You definitely know the owner of this picture; she is Margaret Thatcher. Thatcher is known among capitalists as the Iron Lady, but the workers of England and Irish freedom fighters have given her the nickname Attila and the Vampire Lady. Perhaps it is because of this dual image that when Peter Thompson, a professor at […]...

From the earliest stages of forming human societies, two distinct classes have emerged, which in the simplest division are divided into two groups: “rulers” and “subjects”. In fact, it is the behavior, division of duties, and relationships of these two groups that introduces the concept of a political society. If we define the political society […]...

Facebook regularly abuses the privacy of its users. Google no longer supports its popular RSS feeds. Apple has banned all iPhone apps that are political or sexual in nature. Microsoft may collaborate with some governments to spy on Skype calls, but we do not know which governments. Recently, both Twitter and LinkedIn have experienced security […]...

In the Islamic system ruling over Iran, more emphasis is placed on not corrupting the people rather than understanding them. This characteristic is derived from the clergy who have always considered themselves as “knowledgeable” and others as “ignorant” throughout history. The clergy of present-day Iran have no new words for those who understand and for […]...

“In the name of God” You know that the University of Tehran was established in 1313 (during the time of Reza Shah) and immediately after students and professors entered through one door, politics also came to the university through another door. Some professors and students raised political issues such as freedom and tyranny in universities. […]...

One of the characteristics of humans is the ability to think abstractly and use symbolism. Humans encode and mark their thoughts into a framework of verbal, visual, and auditory symbols and use these symbols and signs to convey their intended concepts. A “symbol” or “icon” within the framework of an object or image, and sometimes […]...

In recent years, research has shown that the Chinese government is trying to have complete control over society through big data collected from the internet. This authoritarian government uses this control to maintain its existing dictatorship in all aspects of citizens’ lives. The purpose of this control is not just suppression; rather, big data informs […]...

Photos, especially those taken during historical events, are one of the best storytellers in their silence. From February 1, 1979, and the arrival of Ayatollah Khomeini in Iran, dozens, if not hundreds, of photos have been captured. The diversity and variety of the attendees, both politically and in terms of lifestyle, can be seen with […]...

“Censorship” is the nightmare of every artist, writer, and thinker. This nightmare is present in the realm of “literature” and is a subject of conflict between Iranian writers and it, which is the topic of this writing. In our country, censorship, deletion, and distortion of the works of artists and intellectuals have been systematically and […]...

Travel and generally moving from one place to another has been a part of human behavior since ancient times, and it can be said that the right to freedom of movement is considered one of the natural, primary, and fundamental rights of human beings. Although with the formation of nation-states within the framework of modern […]...

Does emerging technology strengthen individual freedoms or make authoritarian governments more capable of controlling and monitoring citizens? In response to this issue, there has always been a simple analytical framework: on one hand, information technology, with the emergence of the internet and later social networks, facilitates and accelerates the free flow of information and increases […]...

The real world is not like a movie or a novel. In the real world, there are no spies with small devices taking pictures from behind tall walls, and no “big brother” watching inside our homes, lest someone have secret notes. At least our imagination is that we have not yet reached that point. But […]...