In this episode of History 102, 'WhatIfAltHist' creator Rudyard Lynch and co-host Austin Padgett talk about the Protestant Reformation, masterfully drawing parallels between historical information technology revolutions (like the printing press) and our current internet age, exploring how such advances fundamentally alter how societies process information and relate to authority.

They offer fresh perspectives on well-worn historical territory, suggesting for instance that the Reformation wasn't just about religious doctrine, but represented a quantum leap in human agency and individualism that helped birth the modern world.

--

📰 Be notified early when Turpentine's drops new publication: https://www.turpentine.co/exclusiveaccess

--

SPONSOR: NETSUITE | SHOPIFY | ORACLE

More than 40,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, the #1 cloud financial system bringing accounting, financial management, inventory, HR, into ONE proven platform. If you're looking for an ERP platform, get a one-of-a-kind flexible financing program on NetSuite: https://netsuite.com/zen - Download your free CFO's guide to AI and machine learning.

Shopify is the world's leading e-commerce platform, offering a market-leading checkout system Shoppay and exclusive AI apps. Nobody does selling better than Shopify. Get a $1 per month trial at https://shopify.com/momentofzen

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI): Oracle's next-generation cloud platform delivers blazing-fast AI and ML performance with 50% less for compute and 80% less for outbound networking compared to other cloud providers. OCI powers industry leaders like Vodafone and Thomson Reuters with secure infrastructure and application development capabilities. New U.S. customers can get their cloud bill cut in half by switching to OCI before March 31, 2024 at https://oracle.com/cognitive

--

RECOMMENDED PODCAST:

🎙️ Unpack Pricing - Dive into the dark arts of SaaS pricing with Metronome CEO Scott Woody and tech leaders. Learn how strategic pricing drives explosive revenue growth in today's biggest companies like Snowflake, Cockroach Labs, Dropbox and more.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1765716600

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/38DK3W1Fq1xxQalhDSueFg

--

FOLLOW ON X:

@whatifalthist (Rudyard)

@LudwigNverMises (Austin)

@TurpentineMedia

--

HIGHLIGHTS:

History as psychological/biological process

Importance of psychological shifts in Reformation

Two modern parallels to Reformation

Warhammer Fantasy analogy

Catholic Church's medieval dominance

Carl Jung's analysis of Catholicism

Information technology breakthrough comparison

Gutenberg's printing press invention

Media control in 20th century

Catholic Church's role in literacy

Catholic Church as science investor

Discussion of Cathars and early heresies

Impact of Black Death

Italian Renaissance discussion

Martin Luther's background

Luther's 95 Theses

Introduction of Calvinism

Calvinism and totalitarianism

Spanish attempts to destroy Protestantism

Germanic and English Protestant adoption

Modern elite's Protestant/French Revolution roots

Harvard's Calvinist origins

Left's appropriation of Protestant ideas

Modern rejection of rational inquiry

Elite perspectives on population control

--

BOOKS RECOMMENDED:

"The Reformation" by Will Durant"

"Protestants: The Faith That Made the Modern World" by Alec Ryrie

"Doubt" by Alec Ryrie

"A Secular Age" by Charles Taylor

"Rise of the West" by William H. McNeill

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices