7. Learning to Pray in the Age of Technique

When the political world begins to describe acts of cruelty as technical mastery, then that’s a sure sign that our collective humanity is starting to wither away. Gestures of tenderness, hesitation, or mercy start to look clunky… and inefficient. And when they disappear completely, cruelty no longer shocks us. Indeed, it simply looks like order is being restored.In this monologue, Ted applies Gonçalo M. Tavares’s novel, Learning to Pray in the Age of Technique (2011), to something Donald Trump said in a recent interview with 60 Minutes. Tavares’s main character—Lenz Buchmann—may be fiction, but his logic is not. Donald Trump is definitely not fiction—but his logic is the same. The danger is not just that such men gain power, but that we begin to see the world through their eyes.TW: violent/sexual imagery.Make sure you never miss an episode of This Time Tomorrow—hit subscribe or follow, and please leave us a review. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thistimetomorrowpod.substack.com