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134. How to Defend America

One of our Founding Fathers, and first President, George Washington gave us tremendous advice on defending the nature of our republic at his farewell address. He described a set of problems and how to address them that we still struggle with today. And, I think it would be good to look at what he had to say, and see how it still applies.

“A return to first principles in a republic is sometimes caused by the simple virtues of one man. His good example has such an influence that the good men strive to imitate him, and the wicked are ashamed to lead a life so contrary to his example.”

–Niccolo Machiavelli

The main items Washington warned us about:

I think it’s time we stand up and say, “STOP.” We must destroy the means of division that lead to our loss of liberty. Instead, we should unite under the founding principles, and stand for what’s right so that we can live free and pursue happiness for ourselves in the way our founders envisaged.

I’ve written and spoken on the issues facing our society extensively the last few years, and I would argue that most issues are at least partially caused by one of these items listed above.

And what were his solutions? He prescribed religion, morality, and education as a cure for the rising political ills. In the end, it comes down to what the individual does, as Machiavelli said in today’s quote.

How do we defend the American republic? Our first President had some great advice in his farewell address. Hear what Washington prescribed and how it’s still relevant. https://conversationofourgeneration.com/2020/07/13/134-how-to-defend-america/

Enjoy solving today’s problems with the wisdom of the past? Join the Conversation of Our Generation.

236. Materialism & The Human Person | The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly – Conversation of Our Generation

According to Wikepedia, "Materialism is a form of philosophical monism that holds that matter is the fundamental substance in nature, and that all things, including mental states and consciousness, are results of material interactions. According to philosophical materialism, mind and consciousness are by-products or epiphenomena of material processes (such as the biochemistry of the human brain and nervous system), without which they cannot exist. This concept directly contrasts with idealism, where mind and consciousness are first-order realities to which matter is subject and material interactions are secondary." Valid Concerns and Good Points At first, it seems to make sense. Much of what we encounter is material. Our food, light, furniture, etc. is all material. It would be easy at first glance to think everything boils down to what is material. But, does that really comport with what we experience and know? Errors of Materialism Materialism leaves out a large chunk of the human experience. First, it fails, like naturalism, to fully account for the supernatural and the spiritual. And, in doing so, it denies free will and many other parts of our experience that are products of the spirit. Also, materialism doesn't allow for the abstract truths we know to be. Moral truths, natural laws, beauty, and even some mathematical truths can't exist if everything is material. So, materialism fails to explain all that we know about the world. Corrections There is more to the world than just the material. It doesn't fit with our understanding of the world. We experience more than just the material in art and music, as well as abstract concepts. We also experience the phenomenon of free will, which is impossible in a materialist world. In order to fully comport with reality, we need to take into account more than material things. In order to fully experience the world, we have to take account for the non-material parts of our lives. Related Episodes in this Series What is Objective Reality? What is Subjective Reality? Unity of Subject and Object The Golden Mean for Understanding Objective and Subjective Reality Naturalism & The Human Person | The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly — Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/conofourgen/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/conofourgen/support
  1. 236. Materialism & The Human Person | The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
  2. 235. Naturalism & The Human Person | The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly
  3. 234. The Golden Mean for Understanding Objective and Subjective Reality
  4. 233. Is Patriotism Good? | Reflections on the 4th of July
  5. 232. Unity of Subject and Object
  6. 231. What is Subjective Reality?
  7. 230. The Death of Socrates And What It Teaches Us Of Courage and Nobility
  8. 229. What is Objective Reality?
  9. 228. Peter Kreeft's Intro to the Summa Theologiae by St. Thomas Aquinas
  10. 227. You're Not A Monk | Unexpected Advice From a Priest

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  1. Pingback: 187. The Common Sense We Need | Book Review - Conversation of Our Generation
  2. Pingback: Political Division in America – What's Causing it, and How Do We Fix It?

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