Decline in Literacy and Interpretive Skill

Michael Vassar is a futurist philosopher who believes that our civilization has lost the ability to think clearly, as the result of a silent project to destroy education that has been running in the background for generations. At the core of his argument is that the modern world has been shaped by elites interested in taking over the world. Interestingly, he seems to think that this multi-generational plan has backfired, and produced a society where there is a vanishingly small number of people even capable of formulating such grand ambitions, let alone possess the cognitive abilities to execute on their plans. We talk through his argument, and start to unpack some lore about the Rationalists, an online community that openly pursues the ideals of the enlightenment but can’t stop spawning cults for some reason. PATREON https://www.patreon.com/c/demystifysciPARADIGM DRIFThttps://demystifysci.com/paradigm-drift-showHOMEBREW MUSIC - Check out our new album!Hard Copies (Vinyl) FREE SHIPPING: https://demystifysci-shop.fourthwall.com/products/vinyl-lp-secretary-of-nature-everything-is-so-good-hereStreaming:https://secretaryofnature.bandcamp.com/album/everything-is-so-good-here00:00 Go!00:07:30 Intentionality in Modern Social Structures00:10:00 Media and Perception of Disasters00:12:00 The Roller Coaster Metaphor for Society00:15:00 Erosion of Critical Thinking Abilities00:21:00 Historical Perspectives on Independent Thought00:24:43 Understanding Literature and Its Interpretation00:27:02 Institutional Influence on Thought00:28:35 Market Influence on Power Dynamics00:30:40 Rise of Constitutional Monarchy00:32:17 Comparison of French and English Systems00:37:34 Education and Governance in Germany00:40:11 Historical Context of Education Systems00:42:12 Power Dynamics in Thought and Organization00:46:04 Democracy and Its Challenges00:50:55 Displacement of Romanticism and Specialness00:55:36 Modernism and Institutional Hierarchies01:00:06 The Erosion of Common Law Principles01:05:50 Discretion in the American Legal System01:10:03 Pragmatism's Influence on Legal Thought01:13:10 Bureaucracy versus Common Law01:16:01 The Mythos of American Governance01:17:12 Discussion on Interpretation and Unintended Consequences01:21:25 Cultural Narratives and Their Influence01:29:51 Education and Its Role in Society01:37:03 Historical Context of Educational Systems01:40:54 The Role of Institutional Thinking01:42:30 Economic Control and Marketing Narratives01:44:06 The Rationalist Movement01:52:17 Mistake Theory vs. Conflict Theory01:59:04 Conspiracy Theories and Truth02:07:54 Whistleblowing vs. Conspiracy Theory02:12:03 The Nature of Evidence and Conspiracy Theories02:18:34 Cultural Dynamics of Belief and Inquiry02:23:43 Justice, Honor, and Social Dynamics02:30:58 Rationalism and the Quest for Truth02:33:37 Rationality and Accountability in the Community02:36:40 Justice and Honor in Rational Discourse02:46:10 Power Dynamics and Rationality02:54:00 The Nature of Power and the Human Condition02:59:45 Insights on Ideology and Courage in Pursuit03:02:03 Pursuit of Radical Life Extension#philosophy , #futuristic , #rational , #idw , #criticalthinking , #society , #aistory , #historyfacts , #cultures , #economics , #historyoflaw #legal #powerful , #innovations #philosophypodcast , #sciencepodcast, #longformpodcastMERCH: Rock some DemystifySci gear : https://demystifysci-shop.fourthwall.com/AMAZON: Do your shopping through this link: https://amzn.to/3YyoT98DONATE: https://bit.ly/3wkPqaDSUBSTACK: https://substack.com/@UCqV4_7i9h1_V7hY48eZZSLw@demystifysci RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/2be66934/podcast/rssMAILING LIST: https://bit.ly/3v3kz2S SOCIAL: - Discord: https://discord.gg/MJzKT8CQub- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DemystifySci- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DemystifySci/- Twitter: https://twitter.com/DemystifySciMUSIC: -Shilo Delay: https://g.co/kgs/oty671