The Roots of Everything

Feminism is more than the desire for women to be treated with respect. It arose in a very specific set of cultural circumstances—the industrial revolution and the technologization of society—and it still bears the marks of those movements today.

For the last 50 years, women have been steadily gaining more opportunities, education, and financial independence—yet at the same time, according to massive studies across the world, they've also been getting unhappier. What accounts for this seeming paradox?

Despite it's triumphant optimism, the Enlightenment and scientific revolution didn't lead to utopia, but instead to the complete breakdown of the idea of truth. How did scientific rationalism lead to postmodernism, neo-Marxism, and nihilism? Find out on today's episode.

While we often think of the Enlightenment and the scientific revolution as "unbiased" or "neutral", the reality is that, historically, the thinkers behind these movements were in fact quite biased and had a particular project in mind: destroying the past.

While modern secularism is famous for being skeptical, the Reformation actually played a central role in destroying the religious culture of Europe and paving the way for the Enlightenment. Martin Luther is doing the same sort of project as Descartes!

Dive into the fascinating world of knowledge and doubt. Explore how modern skepticism influences our views on science and authority. Discover the paradox of trusting scientific facts while distrusting those who convey them. Uncover the emotional aspects entwined with rational thought and why this tension defines our culture. Learn how Descartes reshaped the landscape of skepticism and the challenges posed by subjective reasoning. Reflect on the long-term impacts of radical skepticism on community and shared values.

For being supposedly non-religious, secular people are surprisingly interested in weird phenomenon, everything from A.I. worship to UFOs to drug-induced mystical experiences. It's almost like we're building new religions—but how new are they, really?

Can we build a god out of A.I.? As it turns out, the ancients were already doing much the same thing, and the "science of idol-making" is a recognized technique going back many centuries. Is what we're doing with A.I. the same? Are idols real creatures?

Because modern people tend to think of ourselves as irreligious or secular, it makes the rise of new religious movements based on worshipping computers seem almost wacky and unserious. But what if I told you that this was always the goal of the modern era?

Increasing technology has also led to increasing anxiety. It's not merely that all the dystopian science-fiction stories are coming true; it's the bizarre return of ancient, religious impulses and desires now fused to our tech development—a new frontier of techno-paganism.