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We Are Not Saved

We Are Not Saved is a podcast covering Eschatology. While this concept has traditionally been a religious one, and concerned with the end of creation, in this podcast that study has been broadened to include secular ways the world could end (so called x-risks) and also deepened to cover the potential end of nations, cultures and civilizations. The title is taken from the book of Jeremiah, Chapter 8, verse 20: The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved.
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Now displaying: Category: Eschatology
Review of DON'T DIE by Bryan Johnson 0
Sep 28, 2024

A narcissistic dialogue around ideas that are either annoyingly fractured or wholly unrealistic. 

DON'T DIE: Dialogues 

By: Bryan Johnson

Published: 2023

247 Pages

Briefly, what is this book about?

How best to extend the lifespan of humans and the lifetime of humanity presented in the form of a fictional dialogue between various aspects of the author's personality. 

What's the author's angle?

Bryan Johnson is a biohacker who measures dozens and dozens of biomarkers. As a result of this he claims to be aging at 64/100th the normal rate. He’s also a former and, as near as I can tell, disaffected member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

Who should read this book?

If you’re really into lifespan expansion, then maybe? Or similarly very concerned with X-risks? But I will warn you that the book is written in one of the more annoying styles I’ve ever encountered. Not only does it directly impede the transmission of information, it actively works against its inclusion..

Specific thoughts: A strange approach to X-risks...

Divine Disappointment and Mortal Shame A Review of "Is God Disappointed in Me?" 0
Sep 12, 2024

Transcript: https://www.wearenotsaved.com/p/divine-disappointment-and-mortal

Is God Disappointed in Me?: Removing Shame from a Gospel of Grace 

By: Kurt Francom

Published: 2024

190 Pages

Briefly, what is this book about?

Our parents expect that we will do certain things—perhaps it’s cleaning our rooms, perhaps it’s becoming a doctor—when we don't, they're disappointed. We have a tendency to view God in the same fashion; He also has expectations, and when we fail to meet them we imagine that He is similarly disappointed. Francom claims this is a false belief. Because of God’s omniscience and infinite love, He cannot be disappointed. When we think He might be it leads to shame, which prevents us from accessing His love. 

What’s the author’s angle?

Francom is the director of Leading Saints, an organization whose primary focus is providing advice and resources for the lay leadership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He’s also heavily involved with Warrior Heart a Christian men’s organization that runs retreats with a focus on addiction recovery. This book is part of those focuses and a personal expression of Francom’s approach to leadership and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

What’s My Angle?

I’ve known Francom for going on ten years. As such I’ve been privy to his argument that God cannot be disappointed from his initial epiphany all the way down to his full, book-length treatment of the subject. As I’ve watched the idea develop, I’ve raised numerous objections. To Francom’s great credit most of these objections are at least acknowledged in the book. I suspect that I wasn’t the only one to raise these objections, but I fancy that he first heard of them from me. 

My name is listed in the book’s acknowledgments but it’s pretty generic. I had hoped for something more like “And thanks to Ross Richey, if not for his relentless criticism, unending negativity, poor character, and dark soul, the book would have been less accurate, but probably more inspiring.”

Bad Therapy vs. Resilience 0
Jul 17, 2024

My submission to the Astral Codex Ten Book Review Contest. It was not a finalist. Comments are appreciated. (Especially ones pointing out how much better it is than the actual finalists.) 

Links to transcript sections:

I- Prologue

II- The Core Observation

III- The Realm of the Potentially Traumatic

IV- “Won’t Somebody Please Think of the Children!?”

V- A Continuum of Parenting, With Sundry Bad Examples, and an Appearance by The Last Psychiatrist

VI- Resilience

Debating Brazenness 0
Jul 10, 2024

If Trump can brazen is way through all of his various scandals why can't Biden brazen his way through this?

Hooves, Headsets, and Hedonism 0
May 29, 2024

Just look at the episode picture. The episode picture explains all...

Have More Kids! 0
Dec 23, 2023

My report from Natal Con 2023. Including reflections on Tommy Boy, seatbelts, and the proliferation of polycrises.

Egregores, Group Minds, and White Magic 0
Nov 29, 2023

Transcript: https://www.wearenotsaved.com/p/egregores-group-minds-and-white-magic 

Is there such a thing as a group mind? If so how does it affect the thriving and surviving of groups? What do such group minds look like from a historical perspective? What about a modern perspective?

[Patheos] - The Overemphasis on Love and Tolerance 0
Nov 20, 2023

Transcript: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/dispatchesendofworld/2023/11/the-overemphasis-on-love-and-tolerance/ 

Love is very important for Christians, but has there been too much emphasis placed on it? And has this emphasis warped it into something else? To put it more simply is perfect Christian love the same as unlimited tolerance? This post argues that it's not, and that in fact if you're looking for the ultimate Christian principle it might be "repentance".

[Patheos] - The Worst Book I've Ever Read 0
Oct 31, 2023

Transcript: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/dispatchesendofworld/2023/10/the-worst-book-ive-ever-read/ 

John Seel Jr.'s book, The New Copernicans, is the worst book I have ever read. He puts forth a dubious premise. In support of which he provides no data to back it up, nor any anecdotes which illustrate it actually occurring. To the extent there is anything backing it up, it's provided by extensive misrepresentation of other books.

Worthy of Our Sufferings 0
Oct 25, 2023

Transcript: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/dispatchesendofworld/2023/10/worthy-of-our-sufferings/ 

Dostoevsky wrote, "There is only one thing that I dread: not to be worthy of my sufferings." What does that mean? I think he meant that whatever suffering we’re experiencing it’s suffering God felt we were capable of handling. We need to prove worthy of that trust. This has always been hard to do, and now that we have numerous ways of mitigating suffering, it's not only hard, but confusing.

Can We Eliminate Struggle? - 2023 0
Oct 21, 2023

Transcript: https://www.wearenotsaved.com/p/can-we-eliminate-struggle-2023 

Humanity has struggled and suffered for so long that we might be unable to survive without them. We dream of such elimination through technology, but will that dream turn into a nightmare?

[Patheos] - Tragedies, Truths, and Technologies 0
Oct 17, 2023

Transcript: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/dispatchesendofworld/2023/10/tragedies-truths-and-technologies/ 

Historically we didn't worry about wars in far away places because we weren't aware of them. Now we're aware of them, but with the rise of AI we're going to have a similar difficulty acquiring accurate information. This is going to complicate our ability to intervene righteously. 

The 12 Books I Finished in September 0
Oct 12, 2023

  1. Addiction by Design: Machine Gambling in Las Vegas by: Natasha Dow Schüll

  2. The Evolutionary Limits of Liberalism: Democratic Problems, Market Solutions and the Ethics of Preference Satisfaction by: Filipe Nobre Faria

  3. A Language Older Than Words by: Derrick Jensen

  4. WTF?!: An Economic Tour of the Weird by: Peter T. Leeson

  5. Blowback (Second Edition): The Costs and Consequences of American Empire by: Chalmers Johnson

  6. The Sun Is a Compass: A 4,000-Mile Journey into the Alaskan Wilds by: Caroline Van Hemert

  7. So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love by: Cal Newport

  8. Sophie's World: A Novel About the History of Philosophy by: Jostein Gaarder

  9. The Sandman 4 by: Neil Gaiman

  10. American Gods by: Neil Gaiman

  11. The Eye of the Bedlam Bride: Dungeon Crawler Carl, Book 6 by: Matt Dinniman

  12. Letters to a Young Mormon by: Adam S. Miller

Would You Wager on Pascal's Mugging? 0
Oct 10, 2023

Transcript: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/dispatchesendofworld/2023/10/would-you-wager-on-pascals-mugging/ 

Imagine that someone walks up to you and demands all your money. If you fail to comply they threaten to kill all the inhabitants of some far off planet. How would you react? And is this similar to Pascal's Wager? 

Betting on the Future 0
Oct 3, 2023

Transcript: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/dispatchesendofworld/2023/10/betting-on-the-future/ 

There are three obvious paths forward: religion, atheism and transhumanism. But each of these paths must be chosen. There's also a fourth path, that of apathy. Which should we choose?

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©© 2016 Ross W. Richey