Arcane Book Club

This episode focuses on Toki Pona: The Language of Good by Sonja Lang, a book detailing a constructed language with a very small amount of words. We go over its philosophy as well as its reception in the 25 years since the language was invented, as well as a discussion about the importance of a good translation. Additional reading: if you found this book interesting, you might also be interested i...

In this episode we read the 11th century grimoire known as the Picatrix or Ghayat-al-Hakim, a manual on how to create astrological talismans. In the process, we. talk about the philosophy and worldview this book has to share, as well as the flaws of a bad translator and the "Alchemy of the Soul".

This week we talk about the Chivalric Tale known as The Song of Roland, featuring Charlemagne, the first Crusade, a potential Iliad reference, and a long-lasting Medieval misunderstanding of Islam.

A discussion on Al-Khwarizmi's Al-Jabr, a foundational text about algebra written in the 800s, as well as a bit about our background and why we want to make this podcast.