Research Clusters

 

 

Research Cluster 1 studies the deep history of mystery extending back to the ancient mystery cults and their dissemination in Mediterranean culture and early modern Europe. This is a cluster for thinking mystery, ritual, secrecy, mysticism, and the occult sciences, including astrology and alchemy.

 

 

 

 

Research Cluster 2 studies the contributions of the theoretical sciences, the social sciences, medical fields, physics, and the humanities to understanding the relationship of mystery to curiosity, doubt, pleasure, creativity, and the construction of knowledge. This is a cluster for thinking mystery, cognitive science, quantum physics, astrophysics, biomedicine, neuroplasticity, neuroaesthetics, occulture, and literary genre

 

 

 

Research Cluster 3 studies how mystery relates to the growth of bounded communities, including secret societies, archives and museums, scholarly disciplines, professionalized agents of secrecy-maintenance, cybersecurity systems, privacy, information classification, and more. Why do mystery and secrecy sell? Why are governments invested in them? How do secret societies arise? What mysteries does cyberscience face in the work of keeping us safe? Why do mystery novels, detective fiction, and unsolved crime narratives dominate the media?