KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century

KunstlerCast 389 —Yakking with John Michael Greer about the Spiritual Condition of our Floundering Country

·1 hr 9 min·5 clips

John Michael Greer argues that our obsession with measurement is a fallacy leading to a wilderness of bullshit studies.

The episode begins with Kunstler introducing Greer and the theme of disenchantment and re-enchantment. Greer critiques the Western fallacy that measurement leads to control, highlighting statistical overreach and bullshit studies. He discusses the replication crisis in science, starting with psychology and spreading to other fields, questioning foundational knowledge. Greer explains underdetermination in philosophy, arguing that science hasn't disproven hypotheses yet. He contrasts historical enchantments, from elves to viruses, as different belief systems. The conversation shifts to cultural changes, with Greer noting stark attitude adjustments over time, like differences between 1935 and today. He describes kitsch and its evolution into quaintness. Greer outlines a cyclical historical model: ages of faith (e.g., medieval Catholicism), reason (e.g., modern science), and memory (late civilization preservation), with our society now senile. He links this to economic factors like price revolutions and catabolic collapse, where maintenance budgets fail. Greer discusses the collapse of mimesis, with youth rejecting role models and adopting savage appearances, akin to late Roman barbarism. He ties this to economic despair, with young people facing debt and lack of opportunities. The dialogue moves to re-enchantment, with Greer suggesting we're under a malign enchantment of mundanity. He mentions Ayaan Hirsi Ali's conversion to Christianity as an example of second religiosity, where people turn to religion for order against chaos. Greer critiques traditional Protestant Christianity as moribund due to liberal social gospel, while Eastern Orthodoxy booms. He emphasizes the need for discipline, linking it to BDSM trends. Greer explains catabolic collapse using New York City's leaking pipes as an example, suggesting abandonment might be cost-effective. He argues that collapse could improve life for ordinary people by reducing taxes and overburden. Greer discusses the supernatural, identifying as an occultist and describing interpenetrating planes like material, etheric, and astral. He notes the breakdown of boundaries between science and the supernatural, referencing 1970s explorations and later purges. Greer defines evil as what societies discourage, like dishonesty from authorities, and warns of hardcore dualism in second religiosity. The episode ends with predictions for 2024, including a corrupt election, end of American hegemony, and potential oil crises.

As heard by us

Greer connects statistical overreach, economic frustration, and the loss of purpose in a floundering country.

John Michael Greer frames a floundering country's spiritual condition as a crisis of belief: what happens when daily life drains the world of meaning, then offers measurement as a substitute for wisdom.

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Why you'd press play

Press play when statistical certainty starts feeling like a poor substitute for purpose.

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