Podcast Summary
Understanding historical contexts and balancing epistemic humility with fundamental values: Historical contexts should be respected, but it's essential to acknowledge the need for progress and moral evolution, striking a balance between epistemic humility and upholding fundamental values.
While maintaining epistemic humility is important, there are limits to it. During a conversation on The Search, host Ben Shapiro discussed this concept with Russell Bren, highlighting the need to balance open-mindedness with fundamental values. The Bible, as an example, is seen as a document that evolved with societal norms, moving towards the abolition of slavery. In the Bible, a slave was to be freed after seven years, and if they chose to stay with their master, they were given an ear piercing. This illustrates the balance between respecting cultural contexts and acknowledging the need for progress and moral evolution. Overall, the conversation underscores the importance of understanding historical contexts and the need to strike a balance between epistemic humility and upholding fundamental values.
The Bible's internal guarantees and societal challenges: The Bible promotes fundamental human values and offers transformative rules, encouraging freedom and discouraging slavery, while acknowledging the internal struggle between good and evil, and emphasizing the importance of following rules to live moral and virtuous lives.
The Bible, specifically the Old Testament, contains both internal guarantees of fundamental human values and transformative rules that challenged the societal norms of its time. For instance, while the Bible encourages freedom and discourages slavery in contrast to ancient codes like the Code of Hammurabi, it also acknowledges the inherent struggle between good and evil within humans. Judaism, in particular, emphasizes the importance of following rules to make God present in one's life, thus cultivating virtue through action. Conversely, Christianity may seem to emphasize freedom and internal faith, but both religions share the common goal of guiding individuals to live moral and virtuous lives. Ultimately, understanding the Bible requires an appreciation of its historical context and a thoughtful application of human reason to its teachings.
Judaism vs Christianity: Different Approaches to Faith and Action: Judaism emphasizes good deeds to connect with God, while Christianity emphasizes transcendent moments followed by action. Christianity re-ritualizes practices to maintain a connection, and humans need daily purpose and structure to thrive.
While both Judaism and Christianity offer guidance and belief systems, they approach the relationship between faith and action differently. Judaism emphasizes the importance of performing good deeds as a means to connect with God, while Christianity emphasizes the importance of experiencing a transcendent moment with God and then acting accordingly. However, the challenge with the Christian approach is that transcendent moments can be fleeting, leading to a potential disconnect from faith. To address this, Christianity has re-ritualized many practices, encouraging consistent action and discipline as a way to maintain a connection with God. In raising children, it's essential to provide them with specific actions and roles to play every day, as humans have an inherent need for purpose and structure.
Rules and institutions shape our identity: Rules and institutions are essential for providing purpose, protection, and guidance, despite the perception that they hinder us.
While having freedom and no boundaries may seem desirable, having a purpose and meaning in life requires rules and institutions. The rules provide a framework for achieving our purpose, but they can be challenging for some individuals. Society should not abandon the rules entirely, but rather provide support for those who struggle with them. The values and principles that have guided us for thousands of years, such as the importance of rules and institutions, have been overshadowed by modern ideas derived from rationalism, like individualism, progressivism, and materialism. According to Carl Trueman's book "The Rise and Triumph of Modern Self," who we are is not just what we feel inside, but how we interact with the world and the institutions around us. Rules and institutions shape us and help create our identity. The romantic move towards valuing what's inside of us over the external world has led to the perception that rules and institutions are impositions that hinder us. However, they are essential for providing purpose, protection, and guidance.
Connecting with God for personal growth and a better world: Deep spiritual connection can prioritize universal values and contribute to a better world by overcoming base instincts.
While the rules and societal structures may limit individual expansion, a deep connection with God can provide a valuable and transformative experience. This connection can lead to universal values such as service, acceptance, gratitude, love, and duty becoming prioritized over ephemeral concerns like lust, greed, and ego. The speaker expresses optimism that living spiritually can make the world better, comparing spirituality to a vast body of water with immense power that can be channeled for positive impact. Ultimately, the speaker believes that the ultimate reality is God, and prioritizing this connection can help individuals overcome their base instincts and contribute to a better world.
Roles in Life: Essential for Meaningful Existence: Fulfilling essential roles in life, such as being a parent, spouse, or creator, provides purpose, value, and contributes to the greater good. Undermining or eliminating these roles is problematic and unnecessary.
The roles we are built to fulfill in life, whether through evolutionary biology or cultural development, are essential for a meaningful existence. These roles, such as being a parent, spouse, or creator, were designed to mitigate against disease, death, and famine. They provide purpose and value to our lives and should not be overlooked or destroyed. The ultimate purpose of human life, as evidenced by headstones in cemeteries, is not about how we felt about ourselves, but rather the roles we filled for others and the world. By fulfilling these roles, we make life worth living and contribute to the greater good. Therefore, any system that undermines or eliminates these roles is problematic and unnecessary.
Exploding Traditional Institutions: The Human Heart's Longing: Destruction of traditional institutions like fatherhood and teaching has left many feeling lost, leading to issues like high suicide rates, alienation, and unfulfilling relationships. These institutions were not just practical expressions but also expressions of the human heart.
While we no longer need traditional institutions like fatherhood or teaching on a material level, human beings are biologically wired to fulfill these roles. The destruction of these institutions has left many feeling lost and dissatisfied, leading to issues such as high levels of suicide, alienation, and unfulfilling relationships. This chaos arises because these institutions were not just practical expressions, but also expressions of the human heart. By exploding these institutions, we have effectively released people outside of a spaceship without a breathing apparatus – they may be free, but they lack the necessary structures to thrive. To watch the full conversation, become a member at Daily Wire Plus at dailywire.com/Ben.
