Shores Of Ignorance

Shores of Ignorance

A podcast by Matt McCloskey and Michael Vaclav

  1. 6d ago

    Ep 289: Fix Your Eyes (Or the Algorithm Will)

    Matt and Michael open with a toast to Glenn Hansard, who passed away that morning at 56. Matt reflects on how musicians he's never met have shaped his life in real, relational ways. This sparks a conversation about what it means to have a relationship with someone you've never met. The conversation deepens into attention. What are you fixing your eyes on? They explore the bronze serpent in the wilderness, Jesus telling Peter to look at him, and how Instagram's algorithm quietly answers that question for most people. Michael shares that his why needs an upgrade after years of survival mode. Matt argues that don't die is not a sufficient reason to live. You need something positive to move toward. They close with the extraordinary privilege of being alive right now. A handwritten Bible from 1402 was chained to a cathedral shelf. Today you can read it on your phone in seconds. The options for where to fix your eyes are nearly infinite, which makes the question more urgent than ever. Cheers y'all 🍻 Chapters: [00:00] Cheers to Glenn Hansard [03:59] Seeing Glenn Live vs. Eddie Vedder [07:06] Relationships With People You've Never Met [10:10] The I-to-We Dynamic [14:14] Art, Value, and the Revelation of God [16:56] Scrolling vs. Sitting With a Record [20:18] Fix Your Eyes on Him [25:04] Social Media Isn't Social [29:30] Attention Can Be Consumed [32:52] The Transition Into the Information Age [35:20] Don't Die Is Not a Why [40:21] Cessation Keeps Your Gaze on the Thing [45:47] Grayscale Mode and Other Phone Tricks [48:17] Pearls Before Swine [51:34] To-Go Advice and Time Bombs [55:30] The Sower and the Seed [57:41] In Due Time [61:17] The Process of Becoming [65:27] Reframing Trouble as Adventure [69:31] The Victory Comes Before the Battle [72:23] Is There Such Thing as Luck? [76:11] Chained Libraries and Extraordinary Access [80:57] What Are You Fixing Your Eyes On? Resources: • Once (film) — https://imdb.com/title/tt0907657 • The Swell Season (documentary) — https://imdb.com/title/tt1732483 • Glen Hansard — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glen_Hansard • The Chosen — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chosen_(TV_series) • House of David — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_David_(TV_series) • The Lord of the Rings — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lord_of_the_Rings • Tim Scott (YouTube cathedral tour) — https://youtu.be/8IsbKH-EsAY • Chained Libraries — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chained_library • Bronze Serpent (Numbers 21) — https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers+21%3A4-9 • 1 Peter 5:6-7 — https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Peter+5%3A6-7 Fact Checks: • ✅ Glen Hansard passed away July 29, 2026 — Verified • ✅ Bronze serpent story (Numbers 21:4-9) — Verified • ✅ Jesus references bronze serpent (John 3:14-15) — Verified • ✅ David anointed young, king of all Israel at 37 — Verified • ✅ Chained libraries existed — Verified • ⚠️ Iodine will kill you — Needs context (large quantities yes) Find us here: x.com/mattmccloskey x.com/michaelvaclav All Matt's Links — https://solo.to/mattmccloskey All Michael's Links — https://solo.to/michaelvaclav Shores of Ignorance — https://shoresofignorance.com Sovereign Goods — https://sovereigngoods.shop Cafe Medici — https://mediciroasting.com

  2. Jul 23

    Ep 288: Philosophical Seinfeld

    Matt and Michael open with the Texas heat and the strange feeling of being between seasons. Not just summer tipping toward fall, but the inner seasons of thought and spirit where old ideas fade and new ones haven't arrived. What do you do when you don't know what to do? They explore anxiety and faith, the discipline of presence, and how focusing on relationships unlocked unexpected reconnections. Then things get deeper. They wrestle with truth as conforming to reality, the fear of God as respect for overwhelming power, and why rights only work when they come from God rather than government. The conversation turns to communism and why it always ends in genocide, why markets and elections work because they let reality speak, and why everything good is good because of love. Michael calls it what it is. Two guys stumbling through ideas, pushing on things, trying to find the meat on the bone. Cheers y'all 🍻 Chapters: [00:00] Summer Heat and Changing Seasons [01:42] The In-Between Space of Ideas [04:44] Faith and Anxiety Are Opposites [07:14] Focus on Relationships [10:55] Reconnecting with Old Friends [13:09] Solitude and Community [14:44] Spring Cleaning for the Soul [17:03] Parenting Through Changing Seasons [19:29] Teaching Aletta to Swim [21:29] Truth Is Conforming to Reality [24:16] The Fear of God [26:41] A World Without God [30:15] Materialism and Rights [36:40] Power Struggles and Postmodernism [38:51] Communism and Forced Contribution [44:42] Pearls Before Swine [49:05] Wisdom Is Humility [51:46] Be Willing to Be Wrong [55:18] Markets and Reality Fighting Back [57:17] Relationships Teach Conformity [60:04] AI Music and Missing Soul [63:55] Everything Good Is Love [71:24] Philosophical Seinfeld [73:13] Stumbling Toward Something Resources: • Streams in the Desert — https://www.amazon.com/Streams-Desert-366-Daily-Devotional/dp/0310353684 • The Old Man and the Sea — https://www.amazon.com/Old-Man-Sea-Ernest-Hemingway/dp/0684801221 • Book of Job — https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job+38&version=ESV • Matthew 7 — https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+7&version=ESV • Declaration of Independence — https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript • Goodhart's Law — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodhart%27s_law • Roma Craft Tobac — https://romacrafttobac.com • Dekulakization — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dekulakization Fact Checks: • ✅ Summer solstice timing — Verified • ✅ Marx opium quote — Verified • ✅ Kulak elimination and famine — Verified • ✅ Matthew 7 passages — Verified • ✅ Goodhart's Law — Verified • ✅ Declaration unalienable rights — Verified • ⚠️ 52 states — US has 50 states Find us here: Shores of Ignorance — https://shoresofignorance.com x.com/mattmccloskey x.com/michaelvaclav All Matt's Links — https://solo.to/mattmccloskey All Michael's Links — https://solo.to/michaelvaclav Sovereign Goods — https://sovereigngoods.shop Cafe Medici — https://mediciroasting.com

  3. Jul 16

    Ep 287: The Cartesian Crisis

    Matt and Michael wrestle with a question that has been hanging over both of them. Why have they stopped paying attention to the news? Is that a good thing or a bad thing? They land on the idea of a Cartesian crisis. Nobody trusts anything anymore. Every headline is met with an actually from someone who thinks they have the real truth. They explore how skepticism can lead to nihilism or to wisdom, and why character assassination has replaced actual argument. Then things get interesting. The conversation turns to what it means to truly love someone versus simply labeling them, why we have lost the definition of racism, and how dress codes and tattoos are really just signals we send to the world about who we want to be. They contrast David Bowie and Bob Dylan as two models of subversion, one grounded and one spinning off into the void. They talk about Jung, individuation, and why growing up means learning to reincorporate what you once rebelled against. And they end with a story about a fake recruiter that captures just how deep the trust crisis really goes. Cheers y'all 🍻 Chapters: [00:00] Opening Banter [02:03] The Cartesian Crisis [04:57] The Actually People [09:57] Skepticism and Nihilism [14:32] What Is Racism Anymore [23:52] The Ark of the Covenant [27:41] Love vs Labeling [35:32] Dress Codes and Stereotypes [45:21] Show Up and Speak Up [47:16] Jung and Individuation [49:42] Bowie vs Dylan [54:33] Be Confident Not a Dick [60:04] Getting More Conservative [65:38] The Recruiter Scam [69:47] Joe Biden's Book [74:03] God Is Who He Says He Is [78:48] Outro Find us here: Shores of Ignorance — https://shoresofignorance.com x.com/mattmccloskey x.com/michaelvaclav All Matt's Links — https://solo.to/mattmccloskey All Michael's Links — https://solo.to/michaelvaclav Sovereign Goods — https://sovereigngoods.shop Cafe Medici — https://mediciroasting.com

  4. Jul 9

    Ep 286: Pass the Salt (I Love You)

    Matt and Michael explore language itself — how the same sentence can carry seven different meanings depending on which word you emphasize. From Christopher Walken's acting advice to watching a toddler learn to speak, they examine how we communicate far more than dictionary definitions. This spirals into the central claim of John's Gospel: Jesus Christ is the Word. What does it mean that the creative power of the universe is linguistic? And why do we so often use language to hide rather than reveal? They move through imposter syndrome, scripted relationships, and the death of authentic communication in a transactional culture. The conversation lands on forgiveness and repentance as the antidote to false representation, and asks whether our deepest divide isn't political but spiritual. Cheers y'all 🍻 Chapters: [0:00] Opening music and banter [0:59] Explaining the podcast to strangers [1:59] The seven meanings of one sentence [4:24] Toddlers as autocomplete machines [7:44] When we say the same words but mean different things [10:26] What does it mean that Jesus is the Word? [15:20] Talk is cheap — or is it? [19:36] Hiding behind language [23:11] The exhaustion of being false [30:12] Goodhart's Law and scripted relationships [34:13] Demonic possession as extreme false representation [39:09] The antidote: asking, talking, relating [42:23] Adam and Eve: the first hiders [46:32] Judas vs. Peter: two responses to reality [51:08] The Financial Audit podcast: refusing reality [55:15] Language as discovery, not transaction [59:50] Forgiveness as choosing which reality to inhabit [66:13] The road to hell: unforgiveness and cynicism [68:42] Cancel culture and the death of forgiveness [72:38] Trust as the West's most valuable natural resource [80:51] The strangeness of lost relationships [86:31] Final thoughts Resources: • The Chosen (TV series) — https://thechosen.tv • The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005) — https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0404032/ • American Psycho (2000) — https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0144084/ • Home Alone (1990) — https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099785/ • Ted Lasso (TV series) — https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10986410/ • Erich Neumann, The Origins and History of Consciousness — https://www.amazon.com/Origins-History-Consciousness-Erich-Neumann/dp/0691163599 • Jordan Peterson — https://www.jordanbpeterson.com/ • Václav Havel — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C3%A1clav_Havel • The Financial Audit (podcast) • Goodhart's Law — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodhart%27s_law Fact Checks: • ✅ Christopher Walken acting advice — Referenced correctly • ✅ John 1 / "In the beginning was the Word" — Biblical reference accurate • ⚠️ Matthew 24:33 in The Chosen — Verse is real but applied creatively in the series • ⚠️ Dostoevsky psychiatrist story — Echoes Dostoevsky themes but exact source unclear • ✅ Erich Neumann / "ouroboric incest" — Correct reference • ✅ Václav Havel / "love will win out" — Accurate • ✅ Jordan Peterson on trust/eBay — Discussed in lectures/interviews • ✅ Goodhart's Law — Correctly attributed Find us here: x.com/mattmccloskey x.com/michaelvaclav All Matt's Links — https://solo.to/mattmccloskey All Michael's Links — https://solo.to/michaelvaclav Sovereign Goods — https://sovereigngoods.shop Cafe Medici — https://mediciroasting.com

  5. Jul 3

    Ep 285: Are You Feeling Semiquincentennial?

    Matt and Michael dive into America's 250th birthday and ask why we're so reluctant to celebrate it. They explore how patriotism became politically coded, the strange guilt of prosperity, and why the founders' vision of property rights and freedom of speech created unprecedented human flourishing. The conversation spirals through the Dunning-Kruger effect, democracy as truth-discovery, and the Orwellian rewriting of history. They touch on the intolerance of tolerance, what it means to hold two truths at once, and Michael's grandfather's immigrant story of escaping the mines through sheer will. The episode lands on a hard truth. If you stop celebrating what's good, you shouldn't be surprised when you get less of it. Cheers y'all 🍻 Chapters: [00:00] Semiquincentennial [02:22] Ashamed to celebrate [06:20] The guilt of prosperity [08:09] Property rights and risk [12:48] Slavery and the founders' dilemma [17:23] Two hands, two truths [20:27] Truth as alignment with reality [23:28] Dunning-Kruger and self-assessment [27:42] Democracy as surprise discovery [32:50] The intolerance of tolerance [36:10] Protecting daughters [41:22] State experiments and voting with feet [45:38] Public discourse as self-editor [48:55] Orwell and rewriting history [55:31] False selves and aspiration [62:54] Foresight across centuries [66:23] The Taylor Lorenz meme [68:26] Disincentivizing aspiration [71:33] The best constitution in the world Resources: • 1984 by George Orwell — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nineteen_Eighty-Four • The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self by Carl Trueman — https://www.crossway.org/books/the-rise-and-triumph-of-the-modern-self/ • Lincoln (2012) — https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443272/ • Real History with Matt Walsh — https://dailywire.com • Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amusing_Ourselves_to_Death Fact Checks: • ✅ US free speech protections are among the strongest globally • ⚠️ Washington runaway slave ad claim needs primary source verification • ❌ SpaceX valuation corrected from $14T to ~$1T (actual ~$350-400B) • ✅ US Constitution is oldest active codified constitution Find us here: x.com/mattmccloskey x.com/michaelvaclav All Matt's Links — https://solo.to/mattmccloskey All Michael's Links — https://solo.to/michaelvaclav Sovereign Goods — https://sovereigngoods.shop Cafe Medici — https://mediciroasting.com

  6. Jun 25

    Ep 284: The Proper Posture When Nothing's Working

    Matt and Michael explore what it means to have the right posture when life isn't going your way. They start with the universal temptation to blame others or wallow in self-pity, then spiral into deeper territory: the scapegoat impulse, the maturing conscience, and what it actually means to "seek first the kingdom of heaven." Matt shares raw reflections on a year and a half of job searching, moments where he shied away from hard conversations, and what he learned by writing out 25 years of career history. Michael brings in Brother Lawrence, the toddler's astonishment at everything, and the difference between turning an icon into an idol. The conversation lands on a powerful truth: the kingdom of heaven isn't a deferred reward. It's here and now, found in recognizing the person in front of you, doing the dishes with gratitude, and loving without expecting anything back. Matt closes with a vulnerable story about raising his kids through a contentious divorce and the unexpected gift he never knew to ask for. Cheers y'all 🍻 Chapters: [00:00] Matt's Back From the Dead [02:22] What's the Proper Posture When Nothing's Working? [05:37] Wallowing vs. Scapegoating [11:28] 25 Years of Career Regrets [17:32] If You Build It, They Will Come (They Won't) [22:23] Seek First the Kingdom of Heaven [27:54] The More You Think About Yourself, the More Miserable You Become [32:47] Discernment and the Maturing Conscience [44:12] Learning to See What People Are Pointing At [50:27] Brother Lawrence and the Astonishment of a Clean Dish [54:14] Hey Matt, Here's Your Smoothie [60:07] Turning Icons Into Idols [64:27] Raising Kids Without Keeping Score [74:13] The Kingdom Is Here and Now Resources: • Brother Lawrence — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brother_Lawrence • The Practice of the Presence of God — https://www.amazon.com/Practice-Presence-God-Brother-Lawrence/dp/0883681053 • The Scapegoat (René Girard) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren%C3%A9_Girard • Rdio — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rdio • Field of Dreams — https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097351/ Find us here: x.com/mattmccloskey x.com/michaelvaclav All Matt's Links — https://solo.to/mattmccloskey All Michael's Links — https://solo.to/michaelvaclav Sovereign Goods — https://sovereigngoods.shop Cafe Medici — https://mediciroasting.com

  7. Jun 11

    Ep 283: The Madness of a World Without Reason

    Matt and Michael dive into three recent news stories that have them asking the same question. What is this madness? They break down the California mayoral race, the Karmelo Anthony murder trial, and the Somali World Cup referee denied entry to the US. But the headlines are just the entry point. The real conversation is about something deeper. Why does it feel like half the country has stopped operating in good faith? Why do people defend narratives at the cost of reality itself? And what happens to a culture when it unhooks itself from any higher ideal? Matt brings in John C. Lennox's argument that atheism, taken to its logical conclusion, unwinds rationality completely. If your brain is the product of a purposeless process, why would you trust it to do science or even to claim you are rational? The guys connect this to Nietzsche's warning about unhooking the earth from its sun, and to C.S. Lewis's insight from The Screwtape Letters about directing malice toward neighbors and benevolence toward strangers we will never meet. They also get personal. Michael talks about being in love with the idea of his wife and kids versus actually loving them. Matt quotes Teresa of Avila. God, I don't love you. I don't even want to love you, but I want to want to love you. The episode lands on a hard truth. Without a shared goal, there is no progress. And right now, we do not even agree that there should be a goal. Cheers y'all 🍻 Chapters: [00:00] Banter and allergies [01:02] Three stories [09:14] The team sports problem [15:23] Beyond a reasonable doubt [18:26] John Lennox and rationality [28:40] The emerging reality [36:42] Dead people on Social Security [41:27] The log in your own eye [50:48] Removing God and totalitarianism [59:04] Objective truth and Lady Justice [64:22] C.S. Lewis and imaginary benevolence [69:26] Dispensing with reality [75:43] The luxury of worrying [80:13] Words and definitions [93:45] Jesus says look at me Resources: • John C. Lennox — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lennox • Hillsdale College — https://www.hillsdale.edu • Man on Wire — https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1152836/ • The Screwtape Letters — https://www.amazon.com/Screwtape-Letters-C-S-Lewis/dp/0060652934 • Lincoln — https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443272/ • Am I a Racist? — https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32305780/ Fact Checks: • ✅ Roland Fryer published research on police use of force • ⚠️ Somali referee story. Verify current details • ✅ US 250th anniversary is July 4, 2026 • ⚠️ Jung quote on neuroses. Widely attributed but exact source unclear • ⚠️ Blackstone ratio. Often misattributed to Jefferson Find us here: x.com/mattmccloskey x.com/michaelvaclav All Matt's Links — https://solo.to/mattmccloskey All Michael's Links — https://solo.to/michaelvaclav Sovereign Goods — https://sovereigngoods.shop Cafe Medici — https://mediciroasting.com

  8. Jun 4

    Ep 282: Why Do We Call Successful People Dumb?

    Matt and Michael start with breath work and singing, and wander into why good things become mechanical, why we turn truths into idols, and what it costs to actually participate in the world. Then the strange phenomenon of calling accomplished people dumb, and the DNC's refusal to learn from defeat. Cheers y'all 🍻 Chapters: [00:00] Breath Work and Singing [03:28] When Tools Become Idols [12:34] Dumb Idols and Broken Hearts [37:37] Why We Hate Successful People [62:14] The Cost of Participation [74:06] The DNC Won't Learn Resources: • James Nestor — Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art • C.S. Lewis — The Weight of Glory • Ayn Rand — Atlas Shrugged • Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn — The Gulag Archipelago • George Orwell — 1984 Find us here: x.com/mattmccloskey x.com/michaelvaclav All Matt's Links — https://solo.to/mattmccloskey All Michael's Links — https://solo.to/michaelvaclav Sovereign Goods — https://sovereigngoods.shop Cafe Medici — https://mediciroasting.com

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4.1
out of 5
14 Ratings

About

A podcast by Matt McCloskey and Michael Vaclav

Information

  • Creator
    Shores of Ignorance
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    268
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    Shores Of Ignorance

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