Jumpstarter 5 of 10

Ideas to help restart your discussion

Question 5

Taylor defines pragmatism/utilitarianism/expediency and calls them “three giants that needed to be slain”; what are the most socially respectable forms of those “giants” in your daily decisions (money, career, family security, political engagement), and how do they subtly redefine what you call “wisdom”?

Another way to ask: In what parts of your life (money, job, family safety, politics) do “pragmatic” choices feel most normal, and how do they quietly change what you call wisdom?

Direct Answer Based on Dean Taylor’s teaching, the “respectable” versions of these giants show up as sensible-seeming choices that prioritize what works, what benefits the most people, or what is convenient—slowly replacing childlike trust in God’s promises with self-protective “wisdom.”

Support from Transcript:

Taylor’s definitions: pragmatism = “whatever works”; utilitarianism = “best for the greatest number”; expediency = “whatever is convenient for the immediate situation.”
He says these philosophies “rain as philosophical fundamentals” in American life and were “well ingrained in me.”
He connects them to the success narrative: “climbing the ladder… making the grade… achieve the American dream.”
He discovered they opposed real faith: to experience “the fulfillment of God’s promises… these pragmatic ideologies were three giants that needed to be slain.”
He exposes the spiritual mechanism: pragmatic thinking “minimiz[es] the promises of God,” turning “Seek first the kingdom…” into something “beautiful… but… not a reality.”

Discussion Follow-ups Where do you label something “wise” mainly because it reduces risk? How might your “wisdom” change if God’s promises were treated as concrete realities rather than ideals?

Jumpstarter 5 of 10

Add your phone number?

Thank you!

Jumpstarter 5 of 10