Fr Conor McDonough - From Decline to Revival: The Untold Story of Catholicism in Ireland

Peco Gaskovski is a neuropsychologist and the author of ExoGenesis and, most recently, The Last Upheaval. Peco and his wife, Ruth Gaskovski, are the creators and lead authors of both ‘Pilgrims in the Machine’ and ‘School of the Unconformed’. In my opinion, two of the best publications out there on how to live in a world rapidly changing due to emerging technologies! These publications are a constant source of inspiration for analogue living and a lighthouse for human values online. Truly, they are doing the Lord’s work. In this interview, we are discussing Peco’s new sci-fi thriller ‘The Last Upheaval’. We focus on the main themes explored in the book: God, family, relationships in a fractured world, and how to remain human in the machine. After reading an advanced copy of the book, I can confidently say it is the ‘1984’ or ‘Brave New World’ for our current troubled times. But while Orwell and Huxley had the luxury of chronological distance to their hypothesised future dystopias, Gaskovski has hit a buzzer beater and captured our strange civilisational decline in real time! Despite the heavy material, the book never feels hopeless or despondent. Peco’s unique ability to blend big ideas and humour and humanity into an engaging and exciting story keeps you coming back for more and makes ‘The Last Upheaval’ a must-read for anyone who is still awake, upright and literate today. It is a relatable, enlightening, and edifying tale, and the main character is named after Plato’s uncle Solon, so obviously, I’m in. If you are interested, collect your copy here 👉 https://www.amazon.ie/Last-Upheaval-Peco-Gaskovski/dp/1988604249 Barnes and Noble link: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-last-upheaval-peco-gaskovski/1151382351?ean=9781988604244 Timestamps:00:00 Introduction to The Last Upheaval and its themes01:03 What is the last upheaval in the novel: a cyber attack02:07 Exploring the human element in societal collapse02:54 Current civilizational moment and technological influences05:09 Narratives around AI and their societal impact07:21 The religious roots of technological eschatology08:53 The infrastructure built by digital technology and its implications10:29 Offloading human cognition onto AI and its risks12:02 The decline of human skills and virtues in the digital age15:00 Relational debt and AI's impact on human relationships16:40 The social and emotional effects of AI relationships18:20 The subtle ways AI creates dependency and relational shifts20:12 The slow erosion of human competence and character22:53 The challenges of governance and ethical AI development24:19 Environmental and energy concerns related to AI and societal collapse26:38 Balancing technological progress with human resilience28:52 The return to community, family, and faith as a solution30:28 Practical ways to stay human in a digital world33:22 The importance of social trust and relationships35:37 The Christian worldview and divine anthropology39:38 Love, virtue, and the Christian model of human relationships44:23 The necessity of conflict and difficult conversations in love48:42 Building resilient communities through faith and family55:51 The role of education and homeschooling in resilience58:39 The future of education and AI's impact on learning Want to support this Substack publication and my wider work online? Consider sharing this post, publication or becoming a patron below 👇

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. The Platonic case against AI Slop: https://www.palladiummag.com/2025/11/14/the-platonic-case-against-ai-slop/ 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.

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 Want to support this work? Consider sharing this post or publication or becoming a Patron 👇

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 Want to support the mission of this channel? If you want to support us, please consider sharing this post, publication or becoming a patron 👇

There is very little that is happening in the world today that is not contained already in the pages of Plato’s Republic. Particularly, in book eight. In book eight, Plato deals with decline of democracy into tyranny… In this lecture, we will meet the five regimes: aristocracy (love of wisdom), timocracy (love of honor), oligarchy (love of money), democracy (love of freedom), and tyranny (love of gain). We will meet the five characters that both create and are created by these various regimes and depict the psychological portraits of their decline. Chapters:00:00 Welcome and Setup00:16 Back to Republics Main Question02:28 Five Regimes and Characters04:46 Aristocracy Ideal State05:39 Nuptial Number Mystery07:11 Timocracy Honor and War08:43 Timocratic Character10:27 Oligarchy12:07 Oligarchic Soul Split13:15 Democracy14:14 Democratic Decadence and Desire15:19 Necessary vs Unnecessary Desires18:48 From Democracy to Tyranny19:29 Making a Tyrant20:52 Wrap up