In this episode I speak with Jonathan Bi about the ideas of Rene Girard, social pressure, authentic and false desires, victims and scapegoats, persecution, and Girardian theories on imitation and violence. We also discuss how Girard’s work sheds light on woke capitalism, right and left totalitarianism, Max Scheler, Hannah Arendt, Alexis de Tocqueville, and more. We discuss many themes including: Christianity and Girard’s theory and the secularization and falsification of Christian values such as how humanitarianism and pacificism replace charity and peace and justice and more. Evangelical Counsels and The Rule of St. Benedict as a response to metaphysical desire Different views of the problem of evil: Hegel, Rousseau, Ratzinger, Solzhenitsyn, Girard Human Perfectibility and Utopianism Hope and Progress Benedict XVI Spe Salvi On the goodness of being in the Hebrew Bible, New Testament, and St. Augustine. There is no technical solution to the problems of evil, suffering, of death Embedded complexity, the dignity of labor, linear time, and how we live in a Christian civilization Girard’s explanation of how scapegoating others for their behavior reveals that we too would be guilty — and why it is folly to think with confidence that we would not go along with the crowd if we lived under the Nazis or a slaveholding society We begin a discussion on the atonement, Girard’s views and how to think about sacrifice — that we’ll have to finish in more detail We also have a discussion about Christianity and Buddhism and religious belief. I hope you enjoy. Biography Jonathan Bi is an entrepreneur working on a startup in FinTech and a philosopher focusing on Buddhist philosophy, Continental philosophy, and specifically the work of Rene Girard. Among his many projects he and David Perell have created a seven session video course on the ideas of Rene Girard. Originally from China, Jonathan also grew up in Canada, and studied computer science at Columbia.   https://johnathanbi.com/   Resources Jonathan Bi and David Perell Lectures on Girard On the Atonement — we just got into this briefly, but didn’t have enough time or preparation to address it sufficiently. I am going to have another episode on the atonement, and also on Girard and the atonement, but here are two links to Catholic resources view of the atonement  New Advent Catholic Catechism     Get full access to The Moral Imagination - Michael Matheson Miller at www.themoralimagination.com/subscribe

Why do celebrity advertisements work? Why do wars happen? What makes the story of Cain and Abel so compelling?What if I told you the answer to all of those questions was…the same?Enter Rene Girard, an atheist-turned-Catholic philosophical anthropologist who was also deeply influential on some of the people who have most shaped our world today—from the biggest tech founders, entrepreneurs and investors. In this episode, Ari unpacked Girard’s thought with Jonathan Bi, master teacher and creator of the popular and accessible YouTube series on Girard’s thought, “Interpreting Girard: Exegete of the Apocalypse”.Together they discussed misery in higher education; whether learning for its own sake is possible; the Reign of Terror and Vichy France; Emmanuel Levinas; William James and SoulCycle; Girard’s belief in the imminent arrival of the apocalypse; the Jewish concept of an “eruv”; Hebraic politics; Ari’s pushback on Girard’s account of Judaism; and much more!Don’t miss this exciting episode! And check out Jonathan Bi’s magnificent YouTube series: “Interpreting Girard: Exegete of the Apocalypse”Good Faith Effort is a production of Bnai Zion and SoulShop.

Jonathan Bi, an entrepreneur and philosopher who shifted from STEM to explore Nietzsche’s ideas, shares his intriguing journey through philosophy. He delves into Nietzsche's critiques of Stoicism and egalitarianism, emphasizing the tension between concepts of 'higher men' and innate equality. The discussion also touches on the psychology behind moral beliefs, the practical applications of Nietzsche’s insights, and how understanding these philosophies can reshape our everyday lives.