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Having listened to a fair amount of Thiel, he tends to be very, very mischaracterized. He relies on metaphor and allegory to describe the world, and is very phi

Having listened to a fair amount of Thiel, he tends to be very, very mischaracterized. He relies on metaphor and allegory to describe the world, and is very philosophical and analytical–all of which opens the door to broad interpretation. For instance, his use of the phrase "Antichrist" has been wildly (and deliberately, IMO) misinterpreted by the commentariat and intelligentsia that dominate our sense making institutions. I'm not suggesting anyone should agree with everything (or anything!) he says, but I think the dismissal of him is to one's own detriment as much of it is very interesting and thoughtful.

JohnFen 11mo ago
My problem with Thiel is that he's actively working to make the world a horrible place for anybody who isn't in his circle, and has the wealth needed to make inroads towards that end. I am not interested in listening to someone whose philosophy leads him to such behavior.
- next_xibalba 11mo ago
  > he's actively working to make the world a horrible place for anybody who isn't in his circle Can you be more specific? I see similar claims thrown about him, but they don’t really hold up to scrutiny and often o. The basis of straw men claims.
  - Hikikomori 11mo ago
    He believes that democracy has run its course (did so in the 2008 crash as well) and believes in the ideas of Curtis Yarvin that think that tech CEOs should reign as feudal lords over small fiefdoms that he calls network states. Essentially the plan is to break the federal government and buy up its assets for pennies on the dollar. If this sounds bad for most people is up to you I guess.
    - next_xibalba 11mo ago
      Do you have any legitimate quotes or clips of him saying or writing any of these things? Not you or someone else paraphrasing, but actual, verbatim quotes. Bc as I have said, I've read and watched quite a bit of Thiel and none of this rings true.
      - esseph 11mo ago
        https://www.cato-unbound.org/2009/04/13/peter-thiel/education-libertarian https://www.cato-unbound.org/2009/04/13/peter-thiel/educatio... Read it yourself
        next_xibalba 11mo ago
        The claims made in this thread have elements of truth, but I can't help but conclude that they're made in bad faith. Thiel has said he doubts democracy’s compatibility with freedom. But, his response is relatively non-political: escape, via internet communities, seasteading, and tech ventures. His view on democracy is that it inevitably leads to over-regulation, ever expanding welfare (requiring ever expanding deficits, taxes, or both), slowly eroding the benefits of markets, eventually resulting in a zero sum economy in which collectivism, bureaucracy, and corruption rule. In other words, freedom decays. The claims about “tech CEOs as feudal lords,” plans to dismantle the government, or to “buy up its assets for pennies”—is not supported by any of his public remarks or writing. He's never endorsed corporate feudalism, asset seizure, or authoritarian rule.
        esseph 11mo ago
        "Competition is for losers." He's said there are "Satanic" components to AI. "fate of our world may depend on the effort of a single person who builds or propagates the machinery of freedom that makes the world safe for capitalism." "Monopolies are good" He's said the country should be lead by a monarch or "monarch-like figure". The guy is a fucking nut.
        11mo ago

JohnFen 11mo ago

My problem with Thiel is that he's actively working to make the world a horrible place for anybody who isn't in his circle, and has the wealth needed to make inroads towards that end. I am not interested in listening to someone whose philosophy leads him to such behavior.

next_xibalba 11mo ago
> he's actively working to make the world a horrible place for anybody who isn't in his circle Can you be more specific? I see similar claims thrown about him, but they don’t really hold up to scrutiny and often o. The basis of straw men claims.
- Hikikomori 11mo ago
  He believes that democracy has run its course (did so in the 2008 crash as well) and believes in the ideas of Curtis Yarvin that think that tech CEOs should reign as feudal lords over small fiefdoms that he calls network states. Essentially the plan is to break the federal government and buy up its assets for pennies on the dollar. If this sounds bad for most people is up to you I guess.
  - next_xibalba 11mo ago
    Do you have any legitimate quotes or clips of him saying or writing any of these things? Not you or someone else paraphrasing, but actual, verbatim quotes. Bc as I have said, I've read and watched quite a bit of Thiel and none of this rings true.
    - esseph 11mo ago
      https://www.cato-unbound.org/2009/04/13/peter-thiel/education-libertarian https://www.cato-unbound.org/2009/04/13/peter-thiel/educatio... Read it yourself
      - next_xibalba 11mo ago
        The claims made in this thread have elements of truth, but I can't help but conclude that they're made in bad faith. Thiel has said he doubts democracy’s compatibility with freedom. But, his response is relatively non-political: escape, via internet communities, seasteading, and tech ventures. His view on democracy is that it inevitably leads to over-regulation, ever expanding welfare (requiring ever expanding deficits, taxes, or both), slowly eroding the benefits of markets, eventually resulting in a zero sum economy in which collectivism, bureaucracy, and corruption rule. In other words, freedom decays. The claims about “tech CEOs as feudal lords,” plans to dismantle the government, or to “buy up its assets for pennies”—is not supported by any of his public remarks or writing. He's never endorsed corporate feudalism, asset seizure, or authoritarian rule.
        esseph 11mo ago
        "Competition is for losers." He's said there are "Satanic" components to AI. "fate of our world may depend on the effort of a single person who builds or propagates the machinery of freedom that makes the world safe for capitalism." "Monopolies are good" He's said the country should be lead by a monarch or "monarch-like figure". The guy is a fucking nut.
        11mo ago