Shame Fame And The Technological Mentality

In Shame, Fame, and the Technological Mentality, Dustin Peone interrogates the modern human condition. Peone argues that shame and fear are constitutive of social order, but that these affects have been undermined by contemporary ideology. This subversion has created a novel breed of shameless and fearless human beings, with myriad social consequences. Peone next demonstrates an associated change in the role of fame in society: where once the desire for fame was tied to immortality through civic virtue, this connection has eroded, and fame is no longer connected to excellence. Finally, Peone analyzes the hegemonic role of technological thinking and its responsibility in accelerating these processes, cautioning against the deification of technology. In response to the technological mentality for navigating the modern world, Peone argues instead for an ethics of prudence and a doctrine of humor.

Contemporary philosophy has adopted an increasingly tragic point of view. Tragedy, though, is only a partial truth of the human condition. Comedy is another partial truth. The nature of human existence is neither wholly the one nor the other, but tragi-comic. Philosophy must be attuned to both despair and laughter if it is to understand its own world. In Making Philosophy Laugh, the philosopher Dustin Peone makes an apology for the comic side of existence and its use in philosophy. He demonstrates the social and moral uses of humor and analyzes its significance for speculative thinking. Folly and irony are shown to be vital facets of dialectical philosophy. The reader is introduced to the comical side of Socrates and Homer, Descartes and Vico, Kant and Hegel, and many others. Finally, a doctrine of the tragi-comic sense of life is presented that does justice to all aspects of human existence and liberates the spirit from the grimness of serious thought.

What is savior-hood that truly brings liberation? Is it only the white, male Jesus figure dying on the cross to save us from hell? A missionary crossing oceans to “save the lost”? In this searing memoir, Brittanie Richardson remembers begging God to save her from sexual abuse at the tender age of three, and takes us on her journey where her initial understanding of savior-hood was stolen and she became steeped in white evangelicalism, white saviorism, and trying to change herself to please God. She eventually moved to Kenya to rescue young girls from sexual exploitation and “bring them the good news of salvation.” Instead these girls, by showing up and saving each other everyday, reintroduced her to “sister savior-hood” which defied the limitations of white savior-hood and centered the power of marginalized girls. Richardson denounces white evangelicalism, deconstructs her faith, and embraces all of herself—including her queerness. Through her story, you will also be moved to embark on your own journey of liberation and self-acceptance.

Surveys the online social habits of American teens and analyzes the role technology and social media plays in their lives, examining common misconceptions about such topics as identity, privacy, danger, and bullying.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, many new techniques for remaining healthy have been introduced, but there is little public discussion about how to live well. "Social distancing" is good medicine for the body, but the health of the spirit depends on wisdom. We are all in strange territory, and under such conditions we can only look to the past for counsel. In this book, the philosopher Dustin Peone offers reflections on ten literary classics set during plague times. From each work, he draws one central insight that is applicable to our situation today. These insights are lessons in prudence, taught by the sages of the past. This is a book about how to pursue the good life during a pandemic and what it means to flourish in dark times.

In this book, now in its second edition, the philosopher Dustin Peone offers reflections on ten literary classics set during plague times.