The Symbolism of Project Authentic's Logo
Logos are like flags in that their colors and images symbolize the causes or meanings they represent. Project Authentic’s logo is designed to integrate the three traditional archetype political philosophies since the French Revolution with the spiritual side of human nature. Here is a brief explanation of these philosophies based on my academic studies.
Red: In classical political science, red symbolizes revolutionary ideologies that challenge the traditional wisdom of their parent societies. Since the French Revolution, these ideologies have been linked to Marxism and other socialist variations, encompassing both traditional and post-modern progressivism. At their best, revolutionary ideologies encourage societies to adopt new thinking for the benefit of weaker and lower classes. However, at their extremes, revolutionaries’ moral righteousness can accelerate change beyond societal ability to adapt or seek to completely overthrow the current society, potentially leading to societal chaos or war.
Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger argues that revolutionary ideologies are built on intellectual assumptions rooted in Immanuel Kant’s belief that humans will ‘eventually reason it ways toward…. cosmopolitan system of general political security… a perfect civil [political] union.”[1] In other terms, that societies can be intellectual constructed to achieve an abstract notion to an ideal social order.
Blue: Blue represents traditional conservative and counter-revolutionary thought, including classical liberalism, libertarianism, and conservative populism. These ideologies focus on maintaining social order and preserving the ideals of individual societies. They aim to protect political and social institutions deemed essential for consistent societal growth, such as the freedoms and liberties established in liberal societies.
However, at their worst, conservative and counter-revolutionary ideologies may avoid addressing difficult economic or social issues in their quest to maintain peace and order. This overprotection of institutions can lead to the neglect of specific societal segments’ needs, potentially threatening the broader society. Such neglect may result in a drift toward political or social authoritarianism or fuel extremist revolutionary ideologies and movements that seek to transform society entirely.
Kissinger argued that conservative thinkers believe human nature and society are influenced by intangible and organic forces beyond rational thought. Societies are more than just social constructs; they are shaped by shared experiences, kinship, histories, individual personalities, instincts, and chance.[2]
Black: Black symbolizes anarchist ideologies, including Anti-fascist movements (Antifa)[3], the Invisible Committee,[4] and Michael Malice’s “The Anarchist Handbook.” Anarchists do not believe political or social institutions are legitimate authorities within human society. Malice describes anarchism as “the belief that the imposition of authority is illegitimate.”[5][6] Malice points out, “Anarchism has been both a vision of a peaceful, cooperative society—and an ideology of revolutionary terror.”… “the black flag comes in many colors.” [7] Anarchists inspired by revolutionary ideologies are influenced by utopian revolutionary ideas rooted in Marxism. An example is Antifa, whose origins trace back to German Communists during Weimar Germany. [8] Malice’s version of anarchism envisions a purer form of libertarian/conservative thought, which is less interested in revolutionary Marxism. [9]
White: White represents the spiritual and metaphysical canvas where political ideologies interact throughout history. Project Authentic believes in a force greater than human understanding. As my college astronomy professor once said, “Science can explain how the Big Bang occurred, but not why it occurred.”[10] As mathematician and philosopher David Berlinski remarked, even science requires a form of faith (trust). [11] Martin Luther King Jr. “A Tough Mind And A Tender Heart” sermon outlines this more precisely.[12] Historian Karen Armstrong argues in “Fields of Blood” that modern society often confuses religious creed with the notion of sacredness. Sacredness does not represent a specific religious creed; instead, it reflects humanity’s desire to connect with a transcendent, metaphysical force. Armstrong suggests that this human need to transcend the material world can even lead secularism to become another manifestation of human religion. [13]
[1] “The answer, Kant held, was a voluntary federation of republics pledged to non-hostility and transparent domestic and international conduct. Their citizens would cultivate peace because, unlike despotic rulers, when considering hostilities, they would be deliberating about “calling down on themselves all the miseries of war.” Over time the attractions of this compact would become apparent, opening the way toward its gradual expansion into a peaceful world order. lt was Nature’s purpose that humanity eventually reason its way toward “a system of united power, hence a cosmopolitan system of general political security” and “a perfect civil tmion of mankind.” Kissinger, Henry. World Order. Penguin Random House Books. 2014 (p. 40)
[2] “The Enlightenment philosophers ignored a key issue: Can governmental orders be invented from scratch by intelligent thinkers, or is the range of choice limited by underlying organic and cultural realities (the Burkean view)? Is there a single concept and mechanism logically uniting all things, in a way that can be discovered and explicated (as d’Alembert and Montesquieu argued), or is the world too complicated and humanity too diverse to approach these questions through logic alone, requiring a kind of intuition and an almost esoteric element of statecraft?” Kissinger, Henry. World Order. Penguin Random House Books. 2014 (p. 40-41)
[3] Mark Bray. Antifa: The Antifascist Handbook. Activist Citizens Library. (2017); Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Antifa (United States) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antifa_(United_States) Accessed 31 July 2025.; Seth G. Jones, “Who Are Antifa, and Are They a Threat?” Center for Strategic & International Studies.
https://www.csis.org/analysis/who-are-antifa-and-are-they-threat Accessed 31 July 2025.
[4] The Invisible Committee, “To Our Friends.” 31 March 2015. The Anarchist Library. https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/the-invisible-committe-to-our-friends Accessed 21 June 2025.
[5] Malice, Michael, & et al. “The Anarchist Handbook (2014) (p. 3). Kindle Edition.
[6] Malice states the deference between legalism and anarchism is…” …legalism, the belief that the law defined what it is to be moral. The other end was labeled antinomianism [anarchism], which was presented as the view that one’s conscience is the arbiter of morality and that laws are of no moral relevance.” Malice, Michael, & et al. “The Anarchist Handbook (2014) (p. 3). Kindle Edition.
[7] Malice, Michael, & et al. “The Anarchist Handbook (2014) (p. 5). Kindle Edition.
[8] Loren Balhorn, “The Lost History of Antifa.” Jacobin 2017 May 2017. https://jacobin.com/2017/05/antifascist-movements-hitler-nazis-kpd-spd-germany-cold-war
Accessed on 31 July 2025.
[9] Malice argues for a more positive version of Anarchism, that does not root in revolutionary violence to achieve their political ends. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58039014-the-anarchist-handbook Accessed on 24 June 2025.
[10] Recalled to the best of my memory.
[11] David Berlinski. The Devil’s Delusion: Atheism and its Scientific Pretensions. Basic Books (2009)
[12] “This has also led to a widespread belief that there is a conflict between science and religion. But this is not true. There may be a conflict between soft-minded religionists and tough-minded scientists, but not between science and religion. Their respective worlds are different and their methods are dissimilar. Science investigates; religion interprets. Science gives man knowledge that is power; religion gives man wisdom that is control. Science deals mainly with facts; religion deals mainly with values. The two are not rivals. They are complementary. Science keeps religion from sinking into the valley of crippling irrationalism and paralyzing obscurantism. Religion prevents science from falling into the marsh of obsolete materialism and moral nihilism.” Martin Luther King, Jr. A Tough Mind And A Tender Heart. (p.2) https://www.onthewing.org/user/King%20-%20Tough%20Mind%20and%20Tender%20Heart.pdf Accessed on 01 August 2025.
[13] Karen Armstrong. Fields of Blood: Religion and the History of Violence. (2015) (p.5-17) Penguin Random House.
The author is a former United States Government intelligence analyst for over a decade and worked for the National Republican Senatorial Committee for several years. The author holds a Bachelor of Arts in Government and Politics and a Master's in Public Policy, along with a Certificate in National Security from George Mason University. The author also received three certificates in Weapons of Mass Destruction from the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences and the Henry M. Jackson Foundation. The author contributed a chapter to the book "A Time of War, A Time of Peace: Latter-Day Saint Ethics of War and Diplomacy."