What is Metamodernism? | Brett McCracken

[@justinsmorningcoffee]

Very much looking forward to listening to this on my morning commute today

[@BrendanGrahamDempsey]

Great conversation. :)

[@DeepTalksTheology]

Thank you, Brendan! And I’m sorry I forgot the titles of your books 😂 I’m really bad at remembering titles!

[@BrendanGrahamDempsey]

@@DeepTalksTheology No worries at all, sir. 🙂For those interested, though, the most germane to this convo is one of the easier titles to remember: it's called _Metamodernism_.

[@emilylidie5120]

so I found the vibe to be quite satisfying in this discussion - and viewing these philosophical categories as they play out aestheticly is a nice access point.

[@thatevangarcia]

Great conversation! The part about the oscillation is fascinating and relatable.

[@nickhanscome]

Great episode Paul!

[@DeepTalksTheology]

Thank you, Nick!

[@mostlynotworking4112]

Creed is back, alright!

[@jeremyblank8590]

Is there some overlap between metamodernism and multipolarity?

[@J.Tom.S]

Nickelback is following in the slipstream of Creed’s comeback. Get ready!

[@gor764]

Gotta say, I absolutely loathe Everything Everywhere All At Once--it's a whimsical, irreverant, and bombastic film wrapped around a Philosophy 101 student's understanding of Camus' absurdism. The whole "Nothing matters so everything matters! Just be kind to everyone!" was so cringe inducing.

[@6Churches]

I also didn't like that film: as a realist - rocks can't possess agency, action, personality or perspective, but I buy into a lot of the absurdism as a film narrative - it was overly long and the bulk of the story feels so constrained by the set with the staircase, coming back time and time again to that setting ... making the film feel small rather than expansive

[@gor764]

@@6Churches Yeah, it shocks me how critically praised it was. I had so many friends telling me it's a masterpiece. I think it tuned into that frequency of lay existentialism many millenials and zoomers are captured by. You usually find this sentiment among redditors or figures liek Bo Burnham. Often a cynical view of humanity coupled with some idea that humans need to be moral despite how "effed up" the world is. It's an ideology that consists of vacuous existential statements that attempt to sound profound--"If nothing matters, everything matters," "Kindness is the language of the universe."

[@6Churches]

@@gor764 I've noticed three main forms of film appreciation that just don't work for me at all: * Thematic resonance: the plot features some theme (pro life, authentic masculinity, virtuous sacrifice) that resonates with the viewer's held value * Token presence: the film includes some sensory feature that is personally valued - for instance I had a friend say he really enjoyed Madame Webb because he'd also worked as a paramedic and he just liked the paramedic character * Popular estimation: the film contains things the viewer assumes will be popular to others, so they endorse the movie as it helps them feel connected to a popular thing/art/movement/group None of these work on me

[@DeepTalksTheology]

I think it landed with many because of the metamodern aesthetic and grammar allowed those who feel trapped in the vocabulary of constant irony to try to use that irony to admit that they would really, sincerely like to find away out of nihilism. If you grew up on Fight Club esque responses to nihilistic despair, you’d might have realized that you’d rather have the husband as your neighbor over Tyler Durden.

[@gor764]

@@DeepTalksTheology Yeah that's an accurate take. I found it sort of insufferable and I think because there's a metaphysical assumption made from the outset, namely that nothing matters, that there is no higher meaning, transcendence, theodicy. And then it proceeds from there to figure out how one can remain hopeful despite how desiccated the world is. I just find the initial metaphysical assumption unfounded and usually the result of cultural conditioning or poor philosophy.