The Slow Death of Morality | How Modern Ethics Sold Its Soul | Part 2 of 4 episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 14, 2025 · 2H 16M

The Slow Death of Morality | How Modern Ethics Sold Its Soul | Part 2 of 4

from The Nathan Jacobs Podcast · host Nathan Jacobs

What happens when morality is unmoored from its metaphysical foundations? In part two of the Anthropology series, Dr. Nathan Jacobs traces the slow unraveling of moral philosophy—from its classical roots in virtue and teleology to its modern preoccupation with utility and consequence.All the links: X: https://x.com/NathanJacobsPodSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0hSskUtCwDT40uFbqTk3QSApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nathan-jacobs-podcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenathanjacobspodcastSubstack: https://nathanajacobs.substack.com/Website: https://www.nathanajacobs.com/Academia: https://vanderbilt.academia.edu/NathanAJacobs00:00:00 Intro 00:05:22  Pagan philosophy and human polarities00:35:38 Augustine and the Nature-Grace Divide00:55:06 Medieval faculty psychology: intellect and will01:04:52 From Medieval Scholasticism to Modern Philosophy01:11:56 The rise of empiricism and materialism01:29:46 The empiricist challenge to Providence 01:41:18 Contemporary culture's nominalist foundation01:47:53 The hedonistic definition of happiness 01:52:47 Modern anomalies in historical perspective 02:02:05 Passion over reason 

What happens when morality is unmoored from its metaphysical foundations? In part two of the Anthropology series, Dr. Nathan Jacobs traces the slow unraveling of moral philosophy—from its classical roots in virtue and teleology to its modern preoccupation with utility and consequence.All the links: X: https://x.com/NathanJacobsPodSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0hSskUtCwDT40uFbqTk3QSApple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-nathan-jacobs-podcastInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenathanjacobspodcastSubstack: https://nathanajacobs.substack.com/Website: https://www.nathanajacobs.com/Academia: https://vanderbilt.academia.edu/NathanAJacobs00:00:00 Intro 00:05:22  Pagan philosophy and human polarities00:35:38 Augustine and the Nature-Grace Divide00:55:06 Medieval faculty psychology: intellect and will01:04:52 From Medieval Scholasticism to Modern Philosophy01:11:56 The rise of empiricism and materialism01:29:46 The empiricist challenge to Providence 01:41:18 Contemporary culture's nominalist foundation01:47:53 The hedonistic definition of happiness 01:52:47 Modern anomalies in historical perspective 02:02:05 Passion over reason

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The Slow Death of Morality | How Modern Ethics Sold Its Soul | Part 2 of 4

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What happens when morality is unmoored from its metaphysical foundations? In part two of the Anthropology series, Dr. Nathan Jacobs traces the slow unraveling of moral philosophy—from its classical roots in virtue and teleology to its modern...

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