What efforts are currently being made to preserve human knowledge and culture (great literature, scientific theory, et cetera) for far-future generations, or in the event of a worldwide catastrophe? [more inside]
posted by fermion on Oct 1, 2006 - 9 answers

If humans communicate via symbols and can only understand something (i.e., give it some semiotic 'identity') by way of comparison to already-familiar things, how do we begin at all? [more inside]
posted by Yeomans on Mar 28, 2006 - 18 answers