Episode 3 - Societal Progression, Unwarranted Pessimism, & The State of the West

Seated in Action

In the first half of the podcast, Ryan and Andrew talk about the notion of one’s perception about their own place within a broader society and the potential blindspots to which we all fall victim. Ryan later segues into a larger discussion about how most evidence suggests that the world is improving by most measures, despite the way that most people feel about overall sociopolitical and cultural tends; in doing so, they reference Steven Pinker’s epic tome, The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined. This, then, transitions into a conversation about unwarranted, and often unnecessary, pessimism that serves as shorthand intellectualism.
In the second half of the podcast, Ryan does some fact checking and presents Andrew an opportunity to gush about a film he loves, although he promptly shuts him up. They then quickly change gears and discuss the notion (perhaps “illusion” is a better word) of the West’s decline. Of course, the issue of multiculturalism comes up (along with the usual suspects who are integral to the conversation), as does the issue of Western confidence and political fragmentation. In short, Ryan and Andrew tackle the wondrous task of making sense of the current state of the American political landscape and the Western World at large.
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Music Notes: Elephants on Parade by Podington Bear (www.soundofpicture.com)
Links:
David Pakman’s interview with Dr. Ian Pearson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fdg8I1-8lOM
Steven Pinker’s The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined: https://www.amazon.com/Better-Angels-Our-Nature-Violence/dp/0143122010/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1523916340&sr=8-1&keywords=the+better+angels+of+our+nature
Farid Zakaria’s The Post-American World: And The Rise of the Rest: https://www.amazon.com/Post-American-World-Rise-Rest/dp/024195875X/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1523921436&sr=8-4-fkmr1&keywords=farid+zakaria+the+rise