You're So Vain: Rebecca Konyndyk DeYoung on Vainglory and Glittering Vices

The Table Audio w/ Evan Rosa

Yes, vanity of vanities. You probably think this show is about you. Well, it is about you; and me; and all of us. But, as our guest today, explains: "This is not a sin and guilt, beat‑yourself‑up exercise. I'm not in the shaming and blaming game at all. What I'm trying to do is move people forward toward liberation and freedom." In this episode, "Queen of the Vices" Philosopher Rebecca Konyndyk DeYoung talks about vainglory, pride, hypocrisy, authenticity, and the human longing for recognition and being known. Her emphasis on grace motivates us toward a life of healing and freedom, and calls us to live up to the dignity and respect that we already have.

Show Notes

• 0:00 — Podcast intro
• 3:22 — Begin interview, the role of philosophers in contemporary culture and diagnosing ailments of the soul
• 4:40 — Vice as a “mirror” or “diagnosis” so that we can move to life and healing
• 6:19 — The historical role of self-knowledge in flourishing
• 6:59 — Problems from the desire for and pursuit of self-understanding
• 10:00 — Today’s culture of authenticity
• 12:04 — The self-defeating cycle of humility and vainglory
• 14:15 — John Cassian's story of the preaching monk in the wilderness
• 15:06 — Vainglory in celebrity and social media culture
• 19:47 — Intermission
• 20:57 — “Gift language” that keeps us from being preoccupied with performance
• 25:44 — Faking it and hypocrisy: reference to Jennifer Herdt's book Putting on Virtue: The Legacy of the Splendid Vices
• 29:42 — Wanting to be loved vs. wanting applause: vainglory and the need to be loved
• 34:34 — Reference to Stephen Darwall's view of recognition self-respect and appraisal self-respect
• 26:13 — The roots of vainglory
• 42:00 — Habits, practices, and spiritual disciplines that fight against vainglory
• 48:13 — End interview, credits

Quotes from Rebecca Konyndyk DeYoung

• "Evil is a great mystery. Goodness is a great mystery, and they're all sort of tangled up in our hearts. I would caution people about being both too cavalier about not needing to do that deep excavation, but also being too confident that they're able to do it fully and finally in one go."

• "When it comes to healthy self‑love, in some respects, the truth that many of us can't hear, or can't register, or can't take in is the fact that we're already unconditionally beloved by God. In some respects, grace is just too good a news for us."

• "The great thing about the spiritual disciplines, or maybe the not‑so‑great thing, is that God will do whatever work needs to get done to bring you into a more virtuous state."

• "This culture tends to like to just put itself on display. In some respects, it's a way of being authentic. 'See, here I am. No holds barred. I'm filming it live. There's no editing,' that kind of stuff. That's a shallower version of authenticity than the Christian tradition calls for."

• "This is not a sin and guilt, beat‑yourself‑up exercise. I'm not in the shaming and blaming game at all. What I'm trying to do is move people forward toward liberation and freedom."

Credits

• The Table is sponsored by generous grants from the John Templeton Foundation, Templeton Religion Trust, and The Blankemeyer Foundation
• Theme music by The Brilliance
• Production and engineering by The Narrativo Group
• Production Assistance by Laura Crane
• Edited and mixed by TJ Hester
• Special thanks to Rebecca Konyndyk DeYoung
• Evan Rosa on Twitter
• CCT on Twitter