Couples Counseling: A Model for Civil Discourse, or Whistling Past the Graveyard?

Can a marriage and family counseling model help bridge political divisions, or are there deeper forces at work that require us to re-think American identity and the unmoored self of post-modernity?

Our show pushes back against the unexamined, often unconscious ways that we frame public questions using political or economic modes of thinking. We aim to be part of a growing movement of people who are critical of the narrowness of political and economic categories, and who want to revive a vision of human flourishing that is grounded in the wisdoms of theological and moral philosophical tradition. We see these habits and ways of thinking as being pre-political, and foundational to a healthy and civil shared life in families, communities, economies, and polities.

In short, we want to create a community that is grounded in curiosity, going deep, and shining light.

Let us know your thoughts and reflections on our Facebook Page: @whatingods.

Our email: whatingods@ribeye-media.com.

Learn more. Our website: www.whatingods.com.

Here are timecodes to help you navigate through today’s show:

02:19     Shayna takes the armed anti-lockdown protestors as a point of departure: how do we imagine these people? Are we invested in our view of others to the degree that we will purchase our justifications?

05:45     How does Martin Buber’s notions of I/Thou, I/It help us understand the objectification of other people? Can we have pre-judgments about others and still treat them fairly?

11:30     Do we want this relationship to work? It’s the question of marriage and family therapy; how would we answer this with regard to those in our society who have a different view of the world than we do? Is civil discourse all we need, or are there deeper issues?

18:30     Is our political situation a product of the failure of the moral imagination?