In May I read and posted on the 2008 book Ritual and Its Consequences: An Essay on the Limits of Sincerity. I've since recorded two discussions on the topic, one with Agnes Callard at MindsAlmostMeeting, and another with Stephen Adubato at Interintellect. And I've watched two talks by the book's authors.
And I've watched two talks by the book's authors. I now want to change my mind. The book's big question is why the modern world has to a great degree moved from ritual-based to sincerity-based ideals.
The book's big question is why the modern world has to a great degree moved from ritual-based to sincerity-based ideals. Long ago people primarily understood their ideals in terms of more specific model behaviors, described in matching stories and trained in matching rituals. But today, we tend to understand our ideals more in terms of ideal internal states of belief, motivation, and emotion.