Ep. 121 - The Self-Help Scam
In this episode Bethany invites us to examine the self-help industry and its influence on American culture. Inspired by the podcast If Books Could Kill, she traces the history of self-help starting with Dale Carnegie, the first in a long line of shameless grifters. JP shares his personal gripe about Eckhart Tolle and other authors who appropriate Eastern philosophy and repackage it as a tool of capitalism. Bethany posits that self-help exists because people crave philosophy and don’t have time to reach for more difficult texts; Aaron counters that the pursuit of self-improvement is a matter of making oneself a more efficient piece of technology in a capitalist system.
Also covered: how JP went from a wimpy kid to a fitness fanatic, why Aaron could have been a successful grifter, and an idea for a self-help book the Philosophy After Hours crew could actually get behind.
To learn more about the show and how to become a Patreon subscriber, find us at philosophyafterhours.com.
