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Totalitarianism and Literature with Michael Matheson Miller on the Moral Imagination Podcast

In this podcast, Michael Matheson Miller and I discuss how both violence and entertainment and distraction are tools of state control. We discuss Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, some of the writings of Alexander Solzhenitsyn, and Julia Alvarez’s novel In the Time of Butterflies about life under the Trujillo dictatorship in the Dominican Republic. We also discuss Victor Frankl, Josef Pieper, Michael O’Brien, Tocqueville’s idea of “soft despotism,” and Neil Postman’s argument in In Amusing Ourselves to Death about Huxley’s Brave New World and George Orwell’s 1984. I note that these novelists take evil seriously, but are also careful not simply villainize the opposition so as to increase our understanding and self-awareness, and help prevent us from falling into the trap of another ideology.

Episode 61: Magatte Wade on Rethinking Poverty, Prosperity, and What Africa needs to Flourish – The Moral Imagination

In this episode of the Moral Imagination Podcast I speak with Magatte Wade about her book, The Heart of Cheetah, her personal journey, entrepreneurial ventures, and her vision for a free and prosperous Africa. Magatte was key voice and important influence in the film I directed, Poverty, Inc. She is a force for promoting freedom, the dignity of the person, and entrepreneurial solutions to poverty in Africa and throughout the world. I’ve know Magatte for many years and am delighted to have her on the podcast. We discuss the misconceptions surrounding African poverty and the need for economic freedom and institutions of justice – private property, rule of law, and ability to participate in the formal economy – for fostering opportunity and human flourishing for the poor. At the end of our conversation we also talk about poverty in America, the American dream from the perspective of an immigrant, emphasizing the need for a balance between material prosperity and moral values. Magatte emphasizes that Africa will only thrive through entrepreneurship, political and economic freedom, and a commitment to rule of law and human dignity.Biography Magatte Wade is founder of SkinIsSkin, and Senior Fellow at Atlas Network, the leading organization of African free-market think tanks. She was listed as a Forbes “20 Youngest Power Women in Africa,” a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, and a TED Global Africa Fellow. You can learn more about her work at MagatteWade.comChapters 00:00 Introduction to Magat Wade and Her Work12:47 The Path to Prosperity: Entrepreneurs and Free Markets39:52 The Reality of Poverty in Africa45:02 Devotion to Prosperity in Africa50:50 Cultural Identity and Entrepreneurship57:54 The Complexity of Labor Laws01:08:24 The Informal Economy and Its Consequences01:15:12 The Aha Moment: Economic Freedom and Wealth Creation01:25:09 The Correlation Between Property Rights and Prosperity01:30:09 The Anthropological Error of Socialism01:36:30 The Threshold of Flourishing01:45:48 Virtue, Character, and Economic Freedom01:54:12 The Teaching Power of Law02:06:11 Creating Conditions for Prosperity02:11:21 Misdiagnosis of Poverty and Its Consequences02:19:00 The Cheetah vs. Hippo Generations: A Call to Action02:29:08 Flourishing vs. Prosperity: A New ParadigmResources Get full access to The Moral Imagination – Michael Matheson Miller at www.themoralimagination.com/subscribe
  1. Episode 61: Magatte Wade on Rethinking Poverty, Prosperity, and What Africa needs to Flourish
  2. Episode 60: Augustine Wetta, O.S.B. St. Benedict's 12-Step Guide to Genuine Self-Esteem
  3. Episode 59: Catherine Pakaluk, Ph.D – A Life Marathon: On having a large family in a consumerist culture amidst declining marriage and birth rates
  4. Ep. 58 William Easterly Ph.D. : Poverty, Technocracy, and the Tyranny of Experts
  5. Ep.57 The Decline of Christianity, the Rise of the “Nones” and Philosophies of the Person that Shape Unbelief

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