A New Polity Partner Feature

released 2/10/2025

In May 2024, Matthew Crawford gave a lecture in which he contrasted the view of man inherent in technocratic rationalism with that of a Christian view. Drawing from the work of Joseph Ratzinger and Michael Oakeshott, Crawford draws a distinction between an orientation toward receiving life as gift, which engenders gratitude, serendipity, and possibility, and an orientation toward a timid and cramped rationalism that views man as an object to be synthetically remade. The current push for technocratic control over every sphere of life collapses the vertical order of reality and aims to eliminate contingency, risk, and play. In contrast, one who affirms the inherent goodness of being is able to experience a real vitality of life in a meaningful world. 

This lecture is provided courtesy of New Polity.

52 minutes

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