The Cult Vault

A Fulfilling Life Without Meaning - In Conversation with Robert Jensen

September 12, 2026·1h 26m
Episode Description from the Publisher

CLICK HERE FOR MY NEW 11-PART PODCAST SERIES THE INSTASCAMMERIn today's episode, Kacey interviews retired journalist and University of Texas at Austin professor Robert Jensen, now living in rural northern New Mexico. Jensen discusses his wide-ranging books on feminism and pornography, race, anti-war responsibility, and ecology, and explains his new, more personal book, "This I Don’t Believe: A Fulfilling Life Without Meaning," reflecting on a traumatic, abusive childhood, vulnerability to cult-like certainty (including an Ayn Rand libertarian phase), and 17 years of therapy. He describes moments realising his family’s toxicity, work at a Benedictine monastery, and how coercive power dynamics appear in families, workplaces, churches, and cults.Jensen argues for facing grim realities without spiritual “anchors,” finding fulfillment through love, community, and practical shared work like communal irrigation-ditch cleaning, and notes the book is available via Amazon and his website excerpts.ROBERT JENSEN – Writer · Organizer · Retired Professorwww.crimecon.co.uk - USE CODE "CULT" FOR 10% DISCOUNT AT CHECKOUT!

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