Summary: Reading Time: 6 minutesIn 2 Timothy 3:2 there is a warning of terrible times in the future when (among other things) people will be lovers of themselves. This podcast episode looks at this reality of our current day and age. At no point in the history of the world can an entire generation even come close to competing with our own for the unfortunate title of being a people totally in love with themselves.<br> <br> But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves…<br> 2 Timothy 3:1,2<br> <br> I look at the history and the dysfunction of this horrible reality and these terrible times.<br> <br> Show notes are below. <a style="color: #800000;" href="https://www.patreon.com/jbshreve">Please consider becoming a Patron to JB Shreve and the End of History. </a><br> <a href="https://www.patreon.com/jbshreve"></a><br> <br> <br> Sigmund Freud and the Self <br> Our story begins with a look at the work and philosophy of Sigmund Freud. The self, as Freud identified it, was captured in the subconscious. He believed the tension between the conscious and subconscious had to be resolved for man to be whole and healthy. This idea became incredibly popular in the western world during the first half of the 20th century.<br> <br> What is significant is that this was the first time in human history that the idea of personal health, safety, and happiness was rooted to the internal state of a human being. In the past avoiding plague, starvation, marauding armies, or other external threats were the primary needs for securing human happiness. Things changed now.<br> <br> Another doctor, Abraham Maslow captured this in his idea of the human being’s hierarchy of needs. This hierarchy could be scaled out to all of society and at the pinnacle of human development and requirement for personal happiness was a deep and significant encounter with the self.<br> Edward Bernays and Engineering Consent for the Lovers of Self<br> Next in the story comes the nephew of Sigmund Freud, Edward Bernays. Freud wanted to heal the self. Bernays wanted to manipulate the self. As he read the writings and philosophy of his uncle he was not concerned with what would be right and wrong when it came to the discovery of the self and its needs. He was concerned with how money and power could be gained by manipulating the self.<br> <br> Bernays wrote a famous book titled <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0970312598/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=jbshreve-20&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=0970312598&linkId=4a6961d41b53ef1fc16f3eb8a43e592b">Propaganda</a> where he noted:<br> <br> The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, and our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of…. It is they who pull the wires that control the public mind.<br> <br> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/theendofhistory/PHVq/~6/1" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a><br> <a href="https://feedburner.google.com/fb/a/headlineanimator/install?id=nb64uri41haerm5fvtnnavfgjo&w=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">↑ Grab this Headline Animator</a><br> <br> <br> <br> Bernays is noted as the father of public relations and his work and research triggered a revolution in the marketing industry. This impacted everything from the type of cleaning products we buy to the politicians we vote into office.<br> <br> There was a terrific documentary from the BBC I utilized as a key source for this section of the podcast. All four parts of the documentary are available on YouTube below.<br>
