MAJOR THINKERS - NIETZSCHE - EP. 1

An intellectual biography of Nietzsche kicks off this series discussing the life and philosophy of a series of major thinkers. I explore some of the key ideas and influences that shaped Nietzsche’s thinking including his loathing of Christianity and the influence of classical literature in shaping his ethical outlook. This is an improved audio version of a lecture I delivered over a decade ago. 

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A work that I think embodies, quite consciously on the part of Jung, many of the contradictions, challenges, and paradoxes of the modern mind trying to come to grips with a world that simply does not cohere with our general materialist, rationalist worldview. I hope to use this as both a great text to explore and an example of how one can read in a very different manner. It was working with great teachers who helped me learn to read in this particular way and in doing this exercise together I hope to model and share what I have been fortunate enough to learn. 

I recommend the reader's guide rather than the larger, more expensive, and more beautiful full sized illustrated version because I am an aggressive notetaker and underliner. However, your tastes may vary. 

For the first reading session please read the Prologue “The Way of What is to Come” and Chapters One and Two.

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ADDENDUM - CALVINISTIC MATERIALISM VS. NIHILISTIC MATERIALISM

Does America practice a particular type of Nihilism? A follow up to clarify the notion of why Nihilism - the belief that there is no order or meaning in the world - is fundamental to the type of materialism practiced in America. Perhaps the clearest example is the rise of off-site storage where people pay to store material goods that, by definition, they cannot readily access - the materiality has become almost completely meaningless.

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Q & A #6 - THE GREAT TRANSFORMATION: 1935 - 1949

Wes and Jeremy take questions from listeners on Lecture VI: THE GREAT TRANSFORMATION

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INTELLECTUAL HOMELESSNESS:

This series will explore the contemporary state of the world of arts and ideas and how we can begin to build lives centered around culture and philosophy. We are often misled as to the nature and purpose of intellectual pursuits. I hope to clarify the history and cultural forces that shape our understanding of and participation in the house of the intellect. Unfortunately, Barzun’s book The House of the Intellect is currently out of print. The Internet Archive has a copy available online at The house of intellect : Barzun, Jacques, 1907- : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. 

Articles I refer to in the lecture:

The Elite College Students Who Can’t Read Books - The Atlantic

Students Are Unprepared to Read Books — Minding The Campus

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LECTURE 6 - THE GREAT TRANSFORMATION - 1935 - 1949

Can a country grow too fast in a short span of time? The twin catastrophes of the Great Depression and World War II utterly transformed America. In just 20 years, the structure of government, focus of the economy, tax policy, and America’s global position fundamentally altered. A country with a tiny tax base, miniscule military, isolationist politics and nascent federal government became a global super power with the largest economy in the world and a massive and growing federal government. Much of what we take as ‘America’ today is actually a reflection of the country that was created during these few years.

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Q & A #5 - AMERICAN CALVINISM

Wes and Jeremy take questions from listeners on Lecture V: American Calvinism

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LECTURE 5 - AMERICAN CALVINISM

Does "slacking-off" make you a bad person? Could it even make you be perceived as a witch? In this lecture I explore the deep and abiding influence of Calvinism on the American cultural outlook. Whether Christian or not, Americans believe in purity, the centrality of moral judgements, visible signs of success and more. These attitudes are rarely traced back to their true origin - the specific beliefs and social forms developed by John Calvin. America is a Calvinist country par excellence.

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Q & A #4 - NIHILISTIC MATERIALISM

Wes and Jeremy take questions from listeners on Lecture IV: Nihilistic Materialism

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LECTURE 4 - NIHILISTIC MATERIALISM

Is there such a thing as too many unused treadmills? That American culture is materialistic is an accurate but often unhelpful distinction as it is our particular kind of materialism that America manifests that is important to understand. In this lecture, I explore the peculiar Nihilistic elements that shape American materialism. Significantly, all the standard critiques of materialism - that material goods will not give your life meaning, that shopping is just coping mechanism for deeper ills, that the press of consumerism is driven largely by corporate greed - have little to no grip on the American psyche because everyone knows them and consumes anyway! America combines both a disbelief in consumerism with aggressive consumerism into a curious and counterintuitive set of outlooks and behaviors that shape important elements of American society.

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