Why Is The Modern World So Ugly? - The Cultural Tutor

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- VIDEO NOTES
Sheehan Quirke is known online as the Cultural Tutor. With over 1.6 million followers on X, he writes daily threads about art, architecture, and history.
- LINKS
The Cultural Tutor on X: / culturaltutor
Sign up for Sheehan's email list: www.culturaltutor.com/areopagus
- TIMESTAMPS
0:00 A beautiful education
5:40 The internet
20:52 Why is the modern world so ugly?
1:01:21 In defence of boring buildings
1:16:06 Cigarette break: how to do history
1:28:57 Why Sheehan doesn't read books from the last 50 years
1:32:37 Is lying always wrong?
1:36:08 Sheehan’s royal gift to Alex
1:44:49 Where do you go for wisdom?
- SPECIAL THANKS
As always, I would like to direct extra gratitude to my top-tier patrons:
John Early
Dmitry C.
Mouthy Buddha
Solaf
- CONNECT
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Alex O'Connor
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------------------------------------------

Пікірлер: 683

  • @CosmicSkeptic
    @CosmicSkeptic2 ай бұрын

    Get early access to episodes, and get them ad-free, by supporting the channel at www.Patreon.com/AlexOC

  • @overthecounterbeanie
    @overthecounterbeanie3 ай бұрын

    This interview is so British I got colonised.

  • @greghamilton6681

    @greghamilton6681

    3 ай бұрын

    Good. The next step is a colonoscopy. It hurts a whole lot more and is where most converts bail out. Hold your ground.

  • @joanabug4479

    @joanabug4479

    3 ай бұрын

    @@greghamilton6681 hurts?! a colonoscopy?! What kind of crazy docs are there in the UK?

  • @alb0zfinest

    @alb0zfinest

    3 ай бұрын

    The first 13min are just terrible elementary arguments already refuted so many times. Someone who is all about education arguing about something he seems to know nothing about.

  • @jodawgsup

    @jodawgsup

    2 ай бұрын

    @@alb0zfinest it really is sort of pathetic seeing Alex going down this road, circlejerking nonsense about how horrid modernity is and all that it creates

  • @trevorwillis1729

    @trevorwillis1729

    2 ай бұрын

    lol facts

  • @viewsandrates
    @viewsandrates3 ай бұрын

    A conversation between two young old men.

  • @jonathonjubb6626

    @jonathonjubb6626

    3 ай бұрын

    Brilliant observation...

  • @seanoneill9130

    @seanoneill9130

    3 ай бұрын

    Two self righteous simps posing as adults. When they are older they will look back at this trite tripe and squirm. That twat with the tash is like the living representation of an itchy hole.

  • @carnivoroussarah

    @carnivoroussarah

    3 ай бұрын

    Quite the paradigm; astute observation

  • @ryanthenormal

    @ryanthenormal

    3 ай бұрын

    With only amused appreciation in my intent, I am minded of the History Today sketches by Newman and Baddiel.

  • @thebacons5943

    @thebacons5943

    3 ай бұрын

    It’s basically a fraud congratulating himself while an intellectual with bills to pay listens

  • @sverdmester
    @sverdmester3 ай бұрын

    «it's like Tetris. You can't win» Guys, you haven't been keeping up on Tetris.

  • @attilatormasi1733

    @attilatormasi1733

    2 ай бұрын

    Tetris just crashes at a fix point. That is not winning it has just been declared as such because you can't get past that

  • @sverdmester

    @sverdmester

    2 ай бұрын

    @@attilatormasi1733 How appropriate for this channel that we need to ask ourselves the age old question: "what is winning?"

  • @ashleysherlock5705
    @ashleysherlock57053 ай бұрын

    I love how you have now had two guests walking out of this set mid-conversation but with totally different moods

  • @bassplayerbyrne

    @bassplayerbyrne

    2 ай бұрын

    incidentally this guest gave a facetious reference to the prior, at 1:49:29 !

  • @alexcoleridge1476
    @alexcoleridge14763 ай бұрын

    1:17:40 The bits where you cut back and forth between the empty chairs depending on who's talking made me laugh so much

  • @drainenjoyer

    @drainenjoyer

    3 ай бұрын

    alex lowkey funny ash

  • @chuckgaydos5387

    @chuckgaydos5387

    3 ай бұрын

    I should really watch these videos instead of just listening to them. I could have missed this.

  • @hokusai4687

    @hokusai4687

    3 ай бұрын

    My favorite part 😂😂😂

  • @xy22

    @xy22

    3 ай бұрын

    PRICELESS:DD

  • @lit2701

    @lit2701

    3 ай бұрын

    in 10 years people will think this isnt a joke but just an artifact of the A.I that cut the video.

  • @donaldanderson6578
    @donaldanderson65783 ай бұрын

    "I don't like to put books behind me for my videos because it looks pretentious." Alex O'Connor

  • @DavidSmith-vr1nb

    @DavidSmith-vr1nb

    3 ай бұрын

    That was clearly sarcasm.

  • @brotherben4357

    @brotherben4357

    3 ай бұрын

    Did Alex hurt your feelings, mate?

  • @anatolydyatlov963

    @anatolydyatlov963

    3 ай бұрын

    @@brotherben4357 I think the books did. He might be allergic to them

  • @aroemaliuged4776

    @aroemaliuged4776

    3 ай бұрын

    @@brotherben4357 Over supporting your hero leads to………….

  • @donaldanderson6578

    @donaldanderson6578

    3 ай бұрын

    @@DavidSmith-vr1nb lol

  • @deimos9134
    @deimos91343 ай бұрын

    This is the most British podcast ever.

  • @BallJuiceOfZeus

    @BallJuiceOfZeus

    3 ай бұрын

    Tell me the definition of "british" uncultured yank

  • @dylanperry4861

    @dylanperry4861

    3 ай бұрын

    People say that about everything Alex has ever done

  • @Gurkenklemme

    @Gurkenklemme

    3 ай бұрын

    As a German, that's the most British podcast I have ever heard and I totally love it.

  • @TheLeonhamm

    @TheLeonhamm

    3 ай бұрын

    @@Gurkenklemme Ditto.

  • @MrGraywood7

    @MrGraywood7

    3 ай бұрын

    So? Is it plus or minus?

  • @mulatso7959
    @mulatso79593 ай бұрын

    The empty seats was a fine comedic bit for a pretty interesting conversation

  • @anatolydyatlov963
    @anatolydyatlov9633 ай бұрын

    Wow, the audio quality is marvellous in this one! It's basically ASMR

  • @vnvivid

    @vnvivid

    2 ай бұрын

    Don’t get hot now!

  • @Sinsofcarolina
    @Sinsofcarolina3 ай бұрын

    Chris Evans is really committed to nailing this English role

  • @TaranTyler
    @TaranTyler3 ай бұрын

    Bro, "So far, so good." I'm dying here, lovely interview.

  • @rkverma2006
    @rkverma20063 ай бұрын

    I love the opening to this episode - random conversation 😅

  • @t3dwards13
    @t3dwards133 ай бұрын

    Great discussion!!! Hilarious to keep changing the camera while you smoke!!! No worries, I had a smoke break with y'all!

  • @Dian_Borisov_SW
    @Dian_Borisov_SW3 ай бұрын

    Rarely I listen to a podcast from start to end in one sitting but this here is an exception. You ought to invite this guest again

  • @Gurkenklemme
    @Gurkenklemme3 ай бұрын

    As a German, that's the most British podcast I have ever heard and I totally love it.

  • @Native_Man123

    @Native_Man123

    3 ай бұрын

    Exactly, stop the great replacement of Europe or we won't get shows like this anymore

  • @noobagooba4131

    @noobagooba4131

    3 ай бұрын

    @@Native_Man123bro go somewhere else with that garbage

  • @majeedmamah7457

    @majeedmamah7457

    3 ай бұрын

    ​@@Native_Man123ewww, fuck off disgusting nazi.

  • @cantatanoir6850

    @cantatanoir6850

    Ай бұрын

    ​@@Native_Man123Europeans could support local parties and politicians that are in favour of limitibg immigration

  • @stefponto6958
    @stefponto69583 ай бұрын

    Met both in Durham when Alex came to debate for the Durham Union. We had a pre debate dinner. Had no idea Sheehan was an influencer of sorts. Both the most down to earth lads! Love to see them do a podcast together. This will be a train journey treat.

  • @jroesbeats
    @jroesbeats3 ай бұрын

    Your best podcast to date. The banter between you two brings out the best of what you already do so well.

  • @docknocks7925
    @docknocks79253 ай бұрын

    been waiting for this since you mentioned it in the Pageau pod. good work mr cosmic

  • @BSwenson
    @BSwenson3 ай бұрын

    I selfishly loved this conversation because I’m an architect and it was interesting to hear two lay people talk for an hour about it. In response to why the modern state of architecture is “uglier” than the buildings of the past, I think that it’s an incredibly complex set of reasons, many of which were touched on. The impact of the automobile can’t be underestimated on how it has changed the scale and quantity of the built environment. The massive increase in the population, thereby requiring so many more buildings, has made buildings more industrialized and mass produced, making them less about design and craftsmanship and more about quantity over quality. The cost of construction and materials has vastly changed what we use to make buildings from. And technology has shifted the priorities of buildings and space. And I think we don’t educate the public on architecture nearly enough for them to understand what makes for good/beautiful architecture. We prioritize having lots of space over higher quality space. The houses we live in are 2-3x the size of what we used to live in. We care more about size of beauty.

  • @billwalton4571

    @billwalton4571

    3 ай бұрын

    modern buildings are nothing but repulsive trash

  • @Quonzan

    @Quonzan

    2 ай бұрын

    Also we have building codes now. Many people in ye olde times would have lived in shacks and hovels because that’s all they could afford. Those shacks and hovels were so badly built, they wouldn’t have come down to us. So that means we’re also dealing with some survivor bias - meaning we look at the houses that survived and conclude that all ye olde houses were well built and aesthetically pleasing, forgetting that those houses were built by those with enough money. Nowadays we have building codes that mean no one can build ramshackle hovels. (And rental laws that mean you can’t rent out ramshackle houses.) This means that people are obliged to live in better quality houses, but because lacking money is still a thing, people scrimp on the details that make a house aesthetically pleasing because… they literally can’t afford it. See: 90% of NZ’s housing stock.

  • @jhodapp

    @jhodapp

    2 ай бұрын

    I couldn’t agree more…today I think nothing shapes building’s form more than the automobile and mostly for worse.

  • @Nickers19

    @Nickers19

    7 күн бұрын

    Thanks for the inside insight😊! When you say the automobile changed architecture do you mean that we now have to fit buildings into smaller spaces?

  • @AlexCMoro81
    @AlexCMoro81Ай бұрын

    ❤ What a soulful conversation! ❤ I must say that trees make up for any architectural disaster, there is something healing about them.

  • @andiwestcott7187
    @andiwestcott71872 ай бұрын

    This conversation is awesome, it truly feels like a conversation between two close friends. And the bit when you two are missing is HILARIOUS

  • @warmflash
    @warmflash2 ай бұрын

    You two are wonderful. Great chemistry great conversation. I hope this is the start of a beautiful collaboration. ❤❤❤❤❤

  • @covereye5731
    @covereye57313 ай бұрын

    As much as I hate smoking, the break format was great

  • @henrikasteberg1218
    @henrikasteberg12182 ай бұрын

    16:07 I love how casually you just went outside to continue the conversation, hilarious! And swapping the camera between the chairs is comedy gold!

  • @CybergothAesthetics
    @CybergothAesthetics3 ай бұрын

    I really enjoyed listening to this conversation ✨💎🫶🏾

  • @vakusdrake3224
    @vakusdrake32243 ай бұрын

    Honestly if you took someone from ancient Egypt to the modern day and showed them the pyramids they would be aghast. Since the pyramids would originally have been smooth gleaming white with a gold cap.

  • @cat_and_cabbage4662

    @cat_and_cabbage4662

    3 ай бұрын

    Source?

  • @pierzing.glint1sh76

    @pierzing.glint1sh76

    3 ай бұрын

    @@cat_and_cabbage4662 the history channel

  • @gnosiqday5387

    @gnosiqday5387

    3 ай бұрын

    @@cat_and_cabbage4662it is known

  • @GrenadeApple3

    @GrenadeApple3

    3 ай бұрын

    ​@@cat_and_cabbage4662history

  • @Nestor__Makhno

    @Nestor__Makhno

    3 ай бұрын

    ​@@cat_and_cabbage4662trust me bruv

  • @liaminrio5463
    @liaminrio54633 ай бұрын

    Love this channel.

  • @justindunlap6009
    @justindunlap60093 ай бұрын

    Life is like Tetris. It advances more quickly as you play longer, random pieces often misfit the base layer, the point of playing is not to reach an end point, and if you stop trying you will lose quickly. Accurate model of the environment

  • @giuseppersa2391
    @giuseppersa23913 ай бұрын

    A singularly exceptional discussion 😊

  • @AurorXZ
    @AurorXZ3 ай бұрын

    I'm 20 seconds in and good lord, that hair. Magnificent.

  • @BradleyRoberti
    @BradleyRoberti3 ай бұрын

    Ah! Forgot to prompt the wisdom question beforehand… maybe next time! Another great episode

  • @jadonharper1493
    @jadonharper14933 ай бұрын

    You’re OBSESSED with architecture. As someone who is interested in architecture I’ve found the recent discussions very intriguing, although you should’ve pushed him more on brutalism, maybe then we could’ve gotten him to toss a pillow in frustration.

  • @briancomley8210
    @briancomley82103 ай бұрын

    I don't think the world is ugly any more so than before.

  • @VintemTraducoes

    @VintemTraducoes

    3 ай бұрын

    My hunch is that the media by which people "access" the past often lacks a truthful depiction of the horrid state of affairs. They forget that the ancient world wasn't one made in marble, for instance. Or even that the 19th century is not predominantly the coquetry of saloons and balls that we come across in the novels and films.

  • @MrReedling

    @MrReedling

    3 ай бұрын

    But look at the state of which less important construction is being carried out. We no longer have elegant boulevards, cozy alleys or majestic bridges. This is simple stuff like infrastructure. In the past they would always be embellished with character. Nowadays we don’t think beauty exists, or atleast we have kept the label and removed its content so who is to put any value in it. The world has definetly become more ugly. Not because of changing taste or style but simply by the fact that aesthetics arent viewed as important. Today we build dark parking garages full of concrete. Do you really believe that these structures would be as hideous if they were built 200 years ago?

  • @gabri41200

    @gabri41200

    3 ай бұрын

    @MrReedling seems like you're romanticizing a past that never happened. 200 years ago, the streets were filled with horse crap, the smell was unbearable, as depicted in many books from the time. I really don't see old buildings as beautiful in any way. Glass and steel are much more visually clean, as they make the spaces feel much more open.

  • @eolendes6432

    @eolendes6432

    3 ай бұрын

    @@MrReedling What do you mean by "the world"? it feels like you should travel more.

  • @MrReedling

    @MrReedling

    3 ай бұрын

    @@eolendes6432 architecture has adopted the ”global westernised culture”. Since it is a very academic profession, being very western in its organisation architecture is generally built on the same ideas globally if we’re talking about the last 80 years. Architecture is being treated similarly across the world because smaller countries naturally want to copy the culture of the hegemon. Of course there are differences, but I don’t get how that ties back to my comment. Things like highways and parking garages look pretty much universally the same wherever you go and traditional architecture is universally more beautiful wherever you go.

  • @shyrealist
    @shyrealist3 ай бұрын

    1:18 That long pause... Priceless!

  • @Godzilla010_

    @Godzilla010_

    3 ай бұрын

    Also there are 2 cuts during it lol. Its kind of annoying that he said "what do you think it means" when really he just didnt have an answer.

  • @shyrealist

    @shyrealist

    3 ай бұрын

    @@Godzilla010_ I did wonder if it is longer IRL, but given the informal start (lazy editing?) I'm willing to believe nothing was left on the cutting room floor 🤣

  • @shyrealist

    @shyrealist

    3 ай бұрын

    @@Godzilla010_ and yes it would have been annoying if Alex didn't clarify the question. @CosmicSkeptic is truly sharpening those interview skills it's been a pleasure to watch his progression over the past few years!

  • @jjrodriguez6513

    @jjrodriguez6513

    3 ай бұрын

    I figured he got emotional and just asked for it to be cut out in post. It’s hard to be emotional/teary eyed in front of millions of people you don’t know.

  • @shyrealist

    @shyrealist

    3 ай бұрын

    @@jjrodriguez6513 who wouldn't?! Gazing into Alex's grey eyes... 🤣

  • @bernardofitzpatrick5403
    @bernardofitzpatrick54033 ай бұрын

    Fascinating discussion !

  • @Nickers19
    @Nickers196 күн бұрын

    Loved the conversation❤👌The guest is pretty erudite, especially for his age, Alex, you should definetely bring him back

  • @irti_pk
    @irti_pk3 ай бұрын

    Ok but the cigarette break part is such a vibe

  • @lllULTIMATEMASTERlll
    @lllULTIMATEMASTERlll3 ай бұрын

    I loved the casual attitude of this podcast. Felt like two dudes just talking about stuff at the bar.

  • @MosestheGrey
    @MosestheGrey3 ай бұрын

    Alex, for what its worth I often put your videos on my second monitor while I play Baldur's Gate 3 or Cities Skylines. I appreciate the conversation as opposed to all the colorful pulled up socks you're guests wear.

  • @stonecoldscubasteveo4827
    @stonecoldscubasteveo48273 ай бұрын

    In a recent move I ran across a few old issues of Time, Newsweek, and various newspapers from the 80s that my mother had put aside for whatever reason. Reading the articles was a real eye-opener, as everything was written as if the audience was made of literate adults. The contrast between these grownup-oriented bits of prose and the grade-school level sorts of things you run into in news articles today was stark.

  • @aarondavis8943

    @aarondavis8943

    3 ай бұрын

    There are intelligent articles today, just like there was then. And there was plenty of propagandistic nonsense back then, as there is today. I experienced the 80s, and it was a time of supreme arrogance, ignorance, hypocrisy and selfishness. You can't look at a few articles and make an accurate judgement about a historical period. Television was total garbage in the 80s. Newspapers were as bad then as they are now. The New York Times basically pushed hawkish, cold war propaganda not much more objective than Pravda. There is hundreds' of times more quality material on youtube alone than there was in all the media combined in the 80s. And worst of all, the average citizen _had no way of authenticating anything._ Now, we can do our own research and check facts for ourselves with more effectiveness than at any time in history.

  • @jhodapp

    @jhodapp

    2 ай бұрын

    This is a very keen observation.

  • @whitewhite2410
    @whitewhite24102 ай бұрын

    This two guys are amazing ❤❤

  • @claudiavargas6196
    @claudiavargas61963 ай бұрын

    As an architect from Latin America, I found this discussion fascinating!

  • @javierpacheco8234

    @javierpacheco8234

    2 ай бұрын

    What is your favorite architecture, or what kind of architecture do you like?

  • @LeeJCander
    @LeeJCander3 ай бұрын

    I actually love my relationship with social media. I’m pretty selfish with it. I post my own stuff, keep in contact with friends I’ve made from the armed forces, travelling and/or university and that’s about it. I don’t endlessly scroll very often. I turn off notifications from Facebook and Instagram. I don’t have e Twitter. I am more interested in KZread as people like yourself, Bart Erham and various others post content I enjoy which most consider educational. I am able to keep my toes dipped in philosophy and mythology which I did my degree and masters in. I learn about strength training, dead languages, guitar and singing (I’m an operatic tenor) I think a lesson I have learned is to keep my mind too busy with things I want to learn than I can often endlessly scroll.

  • @_abdul
    @_abdul3 ай бұрын

    That Ciggerate break and the Camera switching to the Speaker's empty chairs is the most Alex thing Alex can ever Alex.

  • @theowainwright7406
    @theowainwright74063 ай бұрын

    I find the shard not to be all too ugly, and it’s very very useful for navigating while cycling around

  • @alzblb1417
    @alzblb14172 ай бұрын

    I like how he mentioned Tetris as an endless game, but it was beaten this year for the first time in history.

  • @curmudgeon1933
    @curmudgeon19333 ай бұрын

    39:00. One important difference between then and now, concerning the quaint villages, is that when they were built, many farm labourers, mill workers, miners, etc. were provided accommodation by their employers, for rent. When they lost their job, they often lost their homes. Also many village cottages nowadays are 2 or 3 dwellings knocked into one...and costing many hundreds of thousands. The current owners have plenty of money to spend on beautifying their properties, while the original occupants were often very poor, and had large families It's the same in the cities. Tiny mews houses and red-brick Victorian factories, that survived the WW2 bombings, have been gentrified, and turned into expensive houses and flats for the owners of those village residences. As industry collapsed and rural work disappeared, the housing assets were appropriated by the wealthy, and the poor are increasingly forced into ugly, unsafe(Grenfell), living spaces. They are the slums and filthy tenements of the modern age

  • @mjhrobson
    @mjhrobson3 ай бұрын

    Fantastic... I kind of wish I was there to join in.

  • @spiralsausage
    @spiralsausage3 ай бұрын

    16:29 you say this as I am doing the washing up with my phone on the side 😂 Thank you for helping me not be alone with my thoughts while going about these daily mundane tasks

  • @thepiratecentipede1631
    @thepiratecentipede16312 ай бұрын

    Absolutely loved this

  • @lastround2357
    @lastround23573 ай бұрын

    came to read the comments to see wtf is the video about. i forgot it's only been 4 minutes!

  • @FinallyAlmino
    @FinallyAlmino2 ай бұрын

    That was without a doubt, and without hyperbole, the most enjoyable conversation I've listened to. I felt like I was one of your old friends right there with you. Please bring this man back for more

  • @Nickers19

    @Nickers19

    7 күн бұрын

    They are a really cool duo to listen to, I agree with bringing Sheehan back

  • @doyle6000
    @doyle60003 ай бұрын

    Good stuff 👍

  • @xy22
    @xy223 ай бұрын

    Wooow! I never expected to hear about Serbia or the Saint Sava's Temple/Church (not cathedral, as it's orthodox) on Alex's platform, and especially not with a positive tone considering the role the Serbian Orthodox Church plays in both Serbia and Balkans (and especially in the last 5-10 years). Awesome:D Greetings from Serbia!

  • @JNB0723
    @JNB07233 ай бұрын

    Regarding the efficacy of the internet, it appears that the issue lies less in the preoccupation with the inconsequential- provided a basis for measuring value can even be established- and more in the dependency on continuous stimulation: challenges that may have originated from the formative years of many individuals (growing up with the constant stimulation from screens). If the internet were used solely as a tool for education, it could arguably be the paramount mechanic of the modern age. However, its usage as an instrument has become a crux for many people, and that is where issues stem from.

  • @ballisticfish1212
    @ballisticfish12123 ай бұрын

    His advice to read 1 primary source and ‘extrapolating’ from that to supposedly ‘really understand’ what it was like in a given time period is pretty questionable advice. Sure it’s interesting but you shouldn’t form anything beyond very small-scale historical conclusion from only 1 primary source, especially given most people do not have the expertise to fully analyse and take valuable information from a historical primary source.

  • @ballisticfish1212

    @ballisticfish1212

    3 ай бұрын

    You cannot just ‘become a historian’ by applying your mind to a primary source , if you don’t have the skills to do so. You can definitely get something valuable out of it but I would argue it’s only a method of ‘understanding’ maybe a small aspect of history

  • @user-wn1kq8jx5q

    @user-wn1kq8jx5q

    3 ай бұрын

    Preach.

  • @illumithorhoops6559
    @illumithorhoops65592 ай бұрын

    Have you been to marlin bahnhoff? Absolutely a marvel of modern architecture that expresses the same grandiosity you mentioned in the video. Absolutely stunning

  • @discursion
    @discursion3 ай бұрын

    Wonderful indeed!

  • @Cinerolo
    @Cinerolo3 ай бұрын

    I love the cuts to the chairs as you guys were outside.😂😂

  • @vickiwhalan4328
    @vickiwhalan43283 ай бұрын

    Loved the conversation, hated the smoking! You're killing your lungs. Love Mum

  • @mokeboi3328
    @mokeboi33283 ай бұрын

    Man these podcasts just get better and better…I am UK chartered Architect. Alex you are ahead of the curve..the UK government recently smuggled into the planning law the need for “Beauty”. This podcast also provides me with 2 hours “continuing professional development” points. Kudos sir. I try to bring beauty into my small pocket of Yorkshire. (Wildblood Macdonald)

  • @raquetdude

    @raquetdude

    3 ай бұрын

    What Jacob Reese Mog an average bloke on the street and a professional artist and professional modern artist believe beauty is so vast it’s gonna be weird. Might have never had Tudor, Gothic, Georgian or Victorian style if they were limited to their current views of beauty back then

  • @fortuner123
    @fortuner1233 ай бұрын

    We all have different takes on the meaning of words, how each individual assesses them. That's why the famous phrase 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder' sums it all up. I think he was trying to reinvent that in his own clumsy way.

  • @FinnA07
    @FinnA073 ай бұрын

    Well if it starts of with mentioning musicals i guess this will be a good episode xD

  • @ionasmith1998
    @ionasmith19983 ай бұрын

    LMAO the bit with the chairs 😂

  • @MKII-OFFICIAL
    @MKII-OFFICIAL2 ай бұрын

    I believe that changing the stance on a concept/theorie/etc. is a good thing. I was a strong believer that 1 of the biggest threats to society misinformation was. @13:20 gave me an insight which made me reevaluate my stance. I still think it is a threat but in context I now think that with the internet we have far better resources to counter the misinformation

  • @graceemilydoug
    @graceemilydoug3 ай бұрын

    Alex, you should try talking to Thomas Heatherwick. Architect with a book (Humanise) on modernist architecture and solutions within the field.

  • @mokeboi3328

    @mokeboi3328

    3 ай бұрын

    Or me....me is an accomplished artichoke....

  • @shyrealist
    @shyrealist3 ай бұрын

    I think you can stop asking that question at the end now, that was the best answer 😊

  • @Saritabanana
    @Saritabanana3 ай бұрын

    We started our evolution journey with a "beautiful" relationship with nature. I know that when I'm not near trees and birds I feel a bit empty. Right now architects are getting together to develop housing communities based on this new concept of "Trauma informed design" which includes lots of nature and also the design is in a way that encourages socializing. If this will help the poorest people among us, those whom have been homeless, those whom have lost everything then why can't this design be integrated in more city buildings? The design itself increases quality of life. We need beauty and bird feeders and binoculars and huge trees that welcome owls and other wildlife. Native vines growing about. Running water streams that encourages fishing. We need community and design can encourage that. So many ideas! I'm really enjoying this conversation! The internet brought this to me and for that I'm very grateful. Even if I at the age of 45 will never have the chance to work in this area I will sill have the opportunity to talk to youngsters with hopes of inspiring

  • @geekexmachina
    @geekexmachina3 ай бұрын

    Many years ago me and my freinds got an unabridged version of "scouting for boys" (with all the unique bits which were later removed). I think reading it gave me a glimpse into the mindset of Lord BP and some of the thinking of the times it was written and its funny how people think the young have it easy and there parents are feckless and lack drive or direction etc. similly I had a teacher who talked of the importance of samuel pepys diaries.

  • @maximthefox
    @maximthefoxАй бұрын

    It's interesting viewing the world as if you're from the far past or the far future. And looking at everything as if it's almost alien or archaic. Just a way of viewing your world with a sense of awe and amazement and appreciation for being able to experience it. It's difficult to do that, and certainly difficult to do it all the time. But for me, it's at least an interesting exercise, and I can achieve that feeling to some extent for a brief while.

  • @TheAngryAtheist
    @TheAngryAtheist3 ай бұрын

    With misinformation, i think its most accurate to say that whats changed is the scope at which its viewed, or its accessibility. Just like information, it was always there, but it was confined to pockets, bubbles of tribes and communities, and as time progressed, countries and so on. I think that access to information goes hand in hand with access to misinformation, and ultimately, as we gain greater access to information we are bestowed with greater responsibility to ensure its quality.

  • @billwalton4571

    @billwalton4571

    3 ай бұрын

    the only responsibility you should be thinkin about is gettin educated because your dum!

  • @jonnawyatt
    @jonnawyatt3 ай бұрын

    Interesting conversation. 48:48 Maybe Alex could give us a rendition?

  • @shyrealist
    @shyrealist3 ай бұрын

    New podcast idea: "Friends in a Street" ❤

  • @JamesSmithereen
    @JamesSmithereen3 ай бұрын

    Literally was washing up listening on earphones when it was suggested people were doing that

  • @ConorSantry
    @ConorSantry3 ай бұрын

    1:16:27 I had indeed left my laptop to the side and was doing the washing up 😆

  • @talithau8986
    @talithau89863 ай бұрын

    Why does the opening feel like between the ferns 😂

  • @z1xax1z
    @z1xax1z3 ай бұрын

    A better comparison to the Vegas Sphere is probably Time Square. I think another point that hasnt been made (to this point in the show) is how the first big new projects look the most out of place and therefore garish because the surrounding skyline hasnt been updated and aesthetically filled in around big new projects like this. One of the reason things that have been around for at least several decades look less out of place is because of the even just slightly gravitational pull of new project around it to adopt its style a bit even if not completely. The giant centerpiece TV in time square would look like an affront to the eyes if all the buidling around it were also still old red brick. The first brutalist structures were almost certainly these just completely out of place cubes when everything around it was still brick with metal roofing with chimneys and what not. But as the city continues to update it all blends together.

  • @notahumanbeing6892

    @notahumanbeing6892

    3 ай бұрын

    this is a good perspective i hadn’t thought of

  • @royloveday4350
    @royloveday43503 ай бұрын

    Sometimes the beauty comes from the hands that created. Hands that with a subtle touch can feel quality. Take a bit more time to find the philosophy of that whose make or you will miss how what is tangible is part of ourselves.

  • @notahumanbeing6892
    @notahumanbeing68923 ай бұрын

    continuing to edit the video after they leave for a cig is the best possible gag that shit is so funny

  • @ninjaawesome7058
    @ninjaawesome70583 ай бұрын

    Beautiful last statement

  • @jamesbrixey8102
    @jamesbrixey81023 ай бұрын

    What is Brian David Gilbert doing on your podcast Alex?

  • @bassplayerbyrne

    @bassplayerbyrne

    2 ай бұрын

    Does a skyrim book report count as books written in the last 50 years ?

  • @julianblake8385
    @julianblake83853 ай бұрын

    I got the impression this guy ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-talked a whole lot, but said very little: Beauty is subjective, people don't like new things, people like old things not because they are beautiful but because they are old, it has always been like that, Read primary sources instead of history books. That a a lot of rhetorical questions out of nowhere than didn't really seem to go anywhere and that lacked context or real relevance.

  • @vast634
    @vast6343 ай бұрын

    11:00 the Tetris analogy didn't age well

  • @LittleMAC78
    @LittleMAC783 ай бұрын

    I remember having to learn the soliloquy from Macbeth in school, too...

  • @APaleDot
    @APaleDot3 ай бұрын

    11:00 "What is the nature of Tetris? You can't win." BlueScuti has entered the chat.

  • @JL-ti3us
    @JL-ti3us3 ай бұрын

    Could anyone add a list of books discussed in these episodes to the description?

  • @loiiblank4699
    @loiiblank46993 ай бұрын

    This man be dripped as fuck.

  • @liambishop9888

    @liambishop9888

    3 ай бұрын

    What do you mean by "dripped"?

  • @loiiblank4699

    @loiiblank4699

    3 ай бұрын

    @@liambishop9888 What do you mean by "coloquialiy used slang for: dressed very well or pleasing to the eye"?

  • @liambishop9888

    @liambishop9888

    3 ай бұрын

    @@loiiblank4699 thanks

  • @liambishop9888

    @liambishop9888

    3 ай бұрын

    @@loiiblank4699 thanks

  • @davidfereira5354
    @davidfereira53543 ай бұрын

    Smoking is bad.

  • @pappapaps
    @pappapaps2 ай бұрын

    William Morris was talking about the streets of London, not the train station. When was the world not ugly? The better question is *when and where.* When and where sufficient time and resources are spent on facades and interior, visual environments are pleasing. Optimists, for whom the system seems to work, will often bob and weave to avoid facing the reality that modern capitalism and the collective/individual quest of greed has caused most of our modern issues, especially the ugliness that is despised today. Sheehan Quirke doesn't strike me as the type to spend his days peddling on ugly train tracks, through ugly vistas and torn down stations, from ugly industrial job sites with dripping rust, to ugly mass constructed workers ghettos with dripping rust. For Petes sake, most town streets are littered with ugly stores and megamarts. Everywhere you look it's glowing plastic and crying concrete. At the end of the previous century, depending on where you live, the pricing laws for common housing ensured that apt resources went into building projects. The profit you could earn and the price you could charge where tied to the cost of construction and upkeep. Today you can charge "market price and rent" which basically means tough cheese for consumers. It also means that there is no incentive to make nice things. Why make an expensive facade? It will only subtract from the bottom line. This is why the old part of town looks nicer. Inb4 "complaining about capitalism from a smartphone" arguments: Nope, sorry, your dad is wrong about everything. Your smartphone and computer, while bearing capitalist markings, overpricing and the shame of child labour, where researched and developed in the state sector, and the internet was called DARPAnet before the US STATE military shared it with the reprobate. Basically, everything that works was RnD'd in the state. Capitalism piggy back rides on industrialism and the commisar class can't and won't aknowledge facts. Look up Mariana Mazzucato for more.

  • @ionasmith1998
    @ionasmith19983 ай бұрын

    “So far so good”

  • @bassplayerbyrne

    @bassplayerbyrne

    2 ай бұрын

    Glad i wasnt the only one to pick up on that😂

  • @ATOK_
    @ATOK_3 ай бұрын

    Could we get an episode with Dr Joel Baden and talk about the documentary hypothesis

  • @pippofranco879
    @pippofranco8792 ай бұрын

    great reference to end on lmao

  • @user-yf3zr8yv9d
    @user-yf3zr8yv9d3 ай бұрын

    저는 세상이 옛날부터 항상 추악했다고 믿습니다.그러기에 과거보다 지금이 더 추악하다는 성급한 오류를 범해서는 안된다고 생각합니다.

  • @asphaltpilgrim

    @asphaltpilgrim

    3 ай бұрын

    It has always been ugly, and it has always been beautiful. 👍

  • @theowainwright7406

    @theowainwright7406

    3 ай бұрын

    Ugly stuff gets destroyed

  • @Joerowleymusic
    @Joerowleymusic3 ай бұрын

    Great conversation! A couple of challenges on the age/beauty discussion in architecture - first off, surely there is a natural selection element to historic architecture in that only the best of the older buildings will survive demolition through the ages, therefore, the old buildings that we still see today genuinely are the most 'beautiful' buildings around? Also, in ages of greater inequality, I'd argue that historic leaders of the past, who were less interested in for example the redistribution of income, may have spent more than they 'should've' on architecture for their own purposes e.g. houses, estates, temples etc... whereas today that kind of money is not so readily available for more lavish ideas? Just a couple of thoughts! Love the podcast.

  • @Joerowleymusic

    @Joerowleymusic

    3 ай бұрын

    Ok I realise the 2nd point was addressed... more diligence on my part would've been good ey!

  • @thenorthowl2033
    @thenorthowl20333 ай бұрын

    He seems to know a lot and says a lot but I dont find any meaning in his words beyond that.

  • @greenspring9437

    @greenspring9437

    3 ай бұрын

    I feel the exact same way when I hear Jordan Peterson talk

  • @Fernando-ek8jp

    @Fernando-ek8jp

    3 ай бұрын

    ​@@greenspring9437 I found him way more understandable than Peterson

  • @Fernando-ek8jp

    @Fernando-ek8jp

    3 ай бұрын

    I feel like that was mostly because of the immensely subjective nature of the topic, which was beauty in architecture.

  • @leonardpaulson

    @leonardpaulson

    2 ай бұрын

    He rambles a lot but it’s possible that this format just might not be his forte.

  • @lazylasagna5181
    @lazylasagna51812 ай бұрын

    i actually watched this video well i made a sandwich around the one hour mark but aside from that i sat here and listened to the whole thing very good episode. two well spoken gentlemen who seem like good friends much more pleasant than the peter hitchens episode

  • @bootskanchelsis3337
    @bootskanchelsis33373 ай бұрын

    Think the world is ugly now? Try living the life that you are now but 500 years ago.

  • @imperialloyalist4799

    @imperialloyalist4799

    3 ай бұрын

    Back when life had purpose?

  • @acex222

    @acex222

    3 ай бұрын

    @@imperialloyalist4799 life has never had purpose, and man then had the same illusions available as man now. Choose your purpose or accept the lack of.

  • @Senumunu

    @Senumunu

    3 ай бұрын

    you are conflating aesthetics and pragmatism life being harder then does not change that buildings are ugly now

  • @bootskanchelsis3337

    @bootskanchelsis3337

    3 ай бұрын

    @@Senumunu 'ugly' as human behavior... not the way buildings look.

  • @ownagesniper1

    @ownagesniper1

    3 ай бұрын

    Let's imagine: Five hundred years ago, the life of a peasant worker was defined by the rhythm of labour and community, marked by a deep connection to the land and mutual reliance among neighbours. Working the fields side by side, these peasants shared tools, knowledge, and the burdens of agricultural life, fostering a sense of unity and purpose. Sundays were reserved for attending Mass, where the spiritual and social fabric of the community was woven tighter, reinforcing bonds and offering solace and strength for the week ahead. Not to mention even this peasant's small town has a huge beautiful church. Despite the hardships of physical toil and the challenges posed by nature, this existence was imbued with a clear sense of purpose and belonging, each day contributing to the community's survival and well-being... seems like it was beautiful to me.

  • @DrewTrox
    @DrewTrox3 ай бұрын

    "Beautiful Education" makes me think of how the sciences and fields are called "The Arts". Ars longa, vita brevis. Learning, innovation, and their applications are an art form. If done well, I'd say there is some intrinsic "beauty" to any medium of "art".

  • @mikekneppjr
    @mikekneppjr3 ай бұрын

    1:18:29 this instantly became the greatest interview of all time.