98. What Happened to Great Men—and Great Art? - With Owen Cox

98. What Happened to Great Men—and Great Art? - With Owen Cox

In this episode, I speak with Owen Cox about the decline of modern culture, the loss of beauty, and why so many people feel that contemporary art, film, and music have become increasingly hollow. We explore what great art requires, why commercial incentives and ideological conformity often undermine creativity, and whether the growing sense of cultural stagnation reflects a deeper spiritual crisis rather than simply a failure of artistic talent. Drawing on philosophy, history, religion, and cultural criticism, we discuss civilizational decline, the legacy of the 1960s, Oswald Spengler's idea of the "second religiosity," and the surprising return of Christianity among young people. Along the way, we explore masculinity, the manosphere, the search for transcendence, the internet, artificial intelligence, and whether modern consumer culture leaves room for genuine creativity, meaning, and beauty. We also examine the conditions that allow great civilizations to produce enduring works of art, and why periods of cultural uncertainty often coincide with renewed interest in religion and tradition. The conversation turns to the possibility of a new cultural renaissance. We discuss independent artists, the decentralisation of creative work, the opportunities and dangers presented by AI, and whether a generation disillusioned with modernity can recover a sense of the sacred without retreating into nostalgia or ideology. Throughout the discussion, we return to a central question: if every civilization expresses its deepest values through its culture, what does our culture reveal about us today—and what would it take to create something truly beautiful again? ------------------------------------------- See the Feral Philosophy YouTube channel HERE [https://www.youtube.com/@FeralPhilosophy_mw/videos] Support the Feral Philosophy mission by donating through Crowdfunder [https://embodimentunlimited.com/crowdfunder/] Want to become a certified embodiment coach? More details about CEC [https://embodimentunlimited.com/cec/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=cec] Join Mark for in-person workshops [https://embodimentunlimited.com/events-calendar/?utm_source=TEP&utm_medium=Description&utm_campaign=Events]

97. The Trap Every Ambitious Man Falls Into - With Professor Miroslav Volf

In this episode, I speak with Professor Miroslav Volf about meaning, desire, happiness, and why so many people find themselves trapped in a culture of endless striving. We explore the forces that shape our deepest wants, asking whether our desires are truly our own or simply reflections of consumer culture, social comparison, and the technological systems we inhabit. Along the way, we examine what it means to live a life worth living, and why the relentless pursuit of success, status, and self-optimization so often leaves us feeling empty. Drawing on philosophy, theology, psychology, and cultural criticism, we discuss comparison, ambition, humility, gratitude, consumerism, social media, and the modern obsession with happiness. We explore the difference between pursuing excellence and pursuing status, why dissatisfaction has become a feature rather than a flaw of modern society, and how practices such as Sabbath, community, and gratitude offer an alternative to a culture built on perpetual striving. We also discuss masculinity, the manosphere, and why so many young men searching for purpose risk confusing identity with performance, dominance, and endless self-improvement. The conversation also explores Christianity as a vision of grace rather than moral perfection. We discuss forgiveness, unconditional love, the challenge of loving our neighbours, and why meaning emerges not through pleasure or achievement alone, but through responsibility, relationships, and participation in something greater than ourselves. Throughout the discussion, we return to a central question: not simply what we want, but what is truly worth wanting. ------------------------------------------- See the Feral Philosophy YouTube channel HERE [https://www.youtube.com/@FeralPhilosophy_mw/videos] Support the Feral Philosophy mission by donating through Crowdfunder [https://embodimentunlimited.com/crowdfunder/] Want to become a certified embodiment coach? More details about CEC [https://embodimentunlimited.com/cec/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=cec] Join Mark for in-person workshops [https://embodimentunlimited.com/events-calendar/?utm_source=TEP&utm_medium=Description&utm_campaign=Events]

96. Why Modern Britain Can't Hold Together - With John Gillam

In this episode, I speak with John Gillam about identity, belonging, Christianity, and the future of England in an age of cultural uncertainty. We explore why so many people feel disconnected from their history, traditions, and communities, and examine whether modern societies can remain cohesive without a shared story, moral framework, or sense of national purpose. Drawing on history, politics, religion, and cultural analysis, we discuss the decline of traditional institutions, the rise of managerial elites, the emergence of new counter-elites, and the growing tension between economic liberalism and cultural conservatism. Along the way, we explore English identity, nationalism, ethnicity, immigration, capitalism, community, and the role Christianity played in shaping both England and the wider Western world. We also examine why questions of identity that were once considered settled are re-emerging across Europe and the Anglosphere. The conversation turns to the challenges facing young men in particular, including the search for meaning in an increasingly fragmented culture. We discuss technology, self-education, responsibility, and the possibility that the internet may become either a force for civilizational renewal or a machine of endless distraction and decline. Throughout the discussion, we return to a central question: what holds a nation together, and what happens when the bonds of culture, faith, and shared identity begin to weaken? ------------------------------------------- See the Feral Philosophy YouTube channel HERE [https://www.youtube.com/@FeralPhilosophy_mw/videos] Support the Feral Philosophy mission by donating through Crowdfunder [https://embodimentunlimited.com/crowdfunder/] Want to become a certified embodiment coach? More details about CEC [https://embodimentunlimited.com/cec/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=cec] Join Mark for in-person workshops [https://embodimentunlimited.com/events-calendar/?utm_source=TEP&utm_medium=Description&utm_campaign=Events]

95. Beyond Nihilism: A New Path for Young Men - With Brendan Graham Dempsey

In this episode, I speak with Brendan Graham Dempsey about nihilism, the meaning crisis, and why so many young men find themselves trapped between cynicism, isolation, and endless distraction. We explore the cultural forces that have eroded traditional sources of purpose, belonging, and identity, and examine whether there is a path beyond both postmodern skepticism and simplistic returns to the past. Drawing on philosophy, psychology, spirituality, and cultural history, we discuss metamodernism as an emerging response to the limitations of both modernity and postmodernity. Along the way, we explore masculinity, dating, community, self-development, religion, tradition, and the search for meaning in an increasingly fragmented world. We examine what previous generations got right, what contemporary culture has to offer, and why an integrative approach may be necessary if we are to navigate the challenges of modern life. We also discuss practical ways of overcoming nihilism, including cultivating meaningful projects, contributing to something larger than oneself, building real-world relationships, and engaging with communities that foster growth and purpose. Throughout the conversation, we argue that meaning is not an illusion or a comforting fantasy, but a reality that emerges through participation, responsibility, connection, and service. This is a conversation about purpose, hope, and what might lie on the other side of nihilism. --------------------------------------------- See the Feral Philosophy YouTube channel HERE [https://www.youtube.com/@FeralPhilosophy_mw/videos] Support the Feral Philosophy mission by donating through Crowdfunder [https://embodimentunlimited.com/crowdfunder/] Want to become a certified embodiment coach? More details about CEC [https://embodimentunlimited.com/cec/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=cec] Join Mark for in-person workshops [https://embodimentunlimited.com/events-calendar/?utm_source=TEP&utm_medium=Description&utm_campaign=Events]

94. The Meaning Crisis: Why Modern Men Feel Lost- With Mark Walsh & Dr Helen Machen-Pearce

In this episode, I explore the meaning crisis, the search for purpose, and why so many people—particularly men—feel adrift in a culture of distraction, consumption, and endless entertainment. Drawing on philosophy, psychology, embodiment, and personal experience, I examine the difference between happiness and meaning, and why a life organised around comfort and pleasure often leaves people feeling empty. We discuss Aristotle's ideas on purpose, the role of community and service in a meaningful life, and how modernity has weakened our connections to place, tradition, responsibility, and reality itself. Along the way, I explore doomscrolling, addiction, virtual living, craftsmanship, heroism, and the growing temptation to retreat into simulations rather than engage with the challenges of real life. I also share practical approaches to discovering purpose through embodiment, strengths, feedback, service, and mortality awareness. Throughout the conversation, I argue that meaning is not something we find through self-obsession, but through contribution, excellence, belonging, and commitment to something larger than ourselves. This is a conversation about reality, responsibility, and what it means to live a life that truly matters. ---------------------------------------------- See the Feral Philosophy YouTube channel HERE [https://www.youtube.com/@FeralPhilosophy_mw/videos] Support the Feral Philosophy mission by donating through Crowdfunder [https://embodimentunlimited.com/crowdfunder/] Want to become a certified embodiment coach? More details about CEC [https://embodimentunlimited.com/cec/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=cec] Join Mark for in-person workshops [https://embodimentunlimited.com/events-calendar/?utm_source=TEP&utm_medium=Description&utm_campaign=Events]