Man art” called No Spectators. Everyone is ...Read More

The Ten Principles

Radical Inclusion: Coachella & Special Needs

April 17, 2018 By John "Halcyon" Styn

I attended the 1st Coachella Music Festival in 1999. (One year after my 1st Burn.) But I wonder, "would I ...Read More

The Theme

Paradox Is at the Heart of Human Nature

April 16, 2018 By Caveat Magister

In his previous work, leading Existential Psychologist Kirk Schneider has put the experience of "awe" at the center of human ...Read More

Shenanigans, The Theme

Burning Man 2018 to Institute CAPTCHA Protocol at Gate

April 3, 2018 By Caveat Magister

San Francisco, April 4 - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Fearing that too many ticket holders are in fact spambots, Burning Man ...Read More

The Theme

The Inscrutable Oneness of Being: Using Machine Learning on Burning Man

March 29, 2018 By Mia Quagliarello

Have you ever “found yourself” at Burning Man? It’s a cliché, but it’s something people say, right? I wouldn’t personally ...Read More

The Theme

How Cyborgs Replace “Stories” With “Code,” And What Happens Next

March 19, 2018 By Caveat Magister

On January 6, the California State Teachers’ Retirement System sent a letter to Apple executives urging greater study into the ...Read More

The Theme

Artificial Intelligence Is Just a Story, and We Can Tell a Better One

March 9, 2018 By Caveat Magister

Amazon has recently confirmed reports that its home operating system "Alexa," has been spontaneously laughing for no apparent reason, occasionally ...Read More