Episode · Modern Wisdom · 2021-06-07
Chris Williamson & Michael Knowles: books mentioned on Modern Wisdom #331
The Problem With Political Correctness - Michael Knowles - #331
Michael Knowles is a political commentator, podcaster, and an author. Ostensibly, political correctness is the right thing to do if you're a responsible human that is respectful of other people's emotions.
Chris Williamson discussed 1984 by George Orwell and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Michael Knowles recommended The Unbroken Thread by Sohrab Ahmari and The Virtue of Nationalism by Yoram Hazony, and discussed Paradise Lost by John Milton, The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis, Why Liberalism Failed by Patrick J. Deneen, and The Decline of the West by Oswald Spengler and others.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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1984
1984 by George Orwell is a classic dystopian novel depicting a totalitarian regime characterized by extreme surveillance, historical denial, and psychological manipulation.
Discussed“But as anyone that's read 1984 knows, the breadth of your language is directly proportional to your ability to think the thoughts that the language enables.”
Where to get it
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Paradise Lost
John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost explores the fall of man, temptation, and the battle between good and evil.
Discussed“Another one of your countrymen, John Milton, I think described this quite well in Paradise Lost where and actually he described your your discussion of, you know, the guy who can't get his leg to work, right? He says, 'Well, I hate legs, you know, I don't want it.' When when Satan is cast down into hell, he says, 'Well,”
Where to get it
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The Screwtape Letters
The Screwtape Letters by C.S.
Discussed“And it actually another Englishman, C.S. Lewis, describes this kind of demonic love in The Screwtape Letters where he where he depicts this kind of love as a desire to consume. All your you know, the the uncle demon loves his nephew demon because he wants to eat him, you know, he wants to totally devour him.”
Where to get it
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Why Liberalism Failed
Why Liberalism Failed by Patrick J.
Discussed“And so, one does wonder, and this this thesis has has been advanced in recent years by people like Patrick Deneen in Why Liberalism Failed and and other writers and thinkers, too, that that something went wrong somewhere along the way. We somehow lost the thread somewhere along the way.”
Where to get it
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The Decline of the West
The Decline of the West by Oswald Spengler, Arthur Helps, and Charles Francis Atkinson is a sweeping historical and philosophical work that explores the cyclical rise and fall of civilizations.
Discussed“I mean, the Oswald Spengler's book, now it's a not really read quite as much, but, you know, 60, 70 years ago was read quite a bit, The Decline of the West, maps out why the West has to go into decline because of the circumstances that have arisen from within it.”
Where to get it
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Brave New World
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is a classic dystopian science fiction novel that depicts a technologically advanced future society controlled through engineered reproduction, psychological conditioning, and constant superficial pleasure.
Discussed“I am I can't work out if we're closer to 1984 or Brave New World. It feels like some awful love child of both. I think it's Brave New World.”
Where to get it
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The Unbroken Thread
The Unbroken Thread by Sohrab Ahmari is a thought-provoking examination of traditional wisdom, moral values, and how ancient principles can help navigate the chaos of modern life.
Recommended“I'm thinking of guys like Sohrab Ahmari at the New York Post, who just wrote the Unbroken Thread, very good book on this topic.”
Where to get it
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The Virtue of Nationalism
The Virtue of Nationalism by Yoram Hazony is a political theory book that defends the nation-state and examines the historical and philosophical roots of nationalism against global governance and empires.
Recommended“Yoram Hazony, the the writer of Virtue of Nationalism, Israeli philosopher, is really good.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (1) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“Michael Knowles, ladies and gentlemen. Speechless, Controlling Words, Controlling Minds will be linked in the show notes below.”