45. Rebuilding Our Culture's Missing Tradition (w/ Patrick Barry)
Feb 8, 2024
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Patrick Barry, former science journalist and current coder for the popular Waking Up meditation app, discusses building wisdom communities, secular spirituality, stoicism, the value of stoic communities, the wisdom of self-knowledge, the need for a different education system, exploring the shadow elements of stoicism, the challenges and potential of traditional religions, and personifying wisdom and feminine perspectives.
Creating spaces for deep conversations and discussions, such as wisdom gyms or stoic communities, fills a gap left by the decline of traditional religions.
Secular spirituality revolves around recognizing the significance and interconnectedness of one's existence within our current scientific understanding of the world.
Practicing mindfulness meditation promotes a deeper sense of connection, providing individuals with a first-person, experiential understanding of their conscious experience.
Deep dives
The Importance of Building a Community
Creating spaces for deep conversations and discussions, such as wisdom gyms or stoic communities, fills a gap left by the decline of traditional religions. It offers individuals the opportunity to engage in practical philosophy and apply philosophical ideas to their own lives.
The Role of Secular Spirituality
Secular spirituality, separate from theism or the supernatural, revolves around recognizing the significance and interconnectedness of one's existence. It involves finding a spiritual orientation within our current scientific understanding of the world.
The Value of Meditation
Practicing mindfulness meditation is a central part of many secular spiritual practices. It allows individuals to develop a first-person, experiential understanding of their conscious experience, promoting a deeper sense of connection and an appreciation for the present moment.
Living a Virtuous Life
Stoicism and role ethics emphasize the importance of character and virtues in leading a good life. Prioritizing virtues over material gains or personal success leads to a more grounded, fulfilling, and ethical way of living.
The importance of trust and valuing well-being
One of the main ideas discussed in the podcast is the significance of trust and valuing well-being. It is emphasized that individuals who prioritize the well-being of others over short-term gains can be trusted. This trust is essential for maintaining relationships and functioning in a community-oriented manner. The notion of trust is contrasted with a more self-centered approach, referred to as 'shark tank,' where individuals only focus on personal gain. The discussion highlights the importance of recognizing ourselves as interconnected beings and working towards the well-being of the whole.
The cultivation of self-knowledge and its impact on a wise, flourishing life
Another key point explored in the podcast is the significance of self-knowledge and its role in living a wise and fulfilling life. The concept of 'know thyself' is emphasized, highlighting that understanding one's place in the broader context of relationships and the cosmos is crucial. It is argued that without this understanding, individuals may live differently and their actions and values may not be aligned with the well-being of the collective. The importance of continuously working on self-awareness and deepening our understanding of reality is discussed as a means to lead a more meaningful and purposeful life.
Patrick Barry, a former science journalist and current coder for the popular Waking Up meditation app, joins me to talk about building wisdom communities and Stoas for secular spirituality. As those who claim no affiliation with organized religion (the "nones") are now the most populous religious identity in America, what institutions of meaning, virtue, and self-reflection might we see appear that can properly meet the needs of metamodern seekers?
0:00 Introduction 4:13 Stoicism, Empiricism, and Secular Spirituality: Towards a Sacred Naturalism 12:55 Science and the Sublime: Finding Significance in the Known 22:52 The Missing Tradition 27:02 Wisdom Gyms for Lived Philosophy: Adding 1st- and 2nd-Person Truths to 3rd-Person Fact 51:30 Know Thyself: A Second Curriculum 57:44 "Broicism"?: Shadow and the Developmental Conveyor Belt 1:03:27 Integrating Tradition and Myth 1:12:02 Stoicism in Metamodernity 1:15:15 Conclusion
