Virtue In The Wasteland Podcast

We move from individuals to society in our quest to understand narcissism.  Sociologists, Dr. Kristen Koenig (B.A., Occidental College, M.Sc., University of Oxford, D.Phil., University of York) joins us to make sense of it all.  This is one of our favorite conversations yet.  We find out what the "i" in "iPhone" means.  You are going to dig Dr. Koenig! Has narcissism as a trait (not the disorder per se), including vanity and selfishness been on the rise over the last several decades?  Listen to find out.

Dr. John Lu, social psychologist, joins us for a discussion of the nature of the DSM (a tool for diagnosing psychological disorders), the nature of narcissism, and the concept of an operational definition.  This is the second of several episodes planned for spring on the topic of narcissism. 

The hosts play with some initial ideas related to art and why we like what we like.  Dan explains some of the background behind conversations about art and beauty we will have over the coming months.  Don't expect a full and comprehensive lecture.  Expect the opening volley in a larger discussion about beauty (since we've talked a bit more about goodness and truth in our first six months).  Dan gives some art history background.  Jeff talks about beauty in the Bible.  We share our top guilty aesthetic pleasures and guilty aesthetic displeasures.

The myth of Narcissus with classicist and Faithful Masks Fellow Dr. C. J. Armstrong.  We each take an online narcissism test and share the results.  Stories about Dan's kids.

Stories about snags over the winter vacation, things we learned from vocation fails in our own lives, and historical vocation fails.  Thanks for checking out the first podcast of 2014. Topics include: Epic of Gilgamesh Householder Yogi Drinking your own urine for health benefits Upgrade to Garage Band The Big Lebowski One Week Wundermann Norton Motorcycles The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Sucker Punch Jerry Garcia Senior Bob Dylan Senior Young Life Paul Fairweather, Symbolic Regression Therapy Dr. Bruce Gordon HD DVD Crystal Pepsi Arch Delux 47 Ronin

Don't be that guy.

The best popular culture and heroic news artifacts and events of the year.  

We break down the top songs that bring Christmas cheer.  

We share the best Christmas hymns (sacred songs).  We provide clips only of each; but listen all the way through and we share a classic: a hymn performed by Dr. Rod Rosenbladt in its entirety. 

We discuss the ethics, aesthetics, and humanitarian possibilities for those who have the vocation of architecture.  After some banter between our co-hosts, Jeff interviews Ian Lodge, who oversees the Cal-Earth Institute operation, in Hesperia, California.   This is the result of the humanitarian vision of Nadir Khalili, a Persian architect who was influenced by the Sufi mystic Rumi and brought his spiritual values, scientific training, and concern for humanity together through teaching methods of creating sustainable, economical, and artful housing. 

We do our best to define what we mean by nihilism, the history of reductionism, meaninglessness, and the ways in which this leads to indifference and narcissism.  

We explain the true, modern origins of the American national holiday of Thanksgiving.  Why do we get tired after eating the dinner?  Why do presidents pardon a Turkey each year?  

We follow up on old emails, messages, and questions.  We tell a story about loose ends, then conclude with two former students: Tim Olson, an ethnomusicology student and world traveler who sets the record straight on the Afghan national sport, and Lauren Yauk who traveled the world to find the best approach to global development.  Her story is helpful for understanding how young adults think about the world these days, and the obstacles they face as they seek to do good in the world.  

The often untold history leading up to the first Thanksgiving.  Jeff tells about one of his favorite topics in history: the Florida Holy Wars of the 1560s; this is the Thanksgiving that almost was.  Dan gives the true story of the Pilgrims' first thanksgiving meal.  We argue that Thanksgiving is a holiday with religious roots, but that the holiday as we have it today originates in the secular or "left hand" kingdom, and thus is of value to all people in the US.  Foreign listeners should listen to find out why we Americans have such a fetish for Turkey once a year, and for some interesting stories from early modern history.  

Filmmaker Lev Anderson joins us to talk about his move from city planning to directing documentaries, "Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone" and spend the bulk of our time discussing his upcoming project on the history and future of Irvine, CA the safest city in America, a model of urban planning that is copied around the world, and the epicenter for our podcast.  We start by discussing his recent documentary We discuss the ethics and art of city planning, and the ways in which it affects our lives. Bonus B-Sides are in depth conversations with professionals who join us to talk about why they like what they like and how exercising their vocations can cultivate virtue in our cultural wasteland.

The second part of a two part conversation about the intersections of religion and politics.  In this episode, we focus on US Supreme court cases related to the exercise of religion.

What is the distinction between the two kingdoms?  Should faithful citizens want to merge the church and state?  Is America a Christian nation?  Where did James Madison get his ideas?  We rely heavily on Dr. Dan van Voorhis' knowledge of American history to help address these questions and more.

Renaissance wizards, strange stuff in general, and the closest thing the hosts have to direct ghost experiences.  

The history, cultural significance, and overall value of the movies.  We are joined by Micah Luce, who earned his MAR in Theology and Cinema from Yale Divinity School.  We also have with us Eleanor Pettus, Assistant Professor of History at Concordia University and Faculty in Residence for the CUI Bono Living-Learning Community, and Joel Oesch, former guest, and director of Christ College's MA program.  Several of us share our most memorable moviegoing moments.    Micah shares a recipe for geekdom movie marathons.  We ask whether moviegoing creates authentic community.  

Zombies in history and popular culture, the Walking Dead season premiere, and philosophical thoughts related to our time of technology and fragmentation.  Dr. C.J. Armstrong joins in this episode.