New Polity Technocracy and the Vital Force in Man | Matthew Crawford
Apr 10, 2025
Matthew Crawford, bestselling author of 'Shop Class as Soulcraft,' explores the tension between technocracy and the human spirit. He contrasts the technocratic view of humanity with a Christian perspective that sees life as a gift. Crawford emphasizes the importance of social intelligence and embracing uncertainty in a mechanized world. He shares personal anecdotes and poetic reflections on nature, highlighting how experiences like watching dolphins surf connect us to existential meaning and the vitality of life.
00:00
Two Contrasting Personality Types
- Rationalist thinking sees the world as needing fixing due to inefficiency and chaos.
- Conservative thinking appreciates and is grateful for what actually exists.
Technological View of Nature and Man
- Modern rationalism views nature and humans as raw materials for manipulation.
- It denies mystery in nature, seeing everything as open to control and reshaping.
Knowing Only What We Make
- Knowing is equated to making, and certainty is found in creation and control.
- Joseph Ratzinger critiques this as an anxious posture limiting true understanding and belief.
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Intro
00:00 • 2min
Navigating Technocracy and Human Agency
02:25 • 40min
Exploring Existential Courage and the Grace of Meaning
42:26 • 3min
The Silent Majesty of Waves and Marine Life
45:35 • 3min
The Erotic Relationship Between Humanity and Nature
48:43 • 4min
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Shop class as soulcraft
an inquiry into the value of work
Matthew Crawford
Matthew B. Crawford
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Why We Drive
Toward a Philosophy of the Open Road
Matthew Crawford
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At the 2024 New Polity conference, Matthew B. Crawford gave the keynote address in which he contrasted the view of man inherent in technocratic rationalism with that of a Christian view. Drawing from the work of Joseph Ratzinger and Michael Oakeshott, Crawford draws a distinction between an orientation toward receiving life as gift and cramped rationalism that views man as an object to be synthetically remade. The current push for technocratic control over every sphere of life collapses the vertical order of reality and aims to eliminate contingency, risk, and play. In contrast, one who affirms the inherent goodness of being is able to experience a real vitality of life in a meaningful world.
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