What is an American?

LECTURE 1: WHAT IS AN AMERICAN?Did you ever wonder how Americans came to be like this? In my introductory lecture I explore the uniquely powerful role America plays in the contemporary world and the history that underlies its global dominance. 250 years ago, the United states had a tiny population, was loosely organized and beset by internal conflicts. A rapid and massive demographic and geographic expansion brought this relative backwater onto the world stage and then to global dominance. The cultural transformations that proceeded with this transformation created a society that is, for good or ill, extremely influential and uniquely American.

A Cultural History of The United States - Ep. 1

Q & A - What is an American?

Q &amp; A #1 - WHAT IS AN AMERICAN?Wes and Jeremy take questions from listeners on Lecture I: "What is an American?" Apologies for the audio quality on this one—it improves as the series moves along.

A Cultural History of The United States - Ep. 2

No History For You!

LECTURE 2: NO HISTORY FOR YOU!Are Americans blatantly hypocritical or just actively forgetful? In my second lecture I explore the bizarre and necessary historical amnesia that besets American culture. For the first 200 years of American settlement, the Native American culture was forcibly erased, then actively ignored once the ‘Natives’ problem had been “solved”. Also, the invisibility of the African American presence in much of the US, which represented 40-50% of the population in some states, created a further barrier to American history. Finally, the internal patterns of settlement and mass migration cemented a near total disregard for framing our cultural understanding in any historical sensibility.

A Cultural History of The United States - Ep. 3

Q & A - No History for You!

Q &amp; A #2 - NO HISTORY FOR YOU! Wes and Jeremy take questions from listeners on Lecture II: No History for You!

A Cultural History of The United States - Ep. 4

American Individualism

LECTURE 3 - AMERICAN INDIVIDUALISM:Is it really better to be suckled by wolves than to inherit a farm? This lecture explores the evolution of the American conception of the individual and why it has become so dominant within American culture. Devoid of a deep history and often in strange surroundings with strange people, many Americans have, for generations, felt thrust out on their own. What for most societies was considered a severe punishment - banishment - became, in America, a common and perhaps necessary mode of life. Over time, a virtue was created from this necessity and the peculiar form of American individualism became cemented as a core element of American values.&nbsp;

A Cultural History of The United States - Ep. 5

Q & A - American Individualism

Q &amp; A #3 - AMERICAN INDIVIDUALISMWes and Jeremy take questions from listeners on Lecture III: American Individualism

A Cultural History of The United States - Ep. 6

Nihilistic Materialism

LECTURE 4 - NIHILISTIC MATERIALISMIs there such a thing as too many unused treadmills? That American culture is materialistic is an accurate but often unhelpful distinction as it is our particular kind of materialism that America manifests that is important to understand. In this lecture, I explore the peculiar Nihilistic elements that shape American materialism. Significantly, all the standard critiques of materialism - that material goods will not give your life meaning, that shopping is just coping mechanism for deeper ills, that the press of consumerism is driven largely by corporate greed -&nbsp;have little to no grip on the American psyche because everyone knows them and consumes anyway! America combines both a disbelief in consumerism with aggressive consumerism into a curious and counterintuitive set of outlooks and behaviors that shape important elements of American society.

A Cultural History of The United States - Ep. 7

Q & A - Nihilistic Materialism

Q &amp; A #4 - NIHILISTIC MATERIALISMWes and Jeremy take questions from listeners on Lecture IV: Nihilistic Materialism

A Cultural History of The United States - Ep. 8

American Calvinism

LECTURE 5 - AMERICAN CALVINISMDoes "slacking-off" make you a bad person? Could it even make you be perceived as a witch? In this lecture I explore the deep and abiding influence of Calvinism on the American cultural outlook. Whether Christian or not, Americans believe in purity, the centrality of moral judgements, visible signs of success and more. These attitudes are rarely traced back to their true origin - the specific beliefs and social forms developed by John Calvin. America is a Calvinist country par excellence.

A Cultural History of The United States - Ep. 9

An Invitation to Philosophy and the World of Ideas 

My lectures are dedicated to making Philosophy in particular and the world of ideas in general available to everyone. My exploration of topics and thinkers is designed to provide a foundation for listeners to engage in further reading and thought and develop their own conceptions of the topics I introduce. I have PhD in Literature and Philosophy and was a college professor for over 20 years. I am working to remove the barriers that prevent many from experiencing and understanding the lives and thoughts of some of the world's greatest thinkers.

The Wes Cecil Podcast

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