Peter Thiel on “The Straussian Moment”
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Published 2019-09-23
Peter Robinson opens the show by asking Thiel’s views on his own essay “The Straussian Moment.” (Essay link: www.evernote.com/shard/s542/client/snv?noteGuid=46… responds by saying that people today believe in the power of the will but no longer trust the power of the intellect, the mind, and rationality. The question of human nature has been abandoned. We no longer trust people’s ability to think through issues. Thiel notes that this shift began to take place in 1969, when the United States put a man on the moon; three weeks later Woodstock took place, moving the culture in the direction of yoga and psychological retreat.
Thiel further adds that there was still hope that things would open up for the world in 1989, when the Berlin Wall fell and the Soviet Union collapsed, but that the leaders of China and other East Asian countries did not accept that openness would solve their problems. Instead they learned the opposite lessons from those events: that if you open things up too much, then things fall apart.
Thiel ends the interview by noting that there is nothing automatic or deterministic about how history happens, and he expresses his views that economic growth plays a vital role in a country’s future.
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All Comments (21)
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I love Peter Robinson. You will not find a better prepared interviewer anywhere
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Peter Robinson is a phenomenal interviewer: he did an interview with Peter I believe years ago and has also interviews with Rene Girard. I can recommend his recent ones with Jim Mattis, VDH, David berlinsky, all of them with Thomas Sowell, Heather Macadonald
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I’m amazed by how clearly Thiel is speaking here. He tends to stutter a lot in many other interviews he’s done.
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I always thought that Peter Thiel was a very intelligent being, but didn't expect how much intellect and introspectiveness he portraits in this interview with a rather superior interviewer like Peter Robinson. What a pleasure this was to watch these two talking
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This is one of the best interviews I've ever heard. Thank you so much.
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Peter Thiel really needs to be interviewed by John Vervaeke.
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The enlightment was not a movement opposed to religion, but the result of the printing press and questioning biased opinions in society represented by elitarian title positions no longer accepted as such like monarchy and that of the cathlic clergy. The reformation itself has also been part of that process as well as philosophy about economy, the state and being there.
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The man is very intelligent, you have to give him that.
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Each time I return to this interview I'm more impressed by how insightful Theil's thinking is.
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Peter Thiel is always involved in esoteric and fairly narrow discussions with people that generally share his same point of view on too many things, resulting in dialogues that might as well be monologues. Would love to hear him talk to someone that pushes him a bit more, I think listeners would value those moments very much. Fascinating discussion, though.
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As fast as i see Peter Thiel on a video i watch it!
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Fascinating interview and fascinating perspective on the Enlightenment. He’s certainly right that we live in a moment, or era-- when people don’t believe in the capacity to think, and therefore the capacity to change. We tend to treat one another-- and ourselves-- as beings who “are what we are” and nothing more. But this does not mean we cannot change for the better, only that we believe we cannot. These two are not the same.
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Peter's hypno-tie is strong. It really ties the suit together.
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A tactic discovered is a tactic neutralized, know this from negotiation.
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Let’s get another Peter2(squared)!!. these two gentlemen’s intellect put me at ease.. two thought leaders worth the squeeze 🍋
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Robinson is so easy to watch, very intelligent and asks the interesting questions. And Thiel is simply a genius.
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Peter Thiel always so insightful and interesting thank you mr Robinson for the interview
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PURE GOLD.... Many Questions Answered !
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Peter Thiel, a modern thinker with a depth of soul.
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Peter Robinson is my spirit animal
