One night the staff of Anthros sat around a table drinking coffee, examining submissions. One set of poems stirred an argument amongst the art editor, spackle, and the fiction editor, Johnny. Johnny felt the poems were too intellectually mastubatory and unappealing to read. Spackle felt that Johnny was being dismissive, that the poems had content if one only examined them closely. Ultimately the problem was that each had a different vision of what Anthros is. But their opinions led to the two of them having to step outside to settle their differences (not to fight but spackle left so as to keep his temper, with Johnny chasing after him and to reach some accord).

One will go through amazing lengths to convince someone else of the truth of one's vision. Most wars are based on trying to convince someone that one's truth is The Truth, be it religion, economic systems, racial supremacy, or one of many concepts that people hold dearly. But as the above anecdote suggests most of the conflict is on the personal level - everyone has a different personal vision of reality. There are six billion different concepts of reality crawling around this planet. And individual versions are inconstant, changing with time. How many times has your concept of reality or truth changed over your life? How many times has it happened without you even noticing or acknowledging?

On the other hand there are many things that people are united in. We at Anthros are unified in making this small amateur 'zine. Even though the fine people who work and write for Anthros are just as messed up, confused, and in conflict with each other as anyone else. So why are we united on this one concept of publishing Anthros?

We write, draw, and publish not so we can tell you the truth. It is not to sway you to our version of reality. Anthros is merely the end product of some people trying to become better people by analyzing themselves, those around them, and everything that effects them. What you read in here is, either textually or contextually, an effort by people to understand themselves, their friends, and the world around them.

For you, the reader, the hope is that we can offer something worth thinking about, because every effort to interpret an idea makes the interpreter stronger. Every time you decide whether to accept or spurn a new idea you are making a judgement that makes your truth or reality that much firmer, defined, and complex. And perhaps, if we somehow did something right, you will have found - through yourself - some sort of greater understanding.

Anthros Ex Machina is a tool of ideas, interpretation, conflict, and unity.