#100: The American Dream Isn't Just Dead--It Was the Wrong Dream to Begin With

Intellectual Freedom Podcast

A recent YouGov survey found that only 30% of Americans overall believe in the American dream and see it as very or somewhat attainable for themselves. It is cliche now to say the American Dream is dead. You can read innumerable articles on the topic.

The surface reasons for the death of the American Dream are obvious, too—rocketing inflation, student loan debt, housing costs, medical costs, income inequality, and endless wars are apparent culprits.

But what if the American Dream wasn’t just an illusion that emerged in the 1930s, but rather the concept is even more sinister? What if the American Dream was designed to enslave, not elevate, and provide a lifetime of happiness?

Could it be that the American Dream, as conceived during the Industrial Revolution, was the wrong dream, to begin with?

In fact, it could be argued that the American Dream is a nightmare that everyone, ultimately, is guaranteed to fail.

In many ways, this idea is like going to Las Vegas to gamble and expecting to get back on your plane for home with a healthy bag full of money. It rarely happens.

It is time to look at the American Dream differently. In this episode, we study the life and teaching of St. Augustine. We will connect the dots of his philosophy and theology from the 4th century CE to the American Dream.

In our wisdom literature of the week, we will review The Confessions and City of God and St. Augustine’s doctrine of why the materialistic strivings of humankind, such as the American Dream, are doomed to fail every time.

We all need to reimagine a new dream, a more concrete dream, that can lead us to a life of purpose and fulfillment. St. Augustine will be our guide on this journey.

The reasons for our current discontent and disillusionment with life in our post-modern world will become apparent by looking back at the teaching of this great and influential teacher.
Afer listening, go deeper! Subscribe to the Intellectual Freedom Podcast Substack page for free resources to take your understanding of this topic and more to a deeper level: https://intellectualfreedom.substack.com/

Website: https://www.daviddhopkins.com/
Newsletter: https://intellectualfreedom.substack.com/
Follow Dr. Hopkins on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidDHopkins