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.
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TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Intro
(01:10) History as psychological/biological process
(01:50) Importance of psychological shifts in Reformation
(02:10) Two modern parallels to Reformation
(02:50) Warhammer Fantasy analogy
(03:10) Catholic Church's medieval dominance
(05:39) Carl Jung's analysis of Catholicism
(10:11) Information technology breakthrough comparison
(10:35) Gutenberg's printing press invention
(11:24) Media control in 20th century
(12:29) Sponsors: GiveWell | Notion
(15:20) Catholic Church's role in literacy
(18:26) Catholic Church as science investor
(19:00) Discussion of Cathars and early heresies
(20:01) Impact of Black Death
(21:30) Italian Renaissance discussion
(31:30) Martin Luther's background
(35:40) Luther's 95 Theses
(43:40) Introduction of Calvinism
(46:06) Calvinism and totalitarianism
(49:52) Spanish attempts to destroy Protestantism
(51:20) Germanic and English Protestant adoption
(52:34) Modern elite's Protestant/French Revolution roots
(54:40) Harvard's Calvinist origins
(56:02) Left's appropriation of Protestant ideas
(57:30) Modern rejection of rational inquiry
(58:41) Elite perspectives on population control
(1:00:07) Book recommendations begin
(101:09) Show outro and network information
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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
