Guy, thanks for this superb essay -- really appreciate the clarity and context you bring. I recognised how in discussions with people sympathetic to Trump, I have experienced the phenemenon you describe -- where the ground of debate shifts from the specifics of his policies, character and the implications of his presidency, to the question of how my own background, preferences and experiences have shaped my worldview -- implying that as you write "all facts are equally suspect." So helpful to have you lay out the context for this very personal experience in this way. The "meaning crisis" has indeed been manufactured, and many of the people who have fallen victim have no idea that this is the case.
Yes. Since when did debating policies slide into "well, I am sure if I had your experiences and preferences, I'd see the world as you do, and if you had mine, you'd see the world as I do, and so let's not waste time trying to convince each other of anything because it's all ultimately subjective." The problem is this deconstruction can assume a veneer of intellectual postodern rigour when it's basically a total cop out.
Or the spiritual bypass version, which someone said to me recently (in all seriousness), “Well, it’s all energy at the end of the day anyway, so it’s all the same”. Yeah, both the mega-prison in El Salvador and a tiny kitten are made of energy, so everything’s cool bruh.
I do think the spiritual bypass and other versions often speak to some level of dissociation -- it's too awful to look, so the brain/nervous system produces comforting rationalisation to avoid experiencing the pain of engaging with reality. This can come disguised in very intellectual-sounding packaging at times.
Hence ‘conspirituality’, which is a delightful mix of both conspiracy theories and spiritual bypass.
I actually think that for probably the majority of people, talking about climate change is now a full-on taboo. Like if you mentioned menstruation at the dinner table with your grandparents. I continue to talk about climate change but I am expecting a sort of hushed silence when I do so.
yes, i didn't pay a huge amount of attention to the "conspirituality" pehonemomen until I encountered strains of it in the wild. agree on climate change -- I don't think we can under-estimate the chilling effect of a government literally expunging the phrase climate change from official records. Even if people don't consciously realise they are subject to that chilling effect, I think it will be huge.
The shadow of the "sense-making" scene: I'm so in my head that I don't receive the signals from my body telling me that something is very, very wrong. So obviously wrong that people who have never heard the word "sense-making" can see it instantly.
Guy, thanks for this superb essay -- really appreciate the clarity and context you bring. I recognised how in discussions with people sympathetic to Trump, I have experienced the phenemenon you describe -- where the ground of debate shifts from the specifics of his policies, character and the implications of his presidency, to the question of how my own background, preferences and experiences have shaped my worldview -- implying that as you write "all facts are equally suspect." So helpful to have you lay out the context for this very personal experience in this way. The "meaning crisis" has indeed been manufactured, and many of the people who have fallen victim have no idea that this is the case.
Thanks Matthew I appreciate it! Yes, and I'm sure if we knew the full extent of the manipulation that is going on, we'd be even more horrified.
Yes. Since when did debating policies slide into "well, I am sure if I had your experiences and preferences, I'd see the world as you do, and if you had mine, you'd see the world as I do, and so let's not waste time trying to convince each other of anything because it's all ultimately subjective." The problem is this deconstruction can assume a veneer of intellectual postodern rigour when it's basically a total cop out.
Or the spiritual bypass version, which someone said to me recently (in all seriousness), “Well, it’s all energy at the end of the day anyway, so it’s all the same”. Yeah, both the mega-prison in El Salvador and a tiny kitten are made of energy, so everything’s cool bruh.
I do think the spiritual bypass and other versions often speak to some level of dissociation -- it's too awful to look, so the brain/nervous system produces comforting rationalisation to avoid experiencing the pain of engaging with reality. This can come disguised in very intellectual-sounding packaging at times.
Hence ‘conspirituality’, which is a delightful mix of both conspiracy theories and spiritual bypass.
I actually think that for probably the majority of people, talking about climate change is now a full-on taboo. Like if you mentioned menstruation at the dinner table with your grandparents. I continue to talk about climate change but I am expecting a sort of hushed silence when I do so.
yes, i didn't pay a huge amount of attention to the "conspirituality" pehonemomen until I encountered strains of it in the wild. agree on climate change -- I don't think we can under-estimate the chilling effect of a government literally expunging the phrase climate change from official records. Even if people don't consciously realise they are subject to that chilling effect, I think it will be huge.
The shadow of the "sense-making" scene: I'm so in my head that I don't receive the signals from my body telling me that something is very, very wrong. So obviously wrong that people who have never heard the word "sense-making" can see it instantly.
A perfect example of this thesis is the existence of the Truth Social website and of course the potty-mouthed Orange Oaf.