The Pragmatist’s Guide to Crafting Religion

The Pragmatist's Guide, Book 5

By: Simone Collins, Malcolm Collins

Narrated by: Malcolm Collins

Length: 19 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

Humanity consists of coevolving software (our religion and culture), firmware (our hardcoded proclivities, such as language acquisition), and hardware (our brains). Ripping out a third of the equation has led to innumerous unintended—and typically negative—consequences. This book offers a guide to rebuilding or fortifying this increasingly neglected aspect of the human condition.

Specifically, The Pragmatist’s Guide to Crafting Religion serves as a playbook for those looking to strengthen traditional cultures in the face of collapsing birth rates or craft entirely new cultures designed to impart strategic advantages to adherents.

Should you listen to this book?

• If you were raised in the absence of a cohesive culture—or don’t like your given culture—but see the value of cultural and religious traditions, this book is for you.
• If you worry your culture or religion will go extinct and would like to see it endure across generations, this book is for you.
• If you have ever thought about inventing a religion or starting a cult, this book is for you.

This book will neither be pleasant nor useful to those who don’t want large families as it defines a successful culture as one that sustainably spreads over the long term—which, outside of a few niche exceptions, requires high birth rates.

©2023 Malcolm Collins (P)2023 Malcolm Collins

Very Prescient

Must read book. If you want to predict the un-winding of western civilization there's no better book. If you want to orientate yourself in the world, cultural group co-evolution is the world view you need.

However, the author's own religion is doomed. They admit that religious reform (i.e. belief in God) is the only thing in history that has raised fertility. They are perusing progressive ideals even though they admit that female education is significantly correlated with below replacement fertility. They have a sci-fi "star-trek" religion, when they admit only Christianity and Judaism are immune to fertility collapse. If the authors were sensible their religion would more closely resemble Christianity than pop-culture.

Your smartest, weirdest, successful couple friends

What a wide-ranging book! An analytical romp from culture to religion to parenting to emotions to genetics. If you like new ideas, you'll love this book.

Great analysis on all things existential

This book is extremely well thought out and a pleasure to consume. Really appreciate how the Collins's analysis looks at intersecting ideas/practices in politics, culture, religion, philosophy, etc. through a memetic/evolutionary lens - which is to say, they have probably one of (if not the) most accurate models of the world and where the future is headed. I'd say this book is for anyone like me who can sense there going to be huge shifts in the cultural landscape (not least of which will be caused by population collapse) and want more information on the implications going forward and how to prepare for these inevitable changes.

Personally, couldn't be more excited to participate in the index project and come up with our family's new cultural practices - moving onto the other books in the Pragmatist's Guide series. Cheers!

A book to challenge your worldview and inspire you to craft and perfect your family values

I bet much enjoy this book. It has made me consider the nuances of my worldview and reassess my beliefs and values. I look at life a bit differently. The fresh perspective of the Collinses is an important lens in which to view our society. I suggest you grab some friends and family and read this book-club style.

A work of genius

First, on the performance: Do not read this book expecting a staid professional reader. If you expect that, you will be dissatisfied. Read this like an extended, tightly scripted, podcast hosted by a mad scientist presenting his invention to the world for the first time. If you read it like that, you’ll Love this book. The passion, the enthusiasm, the unscripted asides because the author is just bursting with so many ideas: absolute gold. Far far better than a standard audiobook, so enjoyable — just be in the right frame of mind.

On the actual content: Is it all correct? No. Any groundbreaking treatise like this will inevitably have weird and parochial quirks mixed in. You do not get radical thinkers to build entire shiny new frameworks without some level of fallibility mixed in. But is it worth reading? Oh yes. What is correct far outweighs those things I might think are wrong. And if you have any pretensions to do anything at all which lasts beyond your lifetime, this book is invaluable.

One of the most thought-provoking books ever

It is rare to find a book that can so much update my beliefs and thinking. The narrator's personality is pertaining and the ideas are well researched and data driven.

A comprehensive analysis of the role of culture with remarkably few blind spots

Malcom and Simone have thought deeply about one of the most important topics - how do we pass on our culture and value to our children, and how do we make our culture last into the future?

As someone who has lived within a wide swath of Christian communities, I have seen the strengths and weaknesses to various cultural approaches to raising kids, building communities, and influencing culture. Sadly, tribalism causes many such groups to view their neighbors with suspicion instead of seeing them as valuable allies with shared interests.

Malcom and Simone’s outsider perspective dispassionately puts all the categories on the table and questions them thoroughly with no sacred cows or taboos to be avoided.

Repeatedly while listening, I would think “ah, but what about ____?” In regards to some issue or topic that I had considered unexamined in cultural discourse, only to hear Malcolm approach the topic moments later.

While one could criticize the lack of editing in the audiobook, overall the random inclusions of “audiobook only” side trails is entertaining and endearing, and the frantic delivery emphasizes the passion with which Malcom approaches this topic - there’s no time to edit audio, the world is in peril! I actually had to listen at 1x speed to make sure I didn’t miss anything (a rarity for an audiobook)

This is an important book that hopefully will be taken seriously by the innovative leaders within legacy religions. Those who still have the flexibility to tailor their messages and delivery to the young adults considering their future need to shift the telos of the faith back to the creation mandate to “multiply, fill the earth, and bring it into submission”. The outliers will always be welcome in such communities, but the communities themselves will only last as long as they value the future generations wellbeing (including their existence) above their own needs.

A truly fascinating, necessary, and existential invigorating book

The interview Malcolm had with Chris Williamson brought me to this audible and I am VERY glad that I found this book ( I bought the [albeit thick😅] paperback and have the audible! A lot of people will say that Malcolm‘s reading in this book was too conversational, but it was incredibly refreshing to listen to a book concerning something as obscure and truly necessary as “religion crafting.”

Because of this book, my girlfriend and I now have a complex/meaningful gratitude ritual during dinner that we intend to pass on to our children. We are currently in the works of making adding more ceremonies and rituals to our own cultivar.

I would love to contribute to the Index — for the future and for the good of others!

Amazing read

One of the books that had a significant lasting influence in life. Touched on a lot of ideas I'd thought about at a high level before, but formalized and flushed them out very well. Great insights and the terminology used is very useful for conveying the ideas. I like how Malcolm read it so casually.

Things I thought about, but have only limitedly correlated.

Exactly what I was looking for, but I didn’t know anybody was writing. A very intellectual approach to praxeological anthropology. Which, I’m not sure that’s the best term, but it’s close enough to signal to anybody with an interest in the topic(s) that it is very easily worth value. Furthermore, that’s not even the sentiment this book should be approached with, as it’s like, saying lord of the rings or something like Harry Potter is “worth the value”. The book is an experience, that I highly doubt anybody with active interest in the topic will regret.