About Us

Diogenes of Sinope was a Greek philosopher who liked to wander the streets of Athens in broad daylight with a lit lantern. When people asked what he was doing, he would hold the lantern up to their faces and respond, "I am looking for a true man!"

At The Lantern Society, we believe that history and the humanities are like Diogenes' lantern: they reveal man's inner nature. We believe that one of the finest things in life is a well-ordered mind: one that understands God, one that understands itself, and one that delights in its particular place in the universe.

We exist to promote love of history and the humanities and we pursue this mission through two projects: Story of the Day, which features 365 tales drawn from Greek, Roman, and Medieval sources—myths, legends, and historical episodes retold for modern families and Bookscape, which combines Google Maps with Goodreads to help users find cultural schelling points. Both projects aim to transmit the high aspirations of past civilizations to modern readers.

Support Our Work

The Lantern Society is a nonprofit organization (fiscal sponsorship pending). All donations go directly towards building Bookscape and Story of the Day. They are currently being matched dollar-for-dollar by a generous supporter, doubling their impact. Please email us or use this link to donate.