Is time linear? Or does it move in cycles? Mark Twain purportedly said “history doesn’t repeat itself, but it likely rhymes.” Is America— and the world— in a cycle or “Fourth Turning” similar to the times of the American Revolution, the American Civil War and World War II?

Neil Howe is author of “The Fourth Turning Is Here— What the Seasons of History Tell Us About How and When This Crisis Will End” and other books on generational theory lauded by both the left and right. In this conversation, Howe and Naughton address generational cycles and the four “turnings” that occur within an 80-90 year period, or the average length of a human lifetime. They explore the current fourth turning which is marked by crisis and conflict. It delves into the cyclical nature of history and the correlation between major wars and fourth turnings throughout the United States, England, Europe and beyond. The discussion also touches on the moral equivalent of war, a concept from William James, that explores alternative means of achieving the transformative effects of war without the violence and destruction. Howe and Naughton address how the consciousness revolution of the 1960s and 70s can guide us through the current millennial crisis.

Howe explains how each turning is characterized by different social dynamics and values, and how they shape the generations that come of age during those times.

00:00 Introduction to Generational Cycles & Turnings

04:09 A “Great Gate in History” Generational Differences & Awakening Eras

13:45 Overview: the Four Turnings in Current History

19:55 The Third Turning: Unraveling

24:58 The Fourth Turning: Crisis and the Need for Order

33:30 Archetypes & Turnings

40:01 William James & the Moral Equivalent of War

47:06 The “Reckoning” of Today’s Polarization

51:14 The Cyclical Nature of History & Time

54:39 The Consciousness Revolution and the Fourth Turning

Order Neil Howe’s most recent book “The Fourth Turning Is Here: What the Seasons of History Tell Us about How and When This Crisis Will End.” https://a.co/d/1FJhuAs

New Thinking Allowed Guest Host Christopher Naughton is a former trial attorney and multiple Emmy Award-winning host of The American Law Journal television program and former host of New World Radio. His website is ChristopherNaughton.com. He is the author of “America’s Next Great Awakening: What the Convergence of Mysticism, Religion, Atheism, and Science Means for the Nation. And You.” https://a.co/d/aaG8uve

Naughton’s producer and editor is Valerie Jones, valerieajones.com.

(Recorded on November 17, 2023)

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Published on February 2, 2024