Misenchantments

Riley and Lorenzo continue their discussion on enchantment – what is it, what is it not, how does technology ruin it, and where can we get some? Topics include myth, liturgy, literature, and cynicism.

References:

Popular book on enchantment 

Joseph Campbell’s “Power of Myth”

Karl Ove Knausgaard’s “The Re-Enchanted World”

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Riley and Lorenzo discuss enchantment – what is it, why should we care, and what does it mean for something to “have juice”? Topics include hireophany, writing as (failed) sacrament, air conditioning as numbing one’s senses.

Digressions include pet pigs and why it’s cool, actually, to say “TGIF.” 

Authors discussed: Max Weber, Charles Taylor, Katherine May, and Jane Bennett

Riley and Lorenzo watch and discuss Paul Schrader’s 2017 film “First Reformed.” Riley loves it, Lorenzo thinks it does theology right but has other gripes.  Digressions include fall vibes, devotion, whether or not Amanda Seyfried would be Lorenzo’s friend, Riley’s interest in purchasing a Stanley (!?).

What do Noah Kahan, smutty romance novels, and search engine optimization (SEO) have in common? Riley and Lorenzo dive into why so much popular art and media feels so thin. We chat about our recent media favs, Niel Postman’s Epistemology of Technology, and “Rich Men North of Richmond.”

Reading:

NYT “Why Has Culture Come to a Standstill”

Riley and Lorenzo discuss Disneyland, Satanism, treat acquisition, TikTok microtrends, climate change and purchasing massive SUVs, the imperative to buy, and what we owe each other. Part two of a two-part miniseries on convenience and consumption. 

References:

Cushvlog ‘Polypocalypse’

“Against Convenience” 

“The Easy Way Out”

Riley and Lorenzo discuss their new mic, ASMR, TikTok “haul” trends, single-use plastic, Christmastime and Advent (Riley doesn’t know the difference between the two), overconsumption, LARPing prosperity, and class consciousness. Part one of a two-part miniseries on convenience and consumption. 

References:

Operation Niki TikTok

Chelsea Fagan TikTok

De-influencing TikTok

Eula Biss’ “Having and Being Had”

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Riley and Lorenzo catch up to complain about what has been bothering them in their two months away from the pod: science, acronyms, the internet, women, etc. Let’s call it cultural criticism.

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In what critics are calling “the coziest episode of Misenchantments yet,” Riley and Lorenzo discuss J.D. Salinger’s short novel Franny and Zooey. Lorenzo reads it as an articulation of his own materialist theology, while Riley reflects concernedly on TikTok conspiracy theories and joyfully on little slices of the good life. We also conclude that we’re both big-time snobs, though Lorenzo more-so for his apparent distaste for commercial romance novels. 

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Riley & Lorenzo have 2 beers each and discuss tech-bro stoicism (aka broicism), the horrors of The Daily Stoic, why quotes don’t = wisdom, why whimsy is important, and why feeling your feelings is good, actually. Digressions include the taxonomy of church wokeness and the documentaries “Shiny Happy People” (Duggars) and “The Secrets of Hillsong.”

Readings:

“The Obstacle is the Way” by Ryan Holiday

“Why Silicon Valley Fell in Love With and Ancient Philosophy of Austerity,” Jacob Rosenberg

“Carceral Capitalism” by Jackie Wang

Riley & Lorenzo explore the wild world of Peacock comedy/drama Mrs. Davis, a show about a nun who has to fight a world-controlling AI program (we’re also excited to announce our new sponsors!). We do our best to connect this zany show to the ongoing developments in generative AI and predictive algorithms, plus speculate about what lessons we can learn from the development of the printing press that might apply to AI today. 

Readings:

Sublation: The AI Delusion

The New Yorker: Will AI Become the New McKinsey?

Riley & Lorenzo are joined by Regina Hurley to discuss ~metaphysics~. We’re doing this because we think Religion is good—but what about rational reasons to believe in God? Digressions include personal Eucharistic contents, religious affiliations of various animals, and more digs at the Missouri Synod Lutherans. 

Readings: 

Stanford Encyclopedia: Problem of Evil Section 1.1

Zizek’s Christian Atheism 

Wikipedia: Ontological Arguments

Bertrand Russell: Why I Am Not a Christian

Stanford Encyclopedia: Naturalism 

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Riley & Lorenzo dive into some of Christian mystic Simone Weil’s greatest hits, including attention, personality, impersonality, and witnessing, and make a case for why Weil would have loved “Enchantments of Mammon” and HATED TikTok. 

Readings: 

From The Simone Weil Reader: “Human Personality,” “Attention and Will,” and “Draft for a Statement of Human Obligations”

“A just and loving gaze,” Deborah Casewell, Aeon

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Riley & Lorenzo hate on Christmas a lot but are down to clown with the Incarnation. We decide what Christmas aesthetics are misenchanted, which are good, and then do a little year-end roundup of some recent news! Listen while you sit in the airport watching your flight get delayed for the third time.

Tip your fedoras and get ready to beef with your Christian aunt. In this bantery and off the cuff ep, Riley & Lorenzo explore the merits and controversies of New Atheism. Listen to find out whether Riley converts to atheism, and whether the Four Horsemen really even count as atheists at all.

Riley & Lorenzo do a deep dive into National Conservatism, their views on autonomy, and how technology is destroying our attention and probably our lives. Spoiler: they would get it right if they weren’t getting it so, so wrong. 

Readings:

“The New Right Takes on Big Tech,” Katherine Dee, The Scroll: https://thedailyscroll.substack.com/p/the-new-right-takes-on-big-tech 

“The Only Path Forward is National Conservatism,” Josh Hammer, The American Conservative: https://www.theamericanconservative.com/the-only-path-forward-is-national-conservatism/ 

“The Tragedy of Our Commons,” Alex Kaschuta, The American Mind: https://americanmind.org/features/florida-versus-davos/the-tragedy-of-our-commons/ 

“We Need To Sto...

Ever wondered why so many people love Lewis’ classic work of apologetics? Us too! Riley & Lorenzo discuss allegory, masculinity, children’s literature, and embracing the mystery in a very, very unorganized and chatty episode on C.S. Lewis’ “Mere Christianity”

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Riley & Lorenzo chat about Hallow and Glorify, two apps that promise salvation through data collection. Digressions include Subway Surfers and x2 Blocks, moving back to San Diego, ~lite media studies~, and whether or not the Kardashians are demonic. 

Readings referenced:

“I tried the Hallow app for two weeks and here’s how it went” by Mary Farrow: https://www.pillarcatholic.com/i-tried-the-hallow-app-for-two-weeks/

“My Journey From Atheist to Maybe a Christian” by Alex Jones: https://hallow.com/2018/10/24/my-journey-from-atheist-to-maybe-a-christian-pt-1/ 

“How Christian app Glorify persuaded Hollywood to do God” by ben Machell: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/a...

Riley & Lorenzo discuss sincerity, irony, why it’s misguided to keep making live-action Disney reboots, and Jordan Petersen and Richard Dawkins being the metamodernist heroes we deserve (but don’t want).

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Riley & Lorenzo discuss Lyotard, Yeats, Silliman, the Sokal Hoax, ~grand narratives~, and irony. Digressions include a recent writeup about the Trads, Amanda Gorman’s latest poem, Lorenzo’s hunter camo crocs, and (perhaps surprisingly) not vegan milk alternatives.

Reading:
“The Only Way Out is Through: Against Reactionary Anticapitalism” by Erik Baker

“The Grammar of the World” by Justin E.H. Smith

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Our podcast is about spirituality and modernity. But what the heck even is modernity? We’re here to explain in the first of our three-part series on the Modern, how postmodernity follows, and maybe even what comes after. Find out how Descartes accidentally killed God, how Lorenzo’s fanfiction is actually accidentally based on real life, and the next stage in Riley’s ongoing Wondermilk saga.

Riley & Lorenzo discuss Fleabag, Lady Bird, saint-posting, bimbo feminism, seriousness vs irony, and the big desire to be Told What to Do. Reading: 

“Behold, the Millennial Nuns” by Eve Fairbanks

“How Catholicism became alt-fashion's saviour” by Biz Sherbert

“Inside the New Right” by James Pogue

Riley & Lorenzo read (or misread) Charles Taylor’s “A Secular Age” and discuss immanence vs. transcendence, the validity of liking Marvel movies, whether or not one can make claims about medieval peasant psychology, and how philosophy is fake.

Episode Readings:

Contrapoints’s “Men and “Incels” videos:

“Why They Need Cucks,” Jessa Crispin for The Baffler:

“Bronze Age Pervert, Christianity, and the Politics of Strength,” Kate Whitaker

Riley & Lorenzo discuss Eugene McCarraher’s “Enchantments of Mammon,” slander Weber, agree that shopping is Good, and get into how their personal politics are informed by religious belief.

Riley & Lorenzo discuss petitionary prayer, meditation, agency, who has the right to ask God for things, and Simone Weil's prayer as witnessing.

Check back in for semi-regular episodes, and follow us on Twitter @misenchantments!