Minds Almost Meeting The Crisis of Culture (Agnes Callard & Robin Hanson)
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Oct 23, 2025 Two intellectuals dive into Olivier Roy's theories on culture and its crisis. They tackle whether globalization is thinning cultures or just transforming them. Memes and simplified languages like emojis are debated for their potential cultural richness. The decline of high culture and the rise of global subcultures lead to discussions on identity and morality. Finally, they ponder if our shared values are becoming as rigid as religious doctrines, all while assessing the balance between local pride and global interchangeability.
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Can Simplified Global Codes Thicken?
- Agnes argues simplified global codes (Globish, emojis) can thicken over time into richer culture.
- Roy counters that active simplification and regulation stabilize thin communication.
Regulation And Rapid Change Inhibit Culture
- Roy links fast social change plus meticulous normativity to the inability for culture to slowly develop.
- He worries heavy regulation prunes organic cultural growth needed for thick meanings.
World Convergence Creates Implicit Culture
- Agnes points out world-level convergence already produces shared implicit norms (democracy, gender equality, city design).
- She sees global songs, movies, and standards as accumulating implicit world culture.
