We Are Not Saved

Transcript: https://wearenotsaved.com/2023/02/01/eschatologist-25-spiritual-health-and-suffering/

Modernity has inarguably made dramatic improvements in our material well-being, but what about the non-material? The social, emotional and spiritual? In this episode I tackle that question. And while I think it might be possible that modernity has been neutral on this front, I don't think there's any reason for thinking it's been positive. But some people disagree. Tune into see who's right!

Transcript: https://wearenotsaved.com/2023/01/28/the-optimal-dosage-of-war/

Previous to the invasion of Ukraine, a sense of pessimism seemed to be ubiquitous with respect to Europe. Since the invasion things seem far more optimistic. One might even say that there's a new vitality and unity. Naively one might expect war to do the opposite, but we have a funny way of stepping up to challenges and war is the biggest challenge of all. This unity is not limited to Europe, it's an issue that even Republicans and Democrats seem to agree on. The question is, can we get these benefits in the absence of war. If not, are we doomed to descend into an increasingly fractious political environment?

Transcript: https://wearenotsaved.com/2023/01/24/challenging-children/

A follow up to my previous episode The Ineffability of Conservatism this episode attempts to approach things without bringing in religion. Though it does circle back there before the end. In particular we discuss three kinds of challenges:

1. Challenges which are unavoidable.
2. Challenges which can be avoided but we choose not to.
3. Challenges which can be avoided and we do.

I argue that while we've moved a lot of things out of the first bucket we should be cautious about trying to move everything into bucket three. Challenges make us, and particularly are children resiliant and that's a good thing.

1. The Culture Transplant: How Migrants Make the Economies They Move To a Lot Like the Ones They Left by: Garett Jones
2. The Comfort Crisis: Embrace Discomfort to Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self by: Michael Easter
3. Infinite Jest by: David Foster Wallace
4. What If? 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions by: Randall Munroe
5. The Sandman: Book One by: Neil Gaiman
6. Failure Mode: Expeditionary Force, Book 15 by: Craig Alanson

Transcript: https://wearenotsaved.com/2022/12/31/eschatologist-24-chatgpt-and-a-lack-of-genius/

I reflect on my AI prediction from past years in light of the amazing abilities of ChatGPT. I wonder if you're ever going to get brilliant output from a huge corpus of material which strictly on account of it's volume has to be essentially average...

Transcript: https://wearenotsaved.com/2022/12/24/the-ineffability-of-conservatism/

I tell a story I heard of a boy walking out of Church in a direct slap to his father. And wonder why such a thing would have been inconcievable 40 years ago. What changed? As it turns out it's hard to say, and that's a big part of the problem.

1. The Psychology of Totalitarianism by: Mattias Desmet
2. The Aristocracy of Talent: How Meritocracy Made the Modern World by: Adrian Wooldridge
3. The Triumph of the Therapeutic: Uses of Faith After Freud by: Phillip Rieff
4. Plato: A Very Short Introduction by: Julia Annas
5. Jesus' Son by: Denis Johnson
6. Tombs of Atuan by: Ursula K. Le Guin
7. Roadside Picnic by: Arkady and Boris Strugatsky
8. Purple Days by: Baurus

Transcript: https://wearenotsaved.com/2022/11/30/eschatologist-23-avoiding-risk/

After all the hot takes which have been offered in the wake of the FTX collapse, this is the hot take to rule them all. Okay probably not, and at this point it's probably a cold take. But I do think the whole FTX debacle carries some valuable lessons about risk. So that's what you're getting...

Transcript: https://wearenotsaved.com/2022/11/26/book-review-the-ethics-of-beauty/

This is a review I did for the first issue of American Hombre, a new magazine being published by a friend of mine. I did an excerpt of it back in episode 292, but he's graciously agreed to let me release it in its entirety. If this makes you interested in the full magazine, the PDF is currently available for free at americanhombre.gumroad.com. But also you should consider subscribing to the print version. This magazine deserves to be held.

You can use the coupon code 'RW' to get 10% off a subscription or $1 off the price of the print issue. The next issue is coming out in January and it will include another review by me. (The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter, if you're curious.)

This review includes some pictures which you can find either in the PDF version of the magazine, or on wearenotsaved.com. But I will attempt to describe them in the course of my reading. They're mostly pictures from the trip I took to Ireland this summer.

Transcript: https://wearenotsaved.com/2022/11/19/finding-the-answer/

A somewhat discursive episode where I reflect on a book I just read about meritocracy and different answers for the best way to organize society. And how what we thought was the answer—liberal democracy—appears to be fracturing, leaving everyone to fight over what part of it is the most important. What part was truly The Answer.