Ideas Have Consequences: The Philosophers Who Shaped 2020 

I am Muslim but I see you have a lot of wisdom in your words and teachings. No wonder a lot of people admire you. They should. I first know you from your interview with Peterson it was an epic one. Keep up. You educate millions of people with your knowledge and I think you are very good ambassador of your religion.

Notable timestamps from the video: Karl Marx 1:45- Introduction 6:45- Religion, Military, Government as a "super-structure" 8:52- The Point of the Marxist intellectual is to expose the super-structure 9:20- A Marxist reading of the Wizard of Oz 10:18- The antagonism between "Oppressor and Oppressed" Friedrich Nietzsche (Also Feuerbach influenced) 11:05- Introduction 13:18 - Neetch wrote very "aphoristically" like Blaise Pascal 13:42- Neetch's famous "The Death of God" and its implications 16:18- The "Will to Power" and "slave morality" 17:51- The Ubermensch (The Overman) Jean Paul Sartre 18:39- Introduction 19:20- Short biography 21:00- Understanding Sartre's thought and "Existence precedes Essence" 23:00- Practical application of "Existence precedes Essence" in common thought 24:52- Being and nothingness, Sartre's primary big book and self-assertion (Don't tell me how to live my life) 26:47- Sartre's pithy and ridiculous argument against God Michel Foucault 28:09- Introduction 30:18- "The Archaeology of Knowledge" 32:24- Rejection of Objective Truth, Deconstructionism, Elitist power and language 36:00- To uncover how the "modes of discourse" work and Marxist "Oppressor vs Oppressed" world-view Conclusion 37:10- How do these 4 thinkers influence contemporary conversation and activity. Ideas have consequences. 38:20- Summary of all the four thinkers 38:53- Role of the Marxist thinker is violence and exposing "oppression" 40:11- Nietzsche and the rejection of God and Objective truth & moral values. Movies as evidence of cultural direction. 41:47- Sartre and the culture of "self-invention" and the thought of young people. The shape of Water film an example of this. 45:00- Foucault's fusion of Marxist antagonism and Will to Power and the controlling of language 47:00 Conclusion. The Church against these antagonistic social theories. - These Philosophers are all Atheists and anti-god.

Bishop, I’ve watched a lot of your videos over the last six months since my reversion to theism, and I really do think this might be your best video yet. I doubt you’re scanning comments on your videos, especially ones from three months ago, but man. My recommendation is that we need more of these! We live in such a philosophically devoid culture nowadays. I think lectures like this are the key to showing agnostics on the fence that the Church has its own heavy philosophical merits that the modern world seems to have forgotten.

I was driven to these philosophers in the 90’s as a reaction to the brutal algorithms of a manipulative “Christian” environment. The “truths” that resonated so strongly with my experience drove me to anger, despondency, and suicidal adaptations. But I’ve never fully appreciated the miraculous effects of His grace in my life and how I engage now with the heavy fruit of existential chaos until you gave this summation so beautifully. I am deeply grateful. My prayers are with you. 🙏

This may be your best piece of work to date on social media Bishop Barron. It really blew me away. So clear. So well presented. So relevant. So important that we understand where we're headed and why we're headed there. Hopefully, it provides some of the ammunition we'll need to win the war we're engaged in. Thank you Bishop Barron. More bread please.

This talk also speaks indirectly to the problem with the modern self-help movement: It is most often too self-centered.

I'm 72, living in Canada, and feel I have listened to the most illuminating lecture in my life! Thank you, Bishop Barron, for your passionate analyses of these philosophies and their roots in our world today.

Thank you Bishop Barron. Every point hit home for me. I try so hard but seems I always fail. I’m taking care of my sick (73) husband. I also watch overnight 3-4 times a week my 21 month old great grand baby. I do love my husband and my baby, but sometimes I feel like I’m going in circles. And all this political unrest in a country I grew up secure in. I’m 67 and am so afraid it will all be gone. Your words give me hope for myself. I can only let God do his job is for me to let Him. This advent I’m starting my Bible study again and going to say the Rosary more. So thank you from my heart and my soul. God Bless you.

Sometimes I listen to your reflections and spend the rest of the day thinking about your words. I feel like I am growing in many ways. Thank you so much. God bless you always.

I've been an avid follower of Bishop Barron's work for the last decade. This is, without a doubt, the most important thing he has done, bar none.

This Brother is on another level of true overstanding!!!!! Thank you!!!!!!!

God Bless you Bishop!❤️ I am beyond thankful for the clarity you bring to my mind in these modern times.

Without Bishop Barron I wouldn’t have become a Catholic. God Bless you!

I have confidence in saying that I can speak for most Christians/Catholics when I say this was long awaited, very needed, somewhat overdue and extraordinarily refreshing. Thank you Bishop Barron. I am eager to hear your full ecclesial response.

Bishop Barron is such an incredible mind and genuine soul. This was such an informative lecture! We live in such an amazing time! For all of the detrimental effects of the internet and social media, these platforms have enabled everyone to be able to hear from people like Bishop Barron in a personal way. What a blessing! God bless Bishop Barron and God bless all of you listening! It is truly amazing to be a Catholic in today's world!

The best lecture I ever heard. I have listen to intellectuals for 50 years. The clarity and comprehensiveness of this lecture is the best I have ever heard. The perspective is quite valuable if want to know what is happening now.. Ideas have consequences !!!!

This is a masterpiece. Only possible thanks to all the grace God has given Bishop Barron. God always bless him.

By far this is the most revealing video I have ever seen when it comes to modern society. Tremendously inspiring. Thank you very much Bishop Barron.

This is the most profound thing I've heard in a long time, maybe ever. The philosophers I know pretty well. The word of God I feel I know very little of, but I am learning. What has drawn me to Christianity is that I've discovered, to my own asontishment, is that it simply seems to be ... true. From my own experience of life. It offers a path that actually works! It is in harmony with reality, unlike so many other ideas we are sold. Is there a "full response" available addressing this specifically from the Catholic perspective? He alluded to doing it at the end.

This is a great explanation of so much of what we are seeing today. I will be borrowing some of it, especially Sartre and the Culture of Self Invention, for use in teaching my psychology courses.

Im a 30 y o Filipina that took 2 yrs of sociology as my first course in the University of Santo Tomas here in Manila that's why I was surprised that Father Barron discussed all the pioneers and philosophers I studied in my majors in sociology back when I was 17 to 19 before I shifted and transferred to another university here for fine arts. Being a catholic is really is for intelligent and thinking people. Thank you for this great discussion Padre and Word on Fire. You guys are feeding my thirst for clarity and feeds my spiritual needs. Be safe and healthy you guys happy holidays

Bishop Barron- Wow, how we would all benefit from the “ecclesiastical” part 2 of this video you referenced towards the end. Nonetheless, thank you for sharing this fruitful resource. I learned a lot as you helped put the culture of today in perspective. God Bless

I am going to hear this again and take notes because the synthesis is brilliant. My children of 16 and 17 are studying anthropology at school. Their classmates are gradually falling away from the Lord and they awfully need these kinds of explanations. Thank you. God bless your ministry. From Buenos Aires.

I'm not a Catholic but Bishop Robert's first Sunday sermon on the book of Revelation had me transfixed. I have always thought this last book of the Bible was beyond comprehension but at last it is making sense. I am 76 and a long time Anglican. Bless you Bishop Robert. You are my go-to spiritual leader.

Video Breakdown -Part 1: Summary of Philosophers 01:45 Karl Marx (1818 - 1883) 11:05 Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 - 1900) 18:36 Jean-Paul Sartre (1905 - 1980) 28:08 Michel Foucault (1926 - 1984) Transition - 37:06 “Ideas Have Consequences” -Part 2: Modern Day Implications 38:22 Marx Impact on 2020 = Antagonistic Social Theory 40:09 Nietzsche Impact on 2020 = Rejection of God 41:47 Sartre Impact on 2020 = Culture of Self-Invention 44:58 Foucault Impact on 2020 = Policing of Language 46:03 Concluding Thoughts & Church Response

I found this talk absolutely fascinating and helpful. Thank you for your wonderful ministry. As Christians we have an important responsibility to equip ourselves to engage our neighbour. Not an easy task. I would love to hear your follow-up thoughts and ideas.

We want to thank you Bishop Barron. For your support and your help to make our family’s life better for all our loved to God.

Please, please Bishop Barron share with us a part 2!!! You set us up beautifully at the end summation of your talk! Thank you and God Bless you Bishop Barron!

Your analysis is so profound that I need to listen to it again! Thank you, Bishop Barron, God bless you.

A stunning presentation, Bishop Barron. Thank you, God bless you and your special work for the Kingdom.

Great Presentation. It's comforting to listen to someone who shares the same intellectual compass with you. He's good. Studied philosophy in the early 80's. Came to America to study law and got lost in the cacophony of America's organized chaos. Trying to refind myself though.

Amazingly brilliant! I absolutely LOVE learning from you, Bishop Barron!

Bishop Barron has again illuminated the truth with a loving approach. Insightful background to current philosophies via consideration of elements of significant roots...dialogue like this is a true gift. Thanks for sharing this understanding Bishop Barron, all the way from Vermont!

Thank you. This ties so much together for me during our conflicted times. I have shared it over and over. We can't always solve our conflicts but it helps to understand what is happening and why.

Thank you Bishop Baron for a very thought-provoking commentary. All this I have forgotten in time since studying psychology and has since retired. Refreshing to hear and to be able to correlate what’s happening in our society in this discussion 👏

You are the person most needed in our higher learning institutions,because they are rampant with ideas that are polar opposite !! When our students are not afforded opposing theories it only leaves them with our present situation we have now. God Bless You

Brilliantly expressed and oh! So true. People are in great need of "the truth". All the best to you

Woooow, just woooow, this channel is so interesting, is a treasure of RU-vid

Thank you so much for releasing this masterpiece. After watching it I have used your ideas in some of my high school assignments since it links to almost everything. This video allowed me to respond with clarity to Elie Wiesel's book Night, where he first loses his faith due to the abuse in concentration camps, and then his anti-faith is finalized at the end of the book. Bishop, you should really do a review of this book, he is taught directly by Jean-Paul Sartre and influenced by Friedrich Nietzsche as well as other Athiest philosophers. It truly was a blessing to listen to this video as you are a trusted source defending Catholic truthful values, which other teachers today would not. I really appreciate this and making it free to view as I would not have been able to otherwise. Thank you, Bishop Robert Barron!

Oh my goodness Bishop Barron, I was never interested in Philosophy and now I want to learn more! Now am understanding what is going on with our kids🙏.

Thank you sooo much for breaking down what’s happening right now. I have loved ones with good intentions that don’t know what’s happening and it’s hard to describe to them just how crazy of a situation we’re in.

I am always blown away by your clarity in the world around us thank you. You have sent me on a fabulous journey into the philosophy and truth of our experience

Wow. I just discovered you. I am very impressed. I am Catholic, however, I was away from the Catholic Church for decades and I recently came back to the faith. Although, I still have several problems with the leadership of the church. I just listened to your talk on Marriage and your comments on Lies have Consequences. I would be very happy to engage you in social discourse. You can find me on FB. My name is Victor Barone.

Bishop Barron! I want to personally thank you for lectures like these. These videos are both fruitful and beneficial to the church and I am so grateful that the spirit moved you to make these kinds of videos. Can't wait for the next one! God Bless!

Excellent lecture. You have shown the roots and "logic" of today's insanity.

This is probably one of Bishop Barron’s most important videos. Edit: Some people have expressed disagreement and said Bishop Barron has mischaracterized some of these philosophers. I disagree. While he did not go into the specific rights and wrongs of the thinkers, I believe his critiques are justified with regard to the negative impact many of them have had. He has more recently given a somewhat charitable presentation of post modernism with its ups and downs. And he has other videos pertaining to Marx. This presentation was a fair one, even if you disagree with some of his conclusions. We need to all better understand the philosophical underpinnings and justifications of people’s world views, so as I said, this is one of his most important videos.

I’ve definitely been needing a video such as this. I have felt so confused and hopeless about today’s society and how we think and behave. Now, I understand. Thank you so much Bishop, for this gem of a lecture. I am deeply fascinated with philosophy.

God bless you Bishop Robert. You have helped me understand Marxism better. And you have helped me understand some of my father's thinking, he was a Catholic, Republican and a philosopher. He recently passed to Jesus in November 2020. Thank you 💜🙏

I enjoy your clarity and sincerity. I also appreciate the depth of your scholarship and philosophical prowess. Thank you Bishop.

This was an absolutely spot on explanation of our world today...political correctness and all it entails drives me crazy but i never knew why...i see now the the manipulative power of language. I also realize I'm a philosopher at heart. At 75 i pray im not to old to continue learning in this area. This one video has validated my thinking which is in such conflict with our culture today. Help me to know where to go from here. Thank you Bishop Barron and welcome to MN. I'm not far away, in Iowa, but grew up in Chicago!

Wow. Very well done. I am not Catholic. I have dear friends who are and they see this confusion , but don't understand the roots ( this is foundationally helpful I think) especially to "younger catholic generation"

I have found this very useful as a student of philosophy and theology in the Catholic tradition. Thank you Bishop

Everybody today, trying to make some sense out of the current narrative being spewed from media, social mefia, etc should listen to this very compelling talk. Thanks for elucidating the various thoughts of these philosophers whose influence is apparently still with us. Very grateful for your ability to explain complex ideas and ideologies. God bless.

Very well done and very helpful to explain what is going on in culture today. If these ideologies were in fact good - then things would be going great in so many ways - the fact that things have taken deeply dark turns so many times in the last 100 or so years and that they are turning that way now is proof that these ideas are ultimately poison.

Whatever Bishop says I listen. He's wise. I am not. I have only one gift of wisdom that is to recognise anyone who have wisdom and is wise. I pray for his Excellency, Bishop Barron. May God makes his works fruitful. 🌿👍

Love listening to your channel. Thank God for you to bring love and wisdom mixed with care and hope. Love the cross you carry over your neck. May it be for the glory of one who was crucified on it and raised on the third day, to the salvation of your soul and prosperity of all those who listen and carry the word of truth through life.

The theodrama vs the egodrama. What a great phrase!

A very interesting and easy to understand talk about the philosophical underpinnings of what we see happening in our culture today. Thank you, Bishop Barron. I look forward to the follow up talk! God bless you and Merry Christmas!

Thank you Bishop Barron . I just pray for you that you stay strong and keep giving. Its what wonderful what you bring together. Praise God for your gift of openess and discussion.

Please come back with the ecclesial response... we need it!

👏👏👏👏👏 I would definitely add Derrida and deconstruction for a better understanding of what's going on with the language. In a nutshell, all "constructs" are viewed through pairs of oppositions: right/wrong, man/woman, nature/culture etc. In all "binary oppositions" one member of the opposition is dominant, so there's always a power-based relationship between them. We must point out these binary oppositions, destroy them and construct new concepts (deconstruction = destruction + construction). I would say that once you apply that principle to right and wrong, you get moral relativism. After that, anything goes. Just look at what's happening with sex and gender. What they're doing to the "binary opposition" of man/woman shows you how deconstruction works in praxis.

Thank you Bishop Barron ! Your lecture is superb much better from what I have listened in University. As a catholic I thank you with all my heart !

Bishop Barron! Thank you so much for sharing idea Lots of love ❤️ From India Baptist protestant

When we act in the spirit of God, we are hence given the gifts of the spirit. Some are Wisdom, Fortitude, Understanding. These are the gifts that are present within Bishop Barron! Thank you for your insight! God bless those who are in the spirit and share Gods truth!

Beautiful! Bishop this may be one of the most important videos on the web today! How did we get here as a culture? Finally a coherent and balanced presentation that names the source of our current conflict. Love the highlight that philosophy cannot be dismissed as abstract nonsense. It really does shape the culture we live in for better or worse. Please please please follow up with with the opposition to these modern and postmodern philosophies of darkness. More than ever the light of Christ's shareable body needs to be held high as the unifying True narrative. Through faith, supported by reason, all can find their true identity in the God man who actually is Justice and because he is Justice, he truly Knows the How to our Need. There is the Man, Jesus Christ, the God man whom we can follow. I pray you be filled with an outpouring of the Holy Spirit for your follow up. The Church needs philosophy! Otherwise Faith and Christ can be dismissed as just another narrative. Narrative it seems to us moderns but close Philosophical examination of the scriptures reveals that this God man satisfies all that lacks in the human being. Ancient and Medieval Philosophy presents the problems of the body politic and what would be necessary for true change for the better. But they admit they do not know what justice or wisdom is. Christ is the Way the Truth and the Life. He reveals that he knows the way and is the way because he is the God man. Only a God (capital G) knows how to solve the problems, for God is Being and knows all things at all times and all places. Gods command has true authority through Knowledge. It is only through faith does the individual have access to the real answer in Christ. Why faith? Perhaps, because if we had certainly of Gods existence we would love out of obligation not desire. We would be slaves not beloved children. Thank you Bishop for bringing the church an education on the forces at work in our modern culture!!!

I love the way you make these arguments palatable for this simple carpenter. God, please continue to bless Bishop Barrons and all those who hear Your voice. From a disciple of Fr Tom Bauwens, Omaha, Nebraska. TGBTG

Finally, I can see the Church envigorated, defending with assertiveness, vigor and confidence its side in the ongoing culture war. I lived for many decades submerged in the simplictic and silly ideas of the opposite side and I am so happy to see the Church rebating so much simplistic thinking and nonsense that has caused so much misery.

My IQ increased by listening to this lecture!! Amazing!!! 😀

Your sermon puts me firmly on the ground and eyes looking up in heaven. Thank you.

Very clear and helpful. I especially like the part where he points out how dull is the focus on one’s own ego.

I love the rebellious stance you took in this presentation, particularly toward the very end.. Very similar to the stance these philosophers had taken against what had "opressed" them during their own time. Very clever and almost humorous!

I have heard this like 20 times and I still find it fascinating. Thank you for opening the world of philosophy for the rest of us. Years of study in 50 min of wonder.

Bishop Barron is a good example of the intellectual Catholic.

Keep coming back to this talk. It’s great.

You need to write a book on this, expanding the analysis and also giving the ECCLESIAL answer or perspective on it. Brilliant, in any case.

Thank you, Bishop Barron. Dr. E. Michael Jones has spoken about these men and their deranged thought patterns. Pax Christi. As St. John Henry Newman said, knowledge is one thing, virtue is another.

Asolutely fascinating! I wish I had studied philosophy at a Catholic University!

Thank you, Bishop Barron. You are keeping me sane. God bless and keep you.

This is a terrific explanation. I’ve struggled with getting these ideas straight in my head all my life, and I finally understand them. Bishop Barron is a wonderful teacher.

Jordon Peterson has been saying this for years. This is a nice catholic version, teaching. Every idea and action has consequences, a good truth to live by. May God have Mercy.

Thank you, thank you, Bishop Baron! Very relevant and cutting to the core of issues. I grew up under communist oppression in Eastern Europe - not fun at all! I just wish that all the people in US today who are putting Marx/Lenin/socialist ideas on high pedestals would be all taken as a group and relocated in a communist country (Cuba, North Korea. China maybe…) . So they can experience on their own what truly is to live under socialism/communism, where you don’t own anything and none of your efforts matter and no innovative ideas are allowed because you are not aligned with the equal uniformity imposed by those governments. And of course socialists/communists would frown upon God/religion because God/religion is the very core of true freedom, love, unity and collaboration among people. They definitely don’t like that! Rather the socialist/communists prefer to instill fear, suspicion, division, hate and desperation in people so people have nothing to look forward to and become desolate/placid slaves of the system…

Bishop Barron, you are truly an excellent lecturer. I will be watching all of your videos. Thank you for this gift.

As always, excellent. Watched it many times since you first posted it. I am a philosopher by training, though my career was other, and I so appreciate your ability to stop and translate important ideas for everyone’s consumption and benefit. Thank you.

I've watched this 10 times. I love it so much!

Thank you for this, Bishop Barron. This benefits me greatly as I am just starting to appreciate more about philosophy as a grad student.

The best discourse I have heard on the 4 figures that have influenced our modernity, our culture. I can hardly express my huge admiration & gratitude to bishop Robert Barron for doing what he does. God bless you bishop Barron. Please, keep going on with what you are doing. Thank you from the bottom of my heart! Excellent! You have demolished their higher ground and completely destroyed their IDOLS! I love you and I kiss you with a holy kiss!

Thank you Bishop Barron for this! I will watch it again with my son to answer some of his questions and find the TRUE ESSENCE in his existence🙏☝️Essence before existence. God bless you Bishop. God bless us all.

Bishop Barron at his best-previously had no clue what existentialism really meant not how it intersected with our believe in God as Catholics-this saved me countless hours of reading and lectures that I likely would never had the discipline to take in, a real eye-opener for me -profound insight yet delivered in a fashion that it is readily understood and absorbed. Thank you Bishop Barron well done!

Thank you Bishop Barron for sharing your knowledge, intelligence, and faith with us!

Thank you once again Bishop Robert for your amazing insightful explanations of Truth versus everything else. May Our Heavenly Father abundantly bless you and yours! From Trish, Australia.

incredible. I heard it live as a member of the Order and now have sent it widely. It helps explain the context of what we are seeing in our culture today. It gives me the historical and philosophical framework to talk with people with diverse ideas about root cause of our current problems and the path forward for our future.

What a perfect, perfect, perfect approach and explanation. Also, another thing: About words and language, I don't know if happens with other languages but there's something happening right now with spanish speaking countries: Spanish language has more complex conjugations on verbs, adjectives and substantives based on not only present, past, future, singular, plural but also gender. Male, female. So these extreme feminist waves (the new lefties) are demanding society to remove those gender conjugations to gender neutral words. The Royal Academy of the Spanish Language (RAE in spanish), thank God, has been against those demands and, obviously, the great majority of spanish speaking people are mocking these lefties. The end.

Thanks, Bishop. I’ve been waiting for you to address this problem that is plaguing our streets and lives and address it in this very way. Largely, because it really is the only way to appropriately address it. Thank you for you ongoing and tireless work.

Father, as a regular viewer, I would like to kindly ask to present us more developments on the theme of the use of language by people influenced by Foucault’s ideas. God bless you and keep orientating these young folks as I!

Thanks so much Bishop Barron for these clear explanations - even for a lay man in philosophy like myself, who had opted sometime for the empirical sciences. God bless you! and greetings from Mainz, Germany.

This is superbly informative, wise and measured. Thank you very much, Bishop Barron.

Bishop, I loved this video so much, and am imploring you to make a video with double the content that addresses the ecclesiastic response to these atheistic worldviews. I am so astounded by the statement that the Catholic Church stands athwart to these worldviews, that the Church symbolizes a bastion of objective reasoning grounded in it's love for truth, our Lord Jesus Christ. It made me feel, more than ever that the heroes of today are those who stand up for truth and who fight the good fight. Because we know that there is good (objectively) in this world, Bishop Barron. And it's worth fighting for, as Sam Gamgee would put it. God bless you and keep you always Bishop!

Please Bishop, we would love to see a commentary on this topic. Thank you Bishop for educating us and leading us 🙌

Thank you, bishop Barron! Will there be a follow-up video expressing the Church's counterarguments? Thank you, James Dahlinger, SJ Le Moyne College.

Thank you! This information is so needed in this time we are living. Catholics need to understand these philosophies and how they go against the church’s teachings. Your historical synopsis of each makes it so easy to comprehend. God bless!