Mountains of Madness Archive

Against the Mountains of Madness: Trumpamania

Posted November 11, 2024 By John C Wright

Jason Rennie and I produced a special episode of AGAIINST THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS, called Trumpamania, where we discuss the election results, and speak of some reforms and crusades Trump promises to begin
We went live two days ago:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8_eW0jw2d4

YouTube censored the episode, quoting “medical misinformation”

Read the remainder of this entry »

Be the first to comment

Vs Mountains of Madness S02E12: Prime Directive Dilemma

Posted April 3, 2024 By John C Wright

The next episode is available on Substack.

AGAINST THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS

 Substack Link

Season 02 Episode 12: The Prime Directive Dilemma

A discussion of when it is right or wrong for a civilized culture to interact and interfere with a primitive one.

Be the first to comment

Vs Mountains of Madness: S02E11 1st and 2nd Things

Posted March 28, 2024 By John C Wright

The next episode of the AGAINST THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS is posted.

 Substack Link

Be the first to comment

Vs Mountains of Madness: S02E03 Problem of Piffle

Posted February 4, 2024 By John C Wright

The next episode of the AGAINST THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS is posted.

Here is the substack link to see the episode early

https://open.substack.com/pub/atmom/p/the-problem-of-piffle-2×04?r=eomqh&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

And a youtube link

https://youtu.be/G9dn7FAFwNE

Be the first to comment

Each week, Jason Rennie and John C Wright brave the peaks of insanity which dominate the modern age, and how to overcome them. We discuss philosophy, science fiction, the true, the good, the beautiful, and whatever else strikes our fancy.

Against the Mountains of Madness Episode 21: Trapped in the Matrix

How do we know the world we perceive is real? Are we trapped in a simulation? On this episode of Against the Mountains of Madness, Mr. Wright and Mr. Rennie tackle this question.

Read the remainder of this entry »

Be the first to comment

Each week, Jason Rennie and John C Wright brave the peaks of insanity which dominate the modern age, and how to overcome them. We discuss philosophy, science fiction, the true, the good, the beautiful, and whatever else strikes our fancy.

Against the Mountains of Madness Ep 20: The 15 Minute Gulag

Our “betters” think we need 15 minute cities to save us from warm weather or something, they are seeking to build gulags for us to make us comply. Is there hope for the future?

Read the remainder of this entry »

Be the first to comment

Each week, Jason Rennie and John C Wright brave the peaks of insanity which dominate the modern age, and how to overcome them. We discuss philosophy, science fiction, the true, the good, the beautiful, and whatever else strikes our fancy.

Against the Mountains of Madness Ep 19: Idiocracy Censoring Genius.

On this episode of Against the Mountains of Madness Mr. Wright and Mr. Rennie look at the current crop of mental patients seeking to update and improve the works of Roald Dahl and others.

Read the remainder of this entry »

Be the first to comment

By some oversight, the announcement for the February 9th podcast was never posted. I here hasten to correct.

***   ***  ***

Each week, Jason Rennie and John C Wright brave the peaks of insanity which dominate the modern age, and how to overcome them. We discuss philosophy, science fiction, the true, the good, the beautiful, and whatever else strikes our fancy.

Against the Mountains of Madness Episode11: Marvel and the Death of the Muse

This time on Against the Mountains of Madness, Mr. Wright and Mr. Rennie look at how Marvel Studios lost its way, when the studio had produced something amazing till recently. What led them astray? Is there hope for the future? Why do the inhabitants of the Mountains of Madness always strangle the muse?

Read the remainder of this entry »

Be the first to comment

Each week, Jason Rennie and John C Wright brave the peaks of insanity which dominate the modern age, and how to overcome them. We discuss philosophy, science fiction, the true, the good, the beautiful, and whatever else strikes our fancy.

Against the Mountains of Madness Episode 18: The Desolation of Time

Mr. Wright and Mr. Rennie tackle the questions of deep time and visions of the far far future in this episode of Against the Mountains of Madness. How does it all end and what hope is there?

Read the remainder of this entry »

Be the first to comment

Each week, Jason Rennie and John C Wright brave the peaks of insanity which dominate the modern age, and how to overcome them. We discuss philosophy, science fiction, the true, the good, the beautiful, and whatever else strikes our fancy.

Episode 17: Is Capitalism Moral?

On this episode of Against the Mountains of Madness John and Jason explore the question, “Is Capitalism Moral?”, and they disagree, not the way you would expect but they don’t see perfectly eye to eye on this. Enjoy!

Read the remainder of this entry »

Be the first to comment

Each week, Jason Rennie and John C Wright brave the peaks of insanity which dominate the modern age, and how to overcome them. We discuss philosophy, science fiction, the true, the good, the beautiful, and whatever else strikes our fancy.

Against the Mountains of Madness Episode 16: A.I. and the End of the World

Will A.I. destroy us all? Can a machine think? What does that even mean? We look into these questions on this episode of Against the Mountains of Madness.

Episode Link: https://youtu.be/hZd6XE6Wu8E

Read the remainder of this entry »

Be the first to comment

Last Crusade 03: Rip Van Conservative

Posted March 16, 2023 By John C Wright

Against the Mountains of Madness is reposting my serialized oratory on The Last Crusade.

The Last Crusade takes up arms against a fallen world.
In which the failure of all previous political opposition to the Enemy is explained, in order to set the stage for what the fight is about and why it must be fought.

Be the first to comment

Footnote to It It Good to be Good?

Posted March 14, 2023 By John C Wright

I notice that Jason Rennie’s question to me, as to why I place a silly conceit like Utilitarianism above a noble one like Stoicism, was never answered.

Here was my list in order of the reasons to be good.

One should be good:

(1) to avoid punishment — the child’s answer. This is a serviceable answer so long as the authority meting out punishments is just and true.

(2) to have a pleasant life — Epicurus’ answer. This is a serviceable answer so long as one finds a life of temperance and moderation pleasant.

(3) to build character, that is, to achieve greatness of soul — Aristotle’s answer. This is a serviceable answer so long as no self sacrifice is required. All hope of building character ends with one’s life.

(4) to do one’s duty — the Stoic answer. This is a serviceable answer so long as one’s duties are correctly understood, but it is an inhumanly dispassionate way to live.

(5) to do good for others, and to resolve conflicts in favor of the majority, that is, to do the greatest good for the greatest number — the Utilitarian answer. This is a serviceable answer so long as the good of the majority is respectful of the good of the minority. Otherwise it is merely three wolves and two sheep voting on what to have for dinner. It also assumes the good of the majority is correctly understood. The reason why I counted Utilitarianism above Stoicism is that, even though it is a comically inadequate and procedural idea of the good, Utilitarianism at least places the good of others into consideration. Stoicism does not, except when one’s duty happens to extend to others. And even in such a case, the Stoic does his duty for others because it is his duty, not out of any compassion or altruism for others.

(6) to serve an ideology or institution — the Marxist answer. Whatever is good is what serves the Party. This is a serviceable answer so long as the ideology is itself is just and true. That may apply to a patriot serving his nation, or a celebrant serving the Church. But a German patriot after the takeover by the Nazis is serving evil, as is any churchman loyal to a heretical or schismatic denomination. Note that the Marxist ideology pretends to be serving the greatest good for future generations by hastening the onset of utopia, which is an good so desirable that anything and anyone may rightly be sacrificed to its cause: and since utopia is impossible, the ideology is actually a psychopathology: all the windy bloviations of Marxist demagogues are hypocrisy, not ideology, and an endless list of irrational excuses for irrational evil.

(7) to serve the Lord — the Christian answer. To serve the Lord is prompted by love for Him, and one needs no additional motive to do what love prompts.

But, generously enough, this answer includes all lesser answers. It includes serving the Church and the nation — rendering to Caesar what is Caesar’s — for so long as they are in service to God. This answer would include the utilitarian concern for others, the stoic concern for duty, the Aristotelian concern for building character, the Epicurean concern for a tranquil life, and the child’s concern for avoiding punishment. But in this case, the punishment comes from a Judge who cannot be deceived, mistaken, unfair or imperfect, who cannot be bribed or fooled.

So serving the Lord also serves church and kingdom, serves others, fulfills duties, makes you a better person, grants tranquility amid turmoil, and avoids punishment. It is a perfect answer.

Be the first to comment

Each week, Jason Rennie and John C Wright brave the peaks of insanity which  dominate the modern age, and how to overcome them. We discuss philosophy, science fiction, the true, the good, the beautiful, and whatever else strikes our fancy.

Ep15: Is it Good to be Good?

On this episode Mr. Wright and Mr. Rennie ask the question, “Is it Good to be Good?”. We touch on questions of Natural Law and different ways of determining what it is to be good and why you would want to be good.

YouTube Video Link:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y85uRXVzWeo

Read the remainder of this entry »

Be the first to comment

Each week, Jason Rennie and John C Wright brave the peaks of insanity which  dominate the modern age, and how to overcome them. We discuss philosophy, science fiction, the true, the good, the beautiful, and whatever else strikes our fancy.

Episode 14: Babylon 5 and the Two Questions

On this foray against the Mountains of Madness John and Jason discuss the TV series Babylon 5 and the two questions posted by the Vorlons and the Shadows to those they would enlist in to their cause.

The Vorlons question “Who are you?” and the Shadows question “What do you want?”

Read the remainder of this entry »

Be the first to comment