Our ancient views are dying. Some change is good, and I embrace change, but the last decade+ has been nuts. I am not willing to fight for my beliefs. I will discuss them amongst my like minded buddies - as we tell ourselves how screwed up everything has become. Enjoyed your piece, James!
In my humble opinion the rampant unchecked corporate greed, lack of empathy for lower class problems, the growth in the power of the ridiculously backward and puritanical religious right, and the roll back on mental healthcare programs that started during the Reagan years has also helped to lead us to our current dystopian state.
Well, these kinds of generalities have pretty much been bandied about for decades. I'd offer there are dozens of reasons why we are where we are. I don't agree, however, about the power of the religious right. I believe their grip on the average American has slipped precipitously. A lot of data (if you trust it) bears this out. Fewer people are attending church today than 20-30 years ago. A lot fewer.
I think Tristan Harris -- one of the founders of the Center for Humane Technology and former Google ethicist -- said it best: "We have neolithic brains, Medieval institutions and God-like technology." Not a formula for human flourishing. Thanks for reading! -- Jim
Hi Jim. I agree. I guess my own proximity to an area rife with religious overreach is probably skewing my views on that, along with the distorted amount of media coverage these kinds of folks get.
Anyhow I am greatly enjoying your writings and keep up the wonderfully insightful work.
Thank you for your kind words. They are acknowledged and very much appreciated. I can assure you that my work is thoroughly researched and appropriately cited.
The Jonathan Haidt piece in The Atlantic that I reference is a terrific example of heterodox thinking. He is an intelligent, legitimate scholar who also happens to be a compassionate, understanding and genuine human being. Warning: His Atlantic piece is really long ... probably will take an hour to read. But it's worth it. So is Michael Shellenberger's book "San Fran-sicko," which I read a couple of months ago. In fact, I'm fortunate in that he and I have exchanged correspondence several times. He's also a man of good will.
Next up: a followup to my piece on "The Death of Journalism" ... this time I perform an autopsy on my former profession. I'll be citing journalist Matt Tiabbi (also on Substack) for this one. -- Jim
Thanks, Frances. I limited my piece to the topic(s) I wanted to address. There are many tentacles to these issues. The Spiked piece affirms some of my own feelings, but I can't speak for women. Thank you for the thoughtful gesture. -- Jim
"We must also be alert to the equal and opposite danger that public policy could itself become the captive of a scientific-technological elite."
Eisenhower's concern regarding state sponsored scientism is the basis for the concerns addressed in your piece. My comment isn't about "tentacles" but about actual sources of identity-based body modification/mutilation, social media overconsumption, and bureaucratic ineffective policies for the homeless.
Technocracy, transhumanism, and the destruction of the human body and mind all go together and result in what you addressed in this post. It's not enough to talk about this stuff, we have to get to the sources of the issue to do anything about them. Otherwise we're all just screaming about the propaganda without knowing why.
Love the article and agree with you--especially about the need for psychiatric care.
Our ancient views are dying. Some change is good, and I embrace change, but the last decade+ has been nuts. I am not willing to fight for my beliefs. I will discuss them amongst my like minded buddies - as we tell ourselves how screwed up everything has become. Enjoyed your piece, James!
In my humble opinion the rampant unchecked corporate greed, lack of empathy for lower class problems, the growth in the power of the ridiculously backward and puritanical religious right, and the roll back on mental healthcare programs that started during the Reagan years has also helped to lead us to our current dystopian state.
Well, these kinds of generalities have pretty much been bandied about for decades. I'd offer there are dozens of reasons why we are where we are. I don't agree, however, about the power of the religious right. I believe their grip on the average American has slipped precipitously. A lot of data (if you trust it) bears this out. Fewer people are attending church today than 20-30 years ago. A lot fewer.
I think Tristan Harris -- one of the founders of the Center for Humane Technology and former Google ethicist -- said it best: "We have neolithic brains, Medieval institutions and God-like technology." Not a formula for human flourishing. Thanks for reading! -- Jim
Hi Jim. I agree. I guess my own proximity to an area rife with religious overreach is probably skewing my views on that, along with the distorted amount of media coverage these kinds of folks get.
Anyhow I am greatly enjoying your writings and keep up the wonderfully insightful work.
Thank you for your kind words. They are acknowledged and very much appreciated. I can assure you that my work is thoroughly researched and appropriately cited.
The Jonathan Haidt piece in The Atlantic that I reference is a terrific example of heterodox thinking. He is an intelligent, legitimate scholar who also happens to be a compassionate, understanding and genuine human being. Warning: His Atlantic piece is really long ... probably will take an hour to read. But it's worth it. So is Michael Shellenberger's book "San Fran-sicko," which I read a couple of months ago. In fact, I'm fortunate in that he and I have exchanged correspondence several times. He's also a man of good will.
Next up: a followup to my piece on "The Death of Journalism" ... this time I perform an autopsy on my former profession. I'll be citing journalist Matt Tiabbi (also on Substack) for this one. -- Jim
Transhumanism & technocracy definitely play a hand regarding some of the things you mentioned in the 1st half of your piece. This article by Quillette helped me understand how younger people got here: https://quillette.com/2022/04/22/hidden-in-plain-sight-why-we-should-stop-putting-tech-before-teaching/
This article from Spiked helped me understand the mindset some people have regarding their views on the self in relation to gender ideology: https://www.spiked-online.com/2022/04/23/how-the-trans-ideology-dehumanises-women/
Thanks, Frances. I limited my piece to the topic(s) I wanted to address. There are many tentacles to these issues. The Spiked piece affirms some of my own feelings, but I can't speak for women. Thank you for the thoughtful gesture. -- Jim
"We must also be alert to the equal and opposite danger that public policy could itself become the captive of a scientific-technological elite."
Eisenhower's concern regarding state sponsored scientism is the basis for the concerns addressed in your piece. My comment isn't about "tentacles" but about actual sources of identity-based body modification/mutilation, social media overconsumption, and bureaucratic ineffective policies for the homeless.
Technocracy, transhumanism, and the destruction of the human body and mind all go together and result in what you addressed in this post. It's not enough to talk about this stuff, we have to get to the sources of the issue to do anything about them. Otherwise we're all just screaming about the propaganda without knowing why.