In the beginning, all was darkness . . .

. . . then the brave rebel Prometheus brought technology to the primitives of Earth that Zeus had left for dead. Zeus had left these mortal people to die-off in darkness because he felt knowledge would only bring them misery. Along with new technologies, Prometheus stole fire from Zeus and delivered it to the mortals; this action sparked inventiveness, and an insatiable thirst for learning, but it also brought Zeus’ wrath.

For bringing mankind out of darkness and equipping mortals with the technologies needed for survival, Prometheus was made to pay dearly. As punishment for defying Zeus, Prometheus was chained to Mount Caucasus by Hepheistos where he lay for thirteen generations having his liver plucked out each and every night by Zeus’ eagle (his liver grew back anew each morning with the touch of Dawn because he was immortal).

For my project in Anthropology and Global Problem Solving, I will engage Valencia’s Prometheus Project. The aim of the Prometheus Project, as I understand it thus far, is to bring light into the lives of transient citizens, the “working poor” and the “underserved” by educating them in the humanities (philosophy, art, literature, etc.). More information on this project can be found at http://www.valenciacc.edu/clemente/.

This particular project sparked my interest because of the very nature of its name and the story surrounding it (as explained above). My questions in regard to the project stem from the myth it is named after: Is the statement attributed to Zeus correct, does knowledge bring misery to the masses? Is ignorance bliss? Are the educators to be made to suffer for their actions? It will be my aim to execute staunch objectivism in answering these questions; working to extract the essence of the project. While learning and working within the Prometheus Project, I will strive to augment anthropological principles that could serve to better the organization.

~Issac Stolzenbach