The Weekly Eudemon

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Episode 19: Introverts, Deconstructionists, and Gnostics Jan 26, 2019

Show notes

Introverts. An introvert is not a shy person. It’s someone who draws energy from quiet. He has a finite supply of energy for interaction . . . it drains him. A huge revelation for this podcaster. Hat tip to The Matt Walsh Show.

Deconstructionists. Derrida’s attack on binaries was an overreaction to Descartes’ erroneous dualism that denied the sacramental nature of reality. That, anyway, is my theory.

Gnostic Gays: Deconstructionism + Gnosticism = LGBTQ movement.

Episode 18: Mass Touching, Austen, Marshall McLuhan, Gnosticism Jan 19, 2019

Show notes

Touching During Mass. Enough already. Enough with shaking hands, too, at least during the cold and flu season. That custom has ran its course.

Today’s Pride and Prejudice Parlor Scenes. Family members lounging around the living room, each with individual screens in their hands. The end of the family? Or a return of the family to 1800 leisurely norms?

Marshall McLuhan. This Catholic convert would probably take major issue with my conclusions in the previous segment. I introduce the thought of this man who used to be a household name and the meaning of his signature line, “The medium is the message.”

Lighting Segments. Augustine didn’t say “He who sings prays twice,” plus it seems kind of self-laudatory. School of Rock, the musical . . . excellent. Andrew Lloyd Weber . . . rich and conservative. More.

Gnosticism. Introducing the thought of Eric Voegelin, one of the twentieth centuries greatest, yet unheralded, thinkers.

Episode 17: Nock, Deconstructing the Family, Mindfulness Jan 12, 2019

Show notes

The Mind and Art of Albert Jay Nock. Great book/introduction into the life and thought of the godfather of American libertarianism. The fact that Crunden wrote this as an undergrad? Blows me away.

Deconstructionism and the Family. Why are leftists pro-environment and pro-gay marriage? There’s a connection, though it’s murky and a bit confusing. I try to flush it out here.

Lightning Segments. Dieting, Smear the Queer, More.

Mindfulness. Breaking the mind in two. Proof of the soul? One piece of handy practical advice (identify the emotion and it goes away).

Punctuation. Basic punctuation shows regard for the other.

Episode 16: Pope Francis and Evelyn Waugh, Structuralism and Libertinism, Buddhist Emptiness, Hungover, Mongols with Nestorian Christians Jan 05, 2019

Show notes

Haters at Mass. Pope Francis’ suggestion that hateful Catholics stay away from Mass makes sense, but there are three potential problems with it: When is a person good enough to go to Mass? Hasn’t he been a bit, ahem, spiteful in his attacks on his political foes? Maybe Mass is keeping the hateful from becoming the murderous.

Structuralism. The foundations of post-modernism. My first podcast segment on this topic. Structuralists: words form the society; the society tells you how to think; thoughts don’t come from inside of us. Deconstructionists: Okay, but you guys, the structuralists, aren’t thinking for yourselves either. There is no truth period, in any form or fashion whatsoever. Leads to sexual libertinism.

Buddhist Emptiness. The Buddhist doctrine of Emptiness appears to reflect the basic insight of semiology, the science of signs, which was the foundation of the structuralists’ insights. Both led to sexual libertinism: Tantric Buddhism on the one hand, free love of the 1960s on the other (and today’s celebration of preference today).

Lightning Segments. Hangovers, exploding real estate prices in Detroit, TWE’s improving Facebook page.

Nestorian Christians. Mongols respected Christians . . . of the Nestorian stripe. Who were they? In sum, Christians who denied Christ’s full divinity. They were active in the far east and managed to convert an important Mongol tribe.

Episode 15: Autobiographical Holiday Ruminations Dec 30, 2018

Show notes

Odds and ends from the past nine days. Topics include Detroit, nutty people, the Rosary, the Breviary.

Episode 14: Pagan Practices in Christianity, The Jesus Prayer, Autobiographical Tao Dec 22, 2018

Show notes

Next Week: I plan on producing a podcast next week, over the holidays, but it’ll probably be unusual fare.

Sol Invictus. No, Christmas predates Sol Invictus, but the question of pagan practices’ influence on Christian practices is interesting. I don’t look at the history much, but rather, focus on the premonition of truth that I think was at work.

The Jesus Prayer. “Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Just twelve words. The path to praying without ceasing (Thessalonians 5)?

Econtalk and Secular Groping. The more we advance, the more we go backwards: As we get away from modernism, we start to rediscover ancient truths. It’s a phenomenon that has long fascinated me. I delve into it here.

Post-Modernism, Galileo and Mead and Kinsey and Other Frauds, Arthur Koestler Dec 16, 2018

Show notes

Post-Modernism Studies Have Begun: I bought Thaddeus Russell’s course, “What is Post-Modernism.” I like it, but I think I’ve caught three pretty bad errors in the first 20 minutes or so: Margaret Mead’s findings were terribly flawed, Copernicus didn’t suffer severe persecution, Galileo wasn’t persecuted because he was correct.

Christians and Post-Modernism: Joseph Bottum corroborates my hunch: Post-modernism is attacking traditional Christianity’s enemy, modernism, so we have a lot of common ground.

Galileo: What very few people know: Galileo was wrong. His conclusions were right, but his rationale was wrong. He couldn’t prove what he was saying, but rather, expected everyone to accept his conclusions based on the strength of his (supposed) superiority to everyone else. He ended a broken man . . . pride goeth before the fall.

Arthur Koestler: A #metoo villain from the mid-twentieth century. No doubt a creep, but probably a genius, intellectually honest, and interesting.

Episode 12: Midget Wrestling in Detroit, Manliness, FOCUS, Post-Modernism Dec 09, 2018

Show notes

Midget Wrestling: It was a great time. Twisted? Naw, just fun. Don’t deprive midgets of their agency, and you can’t judge someone else’s sense of humor as long as it’s not unkind.

Detroit: Its rise from the ashes continues, but it’s still a gritty place and rings “authentic.” Contrast that with downtown Chicago.

Lightning Segments: All about The Manly Handbook, an absurd little book from the early 1980s that cracks me up to this day.

FOCUS: The Fellowship of Catholic University Students is doing marvelous work, as evidenced by my first-hand experience with the organization. :

Post-Modernism: Is this the smoke of Satan that Pope Paul VI talked about? I guess I need to figure it out.

Onanism, Off-Color Humor, Seventh Century, Taoist Anarchy Dec 01, 2018

Show notes

Self-Abuse: The Atlantic ran a long essay about the “sex recession”: kids are having less sex these days. Why? One answer: masturbation.

Sex Jokes: Is ribaldry dialogue okay for Catholics? Maybe, maybe not. You decide.

Lightning Segments: El Cortez in Las Vegas, Elvis drummer, the Horn Effect, more.

The Seventh Century: The Dark Ages have begun, but what exactly do things look like? Khazars, Pepin, Franks, Etc.

Taoist Anarchism: Taoists are anarchists. For good reason: Wu-wei; non-action.

Black Friday, Puritanizing Marijuana, Poustinia, Fools for Christ Nov 25, 2018

Show notes

Black Friday and the Gorillas: Are Black Friday shoppers near descendants of the gorillas? Albert Jay Nock would seem to think so. A sense of superiority is an unsettling trait of many libertarians.

Puritanizing Marijuana: The marijuana industry is booming, but there is a conscious effort to imbue it with the Puritan work ethic and otherwise mainstream it. Thaddeus Russell wouldn’t approve.

Lightning Segments: Eight Mile, a list of Great Men, other snippets.

Poustinia: My experience with the solitary Russian retreat.

Fools for Christ: A very unusual religious calling, but a compelling one in its own way.

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