In this episode I am once again joined by Dr James Justin Sledge, a professor of philosophy and religion specialising in the Western Esoteric tradition and founder of the popular Esoterica Youtube channel. Dr Sledge begins by explaining his position on enlightenment, why he’s not interested in becoming enlightened but still finds the concept interesting, and whether or not enlightenment claims are linked to traits of narcissistic personality disorder. Dr Sledge also reveals his own ethical orientation, considers various theories of morality, the role of tradition vs subjective experience, and what he calls the ”meaning famine”. Dr Sledge also takes aim at postmodernism and deconstructionism, retrieves the overlooked philosophers of antiquity and the Renaissance, and offers recommended reading lists for the autodidact interested in the esoteric. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep259-questioning-enlightenment-dr-justin-sledge-2 Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’. … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 01:01 - Don’t want to be enlightened 02:20 - Belief, practice, and tradition 04:17 - Magick and the quest for power 06:42 - Judaism without belief in God 09:34 - Origins of moral authority 12:43 - Is belief in God necessary? 14:44 - Natural law and utilitarianism 16:07 - Dr Sledge’s personal ethics 16:40 - Virtue ethics 19:05 - The danger of existential questions 21:59 - Intellectual and spiritual hazing 22:31 - The meaning famine 25:35 - Dr Sledge on deconstruction and post-modernism 31:43 - Cancelling the canon 33:51 - Classics reading list for the autodidact 38:43 - Why get enlightened? 40:34 - Too lazy? 41:27 - Is enlightenment worth it? 44:48 - Enlightened narcissists 45:56 - Criticism of Dr Sledge 46:56 - Danger of unthinking fealty 50:05 - Questioning tradition and existential crisis 53:09 - Pros and cons of mystical experiences 57:27 - The mystic’s mistake 58:24 - Hyperfixation on baseline consciousness 59:42 - Hallucinations of the recently deceased 01:02:13 - Upsetting both sides 01:04:19 - Truth and other epistemologies 01:10:02 - Overlooked philosophers 01:12:05 - Telling the whole story of philosophy 01:13:25 - Dishonesty of academic philosophy 01:14:06 - Spiritual Renaissance philosophy and depriving 01:15:49 - The loss of awe and beauty 01:18:59 - Chasing awe with psychedelics, astronomy, and community 01:23:39 - Tactical religion and joining communities of value 01:27:19 - Huge influx of new converts to Judaism 01:28:43 - Recommended reading for Western Esotericism and overlooked philosophy 01:34:59 - Dr Sledge’s go-to book … Previous episode with Dr Justin Sledge: - https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep248-esoterica-academia-dr-justin-sledge To find out more about Dr Justin Sledge, visit: - https://www.justinsledge.com/ - https://www.youtube.com/@TheEsotericaChannel … 
For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James