How Did The Modern World Get So Ugly? - Sheehan Quirke - #1022

Nov 20, 2025 1h 56m

About this episode

Sheehan Quirke is a British writer and online educator, known as The Cultural Tutor for creating accessible posts on art, history, and literature. Why does modern life feel so devoid of beauty? For decades, efficiency has beaten out elegance. Cheap has replaced meaningful. When did we stop creating things built to last and meant to move us, and what would it take to return? Expect to learn why contemplation is a luxury, or a necessity for sanity in the modern age, why we lost when architecture became more functional than beautiful, if Is there such a thing as objective beauty in architecture or if it’s purely cultural and subjective, which city or structure best captures the balance between progress and timelessness, if sterile architecture is one of the reasons the students of today are so bored and uninspired, and much more… Timestamps: (0:00) Why the World Desperately Needs More Charm (14:26) The Surprising Origins of Sheehan's Cultural Education (27:58) Is the Mona Lisa Actually Boring? (34:50) Why Liberals Shouldn't Ignore Traditional Architecture (54:07) Is Consumerism Quietly Killing Beauty? (58:19) Which is the Most Beautiful Place on Earth? (01:06:31) Why Modern Life Makes Romance Feel So Hard (01:22:02) How Does Online Content Shape Us? (01:32:21) Is Poetry Too Hard to Understand? (01:45:43) What Would You Be Willing to Die For? (01:49:08) Sheehan’s Vital Cultural Lesson (01:54:17) Where to Find Sheehan 01:54:17 Where to Find Sheehan Sponsors: See discounts for all the products I use and recommend: https://chriswillx.com/deals Get a free bottle of D3K2, an AG1 Welcome Kit, and more when you first subscribe at https://ag1.info/modernwisdom Get a Free Sample Pack of LMNT’s most popular flavours with your first purchase at https://drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom Get 35% off your first subscription on the best supplements from Momentous at https://livemomentous.com/modernwisdom Get $100 off the best bloodwork analysis in America at https://functionhealth.com/modernwisdom Extra Stuff: Check out Sheehan's book: https://linktw.in/PdoFxP Get my free reading list of 100 books to read before you die: https://chriswillx.com/books Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic: https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom Episodes You Might Enjoy: #577 - David Goggins - This Is How To Master Your Life: ⁠⁠⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Goggins⁠⁠⁠ #712 - Dr Jordan Peterson - How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs: ⁠⁠⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Peterson⁠⁠⁠ #700 - Dr Andrew Huberman - The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain: ⁠⁠⁠lnkfi.re/SN-Huberman⁠⁠ - Get In Touch: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/modernwisdompodcast Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact - Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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