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Where did the sacred go? This podcast is focused on the philosophical study of religion and will center on books, both historical and contemporary. Each book will get a 15 minute Book Brief episode and then a Deep Dive episode. The Book Briefs are high-level overviews of the main arguments of the book and why the book is relevant to us today. The Deep Dive episodes will not have the time constraint and will be where I spend time discussing various arguments and themes from the book, as well as offering critiques if I have them. Twitter: https://twitter.com/therspod Substack: https://thereligiousstudiespodcast.substack.com/ Email: thereligiousstudiespodcast@gmail.com
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In this episode we discuss a few sections in Ricoeur's collection of essays titled "The Conflict of Interpretation". We discuss why Ricoeur sees Marx, Nietzsche, and Freud as masters of suspicion and how that should help us think about religion, ourselves, and our modern world. Intro (00:00:45) From Descartes to Marx, Nietzsche, and Freud (00:04:45) The Function of Religion in Marx, Nietzsche, and Freud (00:19:19) We are All Armchair Psychologists (00:38:05)
We begin this episode going over Stirner’s critique of philosophers and the Enlightenment. It’s important to keep in mind that whatever problem he has with religion, he also has that problem with people too focused on thinking or capital T truth. As he says, a shout or a jump is as good at relieving anxiety as studying any book. We also look at the overlap in thought between Stirner and Foucault, Gabriel Marcel, Freud, and Girard. For example, both Stirner and Marcel think you should not ask what are humans? You should ask: who am I? And regarding connections between Girard and Stirner, we look at the human propensity to always create a sacred and always let our desires overtake us. We end the episode reflecting on what is sacred today? What do we let dominate us? And what is our scapegoat? 00:04:10 Stirner’s Critique of Philosophy and the Enlightenment 00:28:25 Connections between Stirner and Foucault, Marcel, Freud, and Girard. 01:30:45 Stirner’s Stoicism and our Contemporary World
Topics Discussed: The relationship between particulars and universals Demon posession and god possession The religious discontent with the present The Sacred and when ideas overtake us When our future self overtakes us Sections: Intro (00:00:34) Basic Overview of Stirner's Arguments (00:05:55) Stirner's Critique of Religion (00:38:20) Twitter Page: TheReligiousStudiesPodcast (@therspod) / Twitter Email: thereligiousstudiespodcast@gmail.com Music by The IMG, accessed 12/22 at https://archive.org/details/Kaleidoscope_1819-19494
Topics Discussed: Gabriel Marcel Martin Heidegger Phenomenology Psychology Sections: Intro: 00:00:55 1 Marcel's Philosophical Framework: 00:06:45 2 Realworld Examples from Marcel: 00:47:25
Topics Discussed: Jesus Satan Philosophy Peter Thiel Curtis Yarvin Psychology Desire Sections: (00:01:20) Intro I. (00:06:05) Overview of Girard's theory and his interpretation of two bible myths II. (00:46:32) Satan as the representation of the mimetic cycle of desire III. (01:10:33) Demonology and Psychology, plus our modern fixation on victims Episode References: Technology, Communisim, and the Brown Scare - Mencius Moldbug Tyler Cowen Interview of Peter Thiel Twitter Page: TheReligiousStudiesPodcast (@therspod) / Twitter Email: thereligiousstudiespodcast@gmail.com Music by The IMG, accessed 12/22 at https://archive.org/details/Kaleidoscope_1819-19494
Topics Discussed: The Bible John the Baptist Rene Girard Freud Psychology Sections: Intro (00:01:05) Girard's General Theory and the story of Caiaphas (00:05:20) The Beheading of John the Baptist (00:34:05) Peter's Denial (01:02:03) Demons of Gerasa (01:18:09) The Supernatural Inspiration of the Bible (01:48:45) Twitter Page: TheReligiousStudiesPodcast (@therspod) / Twitter Email: thereligiousstudiespodcast@gmail.com Music by The IMG, accessed 12/22 at https://archive.org/details/Kaleidoscope_1819-19494
Topics Discussed: God Psychoanalysis Moses Judaism Religion Freud Atheism Darwin Sections: Intro (00:00:55) I. Moses the Egyptian (00:05:24) II. Psychoanalyzing Human History (00:24:56) III. Why Freud Wrote about Moses (00:57:53) Twitter Page: TheReligiousStudiesPodcast (@therspod) / Twitter Email: thereligiousstudiespodcast@gmail.com Music by The IMG, accessed 12/22 at https://archive.org/details/Kaleidoscope_1819-19494
Topics Discussed: Psychoanalysis Freud Girard Moses Judaism Sections: Intro: 00:00:53 Freud's Method: 00:03:34 Twitter Page: TheReligiousStudiesPodcast (@therspod) / Twitter Email: thereligiousstudiespodcast@gmail.com Music by The IMG, accessed 12/22 at https://archive.org/details/Kaleidoscope_1819-19494
Topics Discussed: Barbie movie Identity Girard Feminism Sections: intro (00:00:20) Girard and Identity (00:16:15) Jokes reveal the truth (00:31:30) The Daughter (00:46:50) Motherhood (00:54:20) Twitter Page: TheReligiousStudiesPodcast (@therspod) / Twitter Email: thereligiousstudiespodcast@gmail.com Music by The IMG, accessed 12/22 at https://archive.org/details/Kaleidoscope_1819-19494
Topics Discussed: Nietzsche Jesus Atheism Christianity Sections: Intro (00:04:33) Nietzsche's Philosophy and Christianity (00:10:37) Jesus (00:37:15) Power and Christianity (00:44:16) The Antichrist (01:00:15) Twitter Page: TheReligiousStudiesPodcast (@therspod) / Twitter Email: thereligiousstudiespodcast@gmail.com Music by The IMG, accessed 12/22 at https://archive.org/details/Kaleidoscope_1819-19494
Topics Discussed: Sections: Nietzsche Jesus Christianity Morality Nihilism Twitter Page: TheReligiousStudiesPodcast (@therspod) / Twitter Email: thereligiousstudiespodcast@gmail.com Music by The IMG, accessed 12/22 at https://archive.org/details/Kaleidoscope_1819-19494
Topics Discussed: Sexual identity Jesus Desire Holocausts Sections: General Remarks (00:00:54) The State of Desire Today (00:07:40) Society Today and in the Future (00:46:30) Transcript/Outline Link Twitter Page: TheReligiousStudiesPodcast (@therspod) / Twitter Email: thereligiousstudiespodcast@gmail.com Music by The IMG, accessed 12/22 at https://archive.org/details/Kaleidoscope_1819-19494
Topics Discussed: Jesus Identity Moral Judgment Sections: General Remarks (00:00:54) Girard's General Reading of the Bible (00:07:30) Girard's Reading of Particular Bible Stories (00:18:40) What Jesus Said and Did (00:50:05) Outline Link Twitter Page: TheReligiousStudiesPodcast (@therspod) / Twitter Email: thereligiousstudiespodcast@gmail.com Music by The IMG, accessed 12/22 at https://archive.org/details/Kaleidoscope_1819-19494
Topics Discussed: Religion Violence Jesus The Matrix Eyes Wide Shut The Great Gatsby Sections: General Remarks, explaining the title of the book, and Jesus talking in parables (00:01:25) In-depth discussion of Girard’s core argument (00:19:30) Watching movies with Girard (00:49:00) Outline Link Twitter Page: TheReligiousStudiesPodcast (@therspod) / Twitter Email: thereligiousstudiespodcast@gmail.com Music by The IMG, accessed 12/22 at https://archive.org/details/Kaleidoscope_1819-19494
Topics Discussed: mimesis, anthropology, Christianity, Religion, scapegoat, the movie I am Legend Sections: General Remarks (00:00:51) Girard’s Fundamental Theory (00:03:10) The Priority of Religion for Girard (00:13:10) Transcript Link Episode References: Twitter Page: TheReligiousStudiesPodcast (@therspod) / Twitter Email: thereligiousstudiespodcast@gmail.com Music by The IMG, accessed 12/22 at https://archive.org/details/Kaleidoscope_1819-19494
Sections: --- General Remarks (00:00:51) --- The Context of the Burned-Over District (00:08:57) --- New Measures (00:27:17) --- Apocalypticism and Heaven on Earth (00:56:05) Outline Link Topics Discussed: Second Great Awakening Christianity Joseph Smith Charles Finney WIlliam Miller American History Slavoj Zizek Hypnosis Alter Call Twitter Page: TheReligiousStudiesPodcast ( @therspod ) / Twitter Email: thereligiousstudiespodcast@gmail.com Music by The IMG, accessed 12/22 at https://archive.org/details/Kaleidoscope_1819-19494
Sections: Secular or Sacred Causes of the Burned-Over District (00:07:02) Orthodoxy and the many Sects of the Burned-Over District (00:10:20) Topics Discussed: Second Greak Awakening Christianity American History Transcript Link Twitter Page: TheReligiousStudiesPodcast (@therspod) / Twitter Email: thereligiousstudiespodcast@gmail.com Music by The IMG, accessed 12/22 at https://archive.org/details/Kaleidoscope_1819-19494
Sections: Intro (00:00:22) Cause-god (00:14:40) Godless age and Technology (00:28:06) New Possibility (00:37:56) Topics Discussed: Philosophy God Christianity Heidegger Technology Plato atheism Outline Link Twitter Page: TheReligiousStudiesPodcast ( @therspod ) Email: thereligiousstudiespodcast@gmail.com Music by The IMG, accessed 12/22 at https://archive.org/details/Kaleidoscope_1819-19494
Sections: Heidegger, Western Metaphysics and his phenomenology (00:02:54) Beyond A/theism (00:09:15) The Notion of God (00:11:10) Topics Discussed: God Heidegger Phenomenology Philosophy Metaphysics Transcript Link Episode References: Twitter Page: TheReligiousStudiesPodcast Email: thereligiousstudiespodcast@gmail.com Music by The IMG, accessed 12/22 at https://archive.org/details/Kaleidoscope_1819-19494
Sections: Intro (00:00:54) Morality and The Modern Therapeutic Authority (00:01:35) Meaning and Our Conception of Time (00:23:45) Religion Today and a Path Forward (01:02:10) Topics Discussed: confused relationship to morality lack of ideals or heros today time is now flat, our past can no longer ground us modern malaise grand narratives progress is a story we've told ourselves plug and play religion Text Outline Twitter Page: TheReligiousStudiesPodcast (@therspod) / Twitter Email: thereligiousstudiespodcast@gmail.com Music by The IMG, accessed 12/22 at https://archive.org/details/Kaleidoscope_1819-19494
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Observed September 20, 2026. Cached outside the daily freshness window; the positions keep the date they were taken on.
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