When Ideas Meet Reality — Economics, AI, and Fasting with Jay Richards

2026-02-24

Jay Richards and Dave Hanegraaff explore why reality requires commitment, embodiment, and disciplined practices that keep us grounded when our digital lives lead us into abstraction. This is a wide-ranging conversation, beginning with the reality of economics before diving deep into the accelerating presence and authority of AI and why the tech debate is ultimately about anthropology—what a human person is, and what we’re becoming. Jay makes the case for why the forgotten discipline of fasting is a forgotten fountain of fortitude—for body, mind and soul—especially in a culture of excess increasingly out of touch with reality. Follow A Commitment to Reality wherever you listen. TIMESTAMPS 00:00 – Intro 00:30 – I used to hate you—the value of conversation and actually listening 03:00 – How to change your mind 05:15 – How social media bubbles create reality distortion 07:35 – Go outside—embracing embodiment in a digitized world 11:15 – Intentionality and going analog in an increasingly digital world 15:10 – Beneficial uses of AI 18:40 – We can’t stop AI: fear, inevitability, and panic 20:20 – Metaphysics/anthropology: the real battleground beneath AI debates 22:14 – Is AI demonic? What’s actually happening “under the hood” with AI tech? 26:45 – “AI” is a marketing term—how that language shapes fear of AI 28:30 – How AI could create a massive class divide 32:25 – Mamdani and socialism—the power of images vs reality 36:45 – The benefit of being able to say “I used to think that” 41:25 – How to be productive 45:00 – Why did most Christians stop fasting? 50:00 – The appeal of ascetic practices in a culture of excess 55:15 – Combatting spiritual warfare with fasting 58:00 – Physical benefits of fasting explained—and how to begin 1:08:30 – Why flipping the old food pyramid is a great idea 1:13:00 – I hate talking about fasting—but we need to talk about fasting 1:16:20 – How Eastern Christianity can lead a revival in fasting for all Christians 1:18:10 – The forgotten gift of fasting seasons like Advent and Lent 1:19:00 – “A feast without a fast is a strange, half-finished thing” 1:23:30 – Fasting is a skill—how to start 1:26:00 – Best practices for grounding us in reality 1:27:40 – Where are we most eager to look away from reality? 1:31:55 – Understanding what A Commitment to Reality means 1:32:35 – In a world that feels increasingly unreal, what feels real to you? 1:34:00 – New Atheism is dead