388 - Mary Harrington - Identity After Postmodernism

The Symbolic World

In this conversation with Mary Harrington, we explore how identity has evolved from the ancient idea of the soul to the concept of self and today how we talk and think about identity. We dive into how technology and AI shape this shift and why bringing back the soul might help us tackle modern challenges. We argue that purpose and hierarchy clarify identity in today’s mess of competing selves. We explore how swapping deep reading for digital scrolling shifts consciousness, how memes steer thought, and the nature of AI and its affects on culture.
Original YouTube version: https://youtu.be/TJnGDEAka7I
Our conversation at ARC that prompted this: A philosophy of human identity in a digital age | Jordan Peterson, Jonathan Pageau, Mary Harrington: https://youtu.be/oa-MK6l_hgE?si=86TQRbbDCrQdqb60
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