The Living Philosophy

Ken Wilber, developer of the Four Quadrants model, discusses how it offers a comprehensive map of knowledge and human experience. The model highlights interconnectedness, hierarchy of experiences, and the potential to understand cultural conflicts. It explores conflicting ideologies and the balance between personal change and social justice movements.

Jordan Peterson’s idea of Postmodern Neo-Marxism is a conspiracy theory. It is also the Shadow in the Jungian sense of Jordan Peterson. Nothing whips Peterson into a more passionate frenzy than the Postmodern Neo-Marxist idea. And to hear the way he talks about the “main villains” of the Postmodern Neo-Marxist movement — Michel Foucault and Jacques Derrida — this diagnosis becomes all the more obvious. Peterson goes beyond the bounds of reason and strays into the possession of his Shadow. Little wonder then that Peterson’s discourse has captivated all sides of the political spectrum. It constellates the Shadows both of his supporters and of his detractors. In this episode we explore Peterson on Postmodern Neomarxism — his argument, where it's wrong and what it tells us about Peterson.______________Sources: Jordan Peterson Clips1. Jordan Peterson Manning Centre speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cf2nqmQIfxc2. Joe Rogan Episode 958 clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCfIuFmULkg3. Postmodernism in a Nutshell – Jordan Peterson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=el6TVEMnS3E4. Postmodernism Diagnosis and Cure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4c-jOdPTN85. Jordan Peterson: You’re Oppressed! The Dangers of Postmodernism https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-8slOBngqk 6. Interview with John Vervaeke (timestamped to relevant point): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLg2Q0daphE&t=2817s&ab_channel=JordanBPeterson 7. Postmodernism in a nutshell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=el6TVEMnS3E 8. Why Postmodernism is so Dangerous https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URktRTE1S0A 9. Foucault the Reprehensible clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBFSDd_5tiE Other sources:1. Jonas Ceika: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHtvTGaPzF42. Jordan Peterson “why the rage bruh” clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EFyADe8B4E&t=5m47s3. Jacobin article on Foucault’s experimentation with neoliberalism https://jacobinmag.com/2019/09/michel-foucault-neoliberalism-friedrich-hayek-milton-friedman-gary-becker-minoritarian-governments 4. Psychology and Religion by Carl Jung https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123636.Psychology_and_Religion 5. Jung 1939 Lecture (source of the bete noire quote) https://carljungdepthpsychologysite.blog/2021/11/30/27-january-1939-psychology-and-yoga-meditation-lecture-10/#.YgFF7Or7S3A 6. Foucault quote about Marxism from Didier Eribon’s biography of him https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1385058.Michel_Foucault 7. Maps of Meaning by Jordan Peterson https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2218102.Maps_of_Meaning8. Robert Johnson’s (Jungian psychologist) book on the shadow: Owning Your Own Shadow https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9544.Owning_Your_Own_Shadow 9. French elections and the Communist Party: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Communist_Party#Popular_support_and_electoral_record 10. Conspiracy theory definition: Goertzel T. (1994). Belief in conspiracy theories. Political Psychology, 15, 731–742.____________________⭐ Support the channel (thank you!) ▶ Patreon: https://patreon.com/thelivingphilosophy ▶ Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/thelivingphilosophy________________Audio Used:1. Despair & Triumph — Kevin MacLeod2. Lost Frontier — Kevin MacLeod3. There’s Probably No Time – Chris Zabriskie4. Drums of the Deep — Kevin MacLeodSubscribe to Kevin MacLeod https://www.youtube.com/user/kmmusicSubscribe to Chris Zabriskie youtube.com/c/chriszabriskie _________________⌛ Timestamps:00:00 Introduction04:06 Peterson’s Postmodern Neo-Marxist Argument09:04 Counterargument I: Peterson’s Misunderstandings11:40 Foucault as Peterson’s Shadow Double20:23 Counterargument II: The Neomarxist Conspiracy

Is Buddhism a religion or philosophy? I have debated many times over the years with people who are fond of Buddhism but tend to dislike religion. Of course anybody who has studied Buddhism in any depth knows that Buddhism is a religion first and foremost. Is Buddhism a philosophy? Yes but in the way that Christianity is a philosophy that is to say that there is a philosophy within it but that is not what defines it. In this episode we examine different schools of Buddhism and their supernatural beliefs in order to answer the question is Buddhism a religion or philosophy. The resounding answer is that yes Buddhism is a religion and no Buddhism is not atheist. We will also be challenging the claims that tend to get piled in with this school of thought: firstly that Buddhism isn't a violent religion and second the question is buddhism atheist. ________________⭐ Support the channel (thank you!) ▶ Patreon: https://patreon.com/thelivingphilosophy ▶ Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/thelivingphilosophy_________________⌛ Timestamps:00:00 Introduction03:59 Why People Think Buddhism Isn’t a Religion06:23 Theravadin Buddhism08:43 Mahayana Buddhism 11:00 Buddhism and Violence12:28 Final Thoughts

Metamodernism might be the most important idea you come this year. According to Hanzi Freinacht, the pioneer of political metamodernism, metamodernism is a new cultural phase that transcends and includes (to use Ken Wilber’s Integral Philosophy language) the previous phase of Postmodernism (which is turn transcended and included the previous phase of Modernity). Hanzi Freinacht is one of a number of pioneering Metamodernist thinkers as well as the Dutch art scholars Robin van den Akker and Timotheus Vermeulen who first sparked the Metamodern phenomenon with their 2010 paper Notes on Metamodernism. In this episode we are going to look at the characteristics of this new Metamodern cultural trend. its relationship to the previous trends of Modernity and Postmodernity and why, in this world in crisis, we need Metamodernism. ____________________Further Reading:• The Listening Society by Hanzi Freinacht• Metamodern Manifesto by Luke Turner http://www.metamodernism.org/• Notes on Metamodernism by Robin van der Akker and Timotheus Vermeulen https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3402/jac.v2i0.5677 ________________⭐ Support the channel (thank you!) ▶ Patreon: https://patreon.com/thelivingphilosophy ▶ Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/thelivingphilosophy________________Media Used:1. 1812 Overture, — Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky2. Lost Frontier — Kevin MacLeod3. Juniper — Kevin MacLeod4. Mesmerize — Kevin MacLeod5. There’s Probably No Time — Chris ZabriskieSubscribe to Kevin MacLeod https://www.youtube.com/user/kmmusic_________________⌛ Timestamps:00:00 Introduction03:11 The Metamodern Synthesis05:50 What is Metamodernism?07:34 Ironic Sincerity: the Tone of Metamodernism________________#philosophy #thelivingphilosophy #metamodernism #metamodernity #metamodern #metamoderna

Is humanity a cancer? It’s a perspective that’s growing increasingly popular. It tells us a lot about humanity’s self-perception in the 21st century that this view is gaining traction. But it’s completely false.In this episode we are going to explore why it is false. The analogy to cancer is a poor one as we’ll see. A much more fruitful comparison can be made with bacteria but even this comparison is a mere finger pointing to a tendency that is common to life on Earth in general. It seems that the propensity to over-consume and overbreed is not a uniquely human trait.The reality is that humanity’s destructiveness derives from its connection to the rest of life. However what is unique about humanity is our potential to do something about it. In facing into the climate crisis, we see two camps emerging which are each allied with uniquely human traits: wisdom and culture/intelligence. ____________________⭐ Support the channel (thank you!) ▶ Patreon: https://patreon.com/thelivingphilosophy ▶ Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/thelivingphilosophy________________Media Used:1. Lightless Dawn — Kevin MacLeod2. Lost Frontier — Kevin MacLeod3. Despair and Triumph — Kevin MacLeod4. Drums of the Deep — Kevin MacLeod5. Anguish — Kevin MacLeodSubscribe to Kevin MacLeod https://www.youtube.com/user/kmmusic_________________⌛ Timestamps:00:00 Introduction02:53 The Problem04:05 The Bacterial Lifecycle08:34 The Wolves of Yellowstone12:39 The Rabbits of Australia15:02 Two Paths to Salvation________________#philosophy #thelivingphilosophy #climatechange

Modernism and Postmodernism are two cultural stages with their own worldviews. In this episode we talk about the emergence and differences between these ages and look at the contrast between postmodern philosophy and the Modern philosophy of the Enlightenment that preceded it. This episode is an exploration of the two worldviews whose conflict is so prominent in our world today. ____________________⭐ Support the channel (thank you!) ▶ Patreon: https://patreon.com/thelivingphilosophy ▶ Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/thelivingphilosophy________________Media Used:1. Lost Frontier — Kevin MacLeod2. There’s Probably No Time – Chris Zabriskie3. Drums of the Deep — Kevin MacLeodSubscribe to Kevin MacLeod https://www.youtube.com/user/kmmusicSubscribe to Chris Zabriskie youtube.com/c/chriszabriskie _________________⌛ Timestamps:00:00 A Tale of Two Worldviews00:47 Modernity05:04 Postmodernity________________#Postmoderism #thelivingphilosophy #modernity #philosophy #postmodernity

Ahead of the release of the Matrix 4 I thought a second run into the world of postmodernism’s high priest was due and so today we look at Jean Baudrillard on The Matrix. Simulation and Simulacra, Baudrillard’s famous book from 1981 was required reading for the entire cast of The Matrix and the Wachowskis even asked Baudrillard to work on the second and third movies. He declined. As it turns out he had nothing but disdain for the movies and in this episode we explore why and look at the 2004 interview he gave to the French magazine Le Nouvel Obsevateur.____________________⭐ Support the channel (thank you!) ▶ Patreon: https://patreon.com/thelivingphilosophy ▶ Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/thelivingphilosophy________________Further Reading:Baudrillard interview with le Nouvel Observateur: https://baudrillardstudies.ubishops.ca/the-matrix-decoded-le-nouvel-observateur-interview-with-jean-baudrillard/Catherine Constable: Adapting philosophy - Jean Baudrillard and  The Matrix Trilogy________________Media Used:1. Lightless Dawn — Kevin MacLeod2. 1812 Overture – Tchaikovsky3. Mozart’s String Quartet No. 15 in D minor4. There’s Probably No Time – Chris Zabriskie5. Lost Frontier — Kevin MacLeod6. Drums of the Deep — Kevin MacLeod7. Despair and Triumph — Kevin MacLeodSubscribe to Kevin MacLeod https://www.youtube.com/user/kmmusicSubscribe to Chris Zabriskie youtube.com/c/chriszabriskie _________________⌛ Timestamps:0:00 Introduction0:58 #1 The Misrepresentation of The Matrix5:13 #2 The Matrix would love The Matrix8:23 #3 A Glimmer of Irony10:34 Why Baudrillard is Wrong13:32 Final Thoughts________________#Baudrillard #thelivingphilosophy #thematrix #philosophy #simulation

Self Reliance, Emerson’s classic essay is one of the gems of philosophical literature. Ralph Waldo Emerson was the leading light of the American Transcendentalism tradition and Self Reliance Emerson’s most famous spark. I have been a fan of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s since my early days of philosophical exploration as a teenager and it’s interesting to read Emerson Self Reliance now in light of the passing of time and to see just how much it has influence my worldview and my perspective on philosophy. With that in mind, I thought that in this week’s video it would be nice to explore this amazing essay and to make a Self Reliance summary and review video. Hope you enjoy it and if you haven’t read it before be sure to check out Emerson’s work at the link below!___________________Self-Reliance full essay: thelivingphilosophy.com/self-reliance/____________________⭐ Support the channel (thank you!) ▶ Patreon: https://patreon.com/thelivingphilosophy ▶ Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/thelivingphilosophy________________Audio Used:1. Americana Aspiring — Kevin MacLeod2. Drums of the Deep — Kevin MacLeod3. Juniper — Kevin MacLeod4. Anguish — Kevin MacLeodSubscribe to Kevin MacLeod https://www.youtube.com/user/kmmusic_________________⌛ Timestamps:0:00 Emerson - Self-Reliance2:23 Greatness vs. Meanness3:28 Self vs. Society5:56 The Dead Past vs. the Eternal Present8:48 Self-Reliance vs. Conformity________________#Emerson #thelivingphilosophy #selfreliance #philosophy #Transcendentalism

In his 1981 book Simulation and Simulacra, Jean Baudrillard makes the claim that we are all living in a simulation. Baudrillard’s conception of simulation is extremely complex, going beyond The Matrix’s conception of the simulation (a movie that was inspired by Baudrillard’s Simulation and Simulacra) as a virtual reality world in which we all live.Baudrillard says that with the emergence of the postmodern age, we have entered the simulation, a hyperreality in which all access to the real has debarred. The real is decaying away while we ourselves are locked into the hyperreal space without referents. In this episode we will be looking at Jean Baudrillard’s conception of hyperreality and the hyperreal postmodern landscape we now inhabit. In Baudrillard postmodernism meets futurism and sci-fi to paint the terrifying picture of the dystopic landscape we find ourselves in. As we’ve gone deeper into the 21st century this work of Baudrillard has been shown to be more and more prescient, a topic we will dive deeper into in future episode of the Living Philosophy. ____________________⭐ Support the channel (thank you!) ▶ Patreon: https://patreon.com/thelivingphilosophy ▶ Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/thelivingphilosophy________________⌛ Timestamps:0:00 Introduction1:35 Simulation and Simulacra5:53 The Difficulties of Defining Simulation8:26 What is Simulation10:32 The Hypermarket Simulation13:12 The Tasaday Simulation15:24 Summary and Conclusion

What is Structuralism? In this episode, we are going to break down the Structuralist theory pioneered by Claude Lévi Strauss and explored by the likes of Roland Barthes, Michel Foucault, Jacques Lacan and Jean Piaget. We will be looking at the meaning of Structuralism and what the main criticisms of it were from Jean Piaget and from the Poststructuralism angle of Jacques Derrida. The simple answer to what is Structuralism would look at the structural linguistics of Ferdinand de Saussure. His work especially the idea of langue and parole as we explore in this video was a pivotal inspiration for the structural anthropology of Claude Levi Strauss and for structural sociology as seen in the work of Barthes and Foucault and in structuralism psychology as seen in the works of Jacques Lacan. There are influential ways of looking at structuralism in literature as we shall see with the works of Joseph Campbell who while not a structuralist was influenced by Claude Lévi Strauss and whose work is the epitome of Structuralism.____________________⭐ Support the channel (thank you!) ▶ Patreon: https://patreon.com/thelivingphilosophy ▶ Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/thelivingphilosophy_________________⌛ Timestamps:0:00 Intro: What is Structuralism 0:34 Ferdinand de Saussure and Structural Linguistics2:08 The Structuralists4:34 Piaget and the Failures of Structuralism as Science7:22 The Poststructuralism Critique by Derrida9:06 Summary and Conclusion