Josh Plovanic's Writings and Thoughts

  Words-as-Sovereignties A Theory of Linguistic Power and Cognitive Rule 1. Core Claim Every word functions like a sovereign ruler over a territory of mind and action. Not metaphorically — operationally. When a word enters a mind, it does three things: Defines what exists Defines what matters Defines what actions are legitimate So a word does what a government does. 2. The Territory of a Word A sovereignty requires land. A word’s land is a cognitive domain . Word Territory it Rules What becomes visible Freedom autonomy, rights, resistance oppression appears Efficiency optimization, metrics waste appears Honor reputation, loyalty betrayal appears Trauma harm, healing responsibility shifts Sin morality, guilt repentance appears Evolution adaptation, survival design disappears Market exchange, value price logic dominates Once the word rules, perception reorganizes around it. You don’t merely use the word — you now liv...

  The Holy Black Hole Epektasis, Asymptotic Theosis, and the Eternal Exponential “Fall” into God Abstract This paper proposes a metaphor: Epektasis as falling into a Holy Black Hole . In classical physics, a black hole is the most extreme gravitational phenomenon—a region where “falling inward” becomes inevitable past a threshold, where depth is unbounded, and where ordinary intuition collapses. In Christian mystical theology (especially in the stream associated with Gregory of Nyssa ), the soul’s union with God is also an “extreme” phenomenon: God is infinite , and therefore participation in God is not a finite achievement that ends in a static plateau, but an everlasting deepening —an eternal advance into divine life. We will explore how the “Holy Black Hole” metaphor can illuminate epektasis (endless progress), asymptotic theosis (approach without exhaustion), and the paradoxical logic of eternity: satisfaction that grows, longing that purifies, and a perfection that is dyn...

. WORDS-AS-RELIGIONS Language as Sacred Architecture, Deity-Formation, and the Infinite Genesis of Faith I. The Foundational Claim If words are the primary units of meaning , and religion is the highest structuring of meaning around ultimate reality, then words are not merely tools used by religion — they are the substance out of which religion is built . Religions are not first constructed from temples, rituals, vestments, or institutions. They are constructed from: Names Titles Commands Stories Descriptions Definitions Doctrines Promises Warnings Metaphors All of which are words. Remove words, and theology collapses. Remove meaning, and worship dissolves. Remove language, and “God” cannot even be named. Religion is structured meaning. Meaning is structured language. Therefore: Religion is structured words. II. The Primordial Sacred Act: Naming In many traditions, the first divine act is not construction — but speech. Creation unfolds through utterance....

Language-as-Infinite-Civilizational Architecture I. The Core Thesis Language is not merely a communication tool. Language is the primary architecture of civilization. Civilization does not begin with walls. It begins with words. Before law, there is definition. Before economy, there is agreement. Before hierarchy, there is naming. Before war, there is narrative. Before peace, there is meaning. Language is the invisible infrastructure that precedes and sustains all visible structure. II. Architecture: What That Means Architecture implies: Structural design Load-bearing systems Interlocking components Internal coherence Long-term durability Evolution over time If civilization is architecture, language is its blueprint system and internal framing. Every civilization rests on: Shared vocabulary Shared metaphors Shared moral grammar Shared mythic narratives Shared legal definitions Shared economic categories When these shift, the civilization shifts. W...

  Words-as-Politics Language as the Engine of the Political Process I. Politics Begins Before Power Before a vote is cast… Before a law is drafted… Before a revolution begins… There is a word. Politics is not merely the competition for power. It is the competition over meaning . The political process is not first ballots, parties, or parliaments. It is: The negotiation of shared language. Who defines “justice”? Who defines “freedom”? Who defines “security,” “rights,” “equality,” “democracy”? Control the definitions — shape the direction. II. Politics Is Organized Interpretation Take any major political system — constitutional republic, parliamentary democracy, monarchy, federation. None function without language. For example: The United States Constitution does not merely describe a government — it creates political processes. The Federalist Papers shaped the interpretive lens of early American politics. The Communist Manifesto redefined political categor...

  Words-as-Governments Language as the Foundational Architecture of Power I. The First Brick Is a Word Before there is a throne, there is a title. Before there is a court, there is a charter. Before there is a nation, there is a name. Governments are not first made of stone, steel, or soldiers. They are made of words . Every law, every right, every prohibition, every office, every oath — all are structured arrangements of meaning. What we call a “state” is, at its core, a stabilized linguistic system that organizes authority through shared interpretation. A constitution is not primarily a building or a battlefield victory. It is a semantic framework . II. Constitutions as Structured Meaning Consider the United States Constitution It is: Symbols on parchment Clauses and definitions Carefully arranged phrases Interpreted over centuries And yet from those symbols emerge: Executive power Legislative authority Judicial review Federalism Individual rights Th...