In this episode, Blaine and Anthony discuss a foundational ability, an ability on which the rest of the Mount Vigil work depends: seeing reality.

It’s never been easy to see reality well. But it’s especially difficult in our time: the fallout of postmodernism and critical theory, the rise of nihilism, the divisive strategies of social media giants, and the advent of post-human and transhuman ideologies have eroded our ability to hold on to a coherent story. We’re taught to doubt our experience. We’re gaslit by the knowledge brokers of our time.

Where to Connect
Mount Vigil has come to an end but you can still connect with Anthony and Blaine at their respective blogs:

• Anthony - Sun Tongue
• Blaine - The Paradise King

Notes

In the first part of this conversation, Blaine and Anthony argue that reality is fundamentally narrative, and that a person’s ability to see reality is linked to the clarity of the story they’re living.

In the second part of this conversation, Blaine and Anthony explore some of the obstacles that stand in the way of a strong sense of reality: an incomplete Gospel, everyday trauma, and technological opposition.

In the third part of this conversation, Blaine and Anthony argue that a true sense of reality is dependent on a vision of Jesus, and then explore tactics to recover a strong sense of reality: engaging the real world, living in the family of God, and leaning on three effective discernment strategies. Those are the testimony of the Bible, the consensus of the Church, and the revelation of the Holy Spirit.

Additional Notes

• The GPT-3 Algorithm
• The Social Dilemma
• The Age of Surveillance Capitalism
• The Google Brain Team
• The Center for Humane Technology
• MIT Tech Review regarding troll farms
• Designing For Behavior Change
• Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products
• The Race to the Bottom of the Brain Stem
• Reality Privilege
• Marc Andreessen’s work on the metaverse
• The Wim Hoff Breathing Method