We can’t replace empiricism, etc. with vibes. At the end of the day, you must have an economic/political program that works. That’s why I ignore leftist slogans like “People over profits”, etc. Maybe I am saying “People over prophets.”
My analogy is that Christianity could well be described as a "symbiotic egregore" whereas something like managerialism would be a "parasitic egregore".
Two sci-fi stories that represent this would be "Hyperion" by Dan Simmons or "World Walkers" by Neil Asher (the latter for "late stage managerialism").
I would much rather live in symbiosis with Christianity, regardless of my religious beliefs, than parasitised by managerialism.
Unlike the Norse Gods or European folk tales, the Christian myth never fired my imagination, perhaps because it's Middle Eastern roots make it feel so alien. Give me Tolkien or The Brothers Grimm anyday.
I know almost nothing about Nietzsche but I always assumed he was railing less against the decay of Christianity in the modern world and more against its tenets of the meek inheriting the earth, turning the other cheek and the last shall be first etc. i.e. its praise of losers. The idea that Christianity never actually decayed but was instead co-opted by managerialism reminds me of the way socialism is always socialism until it fails, then it magically becomes something other than socialism.
I think we all agree that it would be wonderful to live again in a world that hasn't been disenchanted by science. I too would like to live in a world infused with a sense of transcendence. Yet there is something very cynical about feigning belief, just to regain something valuable. Or are people here claiming that they actually DO believe, not just in the civilisational benefits of Christianity, but in the Christ story itself?
I'll grant many things that the author claims for Christianity: that we have a body of myth ready to go right out of the box; that our culture and morality are already so pervaded by Christianity that there would be no difficulty into assimilating it again into our lives; the churches that were repurposed for other things could once again become churches; that what is lacking in today's world is something like 'soul', or 'depth', or 'transcendence', or something else it's hard to put one's finger on. Maybe that thing is religion or maybe this feeling that something is lacking could be common to all societies at all times and just part of the human condition.
All the author's claims could be true yet unless you can believe in the Christ story, or at least deceive yourself into thinking you believe it - and I don't and can't - I just don't get it. I would rather press on and look for something that we actually can believe in without pretending to ourselves.
I know Bo views myth as something you don't necessarily have to believe in but rather use to orientate your society. But to me, not being able to believe the myth is not some minor detail or some category error that only the too-literal-minded make.
We can’t replace empiricism, etc. with vibes. At the end of the day, you must have an economic/political program that works. That’s why I ignore leftist slogans like “People over profits”, etc. Maybe I am saying “People over prophets.”
"People over prophets" is good. So is "No thrones • No Crowns • No Kings" — a slogan for the second major "No Kings" day on October 18, 2025.
The Iliad is a much better foundation than a vicious arid land herder cult bolted onto the obvious parts of Stoicism.
My analogy is that Christianity could well be described as a "symbiotic egregore" whereas something like managerialism would be a "parasitic egregore".
Two sci-fi stories that represent this would be "Hyperion" by Dan Simmons or "World Walkers" by Neil Asher (the latter for "late stage managerialism").
I would much rather live in symbiosis with Christianity, regardless of my religious beliefs, than parasitised by managerialism.
Unlike the Norse Gods or European folk tales, the Christian myth never fired my imagination, perhaps because it's Middle Eastern roots make it feel so alien. Give me Tolkien or The Brothers Grimm anyday.
I know almost nothing about Nietzsche but I always assumed he was railing less against the decay of Christianity in the modern world and more against its tenets of the meek inheriting the earth, turning the other cheek and the last shall be first etc. i.e. its praise of losers. The idea that Christianity never actually decayed but was instead co-opted by managerialism reminds me of the way socialism is always socialism until it fails, then it magically becomes something other than socialism.
I think we all agree that it would be wonderful to live again in a world that hasn't been disenchanted by science. I too would like to live in a world infused with a sense of transcendence. Yet there is something very cynical about feigning belief, just to regain something valuable. Or are people here claiming that they actually DO believe, not just in the civilisational benefits of Christianity, but in the Christ story itself?
I'll grant many things that the author claims for Christianity: that we have a body of myth ready to go right out of the box; that our culture and morality are already so pervaded by Christianity that there would be no difficulty into assimilating it again into our lives; the churches that were repurposed for other things could once again become churches; that what is lacking in today's world is something like 'soul', or 'depth', or 'transcendence', or something else it's hard to put one's finger on. Maybe that thing is religion or maybe this feeling that something is lacking could be common to all societies at all times and just part of the human condition.
All the author's claims could be true yet unless you can believe in the Christ story, or at least deceive yourself into thinking you believe it - and I don't and can't - I just don't get it. I would rather press on and look for something that we actually can believe in without pretending to ourselves.
I know Bo views myth as something you don't necessarily have to believe in but rather use to orientate your society. But to me, not being able to believe the myth is not some minor detail or some category error that only the too-literal-minded make.
Modern civilizations require reality...not mysticism.