Some third mystery cause that's not religion but perfectly correlates with religious practice
These are all strong options in terms of historical cause, but as we will see, not good explanations in the sense that we want. Let’s start with the most common alternative: race/genetics.
Again this might be a cause. Great civilizations might just be produced by people with superb genetics! But ultimately the explanation becomes facile for our purposes because it digresses the question away from the original issue at hand. Remember our motivating inquiry is about decline INSIDE one population group, not comparing between different groups.
If genetics causes a strong group to become weak did then their genetics change? Maybe. Probably. In fact the entire Edward Dutton thesis postulates the idea that genetic change is rapid, Visible within 2-3 generations, well within in the shadow of century-long decline of societies. But this rapidity of genetic health actually poses more useful questions than it answers. After all, we cannot change our genes (yet), and if our genetic health is malleable doesn’t that imply we can do things to make it better or worse? So how does one improve a genetic proclivity for civilization?
One answer is hard privation: the “war, famine, and plague” mentioned in item 2. I want to say here that I can’t rule this option out as a driver, perhaps THE driver. Darwin is Darwin, red in tooth and claw. Hardship might be something that drives genetic health, but how useful is this as a potential lever for political actors? Short of becoming champions of the Warhammer Chaos gods, not really useful. But is this the only option? On my reading no.
There does seem to be evidence that imposing a moral order on a society itself enforces not just cultural health but also genetic health. Good behavior leads to good health. Incentives matter. This alternative strikes me as the most realistic and actionable of our potential causes and leads right down the path of “public morality” to our old friend “religion.”
At this point the general direction of my thought should be pretty clear. I could end the post here, but I need to anticipate one objection. What if the actual cause is some other “lurking variable” some grand civilizational energy that drives both the growth of civilization and the devout practice of religion?
This is a fascinating concept and one that I don’t want to dismiss. But also, I propose, this is not a useful practical answer. We can’t observe this mystery force, nor understand exactly how our actions impact it. As such, while real, it is always ephemeral to real political concerns day to day.
This is how I arrive at my current position: believing that a likely major cause of civilization-health is religious PRACTICE driven by elites and carried forward through tradition, and this PRACTICE being one of the few levels we can actually control when it comes to preserving our society.
Is it more complicated than just this one factor, obviously. But our decision to DEVOTE ourselves and our families to a higher transcendental reality is really the only action we as people can take when it comes to saving what remains of our culture and people. We can push forward in this direction and attempt to survive, or surrender to cynical quietism. For me it’s not a hard choice.
That being said, it is Sunday so Catholics out there, get your ass to Mass!
These are all strong options in terms of historical cause, but as we will see, not good explanations in the sense that we want. Let’s start with the most common alternative: race/genetics.
Again this might be a cause. Great civilizations might just be produced by people with superb genetics! But ultimately the explanation becomes facile for our purposes because it digresses the question away from the original issue at hand. Remember our motivating inquiry is about decline INSIDE one population group, not comparing between different groups.
If genetics causes a strong group to become weak did then their genetics change? Maybe. Probably. In fact the entire Edward Dutton thesis postulates the idea that genetic change is rapid, Visible within 2-3 generations, well within in the shadow of century-long decline of societies. But this rapidity of genetic health actually poses more useful questions than it answers. After all, we cannot change our genes (yet), and if our genetic health is malleable doesn’t that imply we can do things to make it better or worse? So how does one improve a genetic proclivity for civilization?
One answer is hard privation: the “war, famine, and plague” mentioned in item 2. I want to say here that I can’t rule this option out as a driver, perhaps THE driver. Darwin is Darwin, red in tooth and claw. Hardship might be something that drives genetic health, but how useful is this as a potential lever for political actors? Short of becoming champions of the Warhammer Chaos gods, not really useful. But is this the only option? On my reading no.
There does seem to be evidence that imposing a moral order on a society itself enforces not just cultural health but also genetic health. Good behavior leads to good health. Incentives matter. This alternative strikes me as the most realistic and actionable of our potential causes and leads right down the path of “public morality” to our old friend “religion.”
At this point the general direction of my thought should be pretty clear. I could end the post here, but I need to anticipate one objection. What if the actual cause is some other “lurking variable” some grand civilizational energy that drives both the growth of civilization and the devout practice of religion?
This is a fascinating concept and one that I don’t want to dismiss. But also, I propose, this is not a useful practical answer. We can’t observe this mystery force, nor understand exactly how our actions impact it. As such, while real, it is always ephemeral to real political concerns day to day.
This is how I arrive at my current position: believing that a likely major cause of civilization-health is religious PRACTICE driven by elites and carried forward through tradition, and this PRACTICE being one of the few levels we can actually control when it comes to preserving our society.
Is it more complicated than just this one factor, obviously. But our decision to DEVOTE ourselves and our families to a higher transcendental reality is really the only action we as people can take when it comes to saving what remains of our culture and people. We can push forward in this direction and attempt to survive, or surrender to cynical quietism. For me it’s not a hard choice.
That being said, it is Sunday so Catholics out there, get your ass to Mass!
Please join me tonight for the latest episode of Broadcasts from Fiddler's Greene: "No Way Back'. https://youtu.be/zkeFDrCkmqU
YouTube
"No Way Back" - FGP #19
Intro Music is a Fiddle Piece by Alasdair Fraser and Natalies Haas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odB_htHbk7U
Outro Music is the Fiddle Tune "Christine" by Alasdair Fraser:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNbzunZmhEo
Entropy: https://entropystream.li…
Outro Music is the Fiddle Tune "Christine" by Alasdair Fraser:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNbzunZmhEo
Entropy: https://entropystream.li…
going live in five: https://youtu.be/zkeFDrCkmqU
YouTube
"No Way Back" - FGP #19
Intro Music is a Fiddle Piece by Alasdair Fraser and Natalies Haas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odB_htHbk7U
Outro Music is the Fiddle Tune "Christine" by Alasdair Fraser:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNbzunZmhEo
Entropy: https://entropystream.li…
Outro Music is the Fiddle Tune "Christine" by Alasdair Fraser:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNbzunZmhEo
Entropy: https://entropystream.li…
Hello guys, no show next week as I will be traveling. However, Tuesday after I want to have a non-political show focusing on an element of culture. Feel free to post suggestions here.
PSA I don’t dm people like this on telegram for just this reason. Be aware of frauds.
Forwarded from Thuletide
Transgenderism: I'm seeing a lot more detransition horror stories being posted online these days and noticing a few common trends.
1. It's mostly girls.
2. They're always tomboys.
3. They're usually bullied for their behavior and/or looks.
4. They have body issues from being bullied.
5. They have depression from the above factors.
6. They often have some other mental illness (in this case it's OCD).
7. They are pressured into transgenderism as CHILDREN.
8. The often have a brief "honeymoon" period after "transitioning" before quickly waking up to the horrific realization of what has been done to them.
9. The "medical professionals" that they speak to didn't even try to fix their other health problems and just pressured them straight into genital mutilation surgery.
1. It's mostly girls.
2. They're always tomboys.
3. They're usually bullied for their behavior and/or looks.
4. They have body issues from being bullied.
5. They have depression from the above factors.
6. They often have some other mental illness (in this case it's OCD).
7. They are pressured into transgenderism as CHILDREN.
8. The often have a brief "honeymoon" period after "transitioning" before quickly waking up to the horrific realization of what has been done to them.
9. The "medical professionals" that they speak to didn't even try to fix their other health problems and just pressured them straight into genital mutilation surgery.
Forwarded from Charlemagne
There are a lot of bottom-feeders opportunistically using the anti-Americanism versus anti-anti-Americanism debate to poke and prod in an attempt to create drama—make no mistake: This is not the alt-right of 2016. Gentlemen can have a scholarly disagreement with one another and remain on good terms; no amount of provocation from peanut galleries will estrange men of good character from each other over a different in historical opinion.
Great essay by our friend the Prudentialist, though I tend to see things slightly differently. https://youtu.be/pO_e_yqBFyk
YouTube
Everywhere at the End of the West
A video narration of my article published earlier this year in IM-776. A call to remember the West, to shake off the mind virus of replacement and demoralization, and a musical tool of interpretation.
Read the original article here: https://im1776.com/2…
Read the original article here: https://im1776.com/2…
Podcast postponed until Thursday this week as I am still traveling: https://youtu.be/KkJ2GcL-Y6A
Please join me tonight for the return of "Broadcasts from Fiddler's Greene", "Nostalgia Country. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkJ2GcL-Y6A
Apologies for the broken link. Here is the new stream location. Starting in 10. https://youtu.be/0ABCvxJWShI
YouTube
"Nostalgia Country" - Broadcasts from Fiddler's Greene
Intro Music is a Fiddle Piece by Alasdair Fraser and Natalies Haas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odB_htHbk7U
Outro Music is the Fiddle Tune "Christine" by Alasdair Fraser:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNbzunZmhEo
Entropy: https://entropystream.li…
Outro Music is the Fiddle Tune "Christine" by Alasdair Fraser:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNbzunZmhEo
Entropy: https://entropystream.li…
No podcast tonight due to unforeseen family issue I need to take care of. Looking to reschedule.
Forwarded from Semiogogue
My colleage Mr. Turnipseed has been suspended from Twitter pending appeal (lol). Consider giving him a follow here!
https://www.tg-me.com/turnipsdigest
https://www.tg-me.com/turnipsdigest
Telegram
Turnip’s Digest
The Telegram channel of Ryan Turnipseed