Minds Almost Meeting The Crisis of Culture (Agnes Callard & Robin Hanson)
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Oct 23, 2025 Two intellectuals dive into Olivier Roy's theories on culture and its crisis. They tackle whether globalization is thinning cultures or just transforming them. Memes and simplified languages like emojis are debated for their potential cultural richness. The decline of high culture and the rise of global subcultures lead to discussions on identity and morality. Finally, they ponder if our shared values are becoming as rigid as religious doctrines, all while assessing the balance between local pride and global interchangeability.
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Globalization's Impact On Cultural Thickness
- Olivier Roy's thesis: globalization thins local cultures and may end 'thick' culture altogether.
- Robin and Agnes debate whether global convergence creates a thinner shared culture or can thicken over time.
Memes Versus Thick Cultural Meaning
- Roy claims memifiable cultural artifacts detach from origins and resist thickening into deeper meanings.
- He sees codification, memification, and literalness as markers of cultural decay.
Can Simplified Global Codes Thicken?
- Agnes argues simplified global codes (Globish, emojis) can thicken over time into richer culture.
- Roy counters that active simplification and regulation stabilize thin communication.
