What to Expect from an America Without God

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer and Elan Journo discuss whether Americans are dropping religion or are simply substituting one set of dogmas for another.

Among the topics covered:

What recent polls say about the decline in traditional religiosity;
The increasing religious fervor of political dogmas (such as “identity politics” and environmentalism);
Evaluating the claim that new political dogmas are literally sublimated religion;
How Ayn Rand’s analyses of tribalism and altruism help explain the sociology of today’s political dogmas;
How religious and political dogmas serve similar psychological purposes;
Metaphysical similarities between traditional religions and the new political dogmas;
Ayn Rand’s essay “Requiem for Man,” from her book Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal, on the motives of the religious mentality.

Also mentioned in the discussion are Rand’s essays “Philosophical Detection” and “The Missing Link” in her book Philosophy: Who Needs It, and Elan Journo’s essay “The Virulent Pull of Tribalism.”

This podcast was recorded on April 28, 2021. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. Watch archived podcasts here.