For this episode, Danny is joined by Todd Pedlar of the Book of Nature Podcast and Micah Redding, of the Christian Transhumanist Podcast to discuss the enigma that is Elon Musk. Musk has been in the news lately for erratic Twitter behavior, corporate bullying, liberally using taxpayer money to fund his vision, and smoking giant blunts on podcasts. Is he Tony Stark or a Bond villain? Learn about Musk’s philosophical vision, his transhumanist imagination, and the ways in which he may represent the worst of Silicon Valley and it’s brand of capitalist vision-making. If a messianic project is built from capital, can it serve humanity?
Links:
Micah Redding Website
Book of Nature
Is Elon Musk Losing It?
SpaceX Employees Monitor the Color Musk’s Wife’s Hair
Elon Musk Calls Other CEOs to See Who’s Tweeting About Him
Elon Musk is Not the Future
“Folding Beijing” by Hao Jingfang
RUR by Karel Capek
Life 3.0 by Max Tegmark
Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, by Yuval Noah Harari

One more dive into the philosophical and moral depths of Marvel’s Infinity War. For this episode Kristen Filipic and Kim Anderson join the show to discuss Thanos’s utilitarianism against the ethical and theological backdrop of Pope Francis’s encyclical about consumerism and the environment, “Laudato Si.” Tune in to hear: highlights from the first Infinity War episode, some context about “Laudato Si” and how it relates to consumption and Christian ethics, an exploration of the motif of self-sacrifice in the Avengers: Infinity War, the role of Wakanda in this moral play, the difficult realities of a truly “pro-life” politics, and some thoughts about Distributism. As always, please take the time to respond to what you hear!
Links:
Kristen Filipic’s “Perfect Balance”
“Laudato Si”
William Cavanaugh on Pope Francis and Economics at Saint Mary’s College
Pope John Paul II “Centesimus Annus”

In 1988 John Carpenter, auteur of genre classics like Halloween, The Fog, Escape from New York, The Thing, and Big Trouble in Little China, wrote and directed a powerhouse cult classic movie called They Live. Starring professional wrestler Rowdy Roddy Piper, the film crossed the sci-fi, horror, action, and lowbrow comedy genres while making a potent political statement about Ronald Reagan’s America and capitalism in the late Twentieth Century. The film follows an unemployed construction worker who discovers sunglasses that reveal the subliminal messages in our advertising and the alien invaders who are manipulating mankind’s fate. Now, thirty years after its release, what does the film have to say about our world?

Links:

Zizek on Ideology and They Live - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVwKjGbz60k
William Cavanaugh on Religious Violence - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS2VVLpDyWE
William Cavanaugh on Consumerism - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vh22rJpL7zM&t

Special thanks to the band They Live Exclamation Point: Find them and their stuff at the following links:
Live show link:
http://freemusicarchive.org/music/They_Live_The_Movie_The_Band/
Facebook: 
https://www.facebook.com/They-Live-Exclamation-Point-418270938256359/
Bandcamp:
https://tempdomain17.bandcamp.com/

For this special May 1 edition of the show, Danny Anderson and Nathan Gilmour discuss a new book by Plough Publishing. In celebration of his upcoming canonization, Plough has published a series of homilies by Archbishop Oscar Romero called The Scandal of Redemption. Romero, who was assassinated in 1980 for his outspoken defense of El Salvador’s economically and politically oppressed citizens, was a divisive figure in Catholicism in his life. His political work, inspired in large part by the murder of his friend, Father Rutilio Grande, identified him with Liberation Theology for many Christians, who feared this movement’s association with Communism. The truth about Romero’s beliefs is much more nuanced and complex, however. Through his homilies (delivered as radio addresses to the nation’s poor), the truth about Romero’s political beliefs, and their intricate relationship to Catholic Theology, is revealed. The show wishes to thank Plough Publishing for providing exam copies of this wonderful book.

Also, don’t forget to submit a proposal to the upcoming Mount Aloysius College Conference on Teaching. If you want to learn more about effective teaching methods, this conference is a wonderful opportunity, and Danny Anderson would love to meet you in person! Proposals due by May 18 (see link below).
Links
The Scandal of Redemption, by Oscar Romero
Torture and Eucharist, by William T. Cavanaugh
The Ministry of Special Cases, by Nathan Englander
Mount Aloysius Conference on College Teaching

Steven Spielberg's film adaptation of Ernest Cline’s divisive 2011 novel is the subject of this episode. Jordan Poss of Piedmont Technical College and Nathan Magee of Mount Aloysius College join Danny for this discussion. Cline’s novel, though initially beloved suffered the scorn of critics in the wake of Gamergate. How has Spielberg’s adaptation addressed those concerns? What is it about the 1980s that fosters such nostalgia right now? What political position does this film take on consumerism and corporations? Exactly what kind of an artist is Spielberg and why is he obsessed with Stanley Kubrick? All this and much much more!

Links:
Constance Grady, “The Ready Player One
Backlash Explained
Inkoo Kang, “Ready Player One Is a Feat of State-of-the-Art Pop Culture Navel-Gazing”
Yuval Leven The Fractured Republic
Warren Ellis Transmetropolitan

Danny is joined by Rob Osborn and Kim Anderson for a discussion about the philosophy of Minimalism, a lifestyle of reducing one's possessions and overall footprint. Focusing on the 2015 documentary Minimalism, the trio discuss consumerism, a healthy materialism, spirituality, and class privilege. And bonus (!) listen to the first two submissions to the Sectarian Review fake ad contest. Get your submissions in by August 15!

Links:

The Art of Letting Go | The Minimalists | TEDxFargo
How might your life be better with less? Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus, known to their 4 million readers as "The Minimalists," are the executive…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7rewjFNiys

Marie Kondo and the Ruthless War on Stuff
J oy points upward, according to Marie Kondo, whose name is now a verb and whose nickname is being trademarked and whose life has become a philosophy. In April…

http://ift.tt/29oF8iZ

"Minimalism, Spirituality, and Why it Matters" by Joshua Becker
Journey Church Meets Sundays @ 9 & 10:30 AM Liberty Auditorium http://ift.tt/zYaYLP video production by Jeff Cools Productions http://ift.tt/1usB3iZ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2qIRr51zBo

Investopedia Video: Veblen Good
Named after economist Thorstein Veblen, who introduced the term "conspicuous consumption," a Veblen good is one whose demand increases as its price increases…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56TIQ1rcHek

bush: go out and shop
Find out why AnarchyEnsues Loading... Unsubscribe from AnarchyEnsues? Working... 14 Loading... Loading... Working... Want to watch this again later? Sign in to…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxk9PW83VCY

Story of Stuff (2007, OFFICIAL Version)
From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GorqroigqM

Century of the Self
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ3RzGoQC4s

How Much Cotton Does it Take to Make a Shirt?
Cotton has been around for thousands of years, but it's drawing new interest these days with talk of sustainable clothing. That soft and comfy T-shirt you…

http://ift.tt/2vK1eod

Study: Child Laborers In Bangladesh Are Working 64 Hours A Week
Babu, 8, works at a brick factory in Narayanganj, Bangladesh. KM Asad/LightRocket via Getty Images In Bangladesh, a new report finds, impoverished children are…

http://ift.tt/2gc0l3O

10% Happier

http://www.10percenthappier.com/mindfulness-meditation-the-basics/

McMansion Hell

http://mcmansionhell.com/

Project 333

https://bemorewithless.com/project-333/