The Problem with Reading
The Problem with Reading
A book appreciation club hosted by one catholic, one anglican, and one orthodox nerd. We talk about book chapters, special topics, and what we're drinking.
Currently:
-James Scott's Seeing Like a State (502-present)
Previously:
-Jacques Ellul's Propaganda: The Formation of Men's Attitudes (421-427, 429)
-Carl Trueman's Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self (407-410, 412-413, 415-416)
-Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death (402 and 405)
-Richard Weaver's Ideas Have Consequences (314-318)
-Iain McGilchrist's The Master and His Emissary (213-310)
-Alasdair MacIntyre's After Virtue (101-114,116-119)
You can find this podcast on most podcast applications, Itunes, Spotify, and Soundcloud.
Currently:
-James Scott's Seeing Like a State (502-present)
Previously:
-Jacques Ellul's Propaganda: The Formation of Men's Attitudes (421-427, 429)
-Carl Trueman's Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self (407-410, 412-413, 415-416)
-Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death (402 and 405)
-Richard Weaver's Ideas Have Consequences (314-318)
-Iain McGilchrist's The Master and His Emissary (213-310)
-Alasdair MacIntyre's After Virtue (101-114,116-119)
You can find this podcast on most podcast applications, Itunes, Spotify, and Soundcloud.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Nov 20, 2019 • 54min
206 The Problem with..."Hauerwas and Boomers"
Stephen and Brevin break down the Notre Dame Ethics Conference (where Stephen spoke or sat next to every significant Christian ethicist of our time), the OK Boomer meme, and the tectonic plates of demographics. Also--irony is great, Untitled Goose Game is a masterpiece, and friendship is impossible (according to MacIntyre). Have a listen!
Article:
~firstthings.com/article/2019/11/the-future-is-mixed
Nov 20, 2019 • 59sec
Nietzsche was the OG Incel
'nough said
Nov 3, 2019 • 1h 14min
205 The Problem with..."the Joker Meme and Machine Reading"
205 The Problem with..."the Joker Meme and Machine Reading" by The Problem with Reading
Oct 8, 2019 • 29min
204 The Problem with..."Kanye Fan Fiction"
Stephen and Brevin write Kanye West fan fic, compose fresh lyrics to our fave christian songs, and generally make it snappy. Enjoy!
Articles:
~disrn.com/2019/10/01/how-christians-should-respond-to-kanyes-reported-conversion
~theatlantic.com/education/archive/2019/10/how-fanfiction-improves-writing/599197
Sep 28, 2019 • 49min
203 The Problem with..."Hell and Memes"
Stephen and Brevin return after a much-too-long hiatus to bring you tales of apocalypse, hell (but I repeat myself), and the memetic structures that underpin grumpy cat.
Articles:
~firstthings.com/article/2019/10/harrowing-hart-on-hell
~thephilosophersmeme.com/2019/04/05/the-memetic-bottleneck/
Music:
Ratata by Jeremiah Dangers
Sep 1, 2019 • 60min
202 The Problem with..."Ex Post Facto Trumpian Hand Waves"
Season 2 only gets better and Stephen is back at it again with what may be a record number of David Foster Wallace references. Meanwhile, Sam and Brevin are devastated that Kirsten Gillibrand has dropped out of the presidential race and ruined their chance for free bourbon. In other news, the Constitution should be abolished, James Mattis is our new patron saint, and bitter fights abound in the theology-politics-o-sphere. Have a listen!
Articles:
~firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2019/08/a-sloppy-attack-on-national-conservatism
~theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/08/who-constitution/596341/
~wsj.com/articles/jim-mattis-duty-democracy-and-the-threat-of-tribalism-11566984601
Aug 17, 2019 • 53min
201 The Problem with..."Purity Culture and Zeus"
The gang is back and better than ever with Season 2! After Season 1's long journey through MacIntyre's After Virtue we have arrived to the ethical wasteland he described. But while we're here, we may as well read some articles. This episode we ponder why Joshua Harris and the Christian Purity Movement collapsed, why God isn't actually Zeus, and how Communists find love. Please enjoy!
Articles:
~nationalreview.com/…/whither-evangelical-purit…/
~firstthings.com/artic…/…/06/god-gods-and-fairies
~nymag.com/…/2…/03/socialism-and-young-socialists.html
Jul 24, 2019 • 55min
119 The Problem with..."The St. Seraphim Option"
The squad read the last chapter of After Virtue, and looks to a bright future with the St. Seraphim Option, named for the patron saint of nuclear weapons, that promises to bring cleansing fire upon our godless world. In other news, the American justice system is terrible, a charismatic preacher makes the bodies hit the floor (see link), and Stephen and Sam get a lucky few anti-Catholic one-liners over Brevin. Also something about cravats. Excelsior!
Links:
~youtube.com/watch?v=a54iqEr1flQ
Music:
Ratata by Jeremiah Dangers
Jun 22, 2019 • 55min
118 The Problem with..."Escape Rooms, College Bureaucracy, and Freedom"
Sam rejoins the pod for the second-to-last chapter of MacIntyre and a riotous good time. Join the three musketeers for a defense of censorship, a rant about children in escape rooms, and something something heatwave. I wasn’t paying attention.
Articles:
~ firstthings.com/article/2004/06/freedom-and-decency
~ city-journal.org/diversity-bureauracies-georgetown-univ
Music: Ratata by Jeremiah Dangers
Jun 6, 2019 • 47min
117 The Problem with..."Jane Austen and Happiness Gurus"
Brevin and Stephen talk After Virtue Chapter 16 and Jane Austen. They follow this with a rousing discussion of skinhead redemption, gritty childhoods, traffic, and happiness gurus gone bad. Have a listen!
Articles:
~ quillette.com/2019/04/24/the-impassable-road-to-redemption
~ theatlantic.com/family/archive/2019/05/david-epstein-range/590704/
Music: Ratata by Jeremiah Dangers
