The Brutal History Of Freedom - Sebastian Junger | Modern Wisdom Podcast 396

Sebastian Junger is a journalist, author and filmmaker. Throughout history, humans have been driven by the quest for two cherished ideals: community and freedom. The two don’t coexist easily: we value individuality and self-reliance, yet are utterly dependent on community for our most basic needs. Expect to learn how having kids in your 50's can give you more freedom than you might think, what happens when you lose 10 pints of blood and have a near death experience, why fighting to the death was most common in free societies, how free countries always get tempted toward tyranny and much more... Sponsors: Join the Modern Wisdom Community to connect with me & other listeners - https://modernwisdom.locals.com/ Get 10% discount on your first month from BetterHelp at https://betterhelp.com/modernwisdom (discount automatically applied) Get a Free Sample Pack of all LMNT Flavours at https://www.drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom (discount automatically applied) Reclaim your fitness and book a Free Consultation Call with ActiveLifeRX at http://bit.ly/rxwisdom Extra Stuff: Buy Freedom - https://amzn.to/3nUc4DX Get my free Reading List of 100 books to read before you die → https://chriswillx.com/books/ To support me on Patreon (thank you): https://www.patreon.com/modernwisdom #freedom #history #war - 00:00 Intro 00:24 Examining Sebastian’s Near-Death Experience 15:44 Starting a Family Later in Life 20:00 Tension Between Freedom & Community 26:20 What is the Opposite of Freedom? 37:58 The Story of Michael Mallin 46:16 Why Politicians Fail at Leadership 1:01:44 Dealing with Covid as a Community 1:11:54 Where to Find Sebastian - Join the Modern Wisdom Community on Locals - https://modernwisdom.locals.com/ Listen to all episodes on audio: Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/

Sebastian JungerguestChris Williamsonhost

Nov 11, 20211h 13mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: November 11, 2021
Duration: 1h 13m
Channel: Modern Wisdom
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Sebastian Junger is a journalist, author and filmmaker. Throughout history, humans have been driven by the quest for two cherished ideals: community and freedom. The two don’t coexist easily: we value individuality and self-reliance, yet are utterly dependent on community for our most basic needs. Expect to learn how having kids in your 50's can give you more freedom than you might think, what happens when you lose 10 pints of blood and have a near death experience, why fighting to the death was most common in free societies, how free countries always get tempted toward tyranny and much more... Sponsors: Join the Modern Wisdom Community to connect with me & other listeners - https://modernwisdom.locals.com/ Get 10% discount on your first month from BetterHelp at https://betterhelp.com/modernwisdom (discount automatically applied) Get a Free Sample Pack of all LMNT Flavours at https://www.drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom (discount automatically applied) Reclaim your fitness and book a Free Consultation Call with ActiveLifeRX at http://bit.ly/rxwisdom Extra Stuff: Buy Freedom - https://amzn.to/3nUc4DX Get my free Reading List of 100 books to read before you die → https://chriswillx.com/books/ To support me on Patreon (thank you): https://www.patreon.com/modernwisdom #freedom #history #war - 00:00 Intro 00:24 Examining Sebastian’s Near-Death Experience 15:44 Starting a Family Later in Life 20:00 Tension Between Freedom & Community 26:20 What is the Opposite of Freedom? 37:58 The Story of Michael Mallin 46:16 Why Politicians Fail at Leadership 1:01:44 Dealing with Covid as a Community 1:11:54 Where to Find Sebastian - Join the Modern Wisdom Community on Locals - https://modernwisdom.locals.com/ Listen to all episodes on audio: Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/

SPEAKERS

Sebastian Junger
guest
Chris Williamson
host

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Modern Wisdom, featuring Sebastian Junger and Chris Williamson, The Brutal History Of Freedom - Sebastian Junger | Modern Wisdom Podcast 396 explores sebastian Junger Redefines Freedom Through Near-Death, Tribe, And War Sebastian Junger recounts a recent near-death experience from a ruptured aneurysm that challenged his lifelong atheism and opened questions about consciousness, death, and reality. He and Chris Williamson explore how such threshold experiences—coma, psychedelics, religious ecstasy—hint at dimensions we don’t yet understand, even if they’re purely neurological. The conversation then pivots to Junger’s core thesis on freedom: it’s always traded against safety, community, and responsibility, and no one ever has all forms of freedom at once. Using history, anthropology, warfare, and modern politics, he argues that true freedom is collective, dependent on mutual obligation, ethical leadership, and the ability of smaller groups to resist larger powers by running, fighting, or outthinking them.

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