
The Pragmatist’s Guide to Crafting Religion
The Pragmatist's Guide, Book 5
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Narrated by:
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Malcolm Collins
About this listen
Humanity consists of coevolving software (our religion and culture), firmware (our hardcoded proclivities, such as language acquisition), and hardware (our brains). Ripping out a third of the equation has led to innumerous unintended—and typically negative—consequences. This book offers a guide to rebuilding or fortifying this increasingly neglected aspect of the human condition.
Specifically, The Pragmatist’s Guide to Crafting Religion serves as a playbook for those looking to strengthen traditional cultures in the face of collapsing birth rates or craft entirely new cultures designed to impart strategic advantages to adherents.
Should you listen to this book?
- If you were raised in the absence of a cohesive culture—or don’t like your given culture—but see the value of cultural and religious traditions, this book is for you.
- If you worry your culture or religion will go extinct and would like to see it endure across generations, this book is for you.
- If you have ever thought about inventing a religion or starting a cult, this book is for you.
This book will neither be pleasant nor useful to those who don’t want large families as it defines a successful culture as one that sustainably spreads over the long term—which, outside of a few niche exceptions, requires high birth rates.
©2023 Malcolm Collins (P)2023 Malcolm CollinsListeners also enjoyed...
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However, the author's own religion is doomed. They admit that religious reform (i.e. belief in God) is the only thing in history that has raised fertility. They are perusing progressive ideals even though they admit that female education is significantly correlated with below replacement fertility. They have a sci-fi "star-trek" religion, when they admit only Christianity and Judaism are immune to fertility collapse. If the authors were sensible their religion would more closely resemble Christianity than pop-culture.
Very Prescient
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Well written and thought out
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The best reading in the game
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Your smartest, weirdest, successful couple friends
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Personally, couldn't be more excited to participate in the index project and come up with our family's new cultural practices - moving onto the other books in the Pragmatist's Guide series. Cheers!
Great analysis on all things existential
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A book to challenge your worldview and inspire you to craft and perfect your family values
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Because of this book, my girlfriend and I now have a complex/meaningful gratitude ritual during dinner that we intend to pass on to our children. We are currently in the works of making adding more ceremonies and rituals to our own cultivar.
I would love to contribute to the Index — for the future and for the good of others!
A truly fascinating, necessary, and existential invigorating book
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Amazing read
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Things I thought about, but have only limitedly correlated.
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On the actual content: Is it all correct? No. Any groundbreaking treatise like this will inevitably have weird and parochial quirks mixed in. You do not get radical thinkers to build entire shiny new frameworks without some level of fallibility mixed in. But is it worth reading? Oh yes. What is correct far outweighs those things I might think are wrong. And if you have any pretensions to do anything at all which lasts beyond your lifetime, this book is invaluable.
A work of genius
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