Most excellent essay, here are a few ideas that leapt off the page (for me).
The body is now utterly objectified, i.e. made into a thing, and disconnected from its rich network of lived relations in which the human person normally has its being,
is now being pushed aside by the centralized authority of an expert class and its ideological institutions.
because the ruling class by this time enjoyed a growing sense of security concerning its power, not because a more enlightened view of the world had emerged
because the ruling class by this time enjoyed a growing sense of security concerning its power, not because a more enlightened view of the world had emerged
We become dependent upon authority to know whether or not we’re actually healthy and sane. Expertise becomes a proxy between ourselves and reality.
the workforce, the human machinery
What's missing are bit comments concerning the machine's food we are eating (I propose purposely making us sick) and the nature of hierarchy. Otherwise don't be dissing the generalists as they are the source of ideas for you who dig well into ideas.
I've gotten over this we thing a few years ago and respond by typing don't include me in we!
I agree wholeheartedly on the food issue. I thought about including a discussion about the "ancestral health community" and the grass-roots revolution in terms of nutrition science that's taken place during the last couple of decades (marksdailyapple.com, chriskresser.com, stephanguyenet.com to mention a few forerunners), but that's an entire separate set of essays in itself I think.
Not my intention to disrespect any generalists of any sort - I know a lot of doctors also within the "Western" tradition who are doing tremendous work in this weird and tumultous time - so I hope I don't tend to come off in any such fashion.
I have a good food system that is growing its production every year - without any synthetic inputs, the garden beds themselves without any machines! Its a dynamic process that requires a lot more thinking than doing with creativity to meet the challenges that changes overtime.
Sounds intriguing. I'm tentatively reforming the old derelict family farm (hardiness zone 5) and will tend towards permacultural approaches and long-term sustainability as far as possible.
Have you read Spengler Johan? He has a great take on this period of the west and the changes wrought. He argues that what happened during that early modern period is not unique to the west, it's merely what happens as a culture begins to urbanise to a greater degree as it goes though its life cycle. Obviously the west also has unique qualities that made this particularly damaging. to the outside world.
The catholic religion of the early middle ages is a religion of the countryside, fantastical, beautiful and crazy, with many different deities (saints, Mary, Satan and his Demons). Protestantism and the Puritanism that followed are that of the City, cold, calculating, intellectual, demanding much while offering little in regards to priestly contrition, festivals or just fun. Nature is the Devil, human brilliance is God (God becomes a master of machine universe). Medicine becomes completely caught up in this and everything else is shoved to the side (it is interesting that dissection is carried out on the dead, not the living).
It is but a short step from there to atheism and 'scientific rationality'. Nothing is scared and everything is up for grabs.
Most excellent essay, here are a few ideas that leapt off the page (for me).
The body is now utterly objectified, i.e. made into a thing, and disconnected from its rich network of lived relations in which the human person normally has its being,
is now being pushed aside by the centralized authority of an expert class and its ideological institutions.
because the ruling class by this time enjoyed a growing sense of security concerning its power, not because a more enlightened view of the world had emerged
because the ruling class by this time enjoyed a growing sense of security concerning its power, not because a more enlightened view of the world had emerged
We become dependent upon authority to know whether or not we’re actually healthy and sane. Expertise becomes a proxy between ourselves and reality.
the workforce, the human machinery
What's missing are bit comments concerning the machine's food we are eating (I propose purposely making us sick) and the nature of hierarchy. Otherwise don't be dissing the generalists as they are the source of ideas for you who dig well into ideas.
I've gotten over this we thing a few years ago and respond by typing don't include me in we!
Thanks a lot!
I agree wholeheartedly on the food issue. I thought about including a discussion about the "ancestral health community" and the grass-roots revolution in terms of nutrition science that's taken place during the last couple of decades (marksdailyapple.com, chriskresser.com, stephanguyenet.com to mention a few forerunners), but that's an entire separate set of essays in itself I think.
Not my intention to disrespect any generalists of any sort - I know a lot of doctors also within the "Western" tradition who are doing tremendous work in this weird and tumultous time - so I hope I don't tend to come off in any such fashion.
Ok!
I have a good food system that is growing its production every year - without any synthetic inputs, the garden beds themselves without any machines! Its a dynamic process that requires a lot more thinking than doing with creativity to meet the challenges that changes overtime.
Sounds intriguing. I'm tentatively reforming the old derelict family farm (hardiness zone 5) and will tend towards permacultural approaches and long-term sustainability as far as possible.
Same here in permaculture terms in Wisconsin. I'm also working a hunting 40 in the UP.
Will check out your sub as well, for that matter. Am planting an orchard myself at the moment. :)
Have you read Spengler Johan? He has a great take on this period of the west and the changes wrought. He argues that what happened during that early modern period is not unique to the west, it's merely what happens as a culture begins to urbanise to a greater degree as it goes though its life cycle. Obviously the west also has unique qualities that made this particularly damaging. to the outside world.
The catholic religion of the early middle ages is a religion of the countryside, fantastical, beautiful and crazy, with many different deities (saints, Mary, Satan and his Demons). Protestantism and the Puritanism that followed are that of the City, cold, calculating, intellectual, demanding much while offering little in regards to priestly contrition, festivals or just fun. Nature is the Devil, human brilliance is God (God becomes a master of machine universe). Medicine becomes completely caught up in this and everything else is shoved to the side (it is interesting that dissection is carried out on the dead, not the living).
It is but a short step from there to atheism and 'scientific rationality'. Nothing is scared and everything is up for grabs.
Thoroughly enjoyed this essay! Shadowrunners is becoming my favorite substack.
Thanks so much, man. Means a great deal to hear.
Stunning. Makes clear connections I hadn’t thought of
Thanks man! It's mostly Illich, Ellul & Feyerabend I've cribbed from, really
Your cribbing is high quality. Some of the same kinds of observation made here https://southfront.org/the-masque-of-pandora/ (Alistair Crooke), which I found here https://thescrum.substack.com/p/head-spinning-disorientation