The central character Satan in John Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost has been interpreted as closely aligned with the complexities of the human faculty of reason. The link between Satan and rational cognition was demonstrated in Lucifer and Prometheus, by R.J. Zwi Werblowsky.

Lucifer (Satan’s pre-rebellion “dead name”) carries the meanings of morning star, brightness, and light-bringing. Prometheus was a demigod who stole fire from the gods, gave knowledge of its use to humans, and was then punished for it by Zeus. Thus, the two figures of Lucifer and Prometheus are conceptually linked through the ideas of light, enlightenment, knowledge, wisdom, and reason. And also, evil. Recall that Mary Shelley’s monster reads Paradise Lost in her famous novel, fully entitled Frankenstein: Or, the Modern Prometheus.

Now, for many decades we’ve a magazine stomping around that goes by the name of Reason. It hoists a “libertarian” banner, yet it has devolved into the libertarian equivalent of The Daily Wire. It lures libertarians with red meat rhetoric (free minds and free markets!) only to upsell them on the imperial agenda.

Reason has become downright Satanic in the evil sense, promoting the cruel sacrifice of our children on the state’s altar. As for knowledge and enlightenment, not so much. And its titular elevation of “reason” is delusional.