Burett McKay here and welcome to another edition of the Art of Manliness podcast.

Do you feel like the time we live in feels flat, complacent, timid, conformist, populated

by people who are focused on plain and safe and are inwardly empty?

A century and a half ago, the Danish philosopher Sorn Kikegard felt the same way about the

period in which he lived, and positive that there are two kinds of ages, the revolutionary,

decisive, passionate, sensible, rational, and reflective.

Here, to impact Kikegard's ideas on these two kinds of ages is Jacob Halland, retired

professor philosophy in the author of Kikegard and Socrates.

Today on the show, Jacob and I first discuss him background in Kikegard and his existential

philosophy.

We then get into the differences between an age of passion and an age of reflection.

We discuss how an passionate age, an individual stands as an individual, possesses an energy

which focuses on truth and ideals, and has the courage to take bold leaps of faith.

While in reflective age, the individual is subsumed by the crowd, is afraid of public opinion,

and gets so lost in analysis and abstraction that he never makes decisive move.

All along the way, we delve into how Kikegard's description of his age parallels our own,

and Kikegard's evergreen call to be an individual, embrace risk, and own your opinions and actions.

Now, after the show's over, check out our show notes at a-wim.is slash two ages.

All right, Jacob Halland, welcome back to the show.

It's great to be here, Brett.

So you are a retired philosophy professor at the University of Tulsa, but you've been

staying busy, you've been still teaching with just other organizations, been doing to

...