Mahon McCann

This easter Saturday I will be baptised as a Catholic in Dublin! This baptism is really the fruition of a spiritual journey which has taken my whole thirty years of life thus far, but in this talk I tried to condense that journey into a testimony to share some of the main points along the way.

Essentially, all the work on this Substack and the Youtube has been leading up to this decision: Charting the failure of the mechanistic philosophy, the resulting meaning crisis, and the variety of jigs and reels which vie as a replacement worldview to re-home people in the liminal web and beyond. I did for awhile buy into the idea we were going to make ‘something new’, a “religion that is not a religion”. But when I finally understood Christianity and particularly it’s neoplatonic underpinnings, this project seemed entirely unnecessary and to be honest, foolish. Hopefully this talk might be of some use to you on your own spiritual quest, or offer hope for those who worry about the declining fortunes of Christianity and Catholicism (although these seem to be reversing).

Unfortunately because the talk was only five minutes, I couldn’t really get into the philosophical nitty gritty of my decision and the rational behind the move. However, over the next few months, and throughout the Plato’s Republic course, I will share a few essays explaining the logic behind my conversion and the many, MANY, blocks which I had to overcome to become a Catholic (and coming from an extreme atheism since birth, I probably had a lot more blocks than most of you!)

I’m not advocating a nostalgic return to a perceived christian empire, but rather a taking up of the cross, the profound transformation that is offered by christ, and that this transformation is the way of out of the meaning crisis (or the second fall as the Pageau brothers refer to it). Albeit like me, we all need a lot of explaining and practising and understanding to see how the ancients saw and get over the blocks of the modern mind to re-enter christendom, which I think is the main point of my online platform now - straddling the gap between modernity and christendom with some help from the Greeks.

In entering the church and Catholicism, my personal motto is St Augustine’s Maxim of “faith seeking understanding”. I need enough faith in the tradition to offer the time, attention and sacrifices to learn and transform enough to get the understanding. It’s a bit like going to the gym, you don’t get results immediately but if you have faith in the plan and process then the results will follow. But in my limited experience so far, if you look honestly and humbly, the treasures are there to be found:

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8)

Talk Transcript:

“Good morning, my name is Mahon and today I’m going to give you my story. By all rights I shouldn’t be here. I was born as an atheist, was never baptised or made communion or anything. I was a particularly vicious atheist and delighted in telling my friends that “God isn’t real” and that religion is all made up nonsense. As a teenager I listened to the new atheists like Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens and parroted their arguments to anyone who would listen. One time in particular I remember sitting very smugly in religion class in school when the Gideons came with bibles and I was the only one in the class who refused to take one, even though they were free. I was an evangelist for atheism and yet here I am, at the age of thirty, becoming a Catholic? What happened?

I was pretty happy in my assumed atheism probably until college. Where I met Friedrich Nietzsche, the German philosopher who famously proclaimed that “God is dead”. Nietzsche worried about the problem of nihilism after the death of God, that life would become meaningless and morality impossible because all would be permitted. Certainly in college my life took on that shape, drinking every weekend to escape the despair and alienation. Nietszche’s solution to the death of god was to become the “ubermensch”, the person who was capable of creating their own values and laws. And I tried that briefly, but quickly ended up totally destroyed from binge-drinking and some life-threatening hangovers. I learned you can proclaim to be a Moral relativist but you can’t ignore the consequences of your actions forever. So Nietszche’s solution didn’t work out for me.

Modern philosophy had seemed to only make my problems worse so after college I turned to modern psychology in the hopes of something better, particularly the work of Swiss Psychologist Carl Jung. And Jung had a story about what happened in the west after the so-called death of God, that the scientific revolution had split the world in two, and that this split manifested in the minds of western people like me and you. That we had all become scientifically minded in a way but still acted out morality and rituals which we could no longer justify or understand. We had fallen into a profound cognitive dissonance in the west, and I could feel that in my own struggling journey - unable to believe in God, but not doing so well without him either?

It was one insight of Jung in particular that destroyed my lingering atheism for good. He described the Greek Polytheistic Gods as personification of emotions that could possess our minds. For example, Ares, the God of war, was a personification of anger, a powerful evolved sub-personality that could become activated and drive you to do terrible things if you weren’t careful. For some reason, it was like a key turning in a lock and suddenly I could see the meaning of these stories and myths clearly, I could translate them into things which I could understand and which I knew were real and which addressed problems which I was struggling with today. I wondered, if I could understand polytheism in this way, then what about Monotheism? And that one monotheism in particular, I’d say such terrible things about…

I like to think if I have one virtue it’s the ability to admit when I’m wrong and the more I studied monotheism, the more I realised I was really wrong. The way I was taught, it was that a big guy with a beard lived in the sky and gave out if you didn’t eat your dinner - a kind of adult santa claus. But the more I studied monotheism through the Greeks in Plato, the Hebrews in the old testament and finally, begrudgingly, the church fathers like Saint Augustine and Aquinas, the more I became convinced this was the greatest philosophy humanity had ever come up with. Ironically, the philosophy of life which I was searching for was in the last place I wanted to look, the Christian tradition…the thought dawned on me, “oh no, maybe I was becoming a Christian…”

But I still wasn’t willing to convert, even though I could intellectually justify monotheism now, there was still more to Christianity, like the church and the tradition and of course, Christ himself? How could I reconcile myself to Christ after all the terrible things I said about him? During the time when I was trying to avoid these thoughts, a certain global pandemic came along which didn’t leave room to avoid things anymore. I’ve heard of our confinement in covid described as being trapped in the “involuntary monastery”, and for me that was quite literal. I quit drinking and it felt like a kind of death, a loss of my old self and a clearing away for something new. For the first time, I started to read the bible, which I’d rejected all those years ago, and finally started to connect to the characters like Moses and Job and Christ himself. I could finally feel these stories weren’t something foreign but relatable. In some way, they were my own story.

After covid myself and my fiance decided to do the Camino De Santiago, the full 800 km from France to the edge of Spain. Me because I was wrestling with this Christian spiritual journey and for her because she really likes walking. I guess in some ways on that journey I first starting to pretend to be a christian, listening to the New Testament, going to mass and blessings but finally being moved by Christianity and christians, that resistance I had, that critical atheistic voice, just got quieter and quieter until it was gone, and all that was left was joy and peace - I could feel love again, a love like I’d never known existed. A love that came like a friendly extended hand from the sky, one which I definitely didn’t deserve, but which came anyway. It was the first time I ever experienced the Grace of God.

As we walked I imagined Christ in front of us, moving between the trees, and I’d catch glimpses of him. I think I wanted to see him face to face always, that’s the atheist dream, to look god in the eye before saying ‘alright I’ll sign the contract!’ But recently I read St Gregory of Nyessa’s book The Life of Moses, and he talks about Moses in Exodus 33:18 when he wants to see God’s face but God will only allow him to see his back. St Gregory said the reason we see God’s back and not his face is because we are meant to follow him. So I decided that I would follow him and he brought me here, to become a Catholic, and to tell people my story, to help them return home, like he did for me.”

In this conversation, Mahon McCann and Matthew David Segall (@footnotes2Plato) explore the ongoing metaphysical revolution in science, particularly in physics and biology. They discuss the evolving understanding of causality, the philosophical implications of Kant and Plato's ideas, and the significance of the good as a foundational principle for knowledge. The dialogue culminates in a discussion on truth as participation, emphasizing the interconnectedness of human understanding and the universe

Full video 👇

Chapters

00:00 The Metaphysical Revolution in Science

06:29 The Role of Causality in Biology

12:23 Kant vs. Plato: Epistemology and Reality

19:48 The Nature of Formal Causality

26:03 The Good as the Foundation of Knowledge

32:22 Truth as Participation in Reality

36:12 The Nature of Truth as an Event

39:06 Truth and Participation: A Transformative Journey

40:30 The Virtue of the Knower in Truth Seeking

44:06 Microcosm and Macrocosm: Understanding Our Place in the Universe

50:44 Causality: Efficient vs. Final Causes in Philosophy

01:06:34 Co-Creating Truth: Trust and Transformation

Want to support the Wisdom Dojo? Consider sharing this post or becoming a Patron 👇

Best,

Mahon.

In this third instalment of the series on Plato's Republic, we will be diving into Book 2 of The Republic!

The lecture explores the foundational questions posed by Glaucon and Adeimantus about the nature of justice and its value compared to injustice, Glaucon's myth of 'the ring of Gyges' and its implications on human behaviour are discussed, along with the comparison to Tolkien's narrative in 'The Lord of the Rings'. The video also examines the formation of the ideal city, Kallipolis, as an analogy for justice and the psyche. It concludes with insights into the educational program for the guardian class and Plato's critique of poets like Homer.

Watch the video below for a deep dive into one of philosophy's most enduring texts 👇

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction and Course Overview

00:25 Main Themes of Book Two

01:12 Glaucon's Challenge and the Nature of Goods

03:10 The Ring of Gyges and Ethical Relativism

10:34 The Ideal City and the Role of Guardians

19:06 Education and the Role of Stories

23:34 Conclusion and Next Steps

Introduction episode:

Book One:

This might be my favourite podcast of all time, no messing around!

Dc Schindler has returned for the third time and we are discussing Plato’s critique of the images in the Republic and particularly how this applies to the internet and modern digital culture? Daring to ask the question, has the internet literally put us in Plato’s Cave?

We discuss the nature of truth and manipulation in world ever increasingly dominated by images, being trapped inside a scientistic tyranny, and how we can escape the cave and return to standing on solid ground with the Platonic conception of reality as “the good”.

A lot of the discussion is based on DC’s brilliant book “Plato’s Critique of Impure Reason” (which I highly recommend)

Check out the full video conversation (ironically in moving images…) 👇

Chapters

00:00 Plato's Critique of Images

11:21 The Digital Cave and Modern Society

18:08 Manipulation and the Search for Truth

27:30 Ego-Centrism to Good-Centrism

33:18 The Nature of Transcendence and Imminence

35:02 Navigating the Cave: Plato's Allegory and Virtue Ethics

37:49 The Pursuit of Virtues: Grace and Ideal Excellences

41:50 Understanding Forms: The Reality Beyond Physical Objects

46:42 The Role of Images: Idols vs. Icons in Perception

51:53 The Challenge of Digital Reality: Navigating the Internet's Influence

01:01:30 Finding Footholds: The Search for Meaning in a Digital Age

Want to support the mission of the Wisdom Dojo to provide free philosophical education at the end of the meaning crisis? Consider becoming a patron below 👇

Best,

Mahon.

Dr Peter Larsen is a lecturer in Philosophy at Dublin City University, specialising in ancient philosophy and particularly the cognitive psychology of Plato and Aristotle.

In this conversation, we discusses Plato's Timaeus, exploring its themes of cosmology, the nature of the cosmos, and the relationship between natural science and ethics. We emphasizes the importance of understanding both divine and necessary causes, the role of the forms, and the overarching concept of the good in Plato's philosophy. We delve into the intersections of philosophy, science, and causation, exploring the contemplative tradition, the limitations of physicalism, and the role of teleology in understanding reality. They discuss the aims of science, the insights of Plato and Berkeley, and the implications of causation on free will and determinism, ultimately questioning the completeness of scientific explanations in light of philosophical inquiries.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Plato and the Timaeus

06:11 Exploring the Nature of the Cosmos

12:53 Divine and Necessary Causes in Natural Science

20:11 The Forms and Their Relation to Physical Reality

30:34 The Good and Its Role in Understanding Reality

35:36 Exploring the Contemplative Tradition

36:22 The Aim of Science: Beyond Physicalism

39:43 The Limits of Physicalist Natural Science

41:49 The Role of Regularities in Understanding Reality

42:19 Berkeley's Insights on Causation

45:10 Causal Hierarchies and the Divided Line

48:29 Constraints and Causality in Science

50:11 Teleology and Causation: A Philosophical Inquiry

53:11 Revisiting Plato's Causation in Modern Contexts

57:41 Understanding Causation: Necessary vs. Divine

01:01:30 The Debate on Determinism and Free Will

Want to support the mission of the Wisdom Dojo to provide philosophical training for the digital age? Then consider sharing this post or becoming a supporter below 👇

Best,

Mahon.

In this episode, we delve into Book 1 of Plato's Republic. The focus is on understanding what justice is not, through detailed analyses of dialogues and key themes. From Socrates' descent to the Piraeus symbolizing a philosophical journey into the world of appearances, we examine the contrasting definitions of justice provided by Cephalus, Polemarchus, and Thrasymachus. The philosophical tension between power, wisdom, and the ultimate purpose of justice is explored, setting the stage for a deeper inquiry in Book 2.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Plato's Republic

00:04 Structure of the First Dialogue

00:14 Socrates' Descent to the Piraeus

01:55 Encounter with Polemarchus

06:45 Part Three: Polemarchus' Definition of Justice

07:49 Socrates' Counterarguments

10:10 Part Four: Thrasymachus Enters the Scene

11:05 Thrasymachus' Definition of Justice

13:41 Socrates vs. Thrasymachus

18:15 The Conclusion of Book One

Want to support the mission of the Wisdom Dojo to provide philosophical training for the digital age? Then consider sharing this post or becoming a supporter below 👇

Best,

Mahon.

Donald is a Scottish-born cognitive-behavioral psychotherapist and author, known for his work in integrating modern cognitive-behavioral therapy with Ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, particularly Stoicism. He is the CEO and founder of the Plato’s Academy Center in Athens and the author of several best-selling books such as “How to Think Like a Roman Emperor” and “Stoicism and the Art of Happiness”.

His latest book “How To Think Like Socrates” is the best book I’ve ever read on Socrates! It’s a delightful blend of biography, novel, philosophy and psychology and as Donald said, it’s the book he wishes he had about Socrates growing up and I’m very glad that he has written it. Highly recommend picking up a copy if you are interested in philosophy, history, psychology or just fancy a good read:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Think-Like-Socrates-Philosophy/dp/1250280508

In this conversation, we discuss the relevance of Socratic philosophy in today's world, particularly in the context of modern democracy and social media. Donald emphasises the importance of the Socratic method as a form of dialogue that serves as a therapeutic tool for self-knowledge and understanding biases. The dialogue emphasizes the importance of cognitive flexibility, the dangers of rigid thinking, and the need for a nuanced approach to self-help advice, ultimately advocating for a Socratic approach to learning and understanding.

Watch the full conversation 👇

https://youtu.be/DztbWigcO-U

Chapters:

00:00 Socratic Inspirations: A Journey Through Philosophy

10:20 The Socratic Method: Dialogue as Therapy

20:44 Socrates and the Athenian Democracy: A Timeless Relevance

30:14 Social Media and the Modern Sophists: A New Age of Rhetoric

41:50 The Impact of Social Media on Perception

43:25 The Importance of Critical Thinking

45:50 Socratic Method and Its Relevance Today

48:09 Socrates: A Model of Courage and Wisdom

50:57 Reinterpreting Socratic Dialogues for Modern Readers

54:31 The Role of Self-Help Literature in Personal Development

57:50 Cognitive Flexibility and Its Importance

01:01:10 The Dangers of Rigid Thinking

01:03:45 Navigating Self-Help Advice Wisely

01:08:01 The Socratic Approach to Learning and Understanding

Want to support the mission of the Wisdom Dojo to provide philosophical training for the digital age? Then consider sharing this post or becoming a supporter below 👇

https://www.mahonmccann.com/subscribe?gift=true

The first lecture of the Plato's Republic course.

This will be the first of eleven lectures, the following lectures tracking each of the ten books of the Republic 🏛️

This lecture is an introduction to Plato and his Republic through the lens of John Vervaeke’s concept of a Meaning Crisis.

Expect to learn about:

👉 Plato's context: the Peloponnesian war, natural philosophers and the Sophists.

👉 The Meaning Crisis from @johnvervaeke and how the fall of golden age Athens is similar to the modern age

👉 Why the meaning crisis fuels existential issues, the mental health crisis and the rise of pseudo-religious ideologies

👉 How Socrates, Plato and Aristotle offer a solution to the meaning crisis through the pursuit of wisdom and rationality

This lecture and lecture series draws will draw on important secondary works on Plato such as "Plato's Critique of Impure Reason" by DC Schindler, The Awakening From the Meaning Crisis series by John Verveake and Michael Sugrues's YouTube lectures on Plato.

If you’re picking up a copy of the Republic recommend getting the G.M.A Grube edition (edited by CDC Reeves) or the Allan Bloom translation

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Plato's Republic

00:46 The Historical Context of Plato's Republic

02:31 The Rise of the Sophists

03:55 The Meaning Crisis in Ancient Athens

04:29 The Modern Meaning Crisis

08:53 The Greek Solution: Socrates and Plato

09:43 Socrates' Life and Philosophy

15:11 Plato's Life and Legacy

16:32 Interpreting Plato's Dialogues

19:24 Conclusion and Next Steps

The next lecture will be available towards the end of February. If you want to support the provision of free philosophical education and transformation, consider becoming a supporter, sharing the dojo with a friend or leaving a comment👇

Brandon Griggs is the author of the Tech For Life Substack (check it out here https://www.techforlife.com/) exploring the central question: How do we get good at godlike technology?

In this podcast, we delve into the multifaceted relationship between technology and society, exploring the ethical implications of digital advancements, the challenges faced by digital natives, and the necessity for a universal ethical framework. The conversation emphasizes the need for a deeper understanding of the digital landscape and the role of community in shaping ethical norms.

Chapters:

00:00 Exploring Technology's Impact on Humanity

06:42 The Accidental Nature of Technology

12:43 Navigating Between Digital and Non-Digital Worlds

18:43 The Challenge of Emotional Literacy in a Digital Age

24:21 Active Inference and Digital Behavior

30:23 The Future of Ethical Education in a Digital World

40:18 Contextual Understanding in Digital Spaces

45:38 Business Incentives and Algorithm Control

52:10 Trial and Error in Digital Infrastructure

57:40 Planetary Scale Computation and Governance

01:03:54 Ethics and Technology in a Complex World

Want to support the Substack? You can become a paid subscriber below 👇

https://www.mahonmccann.com/subscribe?gift=true

Best,

Mahon.

Ben graduated from the University of Edinburgh’s flagship Mind, Language, and Embodied Cognition MSc. He is a Leverhulme-funded PhD candidate at the University of Sussex under Andy Clark's mentorship, where his research focuses on neuroscience and digital technology.

Read Ben's research here

Summary

In this conversation, we explore the concept of the meaning crisis, its implications for human agency, and the role of technology in shaping our understanding of meaning. We also discuss how active inference provides a framework for understanding the relationship between individuals and their environments, particularly in the context of education and technology. The conversation delves into the challenges posed by social media and addiction, emphasizing the need for a more nuanced approach to technology that fosters genuine meaning and well-being.

Timestamps:

00:00 Exploring the Meaning Crisis

09:23 Defining Meaning and Its Dimensions

17:57 The Role of Technology in Meaning

29:41 Education, Agency, and Active Inference

41:04 Adaptive Technology and Its Implications

52:26 Addiction, Agency, and Meaning

01:03:10 The Future of Technology and Meaning

Some key takeaways

* The meaning crisis is a developmental crisis that affects our ability to find meaning in life.

* Active inference offers a framework for understanding how agents interact with our environments.

* Technology can both scaffold and diminish our sense of agency.

* Education systems need to cultivate character traits that support meaningful living.

* Addiction often arises from a lack of meaning, leading to short-term pleasure-seeking behaviors.

* Gamification in technology can lead to a loss of genuine engagement and meaning.

* Design strategies for technology should prioritize sincerity and transparency.

* The relationship between agency and technology is complex and requires careful consideration.

* Meaning can be found in both virtual and physical environments, but the nature of that meaning may differ.