Riley & Lorenzo are joined by Regina Hurley to discuss ~metaphysics~. We’re doing this because we think Religion is good—but what about rational reasons to believe in God? Digressions include personal Eucharistic contents, religious affiliations of various animals, and more digs at the Missouri Synod Lutherans. 

Readings: 

Stanford Encyclopedia: Problem of Evil Section 1.1

Zizek’s Christian Atheism 

Wikipedia: Ontological Arguments

Bertrand Russell: Why I Am Not a Christian

Stanford Encyclopedia: Naturalism 

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Riley & Lorenzo dive into some of Christian mystic Simone Weil’s greatest hits, including attention, personality, impersonality, and witnessing, and make a case for why Weil would have loved “Enchantments of Mammon” and HATED TikTok. 

Readings: 

From The Simone Weil Reader: “Human Personality,” “Attention and Will,” and “Draft for a Statement of Human Obligations”

“A just and loving gaze,” Deborah Casewell, Aeon

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Riley & Lorenzo hate on Christmas a lot but are down to clown with the Incarnation. We decide what Christmas aesthetics are misenchanted, which are good, and then do a little year-end roundup of some recent news! Listen while you sit in the airport watching your flight get delayed for the third time.

Tip your fedoras and get ready to beef with your Christian aunt. In this bantery and off the cuff ep, Riley & Lorenzo explore the merits and controversies of New Atheism. Listen to find out whether Riley converts to atheism, and whether the Four Horsemen really even count as atheists at all.

Riley & Lorenzo do a deep dive into National Conservatism, their views on autonomy, and how technology is destroying our attention and probably our lives. Spoiler: they would get it right if they weren’t getting it so, so wrong. 

Readings:

“The New Right Takes on Big Tech,” Katherine Dee, The Scroll: https://thedailyscroll.substack.com/p/the-new-right-takes-on-big-tech 

“The Only Path Forward is National Conservatism,” Josh Hammer, The American Conservative: https://www.theamericanconservative.com/the-only-path-forward-is-national-conservatism/ 

“The Tragedy of Our Commons,” Alex Kaschuta, The American Mind: https://americanmind.org/features/florida-versus-davos/the-tragedy-of-our-commons/ 

“We Need To Stop Calling Ourselves Conservatives,” John Daniel Davidson: https://thefederalist.com/2022/10/20/we-need-to-stop-calling-ourselves-conservatives/

“Why Conservatism Failed,” Jon Askonas, Compact Mag: https://compactmag.com/article/why-conservatism-failed 

“The Uncomfortable Truths That Could Yet Defeat Fascism,” Anand Giridharadas, New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/17/opinion/midterm-democracy-crisis.html 

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Ever wondered why so many people love Lewis’ classic work of apologetics? Us too! Riley & Lorenzo discuss allegory, masculinity, children’s literature, and embracing the mystery in a very, very unorganized and chatty episode on C.S. Lewis’ “Mere Christianity”

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Riley & Lorenzo chat about Hallow and Glorify, two apps that promise salvation through data collection. Digressions include Subway Surfers and x2 Blocks, moving back to San Diego, ~lite media studies~, and whether or not the Kardashians are demonic. 

Readings referenced:

“I tried the Hallow app for two weeks and here’s how it went” by Mary Farrow: https://www.pillarcatholic.com/i-tried-the-hallow-app-for-two-weeks/

“My Journey From Atheist to Maybe a Christian” by Alex Jones: https://hallow.com/2018/10/24/my-journey-from-atheist-to-maybe-a-christian-pt-1/ 

“How Christian app Glorify persuaded Hollywood to do God” by ben Machell: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/how-christian-app-glorify-persuaded-hollywood-to-do-god-2ztnbqprs 

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Riley & Lorenzo discuss sincerity, irony, why it’s misguided to keep making live-action Disney reboots, and Jordan Petersen and Richard Dawkins being the metamodernist heroes we deserve (but don’t want).

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Riley & Lorenzo discuss Lyotard, Yeats, Silliman, the Sokal Hoax, ~grand narratives~, and irony. Digressions include a recent writeup about the Trads, Amanda Gorman’s latest poem, Lorenzo’s hunter camo crocs, and (perhaps surprisingly) not vegan milk alternatives.

Reading:
“The Only Way Out is Through: Against Reactionary Anticapitalism” by Erik Baker

“The Grammar of the World” by Justin E.H. Smith

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Our podcast is about spirituality and modernity. But what the heck even is modernity? We’re here to explain in the first of our three-part series on the Modern, how postmodernity follows, and maybe even what comes after. Find out how Descartes accidentally killed God, how Lorenzo’s fanfiction is actually accidentally based on real life, and the next stage in Riley’s ongoing Wondermilk saga.