An introduction to PLUS ULTRA and the ideas that made it necessary.
This episode establishes the framework for the entire season. We explore why these five intellectual territories matter, how they intersect, and what connects them across centuries of Western thought.
This episode maps the five territories as distinct intellectual regions, each with its own methods, texts, and preoccupations. The map is not a hierarchy but a landscape—regions of equal importance that intersect at their borders.
Companion Essay
A full essay exploring these themes is available on the PLUS ULTRA Substack, including detailed historical context and extended philosophical arguments.
Reading List
The Emerald TabletAttributed to Hermes Trismegistus (translation and commentary)
The Critique of Pure ReasonImmanuel Kant — Introduction
Memories, Dreams, ReflectionsCarl Jung — Chapter 8, "Confrontation with the Unconscious"
The Dark Night of the SoulSt. John of the Cross — Prologue and Book One
Giordano Bruno and the Hermetic TraditionFrances Yates — Introduction