Political Philosophy

Inspired by Charles Taylor's Malaise of Modernity, Chapter 8, I discuss Taylor's points about whether rejection of all authority and previous cultural accretions in the name of authenticity is necessary or whether it entirely misses the point. Is it even possible to be "original?" If we think that it is, are we not susceptible to the worst suggestions for how to achieve our "originality" or authen...

In the wake of the events of the past week, most notably Trump supporters storming the Capitol Building in Washington DC on January 6, 2021, I encourage viewers to take a bit of a step back and to consider the bigger picture. If we cannot attempt to see that bigger picture using a longer view we will be doomed to repeat our mistakes. Can we look past the outrage felt by so many to ask the question...

In this second part of our conversation, Spencer and I discuss topics such as antinomianism in Christianity, the cooptation of the ideal of sacrifice by capitalism, why McCarraher's solutions (though insightful) call for more work, whether re-enchantment (via Charles Taylor) is desirable or scary, or both, Wall Street as a demonic force, Adorno and Horkheimer's ideas of Enlightenment and Nature, M...

In this first part of our recent conversation, Spencer and I discuss what we took away from Eugene McCarraher's The Enchantments of Mammon. I did a series on this book not long ago, and I"ll put the playlist in a link below. We discuss the question of where Christianity started going wrong, McCarraher's adoption of Romanticism, his preference for socialism and socialism's compatibility with Christ...

This is a reading of my blog post "Christmas 2020: What Does the Incarnation Mean? Three Insights." Instead of discussing whether the event happened or whether Jesus could really also be God, I ask "If we believe this, how does it change things?" The Incarnation puts us into an uncomfortable place, especially in this year when we can so clearly see how messed up the world has become, largely due t...

Using an all-too-familiar modern story of social media seduction, consequent marital breakup, and the futile search for validation in new romantic relationships, I traverse chapters 6 and 7 in Charles Taylor' Malaise of Modernity. The story is sadly commonplace, which is ironic because breakups are often done in the quest for authenticity. But for that reason, this story is an analog for what gene...

This video discusses content from Chapters 4 and 5 of Charles Taylor's The Malaise of Modernity (1991). Taylor patiently eviscerates contemporary vapid relativism as logically incoherent and socially destructive and discusses the inherently social nature of human beings. The consequences of claiming complete autonomy of choice based on our feelings include an inability to defend our positions and...

In this podcast I discuss the modern idea authenticity as developed in chapters 2 and 3 of Charles Taylor's "The Malaise of Modernity" (CBC Massey Lecture Series, 1991). Taylor thinks that the ethic of authenticity is separable from the moral relativism, emotivism and narcissism with which it is associated by authors like Allan Bloom and Christopher Lasch, and that it holds promise as a modern mor...

Charles Taylor's brief book, The Malaise of Modernity, published in 1991, identifies three worries that lead to a general malaise--a feeling of being lost or being in decline, feelings that are pervasive today. These worries stem from the problems associated with individualism, instrumental rationality and a decay of politics. All three are tied together. Unlike some other authors who also deal wi...

In this final part of my series on Eugene McCarraher's The Enchantments of Mammon, I discuss ideas from his excellent epilogue, including his endorsement of Romantic sacramental radicalism, and his reference to Pope Francis as well as scholars like Hardt and Negri to make his case that we are challenged to a new way of life reflected in the phrase (in contrast to Rod Dreher's "Benedict Option") th...

Inspired by Chapter 26 of Eugene McCarraher's The Enchantments of Mammon entitled "The New Testament of Capitalism," I focus on the intellectuals whose ideas undergird the faith in the "free market." Taking both the concept of faith and what these thinkers said seriously, it's hard to miss that their perspective runs counter to the faith of people of the book (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) because...

Weaving insights from Eugene McCarraher (The Enchantments of Mammon), my interview with Chris Cutrone, and another authors I've covered over the last couple of years, along with my understanding of the history of political thought and rudimentary economics, I try to take the long view of the current impasse between "conservatives" and "liberals" in the US which has led to yet another very close an...

I discuss the theme of Disneyfication in Eugene McCarraher's Enchantments of Mammon Part 5 on magical Fordism. I dwell on the function of entertainment to divert, vent and justify what McCarraher terms "Fordist drudgery" in order to keep Mammonism alive. The consequences are that much more time and mental space are devoted to a fantasy world than to either material reality or its transcendent Make...

In a discussion that launches from Part 4 of McCarraher's The Enchantments of Mammon, especially the part on the Arts and Crafts movement and its preoccupation with beauty, we get into the question of how to view human labor and the material world. McCarraher's sacramental view of nature informs a discussion of whether and how it is realistic and beneficial to see matter as sacred. What would it m...

I discuss content from Chapters 12 and 13 of Eugene McCarraher's The Enchantments of Mammon, especially his treatment of the American populist and socialist movements. McCarraher shows that underneath their anti-capitalist rhetoric lies a deep agreement with US corporate capitalism. The corporate system was seen by both as a model of cooperation, organization and efficiency which they simply wante...

In this second half of my interview with Chris Cutrone, we discuss his view that Enlightenment liberalism holds the potential to liberate mankind but only if capitalism gets out of its way. We discuss ways in which this might happen (futures), and the potential risks and benefits involved. Along the way we discuss Democrats, Republicans, environmental challenges, and the reason to persevere in ext...

This is the first part of my recent interview of Chris Cutrone. In this part, he explains his slogan "the left is dead; long live the left," and we get into his take on the meaning of the American Revolution. We discuss the place of the U.S. in revolutionary history, the impact we are having currently, and how that could be different. . … More Chris Cutrone on the Death (and Life) of the Lef...

Drawing from Part 3 of Eugene McCarraher's The Enchantments of Mammon, I take a good look at the way evangelical Christians in the late 19th century put God and Mammon on the same level. The corporation was raised to the dignity of a human person in U.S. law, begging the question of whether anyone who believes that can really adequately respect human life as "made in the image and likeness of God....

In this video I address, through some Ideas from Ch. 6 of my book Ideological Possession and the Rise of the New Right, some deeper systemic reasons for the rise of the illiberal right and other phenomena that are disturbing societies around the globe. The problem is bigger than just blaming one source of trouble, whether it be the Internet, new organizations, racial groups or university progressi...

In these three chapters of McCarraher's book, The Enchantments of Mammon, we get a front row seat to the peculiar developments of American Christianity from colonization through the 19th Century, and the reactions to it from Transcendentalists, Romantics and most importantly America's enslaved African Americans. This video hits some of the highlights and hopefully gets us to ponder whether America...

Eugene McCarraher's book, The Enchantments of Mammon, explains how the Romantic movement spawned an alternative critique of capitalism, one that can be compatible with conservative as well as certain Enlightenment tendencies even while envisioning a type of communism. John Ruskin is perhaps the greatest inspiration among the Romantic authors for McCarraher. While his love of British empire and emb...

We begin to get into Eugene McCarraher's book The Enchantments of Mammon with the first chapter, in which he surveys the development of two kinds of Christianity, the kind that's comfortable alongside wealth and the kind that isn't. Throughout Christian history, before and after the Protestant Reformation, both types are to be found struggling to define Christian faith and practice. With the Prote...

Here I introduce Eugene McCarraher, author of The Enchantments of Mammon, and discuss the contents of the Prologue, which sets up the argument of the book. … More McCarraher’s Enchantments of Mammon: Weber Was Wrong (1- Audio)

In this final podcast in the series on Christopher Lasch's The Culture of Narcissism, I deal with parts of Chapter 10, especially Lasch's indictment of therapeutic bureaucratic authority and his explanation for the failure of US progressives to champion working people. … More Christopher Lasch on the Betrayal of Progressives (7-Audio)

Christopher Lasch's 8th chapter in The Culture of Narcissism deals with changes in relationships, sex, marriage and family at the time he was living. Many of the points he makes are still worth considering. … More Christopher Lasch on “Sexual Combat” (6-Audio)