Episode · Interesting Times · 2026-07-09
Books mentioned on Rod Dreher on Preparing for 'Weimar America' | Interesting Times with Ross Douthat
The work of Rod Dreher has a consistent theme: doom. He believes the collapse of Christianity has ushered civilizational decline in Europe, that we’ve traded our humanity for comfort, and he worries that totalitarianism is around the corner for the United States.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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The Benedict Option
Discussed“So let’s talk about Viktor Orbán’s Hungary since you brought it up. Because right. You wrote your most recent book, Living in wonder about the re-enchantment of the world and one of your most famous books, the Benedict option, was about rebuilding Christian community in a secular age and not relying heavily on politics.”
Where to get it
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Living in Wonder
Discussed“You brought up A.I. and in your book, Living in wonder. There’s a lot of optimistic writing about re-enchantment and spiritual experience and encounter with God.”
Where to get it
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Dominion
Tom Holland's Dominion is a comprehensive historical exploration tracing how Christianity shaped Western secular values, individual dignity, and notions of equality.
Recommended“Well, I would direct them to Tom Holland’s great book from a few years ago, “Dominion.””
Where to get it
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A Pattern Language
A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa, and Murray Silverstein is a foundational architectural and urban design text that maps universal patterns across human spaces to help people build and feel connected to their environments.
Discussed“He wrote a book called A pattern language, talking about how his study of what architecture thrives, what aspects of it make people feel good and feel connected to the whole.”
Where to get it
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Brave New World
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is a dystopian novel that imagines a futuristic society engineered through biological conditioning, technological control, and the elimination of traditional human emotions.
Discussed“Chapter 17 of Huxley’s Brave New World.”
Where to get it
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Submission
Discussed“Now, this is the message that Michel houellebecq famously articulated in his book submission.”
Where to get it
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The Origins of Totalitarianism
The Origins of Totalitarianism by Hannah Arendt is a foundational political science study exploring the historical convergence of anti-Semitism, imperialism, and mass society that gave rise to twentieth-century totalitarian regimes.
Discussed“Well, what I mean by that, and this also goes back to Hannah Arendt in her famous 1951 book, the origins of totalitarianism.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (1) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“And I think that Christian re-enchantment, which is the point of my last book, Living in wonder, I think that’s something we have to do, because we’re not going to re-christianize the world by moralism, or certainly not by politics.”