Episode Forty-Three // Conversation with Dr Keith Grant

“A mighty zeal for truth, for great purity, and other good purposes, is displayed; and it is observable, that this zeal generally rises in proportion as the peculiar tenets of the innovators, deviate from scripture and common sense; zeal being the substitute to make up the deficiency.”When was this sick burn tossed around? Last week? Last year? Nay, 230 years ago, from a little pulpit in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The preacher (Charles Inglis) was concerned about “fanatical” “enthusiasts”, people who proclaimed a passionate religion but were disorderly and seemed bent on upending the order around them.The more things change, the more they stay the same.On this episode of the podcast, I catch up with Dr Keith Grant about his new book, Enthusiasms and Loyalties: The Public History of Private Feelings in the Enlightenment Atlantic. We talk a little about the past, a little about the present, and… leave the future for another day. I am fascinated by the parallels between what are essentially different worlds. The past truly is a foreign country, but human nature truly is a near-constant.To keep up with Keith online, feel free to track him down at his “day job”, at Crandall University. Get full access to Marc Jolicoeur (aka Jolly Thoughts) at marcjolicoeur.substack.com/subscribe