Media Kit

Short Bio

James Luceno is a philosopher, writer, and creator based in Seattle. His work explores truth, wisdom, and what it means to live in honest contact with reality through essays, videos, and public conversation. He is the founder of the Seattle Applied Wisdom Lab and creator of Lapis Mercurii.

Longer Bio

James Luceno is a philosopher, writer, and creator whose work explores the relationship between truth, wisdom, and human life. Through essays, videos, public dialogue, and community-building, he investigates how our contact with reality is shaped—and sometimes distorted—by culture, institutions, ideology, and habit.

He studied philosophy at Rutgers University before earning an M.A. in Philosophy from The New School for Social Research. Based in Seattle, he is the founder of the Seattle Applied Wisdom Lab, a community dedicated to exploring philosophy as a way of life through conversation, practice, and intellectual friendship.

James is the creator of Lapis Mercurii, an umbrella for his ongoing work in philosophy and culture. His writing and videos range from classical philosophy and the psychology of belief to high-control group dynamics, meaning, creativity, and the conditions that make genuine discovery possible. Rather than defending a fixed system of thought, his work follows questions wherever they lead—even when the answers challenge comfortable assumptions.

His intellectual influences include Aristotle, Immanuel Kant, G.W.F. Hegel, Martin Heidegger, Alasdair MacIntyre, John Vervaeke, and Peter Kingsley. Across all of his work runs a common thread: a commitment to truthful contact with reality and a fascination with those moments when long-held assumptions give way to genuine discovery.