The Cogitating Ceviché Podcast

The Cogitating Ceviché Week in Review (26-5) Discussion via NotebookLM Editorial Summary This week’s writing circles a shared concern: the quiet replacement of judgment with systems, procedures, and spectacle. Across theology, political theory, institutional critique, and fiction, contributors interrogate how meaning is displaced when responsibility is abstracted. Calista Freiheit frames spectacle as a moral anesthetic. Conrad Hannon and Conrad T. Hannon trace how trust migrates from people to systems, and how progress often advances by narrowing moral agency. Gio Marron, through fiction, offers a counterpoint: human choice reasserting itself inside constrained structures. The week reads as a sustained meditation on obedience, delegation, and the costs of convenience. Articles * The Christian Case Against SpectacleFebruary 2, 2026 — Calista FreiheitAn argument that spectacle functions as a moral bypass, training audiences to feel rather than judge, and to confuse reaction with discernment. * Why We Trust Systems More Than PeopleFebruary 3, 2026 — Conrad HannonAn examination of how procedure replaces judgment, and how trust migrates from persons to mechanisms in modern institutions. * Herbert A. Simon: Progress at a Price (#1 – Anti-Heroes of Progress)February 4, 2026 — Conrad T. HannonA critical portrait of bounded rationality and the moral tradeoffs hidden inside managerial efficiency. * The Cathedral Without a GodFebruary 6, 2026 — Conrad HannonA meditation on compliance as theology, and the unspoken faith embedded in bureaucratic order. * The Norwegian (Part V of VII)February 7, 2026 — Gio MarronThe mystery tightens as motive, memory, and obligation collide, testing how much agency remains when choices narrow. Quote of the Week “Spectacle does not persuade; it replaces the need to decide.”— The Christian Case Against Spectacle, Calista Freiheit Questions The Christian Case Against Spectacle * Where does spectacle most successfully short-circuit moral judgment today? * Can communities resist spectacle without withdrawing from public life? Why We Trust Systems More Than People * What do systems promise that people no longer do? * At what point does procedure become a substitute for responsibility? Herbert A. Simon: Progress at a Price * What forms of judgment are lost when decisions are optimized? * Is bounded rationality a description, or an excuse? The Cathedral Without a God * What beliefs are required to sustain large-scale compliance? * How does bureaucracy teach obedience without naming it? The Norwegian (Part V of VII) * Which constraints in the story are structural, and which are chosen? * How does mystery function as moral inquiry rather than puzzle-solving? Additional Resources * Ivan Illich, Tools for Conviviality * Jacques Ellul, The Technological Society * Hannah Arendt, Responsibility and Judgment * Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death Calls to Action * Calista Freiheit: Examine which forms of spectacle shape your moral reflexes this week. * Conrad Hannon: Question one procedure you follow automatically. * Conrad T. Hannon: Revisit a thinker of progress with attention to their blind spots. * Gio Marron: Read fiction as a way to rehearse judgment, not escape it. * General: Share this review with someone who still believes systems are neutral. Thank you for your time today. Until next time, stay gruntled, curious, and God Bless. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecogitatingceviche.substack.com/subscribe