My Three Pillars of Sense-Making

Summary

In this video, Michael Millerman introduces his three pillars of sense-making: philosophy, politics, and mysticism. Philosophy involves foundational inquiries into existence and thought. Politics applies philosophical rigor to political life, exploring justice, law, and community. Mysticism, Millerman's starting point, seeks union with the divine, highlighting self-transcendence and mystical experiences. Millerman emphasizes the importance of combining these three pillars for a comprehensive understanding of the human condition, political community, and spiritual life, advocating for a broad perspective on political theory and intellectual exploration.

Takeaways

• 📚 Michael Millerman introduces himself as a political science PhD graduate from the University of Toronto, translator of Russian political philosopher Alexander Dugin, and discusses his interest in the history of political philosophy.
• 🧠 Millerman's three pillars of sense-making are philosophy, politics, and mysticism.
• 📖 Philosophy involves foundational inquiry into the basic components of life, the cosmos, and thinking, including metaphysics, ontology, and first principles.
• 🏛️ Politics or political philosophy applies the rigor of philosophical inquiry to the world of political life, addressing concepts such as law, justice, community, equality, freedom, and heroism.
• 🌀 Mysticism seeks union with the absolute or divine, transcending the empirical self, and involves a deep, often ineffable experience communicated through symbolic and evocative language.
• 🔗 Millerman emphasizes the need to combine philosophy, politics, and mysticism to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the world and human existence.
• 📚 He credits Leo Strauss for highlighting the importance of political philosophy and its central role in understanding philosophy as a whole.
• 🌐 Millerman argues that political philosophy is essential for self-knowledge, as it deals with the relationship between the philosopher and the political community.
• 🎭 He explores the intersection of mysticism and philosophy, noting that many philosophers have mystical elements in their works and that mysticism can provide insights into philosophical inquiries.
• 🌍 Millerman advocates for a balanced study of political theory, including right-wing thinkers, to ensure a comprehensive understanding of political thought and to address the imbalance in the representation of political perspectives.

Q & A

Who is Michael Millerman?

Michael Millerman graduated from the University of Toronto in 2018 with a PhD in political science. He has been translating the works of Russian political philosopher Alexander Dugin and is interested in the history of political philosophy and the relationship between philosophy and politics.

What are the three pillars of sense-making according to Michael Millerman?

Michael Millerman's three pillars of sense-making are philosophy, political philosophy, and mysticism.

How does Michael Millerman define philosophy in his sense-making framework?

Millerman defines philosophy as foundational inquiry into the basic components of life, the cosmos, and our thinking capacity. This includes metaphysics, ontology, first principles, and the rules of thinking.

What role does political philosophy play in Millerman's framework?

Political philosophy takes the rigor and depth of pure philosophy and applies it to the world of political life. It addresses questions about law, justice, the balance between individual and collective good, and the nature of political communities.

Why does Millerman include mysticism as one of his pillars?

Millerman includes mysticism because it seeks union with the absolute and involves self-transcendence. He finds commonalities in the mystical experiences across different traditions and sees it as an essential part of understanding deeper spiritual realities.

What inspired Millerman's interest in mysticism?

Millerman's interest in mysticism was inspired by his reading of various mystics from different religious traditions, which revealed to him common experiences and the use of evocative language to describe the mystical experience.

How does Millerman see the relationship between philosophy and mysticism?

Millerman believes that philosophy and mysticism complete each other. Philosophy provides rigorous intellectual inquiry up to the point of mystical experience, while mysticism offers the consummation of that inquiry in a transcendent experience.

What is the significance of political philosophy according to Leo Strauss, as interpreted by Millerman?

Leo Strauss, as interpreted by Millerman, showed that political philosophy is the heart of philosophy. It is essential for self-knowledge because it addresses the relationship between the philosopher and the political community.

Why does Millerman emphasize the study of right-wing thinkers?

Millerman emphasizes the study of right-wing thinkers to restore balance and proper dignity to the spectrum of political thought, which he believes is often overlooked in favor of liberal and leftist perspectives.

What is Millerman's ultimate goal with his sense-making pillars?

Millerman's ultimate goal is to help himself and others think more deeply, clearly, and comprehensively about what it means to be a human being, a member of a political community, and an embodied soul.

How does Millerman address potential objections to his sense-making framework?

Millerman acknowledges that other approaches like economics, psychology, sociology, history, and literature can provide valuable insights. However, he believes that philosophy, political philosophy, and mysticism are often conspicuously missing and essential for a comprehensive understanding.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction and the Three Pillars of Sense-Making

Michael Millerman introduces himself and outlines his three pillars of sense-making: philosophy, political philosophy, and mysticism. He discusses his academic background in political science and his interest in translating the works of Russian philosopher Alexander Dugin. Millerman emphasizes the importance of foundational philosophical inquiry into the basic elements of life, the cosmos, and thinking itself. He introduces the first pillar, pure philosophy, focusing on metaphysics, ontology, and first principles. He then segues into the second pillar, political philosophy, exploring how philosophical rigor applies to political life, laws, justice, and community. Finally, he hints at the third pillar, mysticism, as a crucial component for a comprehensive understanding of the world.

05:03

🔮 Exploring Mysticism as a Pillar of Sense-Making

Millerman delves into mysticism, describing it as a quest for union with the divine or the absolute. He contrasts ordinary life experiences with mystical experiences, which often involve a deeper, more mysterious self. He highlights the ineffable nature of mystical experiences and the use of symbolic language by mystics to convey their encounters with the divine. Millerman reflects on how mystics from different traditions seem to have similar experiences, translating them into the language of their respective religions. He also discusses the role of mysticism in his intellectual journey, emphasizing its importance alongside philosophy and politics.

10:05

🧘 The Intersection of Mysticism and Philosophy

Millerman discusses the intersection of mysticism and philosophy, noting that mysticism offers insights into the nature of reality and self-transcendence. He explores the idea of a mystical approach to philosophy, which involves a moral and intellectual purification process. Millerman provides examples of philosophical texts, such as Descartes' 'Meditations' and Hegel's works, that resonate with mystical themes. He emphasizes the importance of understanding both mysticism and philosophy to grasp the full spectrum of intellectual and spiritual exploration.

15:06

🏛️ The Role of Political Philosophy in Understanding Society

Millerman emphasizes the central role of political philosophy in understanding society and human existence. He credits Leo Strauss with highlighting the importance of political philosophy as the heart of philosophical inquiry. Millerman argues that a comprehensive understanding of philosophy requires engaging with political philosophy, as it addresses the relationship between individuals and their political communities. He stresses that ignoring political philosophy leads to an incomplete understanding of self-knowledge and the human condition.

20:08

🎭 Balancing Philosophy, Mysticism, and Politics

Millerman argues for the necessity of balancing philosophy, mysticism, and politics to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the world. He critiques the intellectual landscape for often lacking one or more of these dimensions. Millerman explains his approach to discussing right-wing thinkers and emphasizes the importance of exploring the full spectrum of political thought, including perspectives that are often underrepresented. He concludes by reaffirming his commitment to fostering deeper, clearer, and more comprehensive thinking about human existence, political life, and spiritual exploration through his work and his channel.

Keywords

💡Philosophy

Philosophy is defined as the foundational inquiry into the basic components of life, the cosmos, and human thinking. In the video, Michael Millerman emphasizes philosophy as one of his three pillars of sense-making, focusing on its role in examining first principles, metaphysics, and the rules of thinking. Philosophy provides the fundamental insights that are necessary for understanding both the world and oneself.

💡Political Philosophy

Political Philosophy involves applying philosophical rigor and wisdom to the realm of political life. Millerman considers it essential for understanding justice, law, community, and the nature of political entities like nations and empires. He argues that political philosophy helps address crucial questions about governance, ethics, and the balance between individual and collective good.

💡Mysticism

Mysticism is the pursuit of union with the divine or the absolute, often involving self-transcendence beyond ordinary experience. Millerman includes mysticism as a key pillar, highlighting its role in offering deep, often ineffable insights into the nature of existence and the divine. He sees mysticism as providing a necessary complement to philosophical and political inquiry.

💡Alexander Dugin

Alexander Dugin is a Russian political philosopher whose works Millerman has translated. Dugin's ideas influence Millerman's approach to political philosophy, emphasizing the need to understand various political ideologies and their implications. Dugin's focus on geopolitics and traditionalist philosophy is reflected in Millerman's broader discussion on politics.

💡Leo Strauss

Leo Strauss was a political philosopher whose work on the history of political philosophy significantly impacted Millerman. Strauss emphasized the importance of understanding political thought in its historical context, a perspective that Millerman integrates into his own teaching and sense-making framework. Strauss's idea that political philosophy is central to philosophy itself is a cornerstone of Millerman's approach.

💡Sense-making

Sense-making refers to the process of interpreting and understanding complex realities. Millerman's video is centered on his three pillars of sense-making: philosophy, political philosophy, and mysticism. He argues that these pillars provide a comprehensive framework for making sense of the world, combining deep theoretical insights with practical and transcendent perspectives.

💡Union with the Divine

Union with the Divine is a central concept in mysticism, referring to the ultimate goal of achieving a direct, transformative experience of the absolute or God. Millerman discusses this as a key aspect of mysticism, emphasizing how various mystical traditions aim to transcend ordinary human limitations and connect with a higher reality.

💡Hegel

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel was a German philosopher whose works on metaphysics and political philosophy are discussed by Millerman. Hegel's ideas about the relationship between thought and being, and his works like 'The Philosophy of Right' and 'Logic,' are cited as examples of how philosophical inquiry can address both metaphysical and political concerns.

💡Eschatology

Eschatology is the study of the end times or the ultimate destiny of humanity. Millerman mentions eschatological themes when discussing the overlap between political philosophy and mysticism, highlighting how religious and mystical reflections often address the ultimate fate of the world and human beings, adding depth to political and philosophical discourse.

💡Self-knowledge

Self-knowledge is the understanding of oneself, a key goal in both philosophy and mysticism according to Millerman. He argues that political philosophy is integral to self-knowledge because it explores the relationship between the individual and the political community. This holistic approach is essential for a comprehensive grasp of human existence and purpose.

Highlights

Introduction of Michael Millerman, PhD in political science from the University of Toronto, and his background in translating works of Russian political philosopher Alexander Dugan.

The first pillar of sense-making: Philosophy, involving fundamental inquiry into the basic components of life, the cosmos, and thinking capacity.

Philosophy is described as pure philosophy, metaphysics, ontology, and the study of first principles and the relationship of thinking to being.

The second pillar of sense-making: Politics or political philosophy, applying the rigor of philosophy to the world of political life.

Discussion on political philosophy covering topics such as law, justice, balance between individual and collective good, status of communities, and political aims like equality, freedom, and heroism.

Importance of political philosophy in understanding our life lived together in political communities, with references to historical philosophers like Aristotle and Hegel.

The third pillar of sense-making: Mysticism, involving the quest for union with the absolute, self-transcendence, and the experience of deeper, mysterious aspects of life.

Mysticism is described through various traditions and experiences, emphasizing commonalities in the mystical experience across different religions and systems of symbolism.

Discussion on the ineffability of mystical experiences and the development of a symbolic language by mystics to evoke these experiences.

Integration of mysticism with philosophy, suggesting that mysticism completes the philosophical quest for understanding by providing the final self-transcendence that philosophy alone cannot.

Introduction to Leo Strauss and his impact on Millerman’s understanding of political philosophy as a central element of philosophical inquiry.

Explanation of why political philosophy is essential for self-knowledge and the understanding of the relationship between the philosopher and the political community.

Mysticism adds depth to philosophical inquiry by addressing the ultimate questions of existence and providing a spiritual dimension to intellectual pursuits.

Mention of Julius Evola's work on tantric Buddhism and its parallels with Descartes’ meditations, illustrating the connection between mystical practices and philosophical operations.

Reiteration of the three pillars of sense-making: philosophy, politics, and mysticism, and their interrelatedness in providing a comprehensive understanding of human existence.

Acknowledgment of other disciplines like economics, sociology, and literature as valuable for understanding the world, but emphasizing the unique contributions of the three pillars.

Discussion on the importance of exploring a broad spectrum of political theory, including right-wing thinkers, to achieve a comprehensive grasp of political life.

Clarification that the ultimate goal is to help people think more deeply, clearly, and comprehensively about being human, political community, and spiritual existence.

Encouragement for viewers to share their thoughts and engage in discussion, promoting a dynamic and interactive learning experience.

Transcripts

hi guys so in this video I want to talk

to you about what I consider my three

pillars of sense

[Music]

making now if you don't know who I am

and this is your first time on the

channel my name is Michael millerman I

graduated from the University of Toronto

in 2018 with my PhD in political science

I've been translating the books of a

Russian political philosopher named

Alexander Dugan for a long time I

published several of my translations

over the years and I'm really interested

in the history of political philosophy

and the relationship of philosophy to

politics okay now my three pillars of

sense making if you want to think about

it that

way the first one is philosophy Now by

this I mean foundational fundamental

inquiry into the basic components of our

life of the cosmos of our thinking

capacity and faculties so philos ophy

somehow understood as pure philosophy

metaphysics ontology first principles

and all that kind of thing like are

there rules of thinking and if there are

what are they what's the relationship of

thinking to being if there is one is to

be one and to be the same thing okay so

that's kind of your properly speaking

purely philosophical

inquiry okay but I don't think that all

by itself that's enough and there are

two other pillars that in my my view are

necessary to sort of triangulate when

you're trying to make sense of the

world so the second one is politics or

you could say political philosophy now

this is where we kind of take all of the

rigor and depth and passion for wisdom

that we have in the first pillar and we

apply it to the world of political life

what is law what is Justice what's the

balance between what's good for me

what's good for you what's good for me

and what's good for everyone what's the

status of communities of various kinds

family Nation tribe Empire in what sense

should we or shouldn't we be bound by

our linguistic communities and partially

that's a question that overlaps with

Reflections on the nature of language as

such should we aim in our political life

at what equality Freedom Excellence

Empire honor Conquest immortality Glory

heroism and if it's any of those what

kinds of heroism who should be our

heroes what does it mean to have a hero

to pick a hero what does it mean to be a

hero so okay we have to have some

concern with political philosophy with

politics with the realm of the political

Community because that's kind of the

water in which we move you know like it

matters this is the thing that you

dispute over and debate over policies

politicians

spending should we have five times more

immigrants than we have or should we

close the door to immigrants completely

and Deport the ones that we do have well

you you got your natural reaction to

that but you also have kind of thinking

through what's implied by all of those

possible positions assumptions emotions

and in many cases the people who are the

greatest philosophers in terms of as it

were pure philosophy they're also the

most helpful in thinking about Pol iCal

philosophy they often have books

dedicated to each of these so for

example Hegel has a book on philosophy

of right which teaches you something

about politics but he also has a book on

logic which teaches you something

about the mind of God before God ever

created a world okay if you're he

hegelian expert and you didn't like my

formulation don't worry about it I'm

just trying to convey the gist of the

fact that these different books address

different Realms or different domains

okay and the philosophers will address

political life in a philosophical spirit

and with an eye to understanding the

nature of political things okay

Aristotle's got a book metaphysics and

he also has a book called the politics

all right so that's kind of what I mean

so on one hand you have the pure

philosophy so to speak which seems like

it's really distant from our basic

political concerns then you have the

realm of politics you know our concern

for it political Theory political

science political philosophy everything

that begins to raise these foundational

questions about our life lived together

in political communities and the third

pillar this is actually the one that I

started with in my own intellectual

Journey before I ever studied Plato

before I ever studied Aristotle before I

took an interest in heiger well before

I'd ever heard of Dugan and that is

Broad umbrella here a term that's going

to capture a lot of different things but

still you know you can identify it as

one

mysticism so mysticism political

philosophy and philosophy mysticism

politics and philosophy that's my system

for triangulating in meaning making

sense making interpretation and there

are a lot of reasons for that so

mysticism let's give you a simple

introduction simple presentation simple

sort of

overview Mystics are those who seek

Union with the almighty Union with the

absolute Union with God some sort of

self- transcendence going Beyond The

Limited confines of their psychological

self going Beyond The Limited experience

of their empirical self so you know you

eat you sleep you bathe you brush your

teeth you do all these things you feel

hunger you feel thirst you have sex okay

some of you do some of you don't and all

of the sorts of ordinary parts of life

that you experience that's one thing but

then you know you kind of have this

let's say subconscious I'm not telling

you what this is I'm not telling you

that this is what mysticism M but I'm

getting there okay you have your dream

world you have your sort of re

Ries you have your sometimes sense of

Destiny or fate you have the still Small

Voice you know things that are a little

bit removed from your empirical self

things that are a little bit deeper and

more mysterious than even your daylight

psychological self parts of you that are

hidden to you concealed from you deas

absconditus okay the hidden God in you

and uh above you so mysticism is this

longing to have an immediate somehow

encounter with the Divine and there are

different forms and there are different

experiences and yet there are

commonalities and the thing that set me

off in my intellectual Journey later in

life when I started the study philosophy

proper was this weird intuition that I

had reading the mystics which was that

you had a Jewish Mystic here an Islamic

Mystic here a kind of contemporary

beatnik hippie psychoanalytic Mystic

here you you know you had systems of

symbolism like tarot astrology Alchemy

and there seemed to be a kind of

commonality underneath the mystical

experience they seemed to be translating

into the language of their given

religious tradition what seemed kind of

on the surface to be a similar

experience so somebody talked about you

know experiencing the mysterious light

of Tabor that's a reference to Orthodox

Christianity somebody talked about the

discovery of the Hidden Imam that's kind

kind of Shia Islamic figure that you

sometimes see somebody had a kind of uh

Oceanic feeling which Sigman Freud

analyzed in his own way but everybody

was attesting to the possibility of a

certain sort of self-transcendence the

discovery of a kind of hidden root or

reality one that is closer to ourselves

than we ourselves are one that is more

intimate to us than anything else it's a

whole realm of mystical territory

somehow that these people discover and

then they have a very hard time this is

another commonality generally speaking

among the mystics The Experience itself

is ineffable it's very difficult or

impossible to communicate and yet you

are so inspired to try to evoke it in

other people and to try to put it into

language to try to give it its due to

sing the Praises of this uh loving bond

with Absol with the absolute or with God

and so the mystics end up they end up

developing a very beautiful language of

symbolism and of allegory as well as a

kind of linguistic operation where the

the formulations are meant to be

evocative okay the mystics language is

in part designed to take you to the

brink of the Mystic

experience sometimes it's like that okay

so they are masterful technicians of

language I think it was Jose Orga is

that how you pronounce it gaset g

Jose who said that he said something

like the mystical thinkers or the

mystics are the true technicians of the

word in other words they have learned to

use

language to its limits to its extent

something that attracts me about Dara by

the way he has this in common with the

mystics even though somehow he doesn't

have that transcending the lional

experience that they have but this

folding language in and around itself in

order to evoke kind of a threshold

experiences I think he does have to a

certain extent but he he invokes them

within language whereas the takes one

step outside of language and then comes

back in to try to get you across across

that divide

so philosophy politics mysticism now why

do you need mysticism I think there are

a lot of reasons I mean the religious

symbolism comes onto the table not

through philosophy proper and not

through political philosophy but through

the mystical tradition that's where you

can begin to think somehow about the

structural similarities between politics

and spirituality the whole language of

angels of demons of conversion

experiences of fallenness of The Dark

Knight of a soul of

redemption um you could say that under

mysticism I include theology okay

reflection on basic our arguments and

Concepts concerning God and doctrines

and dogmas but even more so again for me

personally in my teaching and my

thinking and my learning and in my life

it's the mystical Tendencies within any

religion that have been the most

revealing now sometimes you combine

these things you take a mystical

approach to philosophy and you see that

okay philosophy has a certain sort of

ascent built into it it's a purification

a moral purification intellectual

purification and somehow the peak of

that Ascent is a kind of mystical

Rapture now you don't have to believe

that but if you're trained in the texts

of the mystics you begin to see it in

the works of the philosophers maybe not

all of them but many of them give you a

quick example right now I happen to be

reading Julius Evola the uh Tantra of

power I think it's called and he's

setting out the basic Notions of tantric

Buddhism and as I'm going through that

and as he's talking about certain

specific yogic operations certain let's

say acts of concentration that are

designed to concentrate your faculties

in a way that makes you open to subtle

spiritual realities there are

parallelisms now I'm not saying they are

equivalencies but they are Illuminating

parallelisms to my mind between some of

the operations he's describing and

something like decart's meditations

which if you know anything about

decart's meditations it's an operation

that you are invited to perform in which

you suspend the question of the reality

of the external World in order to see

whether there's anything that you can

know for sure and the idea is that you

can't even know mathematics for assured

because it's possible that you've been

tricked into believing that the

mathematical laws hold and all of this

sort of thing okay we're going to talk

about dayart on a separate occasion but

in order to have the possibility of

exploring the parallelism you have to

know dayart and the other side of the

equation here it happens to be as I say

this book on tantric uh Buddhism is

making the connection for me but it's

also the case that

in in for example Hegel it helped to

know some references to mysticism

because he himself had referred to

mysticism there's a book for example

Hegel in the Hermetic tradition which

makes this point and where Hegel says

that reason is the rose on the cross of

the present referring to rosac crucian

uh teaching so there's that sort of

historical side that philosophers had

been interested in the esoteric

interested in the occult interested in

the mystical but there's also the

presence of the mystical attested to

somehow implicitly or explicitly in

their writings for me to repeat this was

crucial when I read Hegel it's crucial

for me as I read hi heiger you know I

have this book here contributions to

philosophy of the event which I have a

course on and teach often in private

tutoring and read and reread if you can

see how dogar that is underlined all

over the place and unlike being in time

this book contributions to philosophy of

the event is in a way to be read as a

kind of mystical initiation manual

haiger writes about the invisible ring

enclosing those whose questioning is

answered by the intimation of being the

invisible ring okay and he talks about

the um he talks about kind of mystical

figures okay figures that are familiar

from not just figures but structures and

patterns and things like that that

remind you more of mysticism than of

than of like academic philosophy or pure

philosophy or system philosophy

something like that so okay I thought

that I would just share this with you

three pillars in a way I kind of went in

I kind of went in reverse order because

for me mysticism was first then

philosophy so when I started reading my

first proper books of philosophy and

philosophy 101 so many years ago now it

was like oh yeah okay I see it right

this is obvious the mystics need

philosophy because philosophy kind of is

everything that can be articulated up to

and just shy of the mystical

experience and the philosophers need

mysticism because they can say

everything except for that sort of last

final moment you know that final

captivating en rapturing

self-transcendence that you get attested

to by the mystics is missing from the

philosophers who don't realize that

mysticism is their Capstone I'm telling

you what I thought as a first year

undergraduate okay that oh yeah

obviously philosophy and mysticism

complete each other like it how could

you not see it and the missing piece for

me of this Trifecta the emphasis on

political philosophy on the distinctly

important and Central somehow phenomenon

of political life in our

self-standing that was a function of my

discovery of Leo Strauss The Great Leo

Strauss okay I give a lot of credit to

Leo Strauss as the greatest teacher in

our time of the history of political

philosophy he left an incredible Legacy

in his students and I can't imagine how

I would have developed in my life but

for st's work on the history of

political philosophy which is so

meaningful to me

and you could say if I had to distill

his insight into a single short

statement

here

struss showed in many different

ways that in some sense political

philosophy is the heart of philosophy

you can't just jump to what is being

what is thought what is Unity what is

truth you can't just jump straight into

that deep end and all the more so you

can't really go into the crazy extremes

of Mystic reflection on cosmogenesis

andropenis Divine Union with the

Almighty which is one of the names of a

work by Al gazali I believe right Divine

Union with the almighty or mystical

Union with the almighty uh you can't

quite go there right away you risk

jumping over like a hugely important

preliminary step which is reflection on

on our world what is you know what is

the relationship between philosophy and

the political Community is a question

that you can't answer on the basis of

pure philosophy but that is kind of

fundamental for self-reflection and

self- understanding because you

philosophize in the heart of and in the

midst of a political community so if I

just randomly start saying oh yeah Allah

La is unjust well I could get you know

locked up and whatever put in jail or

killed by my neighbor or many other

things not not by my neighbor

hypothetically okay all kinds of things

can happen so here's the sort of

syllogism you know if philosophy is

self- knowledge or must be concerned

with self- knowledge and if the

relationship between the philosopher to

the non-philosopher is a crucial

component in self- knowledge then you

know political philosophy which deals

with that relationship is an integral

part of philosophy proper because it's

an integral part of self- knowledge if

you skip over it if you belittle it if

you diminish it in some sense then

you're missing something

fundamental truly fundamental and then

you know the my this ISM comes into the

picture where it's like okay fine at the

same time and by the same token if you

philosophize meaning you somehow okay

there are many different ways of

characterizing what it means to

philosophize but if you're interested in

sort of the purification and

intensification of intellectual activity

through questioning what you regard as

basic

fundamental concepts truths or Essences

or you're trying to have some sort of

comprehensive grasp of the whole which

is another thing that philosophy is and

tries to accomplish and Longs for well

you have to take into account what the

mystics claim to have experienced

because they claim to have somehow uh

consummated that loving longing for a

grasp of the whole or that loving

longing for the source of truth of

goodness of light of beauty of

life that Divine spark in US isn't just

awakened in them it becomes an

all-consuming fire then again haiger

calls philosophy an all-consuming fire

so you begin to wonder how all of these

things relate to one another well okay

that as I said gives you in a nutshell

okay a 20 minute nutshell here three

pillars of sensemaking in my view

roughly stated I'm not reading notes

here I'm just talking to you philosophy

mysticism and politics meaning political

Theory political science political

philosophy especially all right we just

take all of that right now as an

undistinguished ho and later if you want

to know what the difference is between

all of those different approaches to

politics we could talk about it but for

now philosophy politics

mysticism and yeah I'd love to know what

you think about that let me tell you a

possible objection let me anticipate a

possible objection here I'm not saying

that no other approach to society and

man can teach us anything like anti-

economics anti psychology antis

sociology anti-history anti- literature

you know only

politics philosophy and mysticism help

us understand the world obviously not

that's not what I'm saying okay you

could have insights into the world

through economics through sociology

through

literature through the study of

languages okay philology all of these

kinds of things can teach you something

as I'm sure you know evolutionary

biology clearly you can learn something

relevant to yourself in the world

through those many lenses but somehow

when I look out at the meaning making

apparatus commonly represented among

intellectuals public intellectuals and

other sorts of

Scholars I would say that these are the

three conspicuously missing Dimensions

or sometimes you have one or two but not

all three of them so there are people

you can find online meaning makers who

do know something about philosophy and

they do know something about mysticism

but there's this sort of glaring gaping

hole where an emphasis on the political

should be or you know they're politics

politics politics politics but somehow

the two wings of philosophy and

mysticism are not quite

operative okay so this is the sense in

which I call them my meaning making

pillars you know or sense making pillars

why I think a triangulation could be

helpful mysticism and philosophy they

give you something but they Overlook

something politics and philosophy they

give you something but they Overlook

something politics and mysticism also

yes that's where you have your whole

language of end of times apocalypse

escaton catacon you all these sorts of

amazing eschatological Reflections on

the religious significance of politics

but hey don't forget to put as it were

the rigor and the

acuteness and the depth of pure

philosophy into the mix all right so

hopefully that's something I just

thought I'd sit down shoot this video

for you give you a rough sense if you

have any interest in how I come to these

questions and sort of what I try to

represent on this channel

because that's what it is okay that's

what it is and the background of

everything I do on this channel is what

I just told you the idea that we need

all three of those and uh you know I may

as well just take this occasion to say

for those of you who aren't sure why do

I sometimes discuss right-wing thingers

right-wing thinkers you know or if you

have come to expect that why then at

other times do I put Dera on the table

and it's in this Spirit as well the

spirit of a comprehensive grasp you want

to know the comprehensive spectrum of

political Theory and all of its

possibilities and I observed in my years

as a graduate student and subsequently

that you tend to get a pretty you know

how could you put it not reliable but if

you want to find the liberal perspective

on a question you can pretty much find

it and if you want to find the leftist

perspective on a question you could

pretty much find it and when I was a

student at University I just imagined to

myself if I asked the classmate name

five liberal thinkers they could do it

if I said name five leftist thinkers

they could do it but if I said name the

five most outstanding right-wing

thinkers I don't believe that they could

do it maybe they would mention n maybe

they would mention

haiger and then I think they'd be out a

bit of a loss and so in order to kind of

fix that imbalance in order to restore

the proper weight and in my opinion also

the proper dignity to the spectrum of

political thought it's necessary to

restore the part that's conspicuously

absent you know if it's the case that

all we knew was right-wing thinkers all

we'd ever read together all we'd ever

heard about from Cradle to grave was

right-wing thinkers and nobody had

studied a liberal thinker and nobody had

studied a leftist thinker then it could

very well be the case that I would be

championing the study of them okay

because what's the ultimate goal again

the ultimate goal My ultimate goal okay

you may have other ultimate goals but

the My ultimate goal and the goal of

this channel is to help you to think and

help myself to think and help you to

think more deeply more clearly and more

comprehensively about what it is to be a

human being what it is to be a member of

a political Community okay and what it

is to be an embodied Soul or a Divine

spark or whatever it is that we are if

we are one and uh you know that's why we

look out at these fields in order to get

the whole story about about the human

situation philosophy mysticism politics

they all play a part and so does the

need to cast a uh a big broad glance at

the Spectrum of political Theory not

just shutting off this side now it's

true polemically that I do sometimes do

it from the right towards the left you

know I say they're degenerate or clown

world or whatever the case is that's

true I think on a policy level that

often is true at a philosophical level

yeah it's important to show uh it's

important to show due dignity which I

try to do for example in my videos on

Dara so that's that I hope that you've

enjoyed this little overview learned

something from it I'm sure that many of

you will disagree with something that I

said in which case please feel free to

have it out in the comments and if

there's something I said that you think

Rings true I'd love to know that as well

again my name is Michael millerman I

teach online at millerman school.com I

write at millerman school. substack

and I will see you in the next video