#1022 - Sheehan Quirke - How Did The Modern World Get So Ugly?
Timestamps are as accurate as they can be but may be slightly off. We encourage you to listen to the full context.
Podcast Summary
Sheehan Quirke, known as The Cultural Tutor, shares his journey from working at McDonald's to becoming a viral educator on beauty and culture with nearly 2 million followers. (36:00) This conversation explores why modern life feels devoid of beauty, examining the difference between "beautiful" and more practical descriptors like "interesting," "charming," and "meaningful." Quirke argues that we've lost the conviction that even mundane infrastructure like drain pipes and sewers can enhance our daily lives, demonstrating through Victorian examples how functional objects once doubled as sources of civic pride and human delight. (45:00) The discussion moves from architecture to romance, poetry, and the importance of consuming profound art over surface-level entertainment to nourish our souls in an age of ironic detachment.
- Core themes include the crisis of beauty in modern design, the power of earnestness over irony, and how great art and architecture can restore meaning to contemporary life.
Speakers
Chris Williamson
Host of Modern Wisdom podcast, focusing on psychology, philosophy, and human optimization. Known for bringing complex topics to mainstream audiences through accessible conversations with leading thinkers and experts.
Sheehan Quirke (The Cultural Tutor)
British writer and online educator who became viral for creating accessible posts on art, history, and literature. After working night shifts as a security guard and at McDonald's, he built a following of nearly 2 million on social media by posting daily threads about culture and beauty. He has since published a book and created documentaries about art and architecture.
Key Takeaways
Reframe Beauty with Practical Language
Rather than getting caught up in debates about what's "beautiful" versus "ugly," Quirke suggests using more accessible terms: "interesting" (opposite of boring), "charming" (playful and respectful to the viewer), and "meaningful" (reflecting local culture and history). (01:00) This reframing removes the moral judgment and inflammatory nature of beauty discussions, making it easier to build consensus around improving our built environment. The key insight is that boredom is what humans truly cannot tolerate - we can endure ugliness, but not environments that fail to engage our attention and interest.
Function Should Include Human Flourishing
The famous principle "form follows function" has been misunderstood to mean appearance doesn't matter, only utility. However, Louis Sullivan, who coined the phrase, actually meant that decoration should be suited to a building's purpose. (13:00) Quirke argues that anything in our built environment - from drain pipes to sewers - should fulfill its complete function, which includes making human lives better and more humane. The Victorian sewage pumping station designed like a cathedral demonstrates this principle: infrastructure can be both functional and uplifting.
Consumerism, Not Politics, Is the Real Enemy
The barrier to beautiful design isn't left versus right politics, but consumerism and the culture of obsolescence. (56:00) Property developers prioritize quick returns over lasting value, leading to buildings designed to be demolished in 20-30 years rather than treasured for centuries. Traditional architecture often proves more sustainable environmentally (using local materials, suited to local climate) and economically (beautiful buildings don't need replacing). Both progressives and traditionalists should unite around creating environments that serve ordinary people rather than just maximizing short-term profits.
Consume Profound Art to Develop Your Soul
Just as we optimize our physical diet, we need to curate our mental diet more carefully. (85:00) While the self-optimization movement has improved our material well-being through better habits, sleep, and nutrition, we've neglected the artistic and spiritual dimension of life. Reading profound poetry like William Noel Hodgson's "Before Action" or engaging with challenging art does more than entertain - it reveals new truths about yourself and the world, ultimately making you happier and more at peace than consuming only surface-level entertainment.
Romance Requires Earnestness Over Ironic Detachment
Modern romance struggles because our culture of ironic speech protects us from vulnerability but prevents genuine connection. (78:00) True romance requires "the courage to take your emotions seriously" rather than maintaining aloof, sardonic distance. Love is inherently inconvenient - it disrupts schedules, makes you stay up all night, causes you to make irrational decisions like flying across countries. The willingness to be earnest, to plant your flag on what you truly want and believe, opens the door to meaningful romantic connection in ways that ironic detachment cannot.
Statistics & Facts
- There are approximately 150 million different books in the world, and even reading 1,000 books per year would only allow someone to read 0.007% of all available books. (110:00) This statistic highlights the importance of choosing high-quality, time-tested literature over newly published works.
- Pizza Hut rejected Quirke's job application, but McDonald's accepted him, where he worked maintaining stock and cleaning car parks while earning insufficient money to pay back debts to friends and family. (18:40)
- Within six weeks of starting his Twitter account, Quirke had gained 100,000 followers, despite his original intention being simply to drive traffic to a tutoring website that attracted no customers. (22:00)
