441 - Mary Harrington - Technology, AI, and Cultural Memory

About this episode

Mary Harrington discusses the impact of technology and AI on cultural memory and truth in the digital age.

In this conversation, I sat down with Mary Harrington about technology and the online world. Mary reflects on her path as a writer, the evolution of online culture, and the growing difficulty of discerning truth in the digital environment. We also touch on memory, embodiment, cancel culture, and politics. YouTube version: https://youtu.be/eeBZuA0S1ZE Mary will be speaking at the Symbolic World Summit. The theme of the conference is Retelling the Cosmic Epic, and Mary’s talk will be titled: 'Rebuild the Monasteries' Description: In an age of AI "slop" and flattened culture, how do we understand, and cultivate, what makes us distinctly human? Mary Harrington will argue that there is no need to reinvent the wheel. Premodern practices of memory and prayer, once cultivated in Europe's monasteries, can refresh our imaginations and salvage our human cultures in the digital age. Come join us at Woodside Event Center | Broadview Heights, Ohio | May 14-16, 2026 Early Bird Pricing – Ends March 26th: Save $50 on both General Admission and VIP tickets Buy tickets now: https://symbolicworldsummit.com/ ===== NEW COURSE: Plutarch: Symbolism in History with Pavel Shchelin The problem with history…

People in this episode

Host: Jonathan Pageau

Guest: Mary Harrington

Topics covered

• technology
• AI
• cultural memory
• online culture
• truth
• cancel culture
• politics

Keywords

• technology
• AI
• cultural memory
• online culture
• truth
• cancel culture
• politics

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Symbolic World Summit

Books & works: Rebuild the Monasteries, Plutarch: Symbolism in History

Places: Woodside Event Center, Broadview Heights, Ohio

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