The Problem with Reading
The Problem with Reading
A book appreciation club hosted by one catholic, one anglican, and one orthodox nerd. We talk about book chapters, special topics, and what we're drinking.
Currently:
-James Scott's Seeing Like a State (502-present)
Previously:
-Jacques Ellul's Propaganda: The Formation of Men's Attitudes (421-427, 429)
-Carl Trueman's Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self (407-410, 412-413, 415-416)
-Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death (402 and 405)
-Richard Weaver's Ideas Have Consequences (314-318)
-Iain McGilchrist's The Master and His Emissary (213-310)
-Alasdair MacIntyre's After Virtue (101-114,116-119)
You can find this podcast on most podcast applications, Itunes, Spotify, and Soundcloud.
Currently:
-James Scott's Seeing Like a State (502-present)
Previously:
-Jacques Ellul's Propaganda: The Formation of Men's Attitudes (421-427, 429)
-Carl Trueman's Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self (407-410, 412-413, 415-416)
-Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death (402 and 405)
-Richard Weaver's Ideas Have Consequences (314-318)
-Iain McGilchrist's The Master and His Emissary (213-310)
-Alasdair MacIntyre's After Virtue (101-114,116-119)
You can find this podcast on most podcast applications, Itunes, Spotify, and Soundcloud.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Sep 28, 2019 • 49min
203 The Problem with..."Hell and Memes"
Stephen and Brevin return after a much-too-long hiatus to bring you tales of apocalypse, hell (but I repeat myself), and the memetic structures that underpin grumpy cat.
Articles:
~firstthings.com/article/2019/10/harrowing-hart-on-hell
~thephilosophersmeme.com/2019/04/05/the-memetic-bottleneck/
Music:
Ratata by Jeremiah Dangers
Sep 1, 2019 • 60min
202 The Problem with..."Ex Post Facto Trumpian Hand Waves"
Season 2 only gets better and Stephen is back at it again with what may be a record number of David Foster Wallace references. Meanwhile, Sam and Brevin are devastated that Kirsten Gillibrand has dropped out of the presidential race and ruined their chance for free bourbon. In other news, the Constitution should be abolished, James Mattis is our new patron saint, and bitter fights abound in the theology-politics-o-sphere. Have a listen!
Articles:
~firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2019/08/a-sloppy-attack-on-national-conservatism
~theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/08/who-constitution/596341/
~wsj.com/articles/jim-mattis-duty-democracy-and-the-threat-of-tribalism-11566984601
Aug 17, 2019 • 53min
201 The Problem with..."Purity Culture and Zeus"
The gang is back and better than ever with Season 2! After Season 1's long journey through MacIntyre's After Virtue we have arrived to the ethical wasteland he described. But while we're here, we may as well read some articles. This episode we ponder why Joshua Harris and the Christian Purity Movement collapsed, why God isn't actually Zeus, and how Communists find love. Please enjoy!
Articles:
~nationalreview.com/…/whither-evangelical-purit…/
~firstthings.com/artic…/…/06/god-gods-and-fairies
~nymag.com/…/2…/03/socialism-and-young-socialists.html
Jul 24, 2019 • 55min
119 The Problem with..."The St. Seraphim Option"
The squad read the last chapter of After Virtue, and looks to a bright future with the St. Seraphim Option, named for the patron saint of nuclear weapons, that promises to bring cleansing fire upon our godless world. In other news, the American justice system is terrible, a charismatic preacher makes the bodies hit the floor (see link), and Stephen and Sam get a lucky few anti-Catholic one-liners over Brevin. Also something about cravats. Excelsior!
Links:
~youtube.com/watch?v=a54iqEr1flQ
Music:
Ratata by Jeremiah Dangers
Jun 22, 2019 • 55min
118 The Problem with..."Escape Rooms, College Bureaucracy, and Freedom"
Sam rejoins the pod for the second-to-last chapter of MacIntyre and a riotous good time. Join the three musketeers for a defense of censorship, a rant about children in escape rooms, and something something heatwave. I wasn’t paying attention.
Articles:
~ firstthings.com/article/2004/06/freedom-and-decency
~ city-journal.org/diversity-bureauracies-georgetown-univ
Music: Ratata by Jeremiah Dangers
Jun 6, 2019 • 47min
117 The Problem with..."Jane Austen and Happiness Gurus"
Brevin and Stephen talk After Virtue Chapter 16 and Jane Austen. They follow this with a rousing discussion of skinhead redemption, gritty childhoods, traffic, and happiness gurus gone bad. Have a listen!
Articles:
~ quillette.com/2019/04/24/the-impassable-road-to-redemption
~ theatlantic.com/family/archive/2019/05/david-epstein-range/590704/
Music: Ratata by Jeremiah Dangers
May 28, 2019 • 42min
116 The Problem with..."Corporate Overlords and Denmark"
It’s just Stephen and Brevin this week for another exciting chapter of MacIntyre. We’re on chapter 15, and the countdown is real. Also discussed—the Danes are patriarchal, Jeffrey Sachs is dumb, and Venezuela is doomed.
Articles:
~ theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/may/10/and-the-least-feminist-nation-in-the-world-is-denmark?
~ americasquarterly.org/content/dont-blame-washington-venezuelas-oil-woes-rebuttal
Music: Ratata by Jeremiah Dangers
May 9, 2019 • 1h 4min
115 The Problem with..."STAR WARS" (Special Episode, ft. Jensen)
May the 4th be with you...and with your spirit! The gang is joined by special guest Jensen to honor STAR WARS day with some spicy fan theories and conspiracies. Sam tells us about the ambitious plan to build the Death Star in real life, Stephen reveal Dark Sith Lord Jar Jar Binks, Jensen explains that the real galactic conflict is between the Green and Blue teams, and Brevin rants about why the Empire did nothing wrong. Have a listen!
Music:
Ratata by Jeremiah Dangers
May 2, 2019 • 1h 7min
114 The Problem with..."Movie Trailers and Friendship Hierarchies"
Star Wars Episode 9 trailer reactions, scathing social commentary, and After Virtue Chapter 14. Stephen ponders our lost language of friendship and makes the case for putting your so-called "friends" into a hierarchical ranking system, Brevin makes the case against a recent First Things article, and Sam summarizes MacIntyre for the first (and not last) time. Have a listen.
Articles:
~firstthings.com/article/2019/03/a-new-conservative-agenda
~getpocket.com/explore/item/reclaiming-friendship-a-visual-taxonomy-of-platonic-relationships-to-counter-the-commodification-of
Music: Ratata by Jeremiah Dangers
Apr 17, 2019 • 4min
Nixon, upon the exploding of Apollo 11 (Bonus)
Stephen uncovers and narrates Nixon's secret prepared speech, to be read in the case of Apollo 11 having a wacko in the machine.
Source: lifestyle.clickhole.com/this-speech-was-written-for-president-nixon-to-deliver-1825121627
