The Secular Benedict Option | The American Conservative

The Secular Benedict Option | The American Conservative

Nicholas Phillips, president of the NYU School of Law Federalist Society, writes:

"For those who aren't religious, the Benedict Option raises as many questions as it answers. We know that the choose-your-own-adventurism at the heart of the progressive project is hollow and alienating, but is there anything comprehensive enough to replace it? ....if we're not doing expressive individualism, what will we do instead?...

"This is the secular Benedict Option. While American society continues to drug itself into a tech-enabled stupor, conservatives must save authentic human connection and experience. It can't be done at the individual level alone: that's too hard. Instead, we need communities full of people that have opted out together.

"Imagine neighborhoods or even whole towns governed by covenantal commitments to refuse social media and virtual reality. Imagine schools in which parents feel no anxiety about refusing their children smartphones because every other parent has signed an identical pledge. Imagine restaurants and public spaces that prohibit device usage. Imagine a great re-norming in which the time we rescue from our screens is spent rediscovering lost arts: craft, conversation, connection."