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How to Survive the Apocalypse: Zombies, Cylons, Faith, and Politics at the End of the World
Incisive insights into contemporary pop culture and its apocalyptic bent
The world is going to hell. So begins this book, pointing to the prevalence of apocalypse — cataclysmic destruction and nightmarish end-of-the-world scenarios — in contemporary entertainment.
In How to Survive the Apocalypse Robert Joustra and Alissa Wilkinson examine a number of popular stories — from the Cylons in Battlestar Galactica to the purging of innocence in Game of Thrones to the hordes of zombies in The Walking Dead — and argue that such apocalyptic stories reveal a lot about us here and now, about how we conceive of our life together, including some of our deepest tensions and anxieties.
Besides analyzing the dsytopian shift in popular culture, Joustra and Wilkinson also suggest how Christians can live faithfully and with integrity in such a cultural context.
The world is going to hell. So begins this book, pointing to the prevalence of apocalypse — cataclysmic destruction and nightmarish end-of-the-world scenarios — in contemporary entertainment.
In How to Survive the Apocalypse Robert Joustra and Alissa Wilkinson examine a number of popular stories — from the Cylons in Battlestar Galactica to the purging of innocence in Game of Thrones to the hordes of zombies in The Walking Dead — and argue that such apocalyptic stories reveal a lot about us here and now, about how we conceive of our life together, including some of our deepest tensions and anxieties.
Besides analyzing the dsytopian shift in popular culture, Joustra and Wilkinson also suggest how Christians can live faithfully and with integrity in such a cultural context.
198 pages, Paperback
First published May 20, 2016
40 people are currently reading
374 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
June 29, 2016
Really fun read! James K.A. Smith's *Desiring the Kingdom* & Peter Leithart's *Solomon Among the Postmoderns* meet Breaking Bad, Mad Men, & Game of Thrones!
July 4, 2017
In short, this was a fun and fascinating dive into some modern works of cultural art. Essentially, Joustra and Wilkinson take interpret movies and shows such as Battlestar Galactica, The Walking Dead, The Hunger Games, and even Breaking Bad and Scandal and interpret them through the lens of Charles Taylor's A Secular Age. Through diving into these stories which have been embraced by the modern culture, they are able to extricate values and concepts which lie right below the surface.
When I first started in the book I assumed it was going to be a fun, relatively light jaunt through some icons of pop culture. Instead the first three chapter were spent establishing core concepts of Taylor's mammoth work, a foundation upon which the rest of the builds. The engagement with these products of our modern-day entertainment institutions is broad yet insightful, drawing out undercurrents and philosophies which lie beneath the surface but which personify and illustrate Taylor's work in a way no purely philosophical work could.
In the final analysis, both Wilkinson and Joustra leverage their material to the maximum and the end result is a fascinating analysis of modern culture and the engagement of the believer in the world (the last chapter really driving this latter element home). It is NOT light reading, but the 'meat' of the concepts and pages is well worth the adventure of diving in. While I highly recommend this book, do not expect it to be a shallow or light read. It dives deep and thinks hard. I'll definitely be utilizing this as a source for some of my PhD work in the future.
When I first started in the book I assumed it was going to be a fun, relatively light jaunt through some icons of pop culture. Instead the first three chapter were spent establishing core concepts of Taylor's mammoth work, a foundation upon which the rest of the builds. The engagement with these products of our modern-day entertainment institutions is broad yet insightful, drawing out undercurrents and philosophies which lie beneath the surface but which personify and illustrate Taylor's work in a way no purely philosophical work could.
In the final analysis, both Wilkinson and Joustra leverage their material to the maximum and the end result is a fascinating analysis of modern culture and the engagement of the believer in the world (the last chapter really driving this latter element home). It is NOT light reading, but the 'meat' of the concepts and pages is well worth the adventure of diving in. While I highly recommend this book, do not expect it to be a shallow or light read. It dives deep and thinks hard. I'll definitely be utilizing this as a source for some of my PhD work in the future.
July 31, 2017
Short Review: great exploration of philosophy using TV and movie criticism. This is a book to read if you like tv and movie criticism. This is a book to read if you want to learn about modern philosophy (especially Charles Taylor). This is a good book to follow up with if you have read James KA Smith's How (Not) to be Secular (both are exploring Charles Taylor, but come at it from very different tacks.)
And no you do not have to have watched the movies or TV shows referenced to get something out of it. The basic concepts of the shows (which are explained in the book) is good enough. I have only seen a couple of the shows/movies that were explored.
My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/how-to-survive-the-a...
And no you do not have to have watched the movies or TV shows referenced to get something out of it. The basic concepts of the shows (which are explained in the book) is good enough. I have only seen a couple of the shows/movies that were explored.
My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/how-to-survive-the-a...
August 10, 2016
Pop culture meets philosopher Charles Taylor. Helpful cultural analysis.
December 21, 2017
Joustra and Wilkinson know what they’re talking about but do not know how to talk about what they’re talking about.
The book allows for a laymen to understand prominent philosopher Charles Taylor’s idea without having to tread through his deep waters, but in doing so, the reader for this book will have to swim through murky waters to see his ideas.
The book allows for a laymen to understand prominent philosopher Charles Taylor’s idea without having to tread through his deep waters, but in doing so, the reader for this book will have to swim through murky waters to see his ideas.
March 26, 2017
Another—doubtless very different—Benedict Option.
Read
November 21, 2017Full review here: http://www.breakpoint.org/2017/07/hum...
October 10, 2016
Summary: Explores the fascination of the apocalyptic in contemporary film, television, and gaming through the lens of Charles Taylor's work on secularism and the self.
"The world is going to hell.
Just turn on the television--no, not the news. Flip over to the prestige dramas and sci-fi epics and political dramas. Look at how we entertain ourselves. Undead hordes are stalking and devouring, alien invasions are crippling and enslaving, politicians ignore governance in favor of sex and power, and sentient robots wreak terrible revenge upon us" (p. 1).
With these words, the authors explore the contemporary fascination with apocalyptic that runs through dystopian fiction, film, television, and gaming. Like Andy Crouch, who wrote the Foreward to this book, I have spent far less time than these writers (almost none at all, truthfully) with the media they explore in this work, although I am aware of the contemporary fascination with this. I picked it up because I was interested in why the fascination.
For the authors, the work of Charles Taylor, and particularly The Secular Age shape their analysis of contemporary apocalyptic. They note that there has always been apocalyptic literature, but that the character of that literature exposes the character of the age and the concerns that age arouses in us. For them, Taylor's understanding of how secularity has shaped the self makes sense of the themes of the apocalyptic in our own age. We see it in our quest as "buffered selves" for authenticity; how we are shaped, in the midst of of an impersonal order, through relations with others; and how any kind of hope for survival of the apocalypse involves addressing the "malaises of modernity": radical individualism, instrumentalism, in which our lives are incorporated into the efficient functioning of society, and the infinity of personal choices that leads to a paralysis that can end up in the surrender of freedom to tyranny.
These themes are surveyed through a tour of apocalyptic film and television. Beginning with Battlestar Galactica, the authors explore the efforts of characters (and Cylons) to self-define and self-actualize. We discover in works as disparate as The Hunger Games and Her (a series involving romantic relationship with an operating system) how authenticity and self-definition can occur only in relational and social contexts.
We consider the dark side of the quest for authenticity when the "horizon of choice" turns to power in series like House of Cards, Breaking Bad, and Mad Men. In each, we see that the anti-hero's quest for significance through power is a delusion that ends up rendering the anti-hero powerless. We see these themes writ large in the political order of Westeros in Game of Thrones. Joustra and Wilkinson conclude, "It is the pathological forms of authenticity, anthropocentrism, and instrumentalism that will feel winter's coldest chill. That an apocalypse is coming is proof that hidden meaning remains to be unveiled..." (p. 135).
To survive "the apocalypse" we must confront the realities behind The Night of the Living Dead" and World War Z, that exposes the reality that there is no such think as "naked self-interest." Given the pluralism of our society, there are a multitude of a "self-interests" for people and institutions, some pathological, and some because they are rooted in an understanding of who we are, what people are for, and where we are going, are better.
Apocalypses are about "the end." But they also point us to "ends" beyond the end, to ways of living that anticipate what is beyond apocalypse, whether in the end we avoid it or not. The danger is nostalgia, an attempt to turn back the clock. Yet the secular age, with its radical pluralism is upon us. Better than retreats into nostalgia or personal "sheltering in place" is a posture of seeking to be architects who seek contribute to social institutions for better, seeking to shape rather than merely being shaped. The writers propose that this is always a "proximate" effort. Seeking the prosperity of Babylon will not bring in the New Jerusalem. It is always at best pursuing common cause with constructive disagreement.
It was this last that I especially appreciated. Instead of naive idealism, stark, power-hungry realism, or a disaffected retreat, the authors point us, and particularly Christians who care about society, toward a posture of being salt in society, preserving and perhaps enhancing, and in the process, enabling us to survive with our souls should apocalypse come. The authors, unpacking Taylor's massive work and connecting it to popular media, serve us well in helping us understand our present times, the end that apocalypse represents, and the ends we might pursue as we allow the possible future to shape our present.
"The world is going to hell.
Just turn on the television--no, not the news. Flip over to the prestige dramas and sci-fi epics and political dramas. Look at how we entertain ourselves. Undead hordes are stalking and devouring, alien invasions are crippling and enslaving, politicians ignore governance in favor of sex and power, and sentient robots wreak terrible revenge upon us" (p. 1).
With these words, the authors explore the contemporary fascination with apocalyptic that runs through dystopian fiction, film, television, and gaming. Like Andy Crouch, who wrote the Foreward to this book, I have spent far less time than these writers (almost none at all, truthfully) with the media they explore in this work, although I am aware of the contemporary fascination with this. I picked it up because I was interested in why the fascination.
For the authors, the work of Charles Taylor, and particularly The Secular Age shape their analysis of contemporary apocalyptic. They note that there has always been apocalyptic literature, but that the character of that literature exposes the character of the age and the concerns that age arouses in us. For them, Taylor's understanding of how secularity has shaped the self makes sense of the themes of the apocalyptic in our own age. We see it in our quest as "buffered selves" for authenticity; how we are shaped, in the midst of of an impersonal order, through relations with others; and how any kind of hope for survival of the apocalypse involves addressing the "malaises of modernity": radical individualism, instrumentalism, in which our lives are incorporated into the efficient functioning of society, and the infinity of personal choices that leads to a paralysis that can end up in the surrender of freedom to tyranny.
These themes are surveyed through a tour of apocalyptic film and television. Beginning with Battlestar Galactica, the authors explore the efforts of characters (and Cylons) to self-define and self-actualize. We discover in works as disparate as The Hunger Games and Her (a series involving romantic relationship with an operating system) how authenticity and self-definition can occur only in relational and social contexts.
We consider the dark side of the quest for authenticity when the "horizon of choice" turns to power in series like House of Cards, Breaking Bad, and Mad Men. In each, we see that the anti-hero's quest for significance through power is a delusion that ends up rendering the anti-hero powerless. We see these themes writ large in the political order of Westeros in Game of Thrones. Joustra and Wilkinson conclude, "It is the pathological forms of authenticity, anthropocentrism, and instrumentalism that will feel winter's coldest chill. That an apocalypse is coming is proof that hidden meaning remains to be unveiled..." (p. 135).
To survive "the apocalypse" we must confront the realities behind The Night of the Living Dead" and World War Z, that exposes the reality that there is no such think as "naked self-interest." Given the pluralism of our society, there are a multitude of a "self-interests" for people and institutions, some pathological, and some because they are rooted in an understanding of who we are, what people are for, and where we are going, are better.
Apocalypses are about "the end." But they also point us to "ends" beyond the end, to ways of living that anticipate what is beyond apocalypse, whether in the end we avoid it or not. The danger is nostalgia, an attempt to turn back the clock. Yet the secular age, with its radical pluralism is upon us. Better than retreats into nostalgia or personal "sheltering in place" is a posture of seeking to be architects who seek contribute to social institutions for better, seeking to shape rather than merely being shaped. The writers propose that this is always a "proximate" effort. Seeking the prosperity of Babylon will not bring in the New Jerusalem. It is always at best pursuing common cause with constructive disagreement.
It was this last that I especially appreciated. Instead of naive idealism, stark, power-hungry realism, or a disaffected retreat, the authors point us, and particularly Christians who care about society, toward a posture of being salt in society, preserving and perhaps enhancing, and in the process, enabling us to survive with our souls should apocalypse come. The authors, unpacking Taylor's massive work and connecting it to popular media, serve us well in helping us understand our present times, the end that apocalypse represents, and the ends we might pursue as we allow the possible future to shape our present.
July 17, 2017
A fascinating application of philosopher Charles Taylor's treatise on Secularism and the pathologies that naturally arise from such a worldview.
First is individualism, where we have the freedom to be anything we want, but with no higher aims and no greater social goal.
Second is instrumentalism, where success is defined by efficiency. In a disenchanted universe, everything is raw material or instruments for our own self desires. Even environmentalism is truly not a duty but a consideration of our own long term discomfort.
Third is the double loss of freedom, which is the paralysis caused by the endless choices available. It was Tocqueville who warned Americans of too much individualism leading to being "enclosed in their own hearts." This leads to lower participation as citizens and the rise of soft despotism of a few governing the many.
The authors make a strong case that secular apocalypse is the extension of these tensions. They proceed to use several examples from popular culture, including The Walking Dead, Battlestar Galactica, and House of Cards to illustrate these conceptions of our current Secular Age.
I learned a lot form this book and will definitely reread it. There is much to digest!
First is individualism, where we have the freedom to be anything we want, but with no higher aims and no greater social goal.
Second is instrumentalism, where success is defined by efficiency. In a disenchanted universe, everything is raw material or instruments for our own self desires. Even environmentalism is truly not a duty but a consideration of our own long term discomfort.
Third is the double loss of freedom, which is the paralysis caused by the endless choices available. It was Tocqueville who warned Americans of too much individualism leading to being "enclosed in their own hearts." This leads to lower participation as citizens and the rise of soft despotism of a few governing the many.
The authors make a strong case that secular apocalypse is the extension of these tensions. They proceed to use several examples from popular culture, including The Walking Dead, Battlestar Galactica, and House of Cards to illustrate these conceptions of our current Secular Age.
I learned a lot form this book and will definitely reread it. There is much to digest!
May 9, 2016
Another guide into the world of Charles Taylor (seems I'm running into him all over the place these days), I enjoyed the way the authors examined elements of entertainment pop culture as a way to shed light on the ethos of modern day North America. As I have watched several of the shows and movies mentioned, this book helped me understand why, even as a Christian, I am drawn to these stories and the tensions they invoke. I especially appreciated the authors balanced approach to a relativistic age, pointing out the negatives, but also the positives and the truth that the "good ol' days" are gone and not coming back (and they weren't perfect anyway). The ultimate concluding call to work with the culture we've been dealt was refreshing compared to much Christian literature that simply warns us to stay away from it, as if that were possible. As I sit on the edge between gen X and Y, I gained new respect for our need of institutions and for Christians to work in and through them when surrounded by options and worldviews other than our own.
February 15, 2021
“To be mad in a deranged world is not madness; it’s sanity.” - The End of the F***ing World
Human beings don’t behave irrationally. That’s one of the points Joustra and Wilkinson argue. The catch? That what we consider to be rational is dependent on an array of variables that differ for everyone, which is really helpful when you’re trying to survive the apocalypse.
I mean it. It is helpful to remember that.
While we haven’t had an apocalyptic experience as of late, they abound in fiction. The two authors offer critical analysis of fictional scenarios, ranging from the Game of Thrones to The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, the Hunger Games, and others with the intention of studying how human beings seek meaning, authenticity, community, and morality in post-apocalyptic, pre-apocalyptic, dystopian/utopian settings in a post postmodernism, post post-structuralist, post-whatever the hell time we’re supposed to be living in now, because fiction is always about the present. Using Charles Taylor’s The Secular Age as a backdrop, the authors provide the reader with a thorough but readable understanding of philosophical concepts, applying what is often dense and non-laymen material to that which is much more familiar to many of us.
I picked up this book expecting something completely different and ended up happily surprised; while it’s not always a breezy read, it’s a great resource for anyone (particularly writers) who wants to delve deeper into the human psyche at the end of the world.
You know. For fun.
Human beings don’t behave irrationally. That’s one of the points Joustra and Wilkinson argue. The catch? That what we consider to be rational is dependent on an array of variables that differ for everyone, which is really helpful when you’re trying to survive the apocalypse.
I mean it. It is helpful to remember that.
While we haven’t had an apocalyptic experience as of late, they abound in fiction. The two authors offer critical analysis of fictional scenarios, ranging from the Game of Thrones to The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, the Hunger Games, and others with the intention of studying how human beings seek meaning, authenticity, community, and morality in post-apocalyptic, pre-apocalyptic, dystopian/utopian settings in a post postmodernism, post post-structuralist, post-whatever the hell time we’re supposed to be living in now, because fiction is always about the present. Using Charles Taylor’s The Secular Age as a backdrop, the authors provide the reader with a thorough but readable understanding of philosophical concepts, applying what is often dense and non-laymen material to that which is much more familiar to many of us.
I picked up this book expecting something completely different and ended up happily surprised; while it’s not always a breezy read, it’s a great resource for anyone (particularly writers) who wants to delve deeper into the human psyche at the end of the world.
You know. For fun.
May 1, 2020
I wanted to like this book so much, and the subject matter seemed perfectly suited to my likes (reading Charles Taylor through the lens of Breaking Bad and the Hunger Games?? Sign me up!) but the writing was just a bit too jumbled and "academic", which I write in quotes because as someone who is married to a humanities professor I know it's very possible to write material about complicated ideas that's nevertheless more accessible than this. Alissa Wilkinson remains one of my favorite people to read online, and I hope she will take a crack at another book down the line - in some sections of this one, the insightfulness and readability strike a perfect balance and so the highs are high; I imagine I'll probably return to my notes and quotes from it - but unfortunately those sections were sandwiched between sections that were murky and overloaded by stringing together too many philosophers or concepts into a couple of short paragraphs.
July 4, 2019
Wisdom literature disguised as pop culture analysis
I just finished Charles Taylor’s A Secular Age & James K A Smith’s How (Not) to be Secular. So this is the 3rd in the trilogy. And it is certainly the most enjoyable & helpful.
Someone said that if you want to understand our society’s fears, look to the popular horror movies. Our present day apocalypses also reveal our fears & pathologies. This book is a faithful guide to understanding our malaise. And, further, it points a positive way forward by synthesising the best thinking of philosophers, theologians & the biblical character of Daniel, who first saw the apocalypse.
I’d recommend this for any thinking Christian, for any preacher & for those interested in looking for a way through the political problems of our day.
I just finished Charles Taylor’s A Secular Age & James K A Smith’s How (Not) to be Secular. So this is the 3rd in the trilogy. And it is certainly the most enjoyable & helpful.
Someone said that if you want to understand our society’s fears, look to the popular horror movies. Our present day apocalypses also reveal our fears & pathologies. This book is a faithful guide to understanding our malaise. And, further, it points a positive way forward by synthesising the best thinking of philosophers, theologians & the biblical character of Daniel, who first saw the apocalypse.
I’d recommend this for any thinking Christian, for any preacher & for those interested in looking for a way through the political problems of our day.
February 7, 2017
I came by this book at the library and picked it up right away because I really appreciate Alissa Wilkinson's writing (which is really just her Twitter account). This book is an examination of Western society as interpreted by Charles Taylor and illustrated by the apocalyptic stories prevalent in popular culture. So Walking Dead and Breaking Bad and Hunger Games (among others) are used as examples for the modern condition, as well as windows into our possibility to move beyond the iron cage. I've not seen or read any of the literature referenced, yet the authors adeptly used the characters and narratives to reflect on the sociological and moral significance of living in late modernity. Throughout they challenge Christians to engage society in the light of Taylor's insights.
August 29, 2018
I listened to this on audible.
The title, and hearing Alissa speak at a creativity conference intrigued me intrigued me.
The authors explore the concept of apocalypse through our obsession with dystopian themed movies and tv shows, combined with Philosopher Charles Taylor’s theories about our cultures transition to a post Christian mindset.
I found this book deep! It explored themes that are profound, and that I wouldn’t have otherwise noticed in the shows it references. At times the discussion about Taylor’s work get a bit too heady though, I wish they’d leaned more in the direction of culture analysing at pop vs academic level.
The title, and hearing Alissa speak at a creativity conference intrigued me intrigued me.
The authors explore the concept of apocalypse through our obsession with dystopian themed movies and tv shows, combined with Philosopher Charles Taylor’s theories about our cultures transition to a post Christian mindset.
I found this book deep! It explored themes that are profound, and that I wouldn’t have otherwise noticed in the shows it references. At times the discussion about Taylor’s work get a bit too heady though, I wish they’d leaned more in the direction of culture analysing at pop vs academic level.
June 27, 2019
Read this in one sitting -- yes, I am that much of a geek. Joustra and Wilkinson offer explanation and historical perspectives on apocalypse and utopia/dystopia and then they dive into pop culture, looking at dystopian and apocalyptic films and TV series from a philosophical and metaphysical perspective. The icing on the cake? The takeaway lesson is "clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose," from the very non-dystopian TV show "Friday Night Lights."
If you love cultural criticism and dystopian fiction, this book is for you.
If you love cultural criticism and dystopian fiction, this book is for you.
May 25, 2022
A useful analysis of how certain movies and TV shows intersect with some tenets of postmodernism. The first chapters are a little dense, but things pick up after that. The authors have a very broad view of what counts as "apocalypse"; I read the book because I wanted to find out why zombie movies are so popular these days, but it seems the authors take "apocalypse" to mean "any time our long-held beliefs about the world break down." The analyses and discussions are rather good, though, so I would recommend it to anyone who wants a little deeper dive into some of these films / shows.
February 11, 2018
This was a great about how a Christian should engage with culture. The authors do this through looking at popular TV Shows and Movies through the lens of the ideas of Charles Taylor(Who I feel I need read after this). They are able to make complex ideas of a philosopher come to life. I was able to see how I have let the ideas of culture impact more than Christ. Overall, it was fun and worthwhile read and will look forward to rereading it.
Read
August 21, 2024I’ve enjoyed Alissa Wilkinson’s writing, first at CT, then at Vox, and now at the NYTimes(!!), so I thought I’d give this a try. I have no idea how to rate this book, as philosophy really goes over my head. I do think of myself as a pretty smart person, but with philosophy I read the words and just… don’t really get it. Also, I’ve watched almost none of the shows/movies discussed (except Hunger Games) but now I know a little more about them.
March 6, 2018
4.5 stars. Excellent introduction to the works of Charles Taylor (A Secular Age, The Malaise of Modernity), James K.A. Smith, and others as they relate to the apocalyptic and dystopian stories we find in current media. I haven’t seen or read the media mentioned but was still able to follow the authors’ points. This is a more academic book than the title would lead you to believe.
April 8, 2018
A great application of Charles Taylor and current cultural thematic touchstones in film and television. But it’s also a larger examination of the current philosophical and theological crisis that effect us all. (If you’re new to Taylor, this is a good entry into his thought.)
It ends with a sobering but rousing conclusion for those of us not wanting to abandon the city.
It ends with a sobering but rousing conclusion for those of us not wanting to abandon the city.
June 13, 2017
Another this-is-what-Charles-Taylor-means book. Obviously, with lots of movie references. The authors did not agree with everything which was refreshing. Not completely sure if the argument actually leads to endorsing pluralism rather than showing how to live within a pluralistic (secular) world.
May 10, 2018
Excellent and creative adaptation of Charles Taylor's philosophical work. If you're ready to dive headlong into Taylor, this would pair nicely with James K. A. Smith How (Not) to Be Secular.
January 7, 2019
I found it a more helpful (and accurate) reflection on Charles Taylor than Jamie Smith’s book.
July 8, 2019
This book is more a primer on Charles Taylor's work than it is an actual, in-depth examination of apocalyptic and dystopian film and television. Still, for what it is, it's fairly interesting.
March 19, 2024
An interesting argument woven through classical philosophy and pop culture.
January 8, 2019
Excellent
May 30, 2016
Alissa Wilkinson and Robert Joustra take us on a tour through contemporary apocalyptic TV and movies. They also discuss why apocalyptic themes have become ubiquitous in modern media. The sensibility is not limited to material apocalypses but also what they refer to as moral ones - the complete destruction of moral mooring points.
They begin the book with a brief introduction to Charles Taylor’s framework and his idea of the social imaginary, the “series of pre-theoretical understandings and practices we acquire from the families, communities, and countries into which were born.” And the Secular age where human florising is the only conceivable goal of life. In this age meaning must be created, it is not ‘out there.’ Another key concept Alissa and Robert do an excellent job explaining is the buffered self in contrast to the pre-modern porous self. A porous self is an identity that is not fully distint from the environment. Hierarchy, place, family, spirits, institutions all play a defining role in creating identity. The buffered self places a layer between the environment and the self and inserts the idea of choice of identity.
They then proceed to give a summary of apocalyptic stories as stories that “expose hidden truths, wipe away the veneer, push past the superficial ... and get to the reality of things.” Apocalyptic stories blow up contemporary conventions and recreate a world without institutional restraints. These settings allow the raw human condition to be explored.
The heart of the book is a discussion of different contemporary media that fits these descriptions. We visit Battlestar Galactica, House of Cards, Game of Thrones, Hunger Games, Scandal, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Her, and an number of Zombie films.
Along the way we see how identity is formed in relationship with others. The drive to recognition is pulled out as a key motivator. We see the all to tragically not just in fictional media, but when crazed gunmen initiate their own apocalypse for the sake of recognition.
These apocalyptic films explore moral territory. What is right when all restraint is removed? Is raw self interest the only option? Are others nothing more than tools for my own survival? Apocalyptic stories are inevitably political. How should society re-form itself? “Abstract solidarity of humankind is a tough sell in the zombie apocalypse.”
The last chapter explores how Christians can faithfully engage with the Secular Age. The Age of Anxiety has migrated from ivory towers into the suburbs. The question of “Who am I?” is on everyone’s mind. But identities are not created from scratch. A better question Alissa and Robert propose is “What story or stories do I find myself a part.” We can choose the story, we can choose to eliminate some stories we don’t want to be a part of, but we are forced to chose from an existing set of stories.
In faithful witness, we must first look at what stories we have chosen to be a part of, which ones have we rejected. What repeated gestures have become our postures (Andy Crouch). What cultural litergies are we participating in that are shaping our desires (James K. A. Smith)? Where is our love disordered? We need to examine ourselves and our institutions first.
Using Daniel as a model, Alissa and Robert propose “faithful comprise” as the best option to engage culture. This oxymoron simply means supporting society, supporting the exploration of questions of meaning in a pluralistic environment while remaining a faithful disciple.
In summary, this book is a valuable tool to decrypt modern media. It provides a guide to the multitudes of questions raised by the Apocalypse, Zombies, Cylons, Faith and Politics. To top it off, the book is transparently written. Most books at the intersection of faith, politics, art, and culture are cryptic, confusing, and halting. With this book, you get more meaning with less effort, because of the smooth writing.
They begin the book with a brief introduction to Charles Taylor’s framework and his idea of the social imaginary, the “series of pre-theoretical understandings and practices we acquire from the families, communities, and countries into which were born.” And the Secular age where human florising is the only conceivable goal of life. In this age meaning must be created, it is not ‘out there.’ Another key concept Alissa and Robert do an excellent job explaining is the buffered self in contrast to the pre-modern porous self. A porous self is an identity that is not fully distint from the environment. Hierarchy, place, family, spirits, institutions all play a defining role in creating identity. The buffered self places a layer between the environment and the self and inserts the idea of choice of identity.
They then proceed to give a summary of apocalyptic stories as stories that “expose hidden truths, wipe away the veneer, push past the superficial ... and get to the reality of things.” Apocalyptic stories blow up contemporary conventions and recreate a world without institutional restraints. These settings allow the raw human condition to be explored.
The heart of the book is a discussion of different contemporary media that fits these descriptions. We visit Battlestar Galactica, House of Cards, Game of Thrones, Hunger Games, Scandal, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Her, and an number of Zombie films.
Along the way we see how identity is formed in relationship with others. The drive to recognition is pulled out as a key motivator. We see the all to tragically not just in fictional media, but when crazed gunmen initiate their own apocalypse for the sake of recognition.
These apocalyptic films explore moral territory. What is right when all restraint is removed? Is raw self interest the only option? Are others nothing more than tools for my own survival? Apocalyptic stories are inevitably political. How should society re-form itself? “Abstract solidarity of humankind is a tough sell in the zombie apocalypse.”
The last chapter explores how Christians can faithfully engage with the Secular Age. The Age of Anxiety has migrated from ivory towers into the suburbs. The question of “Who am I?” is on everyone’s mind. But identities are not created from scratch. A better question Alissa and Robert propose is “What story or stories do I find myself a part.” We can choose the story, we can choose to eliminate some stories we don’t want to be a part of, but we are forced to chose from an existing set of stories.
In faithful witness, we must first look at what stories we have chosen to be a part of, which ones have we rejected. What repeated gestures have become our postures (Andy Crouch). What cultural litergies are we participating in that are shaping our desires (James K. A. Smith)? Where is our love disordered? We need to examine ourselves and our institutions first.
Using Daniel as a model, Alissa and Robert propose “faithful comprise” as the best option to engage culture. This oxymoron simply means supporting society, supporting the exploration of questions of meaning in a pluralistic environment while remaining a faithful disciple.
In summary, this book is a valuable tool to decrypt modern media. It provides a guide to the multitudes of questions raised by the Apocalypse, Zombies, Cylons, Faith and Politics. To top it off, the book is transparently written. Most books at the intersection of faith, politics, art, and culture are cryptic, confusing, and halting. With this book, you get more meaning with less effort, because of the smooth writing.
February 26, 2017
How to Survive the Apocalypse is heavily indebted to the work of the philosopher Charles Taylor and especially his book A Secular Age. On the other hand, Robert Joustra's book is interested in taking this weighty tome and applying it to popular culture, especially television and film, and anchoring it to apocalyptic thought. Ultimately, How to Survive the Apocalypse is both mildly engaging and unsatisfactory.
The reader feels pulled in two very different directions with neither being adequately explored.
As a primer on apocalyptic thought in the developed world (OECD...which the writers seem to believe, by implication, means the 'West') it is parochial and not as perceptive as many readers might hope.
Still, there were moments in Robert Joustra's book that were engaging and perceptive, but in a world flooded with populism, nationalism, and anti-immigrant sentiment it reads as out-of-step with the dominant discourses of the time. However, political sensibilities, especially populist, are notoriously unstable and the narrative could swing back in the book's direction again. But, as of writing, How to Survive the Apocalypse seems radically out of touch with the concerns of the moment.
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars...with a very mild recommendation for readers drawn to apocalyptic sensibilities with a side order of philosophy.
The reader feels pulled in two very different directions with neither being adequately explored.
As a primer on apocalyptic thought in the developed world (OECD...which the writers seem to believe, by implication, means the 'West') it is parochial and not as perceptive as many readers might hope.
Still, there were moments in Robert Joustra's book that were engaging and perceptive, but in a world flooded with populism, nationalism, and anti-immigrant sentiment it reads as out-of-step with the dominant discourses of the time. However, political sensibilities, especially populist, are notoriously unstable and the narrative could swing back in the book's direction again. But, as of writing, How to Survive the Apocalypse seems radically out of touch with the concerns of the moment.
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars...with a very mild recommendation for readers drawn to apocalyptic sensibilities with a side order of philosophy.
January 9, 2017
This book is fun and philosophical, enjoyable and thought-provoking. There is certainly a market for Christians analyzing movies and pop culture, finding spiritual lessons in our entertainment. While this book could fit into that, it is much more. The first couple chapters are an extended summary of the philosophy of Charles Taylor, specifically focusing in on his book A Secular Age. That book is a behemoth, one of my all-time favorites and incredibly influential in philosophical circles. Starting this book with Taylor shows this is not your garden variety "let's get a Jesus-y lesson from a movie" kind of book.
The rest of the book does analyze a variety of TV shows, putting them in conversation with Taylor and others. They begin with Battlestar Galactica and what it means to be human. It makes me want to go back and watch that show. Then they move on to a discussion of anti-heroes in Breaking Bad, House of Cards and Mad Men. Eventually they get to Game of Thrones, Walking Dead, the Hunger Games and a few others. If you like those shows, its worth the read. Ultimately, these shows reflect the secular age we live in, when we are surrounded by choices and options to make our head spin. With diminished horizons out there, the sort of exterior traditions and truths that guided our ancestors, we are left as individuals to validate ourselves and create who we will be. Will we become Walter White and contribute to the destruction of the world in the zombie apocalypse? Anything's possible, but this book gives a more optimistic view.
Things can go bad, but they do not have to. We can choose to live in a secular age by faithful presence (James Davison Hunter). We can live faithfully, becoming people of love by internalizing and living out the Christian story (after all, the story we believe we are a part of is what most influences us, to paraphrase Alasdair MacIntyre). In contrast to those who enjoy trashing millennials, we can realize that millennials face more choices at a younger age than previous generations. The hope is that millennials make the best of the secular age, finding the best, and choosing to create the best.
Overall, a great book.
The rest of the book does analyze a variety of TV shows, putting them in conversation with Taylor and others. They begin with Battlestar Galactica and what it means to be human. It makes me want to go back and watch that show. Then they move on to a discussion of anti-heroes in Breaking Bad, House of Cards and Mad Men. Eventually they get to Game of Thrones, Walking Dead, the Hunger Games and a few others. If you like those shows, its worth the read. Ultimately, these shows reflect the secular age we live in, when we are surrounded by choices and options to make our head spin. With diminished horizons out there, the sort of exterior traditions and truths that guided our ancestors, we are left as individuals to validate ourselves and create who we will be. Will we become Walter White and contribute to the destruction of the world in the zombie apocalypse? Anything's possible, but this book gives a more optimistic view.
Things can go bad, but they do not have to. We can choose to live in a secular age by faithful presence (James Davison Hunter). We can live faithfully, becoming people of love by internalizing and living out the Christian story (after all, the story we believe we are a part of is what most influences us, to paraphrase Alasdair MacIntyre). In contrast to those who enjoy trashing millennials, we can realize that millennials face more choices at a younger age than previous generations. The hope is that millennials make the best of the secular age, finding the best, and choosing to create the best.
Overall, a great book.
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