Ep 187 Revisited: Tolkien Was Warning Us: AI, Vice, and the War for Men’s Souls (Paul List)

In this revisit of one of our episodes of The Manly Catholic, James sits down with self-educated philosopher, entrepreneur, and author Paul List to discuss his fascinating book, Mount Doom: The Prophecy of Tolkien Revealed (co-authored with Ali Ghafari). Paul shares how his own background in Aristotelian and Thomistic philosophy unlocked a hidden layer of Tolkien's mythology—one that standard academia completely misses.James and Paul pull back the curtain on a little-known piece of history: Tolkien’s recruitment to Bletchley Park alongside Alan Turing, the father of modern artificial intelligence. Paul argues that Tolkien foresaw the rise of the "machine" and the ultimate devaluation of the human soul. Together, they break down the profound scholastic allegories hidden within Middle-earth, revealing how characters like Tom Bombadil, Goldberry, and the Hobbits represent the human will, intellect, and the four cardinal virtues fighting against the binary grip of Mordor.Grab your coffee, settle in, and get ready for a heavy dose of metaphysics, philosophy, and Catholic theology.More information on our July 18th retreat: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/be-not-afraid-tickets-1990722085346?utm_experiment=test_share_listing&aff=ebdsshios&sg=971f65d335cc9833bf189251f7767799fa6cacd230acbd302d443b330259422f51146961ef2616ab3ef4b161e3d7dba5070d12f53ad8efb154cb339fce0a9f707edfb84be6b6cc2d4a209600b0Subscribe to our Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxrRLZNk4WqPdgcac5vuWEQ Check out our website (themanlycatholic.riverside.com/)Shop our https://the-manly-catholic-store.checkoutstores.com/ Get delicious coffee from https://www.mysticmonkcoffee.com/ Download https://tanbooks.com/tan-digital-app/ to access the incredible TAN Library! Use code 'MANLYCATHOLIC' to get 50% OFF your subscription! Contact us at mailto:[email protected]