🐰 Capitalism Isn't Inevitable | Paul Kingsnorth, Against The Machine Book Study: Part 5
Nov 13, 2025 7:46 pm
🐰 Down The Rabbit Hole 🕳️
“Across the spectrum, from conservatives to liberals, Marxists to fascists, believers to atheists, very little serious criticism of the entwined myths of progress, growth and materialism will ever be heard in the public sphere. Ultimately, most of us accede to our sovereign happily or otherwise.”
~ Paul Kingsnorth, Against The Machine, p. 40
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We often talk about progress as if it’s inevitable — and always good. But what if the story of progress itself is part of the problem?
In this week’s video, we consider how modern capitalism was born out of enclosure and displacement — and how it replaced a world rich in meaning with one obsessed with growth.
We gained comfort, convenience, and wealth… but lost something harder to measure: belonging, community, and spiritual depth.
It’s time we start asking what it really means to be “better off.”
In this week's video and blog post, I offer a reflection on Ch. 5 & 6 of Kingsnorth's book. As mentioned above, we will be discussing them this evening at 7:30pm (EST).
Even if you don't read the book, and just join us for the discussion, I'm sure you will find it of interest!
You can find the full schedule on this week's Substack post:
Hope to see you this evening! Have a great weekend, and we'll see you again soon!
Warmly,
Herman
PS: Do you know of someone who might be interested in the book study? If so, please forward this email on to them!
PPS: Here's the book study schedule:
November 13: 7:30pmEST
- Pages 43-63
November 20: 7:30pmEST
- Pages 64-88
December 1: 7:30pmEST
- Pages 89-134
December 11: 7:30pmEST
- Pages 135-167
December 18: 7:30pmEST
- Pages 168-205
December 29: 7:30pmEST
- Pages 206-243
January 8: 7:30pmEST
- Pages 244-284
January 15: 7:30pmEST
- Pages 285-318