The hottest Modernity Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Philosophy Topics

Zionism Is for Everyone

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 1289 implied HN points • 18 Mar 26
🎭️ Culture Modernity
  1. The fight over Zionism is really a stand-in for bigger Western anxieties about nationhood, self-determination, and what it means to have a modern, free society.
  2. People and societies change when faced with unhappy realities and decide to take control of their fate, such as by redefining identity or choosing a new political path.
  3. Obsessing over identity conflicts like Zionism can crowd out other pressing debates about technology, ethics, and the future, and it shapes how politics and public life will evolve.

Two Faces of Modernity

News from Uncibal • 656 implied HN points • 24 Oct 24
📖 Philosophy Modernity
  1. Modernity has both helped and hurt humanity. While it has brought material improvements like electricity and medicine, it has also led to government systems that might control every aspect of our lives.
  2. The problems we face today, like economic issues and government overreach, are partly a result of modern ideas from the Enlightenment. Simply going back to those ideas won't solve our problems.
  3. Many debates today focus on how the state should act in the world, often pushing for more government control instead of less. We may need a new way of thinking that goes beyond modernity to find real solutions.

Oversocialization, the Shackles of the Millennial Generation

Freddie deBoer • 9065 implied HN points • 19 Jan 26
🎭️ Culture Modernity
  1. Oversocialization means internalizing social rules so deeply that small perceived violations cause intense guilt, shame, and anxiety about appearing rude or wrong.
  2. People who have the credentials and cultural fluency expected to make them confident are often the most insecure because their success depends on constant attunement to others' judgments, creating nonstop self-surveillance.
  3. This is mainly an environmental problem — institutions and social norms train people into perpetual insecurity. It leaves many unable to enjoy life or handle ordinary conflict, and there’s no easy fix.

The Crisis of Modernity and Liberalism, with the Fourth Political Theory and Eurasianism as the Solution

Glenn’s Substack • 619 implied HN points • 26 Sep 24
📖 Philosophy Modernity
  1. Modernity and liberalism are criticized for focusing too much on individualism and reason, which Dugin believes disconnects people from their cultural and spiritual roots. He wants to emphasize collective identities, traditions, and faith.
  2. Dugin proposes a 'fourth political theory' as a new way of thinking about politics that values family, religion, and humanity's deeper nature. He argues it's a response to the limitations of existing ideologies like liberalism, fascism, and communism.
  3. Eurasianism is seen as a way for different civilizations to work together while appreciating their unique identities. Dugin believes this approach can create better international relations and is a chance for a new global understanding as Western dominance fades.

Modern life is good actually

Chris Arnade Walks the World • 3119 implied HN points • 06 Jan 26
🎭️ Culture Modernity
  1. Modern life is much better for most people — longer lives, less poverty, and far better medicine and conveniences.
  2. Technology is largely a net good, but its harms come from how we use it and when it accelerates social isolation instead of strengthening community.
  3. Progress brings painful tradeoffs and displacement that should be managed, but overall moving forward is worth it because it reduces suffering and expands choices.
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Notes on a Secular Age: the Death of Carnival and the Birth of Modernity

Secretum Secretorum • 303 implied HN points • 07 Feb 26
🎭️ Culture Modernity
  1. Medieval carnival and similar rites worked as a sanctioned anti-structure that temporarily inverted roles, let off social pressure, and renewed communal energy and creativity.
  2. Secularization moved that balancing anti-structure out of public life into private spheres, leaving societies without a shared ritual outlet and making absolute, boundary-free codes and totalizing projects more likely.
  3. The Christian mix of authority and inversion generated a kind of "god-energy" that fueled cultural innovation, and when that ground of belief weakened modernity gained private creativity but lost a public source of regenerative tension.

Chartbook 387: What fires burned at Auschwitz? On the place of the Holocaust in uneven and combined development.

Chartbook • 3390 implied HN points • 23 May 25
💾 History Modernity
  1. The Holocaust involved complex logistics, like using trains to transport many people to death camps. Understanding these details can help us better grasp the scale and organization of these horrific events.
  2. Many comparisons have been drawn between the Holocaust and modern industrial processes, but the reality was much different. The methods used were often crude and poorly managed, far from what we typically associate with industrial efficiency.
  3. The Holocaust wasn't just about technological advancement; it showed a dark side of modernity. It was a combination of ordinary modern elements used in a horrifying way, highlighting the contradictions in how society evolves.

About Being of Two Minds

Technohumanism • 79 implied HN points • 15 Aug 24
📖 Philosophy Modernity
  1. The shift from Fortune to Reason marks a big change in how people see themselves and the world. People started to believe they could improve themselves instead of just relying on luck.
  2. The rise of new ideas and technology during the Renaissance helped create this sense of self-awareness. It changed how people thought about their place in the world and their ability to impact it.
  3. Even with all the changes, many old ideas and beliefs still linger. Our present largely builds on the past, showing that even with progress, the past isn't completely gone.

Three Diagnoses of Totalitarianism: Kelley, Arendt, and Desmet in Conversation

Who is Robert Malone • 12 implied HN points • 23 Feb 26
📖 Philosophy Modernity
  1. Ordinary people, not monsters, can become perpetrators when put into certain social and psychological conditions.
  2. Widespread loneliness, atomization, free‑floating anxiety, and lack of meaning create fertile ground for mass formation that suppresses independent thinking and turns people into unquestioning followers.
  3. Preventing totalitarian dynamics requires a multi‑level response: cultivate independent thinking and civic institutions, rebuild genuine social bonds and meaning, and protect vocal dissent to break the spell of collective hypnosis.

Power, Speed and Centralisation

The Commonplace • 824 implied HN points • 23 Jan 25
📖 Philosophy Modernity
  1. We live in a fast-paced world where everything moves quickly, but it often leaves us feeling stressed and unfulfilled. Speed can make us feel busy without achieving true progress.
  2. The relentless push for speed and efficiency leads to a centralization of power and control. As technology advances, those who control the speed of communication gain more influence over our lives.
  3. Sometimes, it’s important to just stop and reflect. Taking a moment to slow down allows us to think critically about what we really want and question who benefits from our constant rush.

Matter Matters

The Abbey of Misrule • 603 implied HN points • 02 Feb 25
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Modernity
  1. People's view of the world has changed from ancient times, when nature and community played central roles, to modernity, which often focuses on individualism and progress.
  2. Christianity sees matter not as evil or purely good but as a creation of a good God that can be damaged by human actions. Our relationship with it is important.
  3. Experiences with sacred places, like churches or icons, can evoke deep feelings and connections, reminding us that spirituality is deeply intertwined with the physical world.

We Can Come Back From The Brink

Hold That Thought by Sarah Haider • 235 implied HN points • 29 May 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Modernity
  1. Institutions in the US are under assault, but they continue to function and there are mechanisms for resistance and change.
  2. The American people have the power to influence their political landscape through voting, ensuring a system of checks and balances.
  3. Modernity relies on objective realities like physics and mathematics, which will persist despite ideological pressures.

The Modernity Machine

Breaking Smart • 161 implied HN points • 26 Jan 25
💾 History Modernity
  1. Modernity may have started in the 13th century instead of the 16th, linked to global shifts in culture and politics rather than just Western advances.
  2. Technological changes affected societies worldwide, creating different modern experiences that aren't just Western but globally diverse.
  3. The relationships between classes, like monarchs and workers, have changed over centuries toward more equality, suggesting that trends towards decentralization and empowerment will continue.

The Reckoning of Time

Justin E. H. Smith's Hinternet • 708 implied HN points • 06 Jun 23
📖 Philosophy Modernity
  1. Timekeeping has deep cultural roots and was originally intertwined with religious and social practices.
  2. Modernity saw a shift in the importance of timekeeping from a human endeavor to a machine-driven process.
  3. The modern expectation of universal and standardized participation in societal issues contrasts with the historical concept of individualized duties and roles.

Alone With Our Thoughts.

Trying to Understand the World • 8 implied HN points • 03 Dec 25
🎭️ Culture Modernity
  1. Our political and professional classes are ill-equipped to grasp or solve very large, complex problems, so societies retreat into small, symbolic actions and managerial posturing instead of serious solutions.
  2. The decline of shared, holistic worldviews and reliable authorities leaves people isolated, prompting emotional, tribal decision-making or the adoption of totalising ideologies to provide meaning.
  3. Education and public life no longer teach real thinking skills like logic, rhetoric, and clear reasoning, so most people rely on authority, identity, or feeling rather than careful evaluation of evidence.

The Tale of the Machine

The Abbey of Misrule • 416 implied HN points • 29 Jun 23
📖 Philosophy Modernity
  1. The essay series discusses the modern project of replacing nature with technology and the emergence of the Machine as a powerful force shaping society.
  2. It explores the impacts of Machine values on culture, including the loss of human connections, cultural upheaval, and the rise of individualism.
  3. The series delves into potential responses to the dominance of the Machine, including stoicism, reactionary radicalism, and the search for eternal values amidst societal decline.

Ehud Olmert on Gaza; reading After Virtue after bureaucracy; A Postscript

Unpopular Front • 42 implied HN points • 25 May 25
📖 Philosophy Modernity
  1. Ehud Olmert, a former Israeli Prime Minister, openly condemns the actions in Gaza as war crimes, highlighting the severity of the situation.
  2. Philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre argues that modern moral discourse is fragmented and often reduced to mere emotional manipulation, lacking real substance.
  3. MacIntyre believes that true moral judgments are factual and based on social roles, suggesting we need to revive older traditions to find genuine meaning in our practices.

Starting in Mysticism; Ending in Politics

The Joyous Struggle • 59 implied HN points • 10 Oct 22
📖 Philosophy Modernity
  1. Charles Peguy believed that everything starts in mysticism and ends in politics, emphasizing the importance of understanding the origins and implications of statements and ideologies.
  2. Peguy's concept of 'amodernism' challenges the traditional views associated with modernity, suggesting a different perspective that incorporates mysticism and transcendence.
  3. The idea of starting from a mystical perspective rather than a modern one can lead to a more meaningful and profound approach when shaping a shared world and understanding reality.

On The Broken Culture

Castalia • 59 implied HN points • 13 Nov 22
🎭️ Culture Modernity
  1. During the pandemic, many people felt disconnected and confused. Social interactions broke down, and culture turned more abstract and centralized.
  2. The push for centralization made everything feel streamlined but also ignored individual needs. There's a feeling that power is consolidated, leading to inequality and lack of personal connection.
  3. Finding meaning outside of the central culture is important. Instead of fighting against it, we should focus on building connections and fulfilling lives with like-minded people.

Four waves of modernity

World Game • 3 implied HN points • 02 Jun 25
🎭️ Culture Modernity
  1. Europe played a key role in changing and destroying old ideas and systems. This led to new ways of thinking and governance.
  2. The shift brought about major changes in power dynamics, where traditional structures were challenged and replaced.
  3. This transformation wasn't just about politics; it also involved deep changes in culture and philosophy that still influence us today.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Reactionary Feminist • 18 implied HN points • 30 Jun 23
📖 Philosophy Modernity
  1. Modern tech brings power but also great responsibility or temptation.
  2. Art has long warned about the dangers of wielding power without understanding its consequences.
  3. Exploring tech that aligns with human nature may offer a more balanced approach than seeking to escape it.