Rusty Reno on the Crisis of Solidarity, Post-Liberalism, and Quebec’s Bill 21 #106

Rusty Reno offers insight into "our crisis of solidarity" that I haven't found anywhere else. In his book Return of the Strong Gods, he tackles the post-WWII liberal consensus that Karl Popper called The Open Society. It is an essential resource to help you understand our times. Reno is also articulate on post-liberalism. It's not the simplistic idea you see dismissed in most of the legacy media. We also touch on secularism, and I tried to get him to use the contrast between Catholic and Protestant political theology to explain the issues in Quebec over Bill 21. He's too smart and didn't take the bait. I hope you enjoy this one. Let me know what you think! Thanks again Shawn Chapters and AI summary:   Host Shawn Whatley interviews Rusty Reno, editor of First Things and author of Return of the Strong Gods (2019; updated 2021), on how liberalism struggles to generate solidarity amid a “meta-crisis” of disintegration. Reno explains his critique of the postwar “open society” consensus shaped by Popper and Hayek and unpacks “neoliberalism” as a left-right, technocratic, globalization-era economic and cultural project that promoted openness, porous borders, and creative destruction, helping set the stage for populist backlash where immigration fuses economic and cultural concerns. They discuss universalism vs particularism, the “order of loves,” and why civic loyalty and a “pre-political we” matter for freedom. The conversation also addresses post-liberalism’s varieties, liberalism’s limits, and Quebec’s laïcité/Bill 21 tensions in a multicultural society. 00:00 Liberalism Lacks Solidarity 00:52 Meet Rusty Reno 01:16 Episode Roadmap 03:45 Rock Climbing Icebreaker 05:13 Introducing Strong Gods 07:04 Praise Words And God Terms 10:07 Neoliberalism And Weakening 15:42 Populism And Open Society 21:47 Universalism Versus Particularism 27:01 Political We And Self Interest 32:39 Crisis Of Disintegration 33:41 Canada And Multicultural Identity 34:34 Freedom and Solidarity 36:07 Critiques of Liberal Mind 37:28 Defining Post Liberalism 38:43 Post Liberal Theology Roots 42:55 Liberalism Not Enough 43:50 War Immigration Nationalism 46:45 Totalitarianism Debate 48:43 Quebec Bill 21 Laicite 55:10 Multiculturalism Managed Diversity 59:41 Republican We and Civic Virtue 01:02:04 Platonism and Real Nations 01:06:38 Metaphysical Density and Youth 01:10:34 Closing Thoughts and Farewell