Person
Every book Carl Cederstrom recommended on podcasts
Carl Cederstrom appears on Modern Wisdom, where the dialogue frequently explores modern society, the quest for personal optimization, and cultural expectations surrounding happiness. Throughout his podcast appearance, Cederstrom does not issue simple reading recommendations, but instead extensively analyzes and discusses several influential cultural and philosophical texts. He cites Christopher Lasch's The Culture of Narcissism and Philip Rieff's The Triumph of the Therapeutic to anchor his sociological arguments regarding individualism, the decline of traditional institutions, and modern psychological malaise. Furthermore, Cederstrom incorporates dramatic and poetic literature into his philosophical framework, referencing Samuel Beckett's play Waiting for Godot to help define his perspective on happiness and human endurance. He also brings up Sara Ahmed's book The Promise of Happiness to deconstruct societal pressures and institutional mandates regarding what it means to lead a successful, fulfilled life. Through these varied citations, Cederstrom utilizes deep historical, theatrical, and sociological literature to critique contemporary self-help culture and modern lifestyle optimization trends.
Books recommended by Carl Cederstrom
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The Culture of Narcissism
The Culture of Narcissism by Christopher Lasch is a seminal social critique examining how American society shifted from outward-looking civic engagement to a pervasive, defensive individualism and therapeutic self-absorption.
Discussed“You have Christopher Lash writing in the culture of narcissism.”
Where to get it
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The Promise of Happiness
Discussed“Sara Ahmed wrote this book The Promise of Happiness, and and and she makes a really good point”
Where to get it
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The Triumph of the Therapeutic
Discussed“You have Philip Rieff a little bit earlier than that speaking in the triumph of the therapeutic that really today we have lost faith in these various institutions”
Where to get it
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Waiting for Godot
As a seminal absurdist masterpiece, Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett portrays the existential waiting and cyclical dialogue of two tramps as they pass the time while awaiting a mysterious figure who never arrives.
Discussed“there's this sort of back and forth between Vladimir and Estragon in Samuel Beckett's play, Waiting for Godot.”
Where to get it
Books Carl Cederstrom wrote
Appearances
| Episode | Podcast | Date | Books |
|---|---|---|---|
| What Happens When You Dedicate A Year To Optimising Your Life & The Happiness Fantasy - Carl Cederstrom - #033 | Modern Wisdom | 2018-10-08 | 4 |
Other mentions (6: passing, ad reads, own books)
“And we wrote a book a number of years ago called The Wellness Syndrome, which was really a critical diagnosis of what we call a wellness society”
“So so the book that you were supposed to interview me about, the the happiness fantasy, it's a book that That That was the book that I had to write in 1 month's time.”
“How to Win Friends and Influence People.”
“How to Win Friends and Influence People.”
“Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.”
“Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.”