Jonathan Pageau closed out Day 2 of ARC 2026 with a keynote that left the whole room speechless. Amidst the many voices surrounding the global AI debate, Pageau offered a simple question that stopped us in our tracks: “Who does it serve?”
With the return of the ARC Conference this June, we are publishing a brand new book — the most comprehensive synthesis of ARC’s philosophy to date. Drawing on Augustine, Tolkien, and a long tradition of civilisational thinking, The Age of Reconstruction charts a path from diagnosis to renewal. While many can point out where things have gone wrong, this book does what most can’t: it lays out a vision of what we must build, how, and why it is still possible.
Praise for The Age of Reconstruction:
“Will Western Civilisation flourish, or flounder? It depends on us, and the decisions we make right now. And Johnny Patterson’s wonderful ‘The Age of Reconstruction’ gives us the formula, based on timeless ideas and wisdom.” — Arthur Brooks, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author
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Jonathan Pageau is an artist, writer and public speaker. He is a pioneer in the revival of Liturgical Art for the 21st century. Through his podcast, The Symbolic World, and publishing company, Symbolic World Press, he fosters the rediscovery of symbolic thinking and a vision for re-enchantment in the world.