In the latest episode of the Nostalgia podcast series, Dr Chris Deacy, Reader in Theology and Religious Studies in the Department of Religious Studies, speaks to Professor Douglas Davies, Professor in the Department of Theology and Religion at Durham University.
Douglas discusses the concept of career planning, its relationship to issues of social class, and why he thinks there is an element of futility to nostalgia as luck and chance are the two great facts of life. Douglas reveals his a problem with ‘what if?’ scenarios, synchronicity and the desire for patterns, seeing them as a pathological expression of the drive for meaning. We learn about destiny, triviality, why Douglas has a problem with revisiting special moments, the paradox of Durkheim, why the British don’t like apprenticeships, and wisdom.