EPISODE · Mar 17, 2026 · 53 MIN
#87 Barry Cooper: Technology, Canadian Myths, and Why Alberta Independence May Be Inevitable
from Concepts with Shawn Whatley · host Shawn Whatley
Professor Barry Cooper is an Albertan. This fact transcends location. It speaks to a prairie self-understanding, a prairie myth, that stands apart and distinct from the Laurentian myth. For example, Cooper says bilingual Canada is a "huge myth outside Laurentian Canada." Professor Cooper argues that George Grant did not understand the prairie mindset. He was a Laurentian, and as such, Grant was clueless about Alberta. He reflects the Garrison mindset of the Laurentians: Alberta is a place you go to get stuff. Cooper thinks Alberta independence is an inevitability. He cannot see any way to meld the two myths (mythoi) together. They are chalk and cheese. We touch on education, technology, and political ideologies. Professor Cooper promotes a non-ideological stance. Perhaps in the future we can tackle whether this is even possible. It seems to assume a fact-value distinction, value relativism, which assumes what it seeks to avoid. But again, we will have to pursue this another day. Professor Cooper points us to prairie history written by historians who actually understand the west. Stop reading only history written by Laurentians who do not understand their subject. Barry Cooper's influence on Canadian political thought has been huge. Don't miss this episode! Looking forward to hearing what you think. Thanks again! Shawn Chapters and AI summary Host Shawn Whatley interviews political scientist Barry Cooper, a fourth-generation Albertan and senior fellow at the Frontier Centre, about how technology shapes consciousness (“technology is its use”), the impact of screens and AI, and why we often misunderstand technology as something we control. Cooper contrasts a Laurentian “garrison mentality” with a Western pioneer mindset, arguing that central Canada misunderstands Western Canada—a gap he says even George Grant exemplified despite Cooper’s friendly acquaintance with him. They discuss myth as a lived self-understanding, Canada’s east–west versus north–south alignments, COVID-era authoritarian responses, and Cooper’s view that Canada is not truly bilingual outside parts of Ontario and Quebec. Cooper concludes Alberta independence is “not if, but when,” unless central Canada addresses core policy grievances like pipelines and transfer payments. 00:00 Tech Shapes Us 00:34 Alberta Independence Myths 01:13 Meet Barry Cooper 05:38 George Grant And The West 08:04 Prairie Experience Vs Laurentian Vision 13:42 How Cooper Was Educated 17:15 From Farmers To Thinkers 18:40 Teaching Ideology And Wokeness 22:56 Technology Is Its Use 27:42 Myth And The West As Resource 28:57 Myth and Selfhood 31:22 Prairie Pioneer Mindset 32:56 Pipelines and Leverage 37:14 Garrison COVID Politics 40:41 Reading the West 41:56 Bilingualism Myth 47:13 Alberta Future and Independence 49:07 Beyond Left Right Labels 51:46 Local Historians and Wrap Up
What this episode covers
Professor Barry Cooper is an Albertan. This fact transcends location. It speaks to a prairie self-understanding, a prairie myth, that stands apart and distinct from the Laurentian myth. For example, Cooper says bilingual Canada is a "huge myth outside Laurentian Canada." Professor Cooper argues that George Grant did not understand the prairie mindset. He was a Laurentian, and as such, Grant was clueless about Alberta. He reflects the Garrison mindset of the Laurentians: Alberta is a place you go to get stuff. Cooper thinks Alberta independence is an inevitability. He cannot see any way to meld the two myths (mythoi) together. They are chalk and cheese. We touch on education, technology, and political ideologies. Professor Cooper promotes a non-ideological stance. Perhaps in the future we can tackle whether this is even possible. It seems to assume a fact-value distinction, value relativism, which assumes what it seeks to avoid. But again, we will have to pursue this another day. Professor Cooper points us to prairie history written by historians who actually understand the west. Stop reading only history written by Laurentians who do not understand their subject. Barry Cooper's influence on Canadian political thought has been huge. Don't miss this episode! Looking forward to hearing what you think. Thanks again! Shawn Chapters and AI summary Host Shawn Whatley interviews political scientist Barry Cooper, a fourth-generation Albertan and senior fellow at the Frontier Centre, about how technology shapes consciousness (“technology is its use”), the impact of screens and AI, and why we often misunderstand technology as something we control. Cooper contrasts a Laurentian “garrison mentality” with a Western pioneer mindset, arguing that central Canada misunderstands Western Canada—a gap he says even George Grant exemplified despite Cooper’s friendly acquaintance with him. They discuss myth as a lived self-understanding, Canada’s east–west versus north–south alignments, COVID-era authoritarian responses, and Cooper’s view that Canada is not truly bilingual outside parts of Ontario and Quebec. Cooper concludes Alberta independence is “not if, but when,” unless central Canada addresses core policy grievances like pipelines and transfer payments. 00:00 Tech Shapes Us 00:34 Alberta Independence Myths 01:13 Meet Barry Cooper 05:38 George Grant And The West 08:04 Prairie Experience Vs Laurentian Vision 13:42 How Cooper Was Educated 17:15 From Farmers To Thinkers 18:40 Teaching Ideology And Wokeness 22:56 Technology Is Its Use 27:42 Myth And The West As Resource 28:57 Myth and Selfhood 31:22 Prairie Pioneer Mindset 32:56 Pipelines and Leverage 37:14 Garrison COVID Politics 40:41 Reading the West 41:56 Bilingualism Myth 47:13 Alberta Future and Independence 49:07 Beyond Left Right Labels 51:46 Local Historians and Wrap Up
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#87 Barry Cooper: Technology, Canadian Myths, and Why Alberta Independence May Be Inevitable
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