Renowned poet and author Paul Kingsnorth and mythologist Martin Shaw discuss their unexpected conversions to Christianity. They explore their journey from mythology and storytelling to their newfound faith. The speakers also discuss their connection to nature, disillusionment with the mainstream environmental movement, and desire for a deeper connection with the natural world. Martin Shaw shares his love for storytelling and the power of words. They reflect on their childhood engagement with storytelling, the unique aspects of the Sermon on the Mount, and the influence of C.S. Lewis on their thinking. Finally, they delve into the significance of personal encounters with a higher power and the shift from individualistic Christianity to understanding oneself as part of a larger story.

Paul Kingsnorth, an author known for 'Confessions of a Recovering Environmentalist' and contributions to The Abbey of Misrule, shares his transformative journey from radical environmentalism to Orthodox Christianity. He discusses the contradictions in modern ideologies and the spiritual crisis that underpins political and environmental challenges. The conversation dives into modernity's limits, the relationship between declining birth rates and wealth, and the impact of technology on society. Kingsnorth critiques how environmentalism can inadvertently exacerbate class divisions.

Writer and environmentalist Paul Kingsnorth discusses technology, AI, civilization, creation, and environmentalism. Topics include the desire to be God, AI dependence, the god of economy, creation myths, influences of art like Tolkien, and changing perceptions on storytelling and AI in writing.

"This is like The Matrix written from the point of view in which Agent Smith is the good guy, isn't it?" — Paul Kingsnorth Mary Harrington and Paul Kingsnorth are two of the most intriguing thinkers we’ve featured on Rebel Wisdom. Despite substantial overlap between Paul's concept of "the machine" and Mary's idea of "luxury Gnosticism", they have never been in dialogue with each other.  This was a fascinating and wide ranging conversation where Paul and Mary pushed back against the modernist fervor for transcending the limits of the natural world — they want to remind you that meatspace is not going away, and that it can be quite lovely! Mary and Paul are returning soon to the Rebel Wisdom Digital Campfire to talk more about this topic, asking the question, 'What Do We Do?'. To join that conversation become a RW member: https://www.patreon.com/rebelwisdom  Check out Paul's newsletter 'The Abbey of Misrule': https://paulkingsnorth.substack.com/  And Mary's work for Unherd: https://unherd.com/author/mary-harrington/ 

In the 49th episode of Merely Catholic, Paul Kingsnorth joins Gavin Ashenden to talk about his journey from environmentalism, on an exploration through Buddhism and paganism which led him to Christ.  Hailed as one of the most incisive and perceptive thinkers of his generation, Paul Kingsnorth examines the fragility of Western culture and the emergence of what he terms ‘the machine’ – the delegation to technology of the control and fulfilment of human desire.  All choices are ‘religious’ now he suggests. It’s a choice between God and the archetypal path of rebellion with its inevitable consequences.

This is my second conversation with Paul Kingsnorth where we talk about his brilliant substack, called The Abbey of Misrule, civilization and control, the power of the state and our technological systems, the matrix, politics, what it takes for communities to survive, our relationship to technology and how we should orient ourselves in the coming trials. Our previous conversation: Environmentalism, the Tower of Babel and the Disintegration of Culture | with Paul Kingsnorth: https://youtu.be/uqDWGdJJx1Y St. Basil’s School of Writing: https://www.stbasilwriting.com Paul Kingsnorth’s work: - Website: https://www.paulkingsnorth.net/ - Substack: The Abbey of Misrule: https://paulkingsnorth.substack.com/ - Novel: Alexandria by Paul Kingsnorth: https://www.amazon.com/Alexandria-Novel-Paul-Kingsnorth/dp/1644450356 ============================ Thank you to Nicolás Hernández Moreno for creating this version of the intro music. ============================ Original video: https://youtu.be/QetAHfg7w8s - The Symbolic World website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com - Merch: http://www.thesymbolicworld.store - Language of Creation, by Matthieu Pageau: https://www.amazon.com/Language-Creation-Cosmic-Symbolism-Genesis-ebook/dp/B07D738HD8 Support this podcast: - Website: https://thesymbolicworld.com/support/ - Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/pageauvideos - Subscribestar: https://www.subscribestar.com/jonathan-pageau - Paypal: http://www.paypal.me/JonathanPageau Join the conversation: - Unofficial Facebook discussion group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1989208418065298/ - The Symbolic World Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/TheSymbolicWorld/ Social media links: - Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheSymbolicWorld - Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/pageaujonathan - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathan.pageau

One of the biggest problems with talking about something as vast and impactful as the pandemic is to find the right level of analysis. In this epic piece, we look at the deeper religious and theological forces playing out below the surface of our day to day conflicts over topics like vaccines, authoritarianism and safety. We pull apart the hidden religiosity of "both sides" of the pandemic, that seems to be accelerating, even as the rapid spread of the Omicron variant brings us towards the pandemic endgame. It features interviews with the cognitive scientist John Vervaeke, Unherd writer Mary Harrington, the author Paul Kingsnorth, emergency doctor Rocky Jedick and many more. We have recently launched the Rebel Wisdom Substack for all our written content, and to host exclusive videos for members (just $5). The full length conversations with John, Mary & Rocky are available there for subscribers: https://substack.com/rebelwisdom  We are running our groundbreaking Sensemaking 101 course again in February, check the website for more details: https://rebelwisdom.co.uk/courses/sensemaking-101-page  Pieces referenced in the film include: Joe Rogan with Peter McCullough: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0aZte37vtFTkYT7b0b04Qz?si=1f7ce5a6705b463e  Joe Rogan with Robert Malone: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3SCsueX2bZdbEzRtKOCEyT?si=5a8207578958440e  Breaking the Polarity Spell of the Covidiots and Covidians, Peter Limberg: https://thestoa.substack.com/p/breaking-the-polarity-spell-of-the  Vaccine purity has infected the West, Mary Harrington: https://unherd.com/2022/01/vaccine-purity-has-infected-the-west/  This Vaccine Moment, Paul Kingsnorth: https://paulkingsnorth.substack.com/p/the-vaccine-moment-part-one  Paul Kingsnorth: Why I changed sides in the vaccine wars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_uAwsVn10Y  Covid & the Sensemaking Crisis, BJ Campbell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IjW16FCpkA  Covid could still save Boris, Freddie Sayers: https://unherd.com/2022/01/covid-could-still-save-boris/  The Age of Breach, Alexander Beiner: https://medium.com/rebel-wisdom/the-age-of-breach-gamestop-wokeism-and-the-capitol-8e3ac46efaf9  Tortoise, Pfizer's War: https://www.tortoisemedia.com/audio/pfizers-war/  Robert Malone goes full anti-science on Joe Rogan's podcast, Debunk the Funk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjszVOfG_wo&t=1s  Robert Malone & Peter McCullough: A litany of untruths, Decoding the Gurus: https://decoding-the-gurus.captivate.fm/episode/robert-malone-peter-mccullough-a-litany-of-untruths  No, Ivermectin Did Not Help Japan Bring Down Covid-19 Coronavirus Delta Surge, Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2021/11/27/no-ivermectin-did-not-help-japan-bring-down-covid-19-coronavirus-delta-surge/?sh=717ea5842938  Ivermectin Didn’t Save Uttar Pradesh From Covid-19, Gideon M-K: https://gidmk.medium.com/ivermectin-didnt-save-uttar-pradesh-from-covid-19-17684f49d8b3  Walking the Talk on Free Speech? With Triggernometry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdGUp0y-bzc&t=1472s    Episode Overview:  00:00:00 Intro 00:00:50 The return of religion and the 'post secular' 00:04:55 The Covid Thesis vs Covid Antithesis 00:05:43 The Religiosity of the Thesis Narrative 00:08:39 The Religiosity of the Antithesis Narrative 00:14:25 Covid Synthesis? 00:16:47 What makes us intelligent leads to self-deception 00:20:24 We're all biased  00:24:48 Mary Harrington, vaccine purity codes & theology 00:33:44 The scapegoat dynamic 00:37:45 Religion, Egregores & 'Mass Formation' 00:44:53 John Vervaeke, suspicion is eating itself 00:48:45 Dialogos & the 'hermeneutics of beauty' 00:56:50 'Pfizer are shitbags' 00:58:53 Responsible heterodoxy vs conspiracy thinking 01:01:25 Making sense of Robert Malone's claims 01:10:44 An ER doctor evaluates Robert Malone, Rocky Jedick MD 01:20:00 Understanding the red flags 01:27:14 Our broken information landscape 01:32:07 Understanding motivation vs ad hominem 01:35:42 Epistemic humility & holding perspectives 01:43:44 The 'uncanny valley' of truth seeking 01:51:00 The incentive landscape for the antithesis, Paul Kingsnorth 01:57:49 The ethics of alternative media 02:06:23 Truth as a sacred value

In this thought-provoking discussion, Jordan Peterson shares insights on the psychological significance of religion while Richard Dawkins critiques those beliefs from an evolutionary standpoint. Alex O'Connor advocates for the dialogue between faith and reason. Meanwhile, Tom Holland and Louise Perry examine how Christianity shapes modern culture. Douglas Murray and Dave Rubin engage in lively debates on free speech and contemporary issues. Scholars like Alister McGrath and NT Wright offer theological perspectives, questioning whether faith might see a revival in today's world.

The Big Conversation - Episode 2 | Season 4 Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury engages with author Paul Kingsnorth on his adult conversion to Eastern Orthodox Christianity. Paul and Rowan talk about the spiritual longings that still exist under the surface of secular culture and whether ancient forms of Christianity may provide answers to today’s generation. For bonus content including the Jordan Peterson ebook, updates and more shows, sign up at: http://www.thebigconversation.show Take our survey: https://survey-star.net/williams Rowan Williams: http://rowanwilliams.archbishopofcanterbury.org/ Paul Kingsnorth's article: https://www.paulkingsnorth.net/cross The Big Conversation is a video series from Unbelievable? featuring world-class thinkers across the religious and non-religious community. Exploring science, faith, philosophy and what it means to be human. The Big Conversation is produced by Premier in partnership with John Templeton Foundation. • More shows, free eBook & newsletter: https://premierunbelievable.com • For live events: http://www.unbelievable.live • For online learning: https://www.premierunbelievable.com/training-and-events • Support us in the USA: http://www.premierinsight.org/unbelievableshow • Support us in the rest of the world: https://www.premierunbelievable.com/donate

Paul Kingsnorth is an English writer who lives in the west of Ireland. He is a former deputy-editor of The Ecologist and a co-founder of the Dark Mountain Project. Kingsnorth's nonfiction writing tends to address macro themes like environmentalism, globalisation, and the challenges posed to humanity by civilisation-level trends. His fiction tends to be mythological and multi-layered.