Addicted to Apocalypse: Our Psychological Need for the End

Apocalypse is traditionally a religious idea but the secular age has been more alight with an Apocalyptic fervour than any preceding age. In this episode we explore why by looking at predictions through the ages and across cultures in an attempt to triangulate on what it is about the end of the world that is so sticky to the human psyche. We are going to explore the archetypal phenomenon of the end of the world and see why Apocalypse remains so compelling.
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🎼 Media Used:
1. Lost Frontier - Kevin MacLeod
2. Evening Fall Harp - Kevin MacLeod
3. Permafrost - Scott Buckley
4. Ether Real - Density & Time - The Grey Room
5. There’s Probably No Time - Chris Zabriskie
6. Anguish - Kevin MacLeod
Subscribe to Kevin MacLeod [ / kmmusic ]( / kmmusic )
Subscribe to Chris Zabriskie [ / chriszabriskie ]( / chriszabriskie )
Subscribe to The Grey Room / @thegreyroom
Scott Buckley - www.scottbuckley.com.au
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⌛ Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
03:10 Secular Apocalypse
07:06 A History of Prediction
08:23 Theme 1: Calendrical Apocalypse
11:35 Theme 2: Social Chaos
13:09 Social Chaos in the Islamic World
13:59 Social Chaos in Christian History
15:54 Social Chaos in the 19th Century
18:22 Social Chaos in the 21st Century

[@TheLivingPhilosophy]

💚 Patreon: patreon.com/thelivingphilosophy ☕ Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/thelivingphilosophy ⌛ Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 03:10 Secular Apocalypse 07:06 A History of Prediction 08:23 Theme 1: Calendrical Apocalypse 11:35 Theme 2: Social Chaos 13:09 Social Chaos in the Islamic World 13:59 Social Chaos in Christian History 15:54 Social Chaos in the 19th Century 18:22 Social Chaos in the 21st Century

[@DenianArcoleo]

I agree we seem to have a psychological need for the end of times. I would say it's to do with our own mortality; we can't bear the knowledge that the world will go on quite happily without us, so we would rather it all came to an end with us.

[@DanielsLions13]

I concur with this statement. And, especially in the USA, allowing contemplation of one’s own mortality to inform how we live seems not to be encouraged. Rather, America is the place of “perpetual youthfulness,” so talk of and ritualizing personal death (before it occurs) is the antithesis to the “perpetually youthful” philosophy. The same holds true for our unwillingness to acknowledge our vulnerability as a nation and a society, even though history argues against that stance. The good ole USA will always be the “dominant” world power, always hold sway over world currency, right? This is the delusion we live under. But an apocalypse that destroys everything is a compatible philosophical vision. It allows us to not have to deal with the inevitability our own personal death, or that of the United States as we have known it.

[@seankingwell3692]

actually know it means our souls are always reborn and we can't escape consequence through submission to cults of safety, which always require the sacrifice of truth and submission to fear.

[@SuperLindo11]

We are sick motherfuckers

[@albertmiller3082]

I am always amazed at how enthusiastically so many folks embrace the concept of Biblical End Times, and talk energetically about the signs and portents but never reflect as deeply or positively on the certainty of their own inevitable death. Whether the whole planet goes or you die alone in a sorry ditch, dead is dead. You aren’t some different kind of dead person if 8 billion other humans give up the ghost at the same instant you die. So what difference does it make, really? 🤷‍♂️ From the individual point of view, that is. Face the facts and reflect on the implications here and now. That’s the End Times Fat Lady singing right there. Nobody reading this is going to live another hundred years. It doesn’t depend on anybody’s prophecy or any human thinking, dying is hardwired into us from day one. Sorting out life and death is everybody’s individual responsibility. There doesn’t have to be any more drama added in order for our inevitable personal death to be an abiding concern. When you die, you check out. Whether Memphis or Tallahassee or Tel Aviv persists is pretty much beside the point from the perspective of the corpse. Right?

[@nicholasmitchell8749]

This sounds like the masses that are struggling with unprocessed emotions/grief PTSD left unexamined can foster a psyche of bitterness and resentment. To me, at the fringe of this bell curve, lies the forging of hate or terror groups. More generally tho, the idea of the whole world joining us in our coffin can be better explained by repressed grief (acute bones of contention or grievances for example), and how it shapes our world view. We all have it in varying degrees! A farmer shooting at a trespasser is not only alarmingly disproportionate, but can yield great insight into the sense making influences of the farmers reaction, as an example. On the surface is the story of wrongdoing, however the emotional charge is independent of the trespassers themselves.

[@huguettebourgeois6366]

This may bring a smile to your face, growing up in the 50s, as a child in catholic convent, they told us that the end of the world was in 1960. We were all waiting for a letter to be read by the Vatican. A witness of the apparition of the Virgin Mary had a message from the virgin in the letter. We were all asked to pray with all our mights so god would change his mind about ending the world. Our doom s day never came...on another note, thank you so much for sharing your beautiful mind with us. ❤

[@Chris-zd7gw]

Any chance of you addressing the facts of a physical phenomenon rather than simply narratives that appeal to you? Are there any FACTS that could cause you to change your mind, or are you simply wedded to believing that it's impossible for changes to the environment, exacerbated by mankind's actions, to render the earth no longer habitable for large human populations or industrialised civilisation? You're like a Roman in 350 AD saying "Tee hee they told us the empire would fall when I was a boy too! That's therefore proof that it can never happen".

[@ceeemm1901]

I was at Catholic school thru the 50's and I don't recall any of that BS, nor heard since from others that any of that ever existed. Memory is more often than not, ratshit......

[@Chris-zd7gw]

@ceeemm1901 I've asked the same question to several people with the same stance as this guy. Apart from historically ignorant (they seem unaware that civilisations have collapsed all throughout history), they also seem to simply be in denial, as there's no evidence with which they'd accept that anthropomorphic global warming was happening. They don't want to believe it, therefore they won't.

[@huguettebourgeois6366]

The witness was one of the children in the Fatima story. Her name was Lucy. She was holding a letter directly written by the virgin Mary. The nuns has us all addicted to the oncoming apocalypse. Sam Harris would chuckle or not, traumatizing children... Some of us walked out of those nightmares only to be confronted to others. So many of them now. Maybe we love our dramas...

[@Chris-zd7gw]

@huguettebourgeois6366 Cute little anecdote. So since someone once told you a stupid story in your childhood, that proves that the facts regarding the physical phenomenon of global warming are wrong? I'd love to know where those dots join up for you. Also, you haven't answered my question: would ANY evidence convince you, or are you simply wedded to the belief that it can't be true?

[@arrjay2410]

Having lived in a number of small towns in North America, I was always struck how frequently people unconsciously retained the judging religious based morality of the older generation while having completely cast off religion all together. I think the obsession with apocalypse is much the same. Many of us have cast off the judging paternal hand of religion, but at the same time we expect to be judged at some time, the Apocalypse. The most horrible fate for may be the thought that "The End" will never come and we will just endlessly continue on.........

[@miguelatkinson]

This is something that occurs in eastern religions with the differences being that they have a cyclical veiw of time rather than compare it to the abramanic religions which have a linear veiw of time and besides humanity would come to an end it just that won't be by the hands of any divine maker and this end isn't inevitable one by the way it is one we might perpetuate ourselves if we don't change our ways and deal with climate change and stop firing off nukes of course

[@owendubs]

This kind of phenomena is something that indicates that those people never stopped being religious but instead placed their faith elsewhere. A lack therof as a given in an equation that culminates in all present moments. Existence itself as a given, non-existence too, and of course the self as a prime given.

[@myrawells5691]

Yes It’s classism mixed up w/ guilt amazing how we cling to the notion that we are always, somehow, better than any ‘other’, no matter how we feel about ourselves

[@celestialhylos7028]

unless SOMEONE takes the strongest will to end all things once and for all.

[@willchristie2650]

I have found that even though people throw off the dogma of religion, they often are still as judgmental and programmed as the religious. For example, I have run into New Agers who are just as anti-gay as their Bible thumping predecessors. They predict a glorious new age of harmony FOR THEM, but gay people (or some other scapegoat group) aren't included.

[@emilyb107]

Every one of your videos inspires a shift in perspective for me. Thank you for all your work!

[@zainwaseem5507]

Probably the most underrated channel on KZbin! Amazing amazing storytelling and a very lucid explanation of complex concepts and points. Bravo!

[@Eternal_Albion]

genuinely exhilarating. very original thought. well explined and advanced. well done. subbed.

[@Alex0Hamilton]

Your channel is not only a valuable resource but most importantly a huge help for me finding my way though and structuring my thoughts around ideas Im working with. Im currently working on a series of artworks which endeavour to put the thinking around “Longtermism” into a perspective I feel does it justice. This programme in particular, has given me some leads to persue on how Longtermism, as formulated by W MacAskill, can be seen through the lens of W Benjamin’s “ Capitalism as Religion”. Im looking forward to the possibility of your doing a programme on what must be one of the more pernicious philosophical movements to come out of money as redemptive power. Thank you for doing "The living philosopher".

[@letmariaread7862]

is there any where I could see these works of art when they are ready? It sounds fascinating :)

[@scabbyscumbag]

"the world is always ending"

[@user-od2uq9ti2b]

I’ve recently been binging your videos . They are very informative and entertaining .Keep going , you’ve got my subscription!

[@ignamagan]

People is just afraid to die, so thinking "the end is near" is a good bargain, because you get to see the most dramatic part and also you are not going to miss anything cause it will all end anyway. The same as thinking this society is the pinnacle of evolution and civilization, you just like to think that because it´s the time you happen to exist. Just like thinking that society is decaying; it is not; it´s just you, getting old and cranky.

[@simonrudduck8726]

This kind of top notch content gets an instant subscribe! Thank you sir.

[@tlm2096]

Fantastic work yet again!

[@NeoStoicism]

Great insights my friend.

[@FriendlyDemon93]

Studying eschatological cults brought me to the work of Professor James Tabor (who looks not only looks at biblical apocalyptic messianism but also more recent examples like Heaven's Gate & the Branch Davidians). It seems many people take a weird sort of comfort in replaying their own immanent encounter with death in cosmic terms--kind of like Elliot described in Prufock as 'a magic lantern [throwing] the nerves in patterns on a screen'. That screen is our culture & the magic lantern is the power of shared belief.

[@Theolife]

Fantastic video, as always! Thank you.

[@purpledevilr7463]

“Yoga, world market, and astrology” sounds like someone I would personally hate. Deeply. And I don’t like sports either.

[@VTLille]

Well written, man.

[@Corgi_Love]

"for the fear of doom, the unknown end and the vast knowledge of extinction. We have made the biggest problem in our lives right now about how it will all end....but not when"

[@paulamcnama1499]

Thankyou do much hor all your video's ❤

[@maxmacken8859]

EPIC MAN!

[@kieran9363]

Brilliant, this video was very helpful to me.

[@dlloydy5356]

Brilliant episode, fantastic subject matter, really intriguing information. Got me thinking for sure.

[@TheLivingPhilosophy]

Thanks Danny delighted to hear it!

[@dlloydy5356]

@@TheLivingPhilosophy really liking the slight variation in episode content. Different from ‘typical’ philosophy channels. Very cool 👌

[@TheLivingPhilosophy]

@@dlloydy5356 haha yeah whether that's wise or not I don't know but one must follow the muse where she leads!

[@dlloydy5356]

@@TheLivingPhilosophy exactly. The path less trodden

[@rohanserrao137]

THANK YOU, TRULY!

[@Tahycoon]

I don't know if you remember me but I used to watch your videos and im still part of your Patreon for over a year now, I wanted to say that I'm so glad you're continuing to grow this channel. And as a side note, I really like your haircut, it gives me music producer vibes :)

[@TheLivingPhilosophy]

I do indeed Taha! And thank you for the hair-related compliments I can definitely live with the idea of music producer vibes 😁

[@doyle6000]

Great episode, thank you! And, again, happy to see myself in the credits!!

[@TheLivingPhilosophy]

Thanks doyle6000! Long may the credits roll!

[@myrawells5691]

This is fascinating. Thanks. Remember Jung’s Undiscovered Self and the tongue wagging he gave everybody? Agitated auntie…l love him. I confess to feeling halfway apocalyptic myself. I try to remind myself that people have felt these concerns from day one, but it is a real challenge to overcome the effects of such widespread fear, and to avoid being overwhelmed by the results of my own own observations of today’s world. I feel for everyone but war mongers, politicians, rotten authority figures, etc. l look to the Russian writers for help! And this content was wonderful. Thanks again.

[@THEKMLMUSIC]

Same

[@antor2471]

So interesting!

[@RNCM_Philosophy]

Great video. It's striking how much of this apocalyptic thinking is derivative of the idea of "linear time" which emerges from the Abrahamic traditions (i.e. time has a beginning/middle/end). I wonder how apocalypticism varies in other cultures that view time as cyclical, particularly in subcontinental philosophies. Would love your thoughts on Mircea Eliade's book "Cosmos and History" Really impressed with your channel my dude, great work.

[@miguelatkinson]

O yeah Hinduism has something of the like know as Kali yuga

[@RNCM_Philosophy]

@@miguelatkinson we are in the Kali Yuga!

[@squamish4244]

Cyclical philosophies recognize apocalyptic times and dystopias, but they are not permanent. Creation and destruction are part of the same ongoing process. It's why Oppenheimer derived comfort from the Bhagavad Gita. "I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds", in context refers to when Khrishna is trying to convince Arjuna to do his duty in the imminent battle and takes on his multi-limbed form, revealing himself to be destruction incarnate. "What harm can you do? All the people on this battlefield have already been killed by me" he says. And yet they will return, as Krishna is also the creator of worlds. Obviously since you referenced the Kali Yuga you probably already know this.

[@CatsGoMoo100]

What a beautiful video. So many joined threads lit up for me as you spoke. I remember reading a line in one of Antonio Damasio’s books which suggested one could view human consciousness - particularly self-consciousness - as an accidental reward won in a Faustian bargain for better functioning (or survivability) in the world. A bargain that none of us directly or willingly made. The awareness of ourselves and our mortality was an evolutionary prize given alongside things like language, logic, rationality, our ability to imagine the future, etc.. Extrapolating that from the individual to the social level, the wider body/self of our culture, are we not struck by this same affliction? How do we process the feeling that our culture is faced with a mortal threat that we ourselves are powerless to influence alone. It’s no longer in God’s hands perhaps, but some secret and comparably powerful invisible paternal hands of government and military (or even science/nature). Our temporal concerns can run wild, unchecked by our individual powers and body, blowing out to ultimate annihilation writ large. Fascinating. Brilliantly resourced and constructed video. Thank you! ❤

[@Knaeben]

We actually did willing make that choice...

[@nolancoates4856]

Well spoken 🙋💯

[@richardscathouse]

Long as I don't have to look 😢

[@vivechjorviani5440]

How funny that the only thing this video lacks is a conclusion that ties it all together and gives us an answer

[@allenvaughan1]

Very good!!

[@scotthjackson5651]

I love your philosophy, mate.

[@TheLivingPhilosophy]

Thank you Scott

[@thenew4559]

Carl Jung's perspective on UFOs is a very fascinating way to look at the phenomenon. If anybody wants to hear more about it, I would recommend the video Uberboyo recently did on the subject: "Carl Jung's Bizarre Take on Aliens and UFOs".

[@e.matthews]

Thanks for the recommendation, it was a fascinating ride! However he didn't really discuss the archetypes and narratives that Jung is famous for. It wasn't the psychological discussion I was expecting. Rather, he started with the assumption that all hallucinations and aliens and strange phenomena are higher dimensional beings... Stuff that's impossible to prove or disprove. Stuff that is 100% science fiction and spirituality. Higher dimensions are very cool, but they are only mathematical possibilities right now. More to come on that.

[@aribailor3766]

Nothing about the Mayans, their calendar, and their fascination with the end of the world?

[@MARILYNANDERSON88]

Simple: machievellians capitalize on people's fears of death. Apocalypse and death fears fuel huge sectors of our economy.

[@GothPaoki]

I strongly believe what drives our quest for an apocalypse is not our need for an end but rather our everyday life and hardships. It is not a coincidence that stories about an apocalypse are mostly the invention of more ancient people who lived at much more tumultuous times than most of the modern people.People who lived at such times would be more probable to imagine an apocalypse out of pure fear instilled to them by everyday hardships or in some cases they might even see it as a salvation by this hard life. Today our view on apocalypse is mostly centered around entertainment and accomodates our boredom with outlandish theories such as 'did maya predict the future' something like this kind of silly Graham Hancock -like theories!

[@Neil-Aspinall]

See my comment above Goth.

[@rafaelmartinelli9377]

Also something like "i'd rather die all together than die alone". Knowing you are gona die and the world will continue is depressive and scary.

[@GothPaoki]

@@rafaelmartinelli9377 very true. Exactly the same sentiment that often is the driving force behind these mass shootings with the shooter wanting to die but also create havoc and take as many as possible with him

[@campbellpaul]

If you think about it, it's the core of journalism. It's also a selling point to extract someone's last dollar.

[@erichfreeman2756]

Thank you for your post. So interesting! I was reminded me of the end of the world in a class I had with Thomas Seabock, some three decades ago, when professor had not reached yet the end of the world. He was talking about the doctrine of symbols, and he mentioned the big bang theory, the beginning actually. However, like your video, he got me thinking about the end of the world, and why humans are so preoccupied with it. I think there are a few possible reasons for this. First, the big bang theory suggests that the universe had a beginning, so it is natural for us to wonder if it will also have an end. Second, our social mind has not evolved to the point where we can fully cooperate with each other, which leads to conflict and the potential for destruction. Third, natural disasters are also a potential threat to civilization. I do not believe that the end of the world is something to be apprehensive about. I think it is important to think about it, just as it is important to think about its origins. But I do not think we should let it consume us. We should live our lives to the fullest, and not worry about what might happen in the future. The end of the world is basically a subjective event for everyone involved. It is different for everyone. Some people may see it as a tragedy, while others may see it as a new beginning. I believe that it is important to accept that the end of the world is a possibility for everyone, but a fact for oneself, and to live our lives in a way that we will be proud of, no matter what happens. In the end of our lives one will live the end of the world no matter what. I wonder what animals feel about the end of the world. Do they sense it coming? Do they have any way of preparing for it? These are questions that I do not have the answers to, but I think they are worth thinking about. Best regards from Venezuela. Come and visit sometime

[@seanwooten6410]

I can't think of any aspect of religion that secularism doesn't mimic or at least try to. The secularists define their own good and evil, they condemn their detractors to a hell of one kind or another and work toward some sort of heavenly state. They also have their enlightenment and yes, apocalyptic visions and scenarios. The only difference between them and the religious is their rejection of God but they often even sneak the idea of God in, too, in various guises.

[@TheLivingPhilosophy]

Agreed Sean. The content may have changed but the psyche undergirding it is very consistent

[@soysantiagoarellano1504]

@@TheLivingPhilosophy Heidegger called the psyche you are talking about "Metaphysics".

[@celestialhylos7028]

I always think and will continue to think "The shadow is upon us. The end has come." I am even afraid that we will be forced to make that end happen to end all sufferings.

[@davidc.9758]

Where there's smoke, there's fire.

[@seanogcarey]

Quality video again

[@landotter]

very interesting🤔🤙

[@kevinmccabe33]

Your hope is fulfilled…this has definitely provoked some thought from me! We such a doomer species! We will make up anything to bring us meaning. Great video. I subscribed. Look forward to more.

[@Bradtheartguy]

I wonder if the structures and mechanisms described in Khun's 'The Structure of Scientific Revolutions' would give even more insight into this process. Also the ending reminds me of Mao's description of the cycle of 'Thesis, Anti-Thesis, and the emergence of an amalgamation of the two in the form of a new thesis.'

[@willchristie2650]

"Rapture of the Nerds". I love it.

[@THEKMLMUSIC]

Maybe humans are just exhausted and don’t ever want to check email anymore….

[@FormsInSpace]

it's just a desire for "big change", which is why it peeks in times of "hopelessness/instability"

[@TerryMaplePoco]

this was deeply helpful, thank you. It's especially moving for me because I recently got out of a three-month mental snap in which I believed I was an angel working to save the world from the acopolypse. A close friend of mine is a "medium" and when I encountered a romantic break up I leaned on him for support and that turned into an apocolypse-prepping nightmare. Thank god for good therpaists out there. I've been out of it for just over two-months to the day and it's been a wild ride coming back to reality (not the least which because reality is so wild indeed, I'm deeply fascinated by psychology and physics and I read a great book which unpacks the relationship between CG Jung and Wolfgang Pauli, a first-class physicist. They were fascinated by the number 137, as it mysteriously appears at the core of physics. I highly recommend the book, Deciphering the Cosmic Number. I bet you'd dig it). Anyways! Coming back to "real life" has been incredible because I'm seeing every aspect of my previous "real life" through a very new lens. This video was like a "cannonball" into the deep end of my unpacking, much gratitude again. This helps contextualize my experience. It was sobering and humbling to realize that the stresses of life had taken me to such an extreme place. I was on the verge of giving away $50,000 worth of music equipment I've collected (and which I use passionately and often) over the past 10 years. And I was about to go live on the streets of the USA to help people, despite being over $60,000 in debt myself. My life has felt fairly insane, and to put another way, the mental snap helped me see just how much stress I've been under, and to have compassion for myself as I slowly rebuild my life.

[@rogerbartlet5720]

Fear gets attention and is highly reactive, a great way to build movements.

[@Jason2003]

Maybe we aren't moving in the right direction if everyone is depressed and thinks the end of the world is upon us.

[@Motorlizard]

Jesus what happened to your subscriber count 😂, went up so fast. Congratulations!

[@jabbathehutt489]

your comment made me sub

[@ohraisins]

Every single person has to face their own very real apocalypse with death. I've grown to think it's people's way of dealing with it.

[@cultondiase]

Except for the pantry, the entire lower floor belongs to the animals. In other words, the lower floor consists of a hayloft, a pantry and a barn where a cow, a donkey, a calf live. There is also an oak tree in front of the small plain. Two wires run through the telephone pole next to the tree. When you reach the balcony plain in front of the door, that is, when you step out the door, whoever is on the roof of the nearest adjacent houses is visible. The entrance to one of the houses above faces us. It's like a little far away... Our roof is almost at their entrance level. The house of Crazy Egun. He has a wife and 4 children. The eldest daughter among his 4 children is healthy. The second girl is crippled. Her hands and feet are healthy. Her skill is low. Her intelligence is limited. The third girl is healthy. The last boy is in unruly, reckless and inconsiderate an identity. He is also unhealthy... To read more, the title of the book is Flawless Things. This book will take the world to another dimension.

[@uuubeut]

Humanity and Overseers; They use FEAR as the strap on the flesh of slaves. Crown or Pontiff, Seer or Tyrant all understand this useful tool. Secularity is not at fault. Human spiritual weakness and tribal thoughts play a role. No one can terrorize us without our cooperation. As a Man Thinketh , the body of emotions follows. Thank you for presenting the material 🤝

[@richardscathouse]

Exactly. Wage-Slavery 😢

[@mikahist4155]

OK canads has now over 1000 wildfires. Europe has since end of May wildfires.

[@Cardioid2035]

But yeah… anthropogenic climate change is likely going to be the biggest problem humanity has ever faced mainly because our collective ego can’t seem to accept that we’re causing the problem to begin with…

[@Animalis_Mundana]

Doesn't even matter, Earth's climate has always changed, of course it fluctuates from warmer to colder and vice versa, technically we're in an interglacial period. In the grand scheme of time 10,000 years is nothing when ice ages can last many thousands of years. Blame humans if you want but it would be going through these cycles anyways. Not an uncommon event, about 1000 years ago long before modernity there was the "medieval warming period."

[@umbertopaoluccipierandrei1503]

Grazie.

[@TheLivingPhilosophy]

Thanks Umberto!

[@umbertopaoluccipierandrei1503]

Thank you! @@TheLivingPhilosophy

[@benthornhill7903]

I would like to see some data on which strata of society are most prone to apocalyptic thinking to see if there is a correlation that relates to subjective vulnerability, powerlessness or precarity and a psychological need for certainty in the face of that. My own tendency towards the eschatological, I think, has served this need for certainty. It serves to simplify complexity and also as an excuse to disengage with the troubles of the time. If the ship is going down and I tell myself there is no saving it, I can jump ship and try to save myself and my family. In which case, is it paradoxically a survival mechanism????

[@TheLivingPhilosophy]

This is a brilliant point Ben. I made an episode a couple of years back on the new field in psychology studying conspiracy theories and what they found was that people in precarious positions are the most likely to believe. The same could very well apply here Edit: and what's perhaps even more worth highlighting - those who don't actively think eschatologically are those who are in comfortable positions. The wealthy venture capitalist is going to be less concerned by climate change than the next big thing in tech

[@rohanserrao137]

12:57 Rich Men North of Richmond - Song by Oliver Anthony Music - kzbin.info/www/bejne/qaK2cmCJjpp7qNE

[@OrdinaryCritic]

Near extinction events, whether local or global, has happened before, again and again…before we were humans. The instinct to anticipate it, lives in us. The images are powerful, and the actuality temporally far removed. We don’t know what to do with the brewing sentiment, but it has to come out, to remind us that what has happened before, will happen again, and again, and again.

[@dubidolczektv5278]

sorry to hear that you folks have a psychological need for the end.. good luck with that :)

[@entropica]

James, some days ago I hallucinated to have seen a video on your channel covering Nietzsche's transition "camel to lion to child", but I cannot find it. Did I just dream that?

[@TheLivingPhilosophy]

Haha no no hallucination. It's called the Three Metamorphoses. Here's the link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rnSThatphL12g5Y

[@entropica]

@@TheLivingPhilosophy Ah, the title picture was devided in quadrants, I only searched for pictures divided in three parts (camel, lion, child). 😖

[@TheLivingPhilosophy]

Haha yeah I thought I'd give the dragon his due. I am thinking of changing that but all in time all in time

[@entropica]

@@TheLivingPhilosophy I have to work on my laziness.

[@TheLivingPhilosophy]

@@entropica 🤣🤣

[@owendubs]

These are very interesting Psychological hermeneutics for explaining a given phenomena that has power over us, or a higher power a Secular Practitioner has come to witness and compartmentalize into their religious beliefs. Two of the higher powers making a visit here are Sympatheia, known to The Stoics, and The Desire For Closure observed within Sympatheia. These are higher powers that often only present themselves when one looks within themselves. It's silly to believe that Nihilists are not religious. They use different terminology such as "What simply is."

[@aaronrantonen6168]

You have few paintings there from the era of Finnish golden age of painting and symbolism

[@TheLivingPhilosophy]

You can thank your fellow countryman for that! I love Simberg's painting of the garden of death and when it was pointed out to me it was Finnish I ended up looking at many more paintings from this golden age. Great stuff!

[@nomadinsox8757]

I find it interesting that you give such deep insight into the psychological underflows of society and historical events and yet when it comes to Christianity you often dry it right up and look no deeper. For example, the Matthew 16 prophesy about "there are some standing here who will not taste death" which you claim didn't occur and yet don't seem to question what kind of death it is referring to. Indeed, even until today the writings and stories of some of those who stood there are still alive and well in modern discourse. A psychological survival into the future spoken of in that Banksy quote "They say you die twice. Once when you stop breathing and a second time when someone says your name for the last time." I would imagine that to be part of the psychological considerations that you bring so eloquently to every other category you talk about, but it's lacking in my estimatiom. Is Christianity so over done that a psychological meaning isn't considered in Jesus's words? In so many other places he stuffs multiple meanings into what he says, but not here?

[@akkarin1225]

Asking myself, what would it be like if the coming End wasnt real, world isnt going to end some time, catastrophy not to come? Seems like presence. Peace. I really do wonder, what would it be like to live out of that spaciousness.

[@henryc3067]

isnt there are difference between neurosis and an archetype?

[@patrickirwin3662]

Great video and I love your channel! I think you too easily separate the threat of actual "apocalypses," traumatic events that end that culture and people, (if not the world,) from an archetypal psychological need, at least as I understand that, as something extra-social, written deep into the human organism. (Not saying no such needs exist just don't think this is one.) I do not believe there is an apocalypse in any hunter gatherer religion. (If anyone can prove me wrong, I am all ears.) Apocalypse becomes a theme in agricultural and then pastoral societies. In all of them I have encountered, there is a notion of something off balance that needs righting and correction. In the Abrahamic traditions SIN IS AT THE ROOT OF CIVILIZATION ITSELF. God didn't like Cain's veggies as much as meat. But when banished for fratricide, Cain built a city, Enoch, and was father of metallurgy, arts and music. When we look around us sometimes, do we not somewhat see the point? And apocalypse in that tradition is not really "the end of the world," in the physicists sense anyway, but more the revelation of a moral order violated by civilization itself, and one that will demand a restoration of that order. Anyway, if I am right, apocalypse is a function of psychological pressures resulting from social organization, especially as it relates to extreme class differences and constant warfare for land and labor. Our "apocalyptic need" and the fact we are now faced with actual "apocalyptic" disasters and wars, their confluence now is not a curious coincidence, but an indication that these ancient intuitions about the engine at the heart of civilization were accurate.

[@alfredocaputto6926]

When you write ✍️ history you must ask one question ❓. Am I doing this to understand a history line or I'm doing this for my personal gains. Here's the problem : you have no line of though and you must find it. My son

[@outbackgearforu]

I grew up as a jw ,the end was coming roughly every 10 years,now the expression is its imminent

[@ribeirojorge5064]

The Prophets of Chaos enter Ecstasy with the Eminence of the End of the World ❤️ 💚 💜

[@uchicha666]

"Because the only real danger that exist, is man himself." ~ C Jung

[@mdphybes]

I'm not convinced that this proclivity for rumination about end of times can be characterized as need but more obsession. I suppose it might be considered a need to create a justification to account for a potential for which we might have some measure of accountability (such as the nuclear holocaust) that still resides outside or beyond our control. I suppose it might also be grouped with our fascination with various forms of the visceral physicality of horror or fireside mythology as entertainment. I have a tendancy to attribute the motivation for the obsession with behavioral modification in the form of cautionary tales.

[@elonrosen]

“Newton, who was also a theologian and alchemist, predicted that the Second Coming of Christ would follow plagues and war and would precede a 1,000-year reign by the saints on earth of which he would be one. The most definitive date he set for the apocalypse, which he scrib- bled on a scrap of paper, was 2060.”

[@Godgotme98]

Matthew 16:2-3 He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. Luke 12:54-56 Then He also said to the multitudes, “Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming’; and so it is. And when you see the south wind blow, you say, ‘There will be hot weather’; and there is. Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?

[@northstar92]

Would anyone in here be so kind to share details about this painting? 15:30

[@optimusprimevil1646]

you have to keep in mind that you might be delusional, but when you listen to daniel schmachtenberger or elizer yudkowsky, the metactricise and ai doom feels simple rational and logical.

[@TheLivingPhilosophy]

Love schmachty; never heard of yudkowsky so really looking forward to checking him out. Any recommendations on where to begin (I know a bitg of a tangent from your point that I do in fact strongly agree with)

[@optimusprimevil1646]

@@TheLivingPhilosophy he's been on fridman and sam harris but the best ones have been with laymans who just let him riff eg the logan Bartlett podcast and the bankless podcast where's he's blowing the mind of two crypto guys. and at the end, just like with schmachtenberger, the host will ask "so what can we do?", and he will say that after 20 years of trying to find an answer, he doesn't know 😐 connor leahy is also good re ai alignment, see his appearance on machine learning street talk 👍

[@TheLivingPhilosophy]

@@optimusprimevil1646 awesome thanks for that

[@jamescareyyatesIII]

Apocalypse doesn't mean end. It means literally 'to tear the cover off'. It's a revealing, not the end.

[@jothee-bee]

it was the time of great reveling, the time of the great revealing, a time of revolutions & revelations, where the reviled were revealed before all before all was re-veiled once more, in the time of the great revealing, time the veil was lifted.

[@stephencarroll230]

“Nerd camp”🤣🤣🤣👍

[@harveyquirke6376]

I. Reccon. We. Should. Turn. The. Key. And. Push the. Button so. I. Can. Check. Out. If. My. Night. Vision. Works

[@mrchristian87]

For people looking for in depth scholarly explanations on the history of Christian apocalypse a good channel would be mythvision. It regularly hosts historians and scholars dissecting Christian ideas and claims.

[@wrencombo1126]

People want to be around for the end of the world because they believe/want to believe that life will end when they end. They won't miss out on anything (perceived). FOMO and narcissism

[@jjrecon3024]

Fix Your world, Not 'theirs'!

[@wadeedden4552]

Kevin,sorry I left such a mess in West Yellowstone. Anyway, I am impressed. You go deep.

[@Gary-zq3pz]

It's the end of the World as we know it, and I feel fine!

[@TheLivingPhilosophy]

Lenny Bruce is not afraid

[@Zakkarath]

??? The Doomsday Clock is currently set at 100 seconds to Midnight ???

[@richardscathouse]

That can't be right

[@agileminded7949]

You make perfect sense mate. I'm gen X and all those who came after most definitely missed the party 😁 We earned more, f***ed more and partied way more than those that came before us. We are the living witnesses to the crossover of 2 different worlds. We got the closest to freedom in modern times, but of course it was never gonna be allowed to continue, so that's why the 3lit3 had to clamp down on gen's Y and X. thankfully I do see/hear a lot of gen Z display a gen X mindset, so there's some hope for the future in that the millenially induced woke-ism won't really be the quicksand that was planned to be for humanity, but it is causing a big crater in the road to a better world. A reset probably is needed because we have lost our way, but not mr schwabs idea of a reset, more of a mad max period for us review how we got there and the direction we need to go in.

[@jeremywvarietyofviewpoints3104]

Not all cultures have an apocalyptic viewpoint. A lot have a static or a cyclical point of view. The Abrahamic religions have helped make apocalyptic thinking far more common. Some cultures believe in an origin of the world, then a static world since then. The most uncommon viewpoint is that of a world of continual progress. The Bhagavad-Gita is not an apocalyptic work. Hindus traditionally had a cyclical worldview.

[@n8works]

Do you think that the level of corruption in a society or culture has any correlation to it's apocalyptic fascination? Maybe as corruption (doing something against your values) becomes so pervasive, many who wouldn't normally participate in such behavior become victim to the mindset that "everything is corrupt, I might as well be too." This mindset occurs in many countries where corruption is pervasive. When our values become corrupted, maybe we subconsciously feel that The society that made us corrupt our ideals needs to be 'punished'. ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

[@TheLivingPhilosophy]

Interesting take Nate. I wonder 🤔

[@n8works]

@@TheLivingPhilosophy A simple example is people with climate values may sink into a depression witnessing the corruption of their values, they are powerless to effect change, therefore the idea of environmental cataclysm has some level of attraction to them.

[@timjohnson2186]

End times?

[@renaissancefairyowldemon7686]

Apocalypse (ἀποκάλυψις) is a Greek word meaning "revelation," "an unveiling or unfolding of things not previously known and which could not be known apart from the unveiling." People genuinely don't understand that the true meaning of Apocalypse is a new beginning and change in the World. Most people fear change, which explains 99.9% of the World's problems, and don't realize all it takes is them being that and indeed being themselves and letting out their shadow. Nice video, James. Still, get used to your new look.

[@thenew4559]

Indeed. From Zoroastrianism to Christianity and Hinduism, most of the ancient religious traditions that dealt with Eschatology treated the end of the world as a positive thing, a great spiritual salvation from our sinful material world.

[@seanwooten6410]

Absolutely. The "end of the world" in Christian theology is neither the end of it, nor is it a bad thing at all.

[@vu4y3fo846y]

99% of the world's problems are explained by X. If people would just stop thinking X, everything would be solved. /s

[@billyfudd818]

Ernst Kaseman's 'apocalyptic is the mother of Christianity' pretty much sums it for me. If we've been raised by the ignoramus it should come as no surprise that 'we've adopted (many of, all of?) their mannerisms'. Failed 'theological' imaginations seem to me responsible for doomer apocalypse's. A bludgeoning rebuttal would be most welcomed, eg. 'If you believe in Jesus he becomes unavailable as a friend'.

[@apocalypsator6]

Apocalypse art is awesome.

[@evolsaturn7652]

The nerd camp makes me laugh every time. 🤓

[@jamescooke5063]

Generally excellent. Also appreciate your video on Jung. Regarding Ehrman, Jesus and Mark however, just a few verses later comes the so-called transfiguration, arguably a realisation of what was said, i.e. not really apocalyptic. Elsewhere in the nt doomsday predictions are implicitly disregarded, belittled and discouraged with verses along the lines of 'no one shall no the hour/day etc.' Of course this doesnt stop doomsday cults but is disingenuous of Ehrman to assume Jesus is talking about the end of the world in that verse. Regarding whether Jesus' was predominantly an apocalyptic message, this is illogical. The Jews were waiting for a messiah who would atone for sins and bring righteousness to the world. See Daniel 70 weeks for example. They were all waiting, and not for the end of the world. It stands to reason that if Jesus was preaching only the end of the world, be would not have met the description that he himself was aiming to fulfill. Ergo its nonsense. It is obviously a factor in Christian teaching but cannot logically from a messianic perspective be described as Jesus' main message. As for mahdi on white horse, the meme is plainly copied from the Revelation.

[@9000ck]

The starry heaven above us and the moral law within are not enough. We need a vision of hell no?

[@marinbilic2893]

Excellent video, but I cannot agree with you when you said that words of Christ were wrong (09:35). I understand that it can be easily understandable as litteraly Kingdom of God coming in physical form, but in the end if you think they all got to Kingdom of God inside them. You may say now that this is dellusional, wrong and some would even say primitive, but Jung himself said that Kigndom of God is inside us, and the same thing is written in The Bible (Matthew 13: 11- 14)

[@adampowell5376]

What is the Kingdom of Heaven? I do not think that it is the end of the world. I think Heaven is all around us!