"Faith seeking understanding"
Mahon McCann is an Irish philosophy Phd researcher and lecturer, specialising in ethics, philosophy of mind and digital technologies. He is a former atheist and Catholic convert and on this podcast he explores christian solutions to the meaning crisis, philosophy beyond reductive materialism, meaning and manipulation in the machine age and bridging the gap between the secular world and Christendom. Join the Raising the Cross substack to get every episode to your inbox 👇
www.mahonmccann.com (https://www.mahonmccann.com?utm_medium=podcast)
Plato's Republic, Book 10: Imitation, Immortality and the Myth of Er
Folks,
We have finally arrived at the final lecture of the course on Plato’s Republic on book 10!!!
In this final lecture, we survey Plato’s ontological critique of imitative art, the paradoxical case of Plato's frequent use of images despite his critiques, his arguments for the immortality of the soul and, finally, the famous Myth of Er.
Chapters:00:00 Welcome and Setup00:17 Why Book Ten Exists01:29 Being Versus Appearance02:39 Art Third From Truth05:16 Poets Without Knowledge09:33 Redeeming Images11:57 Myth of Er Begins13:14 Choosing Next Lives14:59 Lethe Rebirth and Wrap
FYI, this will be my last post until the end of September!
I am both getting married and finishing my PhD in the next month, so I’m going to take a back seat on the content until I emerge as a husband and a philosophy doctor.
However, we will be back come October time with some exciting announcements and additions to the future of the publication, so stay tuned and keep living the examined life in the meantime. 🍻
Best,
Mahon.
Get full access to Raising the Cross at www.mahonmccann.com/subscribe (https://www.mahonmccann.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)
20 Aug 2026
Plato’s Republic, Book 9: How the Tyrant Is Made (and Why Justice Wins)
We are back with Book 9 of Plato’s Republic, which deals with the genesis of the tyrant!
This book returns to the core question from Book 2: why the just person is happier than the unjust and whether the tyrant is wretched or blessed.
We will explain Plato’s account of how a tyrant develops from democratic permissiveness, losing the ability to distinguish necessary from unnecessary desires and becoming ruled by insatiable appetites, like someone living out the lawless impulses revealed in dreams.
The tyrant’s rise is enabled by a chaotic city, but his inner disorder makes him miserable, friendless, and unfree, contrasted with the philosopher-king who is ruled by reason. Mahon then outlines Plato’s further defences of justice: an argument from the tripartite soul and an argument about true vs illusory pleasures, culminating in the claim that justice is 729 times better than injustice.
Chapters:00:00 Welcome and Series Context00:16 Book Nine Big Question01:37 Dreams and Lawless Desires03:32 How a Tyrant Is Made04:51 Tyrant’s Addictions and Misery06:07 Political Rise of Tyranny09:03 Tyrant vs Philosopher King10:53 Tripartite Soul and True Judge14:10 Real vs Illusory Pleasure17:08 Dopamine Nation and Addiction20:11 The 729 Times Proof20:50 Conclusion: Justice Wins
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31 Jul 2026
Paul Kingsnorth: How HUMANITY beats the MACHINE
Hello there!
This interview has been a long time coming; I’ve always been a fan of Paul’s work, so it’s really great to get him on the pod for a chat on his latest book, ‘Against the Machine’.
In this episode we are discussing the history and concept of the machine, its spiritual and historical and philosophical roots, and most importantly, what a better story than the machine might look like? We explore how we return to tradition, our own conversion journeys, and how to counteract the dehumanising effects of modernity.
Chapters:00:00 Introduction and guest introduction01:05 What is the machine? Its history and systemic nature04:13 The spiritual and theological dimensions of the machine08:40 The modern pursuit of power and the myth of progress12:21 The fall, pride, and the desire to become gods16:40 The technological religion and the quest for immortality22:37 AI and the final stage of the machine30:07 A better story: returning to roots and tradition36:30 The Christian story, repentance, and living rightly48:49 The role of the Eucharist and spiritual renewal57:28 Conclusion: hope and returning to the eternal
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