The Failure of Modern Technology | Peter Thiel

Peter Thiel's speech given at the 2014 Dinner for Western Civilization hosted by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute on October 23rd, 2014.
Peter Thiel, a luminary in the tech industry, shares his unique insights on the transformative power of technology and its profound influence on the course of Western Civilization. From the digital revolution to the challenges and opportunities presented by technological advancements, Thiel explores the dynamics that shape our world.
The Intercollegiate Studies Institute is dedicated to fostering conservative thought and intellectual discourse on college campuses. The annual Gala for Western Civilization brings together thought leaders and scholars to engage in discussions vital to the preservation and understanding of Western values.
Don't miss this enlightening lecture that delves into the nexus of technology and Western Civilization. Tune in, subscribe, and join the conversation as we explore the ideas that continue to shape our future.

[@gorillabiskut]

My favorite part of this speech is the constant dishes clanging

[@apricotcomputers3943]

umm, they Were at a dinner 😂

[@KabbalahredemptionBlogspot]

Tells you what the main event was really.

[@ChucklesMcGurk]

not loud enough I can still hear him

[@davidarbelaez4395]

Somewhat distracting but musical. 🤪

[@robertrogers-nm8wf]

The dishes!!! Feels like when you get seated next to the kitchen and waiter station at the restaurant . I won’t do it.

[@pikaso6586]

Imagine Peter Thiel is standing there to entertain you while you're eating

[@adamstephenson5066]

Is there a buffet in the back of the room?

[@notallowedtobehonest2539]

Hes at a fencing competition

[@christinemurray1444]

It's actually in the front room.

[@toutlesag]

No. They are washing dishes and cutleries in the room…

[@jceja87]

Pls pass the Grey pupon mustard.

[@JingJao]

yeah its a dinner

[@magnusdanielsson2749]

Interesting that he brings up the 70s. A couple of things happened during this period. The US went off the gold standard, the economic theories went over to neoclassical theory, companies profits in relation to workers salary started diverging, the world as a whole adopted a ”glass is half empty”-attitude vs the ”half full” it had before this. And is it not a peculiar coincidence that the lack Thiel sees seem to stem from this time period? Ive said for many years that the world took a very bad turn during the 70s that set it up for (possibly)some very dystopian futures..

[@user-ss2tl1cy9x]

why do you say that there was a pessimistic attitude?

[@lazyb0y828]

was that also the time when rich people had to pay 90% taxes and the country still didn’t break?

[@teevee2145]

Jan 81..reagan

[@davidgood7621]

The plan seems to be unfolding as it should, and I would say the great day of our Lord is at hand. The events of our oresent day seem to be ramping up toward that end, as prophesy is being fulfilled. Whose will is it, is my question. Some might say that it is self fulfilling, but it also seems that it is being nudged along quite handily.

[@davidgood7621]

​@mitchellcouchman6589 Give us some examples

[@bigedfromny6037]

Love listening to this guy. I don't think he's right all the time, but definitely fun to think about his issues.

[@georgewashington3012]

Very clever guy. I always enjoy his logical view of things unobscured by ego/emotion.

[@andrewgirvan3540]

I laughed out loud at the question "How was your contrarian attitude formed?" 😂

[@thewuggening9993]

where do you get your ideas?

[@tinytim71301]

10-1 sound mixed by a woke mind virus host.

[@keyser021]

Probably pillow talk with his boyfriend. Dude dances with the Devil, how far would you listen to him?

[@PBCBlount]

His nervousness was very human. I always like to see a nervous speaker because that shows that they are not a sociopath. They can still be evil but at least they have emotions. This guy did a great job.

[@lazyb0y828]

haha not a sociopath…. he just doesn’t care much about other humans…

[@maha-madpedo-gayphukumber1533]

“We wanted flying cars. Instead we got 140 characters and photo sharing apps” -- Peter Thiel,

[@wubanizer]

We have flying cars, there called airplanes. Oh, mean you literally want something the size of a car that can fly in earths atmosphere? Okay, Just give me a second to change the fundamental laws of physics so that isn't an insanely fucking hard and impractical engineering problem

[@nickvoutsas5144]

Many people are like the many but once in a while an individual is born who defines the truth. Peter Thiel is one such person

[@NicoSmets]

It's always feel like a breath of fresh air when I hear Peter Thiel speak.

[@Teeveepicksures]

He's just a tech bro without a moral compass. Find better heroes.

[@swede910]

In that clamging it's pretty impressive that he keeps his composure! How on earth does he not respond to it?

[@commandersprocket]

If you like Thiel, read Conspiracy: Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker, and the Anatomy of Intrigue by Ryan Holiday it might cure you of that.

[@EricDMMiller]

He only takes a breath of fresh air after saying 'um'.

[@craigwillms61]

He comes off as a commonsense guy, kinda anti-government anti-bureaucratic, but he's got his hands on government contracts and does their bidding from the private sector side of it. Not saying he's nefarious, but full disclosure, open book he is not.

[@shawnbydalek4153]

Yes. His perspective is still one that is nice to get though. Just have to mix it up with many others. Truth is only handled in slivers.

[@m87orion]

The eyes are a dead giveaway of an alterior motive. Do not trust him at all.

[@disposabull]

His company Palantir found Bin Laden.

[@aboucard93]

Government is not the problem. The government has worked since the 1970's our politicians don't do anything. All of government policies are written by lobbyists that get by Private Equity companies.

[@CH-fp6gj]

He is nefarious. Look at what he does not what he says. Made his money off mass surveillance

[@WanderingSybil186]

It's true that all the incentives lead people to develop research and activities that fit in with the current paradigm, whatever it is.

[@TheWest212]

Thiel is awesome!!

[@edsnow5753]

Brilliant! A lot to think about and process. I love hearing intelligent and opposing viewpoints. Great presentation

[@micksylvestre2887]

He was contradicting himself and really saying very little to take from.

[@orsoncart802]

Truly excellent! 👍👍👍😁

[@nccamsc]

I thought he was going to talk about the subversion of technology to diminish the power of ordinary citizens.

[@jimhendrickson5553]

Wow, explains my track to secular hell in the 70s. ( I was into uranium and coal property exploration). One question: do you think Nixon converted the currency into fiat currency as recourse to penalize America, especially the left? I've wondered this for years (this plus the 55 mph speed limit and some other things).

[@gregorysagegreene]

I believe it was just because they couldn't cover the War. It wasn't as if there was a 'Bonds for Vietnam' whiparound.

[@jimlakey8366]

Government can never default with a non convertable currency. No need to balance the budget. At least that’s what Mosler claims...

[@erict.35]

Huh?

[@psychicspy]

Automobile engines were tuned to run most efficiently at 55 mph. When they raised the speed limit to 65 and then 70mph, those engines designed to run at 55mph no longer ran as efficiently and wore out more quickly. About 55 miles per hour is the optimum speed for most cars. Kick it up to 65 mph and you are 8 percent less efficient; at 80 mph you are 28 percent less efficient. Slowing down can also mean reducing your carbon footprint.

[@jj4791]

John Maynard Keynes is the reason the US went to Fiat currency. He wrote so eloquently, that it's a wonderful hidden tax through inflation. And that one dollar spent on stimulus will eventually generate more than one dollar in economic growth. (Well yeah, printing money devalues it and those who lose are the ones who save, and those who win are the spendthrifts up to their eyeballs in debt, like the government). Also, Fiat currency is inherently dishonest. It is just counterfeiting under the guise of legitimacy.

[@007.M-D]

❤. We are all paying the price today .

[@kathyperry5787]

How about some change in monopoly business models…his thoughts on that? Shell Companies?

[@jamesa.m.836]

Spot on!

[@jmellon766]

The guy bought himself an Ohio State Senator.

[@Susieq26754]

Mormons love homosexual fascists.

[@TheRepublicanProfessor]

Sounds exactly what he said in the first Conversations with Tyler in March 2015

[@zaharizahariev]

Those lizards never stopped for a second to stuff themselves full to bursting never mind that the boy had something new to say for a change.

[@gregorysagegreene]

So I think you covered the 'dishes' and 'clanking' posters were whining about ... the sound of gastronomically-contented elites.

[@sarahh8575]

He quote‘s from “Anna Karenina” and I felt this was someone I could really listen to

[@bernardofitzpatrick5403]

Tolstoy ….. I listen

[@Stephen-zq2wf]

Silicon Valley ECHO Chamber When You Think that You Know It All > You Stop Learning

[@edward481]

Nice speech, insightful. To the last question, what was the pivotal turn in the 70s: a critical mass of TV watching made people shallow, stupid, lazy and powerless, except for people who make money making the masses shallow, stupid, lazy and powerless.

[@nc7341]

A "mince no words" lecture.

[@chirag2819]

5:22, I can't believe he said that " You do not want to start the 4th Pet Food Company ...", Google wasn't the first search engine, it was the 35th attempt of Search Engine. Facebook wasn't the first social media company, It was somewhere around 14-15th attempt of social media company.

[@chirag2819]

It's always the best executor.

[@dariodamico3033]

Did they put a microphone on every single piece of cutlery in the room? WTF, stop stuffing your face and just listen to the thing.

[@ein_Zweifelnder]

His questioning of the so called "hard core physics" is more realistic than most people will think. In youtube you will find Alexander Unzicker and Sabine Hossenfelder questioning modern physics establishment. The lessons are in english, Books in german and english I recommend Alexander Unzickers "Vom Urknall zum Durchknall".

[@wubanizer]

Sabine is a quack and I've never heard of that other guy but I bet he is too

[@ein_Zweifelnder]

@@wubanizer I had to look up, what quack means and i had to laugh. In some sense you may be right. She ist now to busy in promoting new videos. The first video I have seen from here was a lecture and subsequent diskussion I think at Frankfurt university, that gave me a very good understanding, that particle physiscs may be at a dead end. If you don't know Alexander Unzicker you should close that gap.

[@Fred-yq3fs]

@@ein_Zweifelnder Unzicker blabs nonsense for ppl who did not study physics and won't anyway.

[@Fred-yq3fs]

@@wubanizer Sabine is not a quack. She has a doctorate in theoretical physics, worked as a postdoc for years, then got tenure before pivoting to science com on youtube. She's doing somewhat catchy videos, sure, but pretty well based, asking questions, thinking out of the box. A contrarian. I guess your attitude illustrates quite well the conformism Thiel is talking about.

[@wubanizer]

@@Fred-yq3fs I think her belief in super determinism is based in blind faith without evidence. I think her promoting superdeterminism is true is harmful and while she isn't the biggest quack ever it's still a quack like thing to do.

[@justifiably_stupid4998]

This speech has got me thinking. Are there any books by Thiel or associates that anyone might recommend me reading?

[@fochiller]

Zero to One

[@elvinzeynall6986]

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand influenced his thinking very much as far as I know.

[@misterchoc123]

Sovereign individual. He wrote the introduction in the new version

[@Teeveepicksures]

​@@elvinzeynall6986 😂

[@Teeveepicksures]

Necronomicon

[@dpie4859]

He is such an interesting and intelligent heterodox thinker!

[@gregorysagegreene]

Ah, you learned a new word from him.

[@brendawilliams8062]

Spirit doesn’t need a large vocabulary. It’s just there

[@krunkle5136]

He's very much orthodox. Today tech is always on about thinking different while consisting of a very few players. It's the norm now.

[@brendawilliams8062]

@@krunkle5136 shame that that mindset of a few have the handbag may impact high school education in the maths.

[@esorse]

You could argue that legal tender distorts 'price discovery', because it's a state supplied financial instrument * extracting rent equal to the inflation rate from otherwise frictionless barter trade, although given efficacious institutions ** , arguing for it as a welfare mechanism on the grounds that endowments are not the same is feasible. * Financial Instrument (accounting) A legally binding agreement from a meeting of minds, an offer, unconditional acceptance of the offer and consideration, or some property - bundle of rights like you can alienateand control access to it - of the same fair value in return for it, resulting in an asset for some entity and liability or equity for another. ** The rules and conventions guiding behaviour.

[@Ashtonlee1]

Contrarian to Peters view the world of atoms has advanced at amazing speeds. It’s just that we outsourced much of it to outside the USA. ASML makes machines for TSMC to make the most advanced technologies in human existence based on the designs of NVDA. AI bits only possible from our advanced atoms.

[@Gracinda80]

"Corruption in the University system" happens everywhere because nowhere, in the western world, is there an elected entity that governs how Universities work, and what their obligations and rights are. Why is this not debated extensively in "broad daylight"?

[@regingwang]

The noise can be filtered

[@harveylin3548]

The first question the audience asked is the most critical one in today, since AI will take over all the route tasks, humanities will become the new king of creating value.

[@tinytim71301]

Zero to One was a good book.

[@GM4ThePeople]

"Peter Thiel" is an anagram for "The Reptile". o/

[@williambranch4283]

Technology are mere tools. The malice of the tool users is the failure.

[@organisationxiv2927]

*_Technologies_ are mere tools. Or *technology is a mere tool.

[@notallowedtobehonest2539]

@@organisationxiv2927technology is like deer... or fish. You can say technology as plural

[@organisationxiv2927]

@@notallowedtobehonest2539 One doesn't write or say 'technology are'. Period. It's some kind of American twaddle, along with confusing 'a' and 'an'. ( _A historic_ and _a hotel_ is correct). But as usual, when the Americans don't understand it or apply their overly-literal thinking, they simply invent nonsense in English through oversimplification ad utilitarianism. One would write _technology is a tool_ or something like _different types of technologies are tools_

[@notallowedtobehonest2539]

@@organisationxiv2927 you do say "look at all of the technology". Similarly you say "look at all the mice". Do you say "look at all the mouse?". No. So technology is plural, like mice.

[@notallowedtobehonest2539]

@@organisationxiv2927 you do say "look at all of the technology". Similarly you say "look at all the mice". Do you say "look at all the mouse?". No. So technology is plural, like mice.

[@samlebon9884]

Most of the technologies are not needed, they are made to be wanted.

[@chavruta2000]

10 years later his ideas seem more obviously true.

[@raginald7mars408]

IN CEST IN BREEDING SHEEPLE FARM

[@HughChing]

Society has changed due to technology progress, but human lives may or may not have been improved because of the unavailability of a method to make rational decisions based on the solution of value.

[@psikeyhackr6914]

Conformity of Thinking: Not asking about the distribution of steel down skyscrapers even when a couple of them collapse straight down. Isn't that weird?!

[@ObsceneSuperMatt]

Skyscrapers are specifically designed to fall straight down, so you don't have a domino collapse through the whole of Manhatten!

[@psikeyhackr6914]

@@ObsceneSuperMatt Utter bullshit!

[@jj4791]

What is the strength reduction vs temperature graph of mild steel look like? Where does it begin? Google is Your friend.

[@psikeyhackr6914]

@@jj4791 How do you determine the temperature of the CORE of the steel, if you do not know the thickness and quantity of the steel? Even if your data about the air temperature around the steel is correct, air has a density of less than 0.1 lb/cu ft. Steel has a density of 499 lb/cu ft. So if you do not even know the thickness and quantity of steel you cannot find the time it took to reach the necessary temperature at the core. You are making an assumption and rationalizing backwards about temperature. So why don't we have data as simple as the tons of steel and concrete on each level?

[@ObsceneSuperMatt]

@@psikeyhackr6914 Can't you just look up the blueprints and go from there?

[@_oo.monkeypox.oo_3344]

Thiel is One of the most intelligent person !

[@davidgood7621]

Another man with another opininion who desires to be heard. No competition there.

[@Aidan_Au]

Please have Peter Thiel to speak again

[@Teeveepicksures]

preferably under oath

[@oscarwild7763]

Yeah Pete, “oh I’m all about a being a libertarian, capitalist….ahhh government should be small” next mix “oh I have this business’s called palantir”

[@sandralibeau4795]

Lol. He moved to NZ to live after Prime Minister John Key bent the rules so he could get citizenship after living here for only 12 days. He set up his own Roth so he could retire at 55 without paying any tax on it and built a huge bunker for himself. Now he s preparing to move to Malta. He did deals with our government over Palantir and his medical marijuana company it is alleged. Now NZ is forging ahead with CCTV spying, facial recognition and digital money. I don t think it's an accident that EVERY country is suffering right now from a supposed cost of living crisis. I think it is a set up for the digital currency.

[@judithfrank6133]

Grandmother now of 4 under 9 yrs old: with money and have no clue whom to protect. Do you need protection or do they?

[@zwatwashdc]

They do. Grandmother’s protect the young in a healthy social system.

[@foremarke]

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:41 *🧠 Courage is often scarcer than genius, especially in a society that tends to discourage unconventional thinking.* 01:56 *🎓 Thiel sees political correctness as a significant barrier to independent thought, particularly on college campuses.* 03:30 *🔄 There's no formula for entrepreneurship; it involves unique, singular approaches rather than repeatable processes.* 04:09 *💡 Successful businesses differentiate themselves and aim for monopolistic positions rather than engaging in interchangeable competition.* 07:50 *🐑 Intense competition can distract from meaningful pursuits and transcendental goals, fostering conformity.* 09:41 *🌟 Courage is rarer than genius; societal pressure often discourages unconventional ideas, particularly outside Silicon Valley.* 13:05 *🚀 Thiel views technology as a significant achievement of the West but worries about societal stagnation and regulatory hurdles stifling progress.* 17:21 *⚖️ Thiel critiques regulatory double standards, noting the high cost and risk-aversion hindering innovation in fields like medicine.* 19:13 *💡 Building an atomic bomb is much harder than building a website, highlighting the decline in objective difficulty of technological advancements.* 20:07 *🎓 Universities have contributed to the decline in scientific innovation by prioritizing grant writing skills over eccentric thinking.* 21:44 *🤔 Political correctness and grant-writing processes limit scientific progress by discouraging tough questions and experimentation.* 22:12 *📉 Questioning taboo topics in science, like Darwinism or climate change, often leads to trouble.* 23:07 *🧪 Scientists face repercussions for investigating controversial subjects, stifling academic freedom and innovation.* 24:28 *🏜️ The stagnation of the United States began in the 1970s, marking a pivotal decade in history that requires examination to understand current issues.* 26:04 *💬 Universities face a crisis similar to the Catholic Church's 500 years ago, with a uniform system and lack of diversity in thought.* 27:58 *💰 Pursuing humanities degrees with the aim of academic positions may not be fruitful due to systemic corruption and decline in funding.* 32:06 *💸 Bitcoin's success lies in speculation; integrating it into a payment system is the critical challenge for its widespread adoption.* 34:40 *📚 Assigning a single required book for undergraduates is challenging; a great books tradition may offer a more diverse and enriching reading list.* Made with HARPA AI

[@Fred-yq3fs]

Cool AI. Thanks for the demo.

[@bradarmstrong1656]

Why would you post a 10 year old speech? Without noting that prominently?

[@ryanpoe3696]

At around the 16-minute mark he gets into what I call the EPCOT Problem. If you went to EPCOT as a kid in the 80s-mid90s it was this amazing place of futurist dreams. The bright techno-future so NEAR at hand! So achievable! Let's do it! But, as time crept into the 20-teens and we had accomplished nothing of the future it promised, EPCOT effectively became the Museum of Man's Unrealized Potential. A mirror of our collective failure. In response, Disney gutted it all during that decade, and what doesn't lie abandoned has been turned into comic book movie thrill rides.

[@Hdianvciadpei]

Silverware clanging

[@user-zj1pw3bn9h]

Ted Kazinski ?!🎖️

[@PersonalNotPrivate-rl8dv]

Who did(n't) you have in mind? Easy breezy.🎉

[@anettemor1730]

what is the background noise? audience is eating? a wrong place for that speech.

[@davidgood7621]

Not at $300 a plate

[@jceja87]

He is at Denny’s their is just a Billboard for going to college in the background!!

[@johnsmith12421]

The transition from espousing the benefits of monopolistic business practices to bemoaning that the collective vision and expectations of society have moved away from expecting innovation to drive abundance is so jarring and hypocritical it is almost breathtaking. The mind boggles at how these two thoughts could be presented side by side without a hint of self awareness or acknowledgement of the stark contradiction; but there you have it.

[@williamflaherty3168]

Ironically, most of the Silicon Valley aspies are developing technologies that propagate and encourage conformity and herd mentality. I as an old school aspie think it's a coup d'etat against neurotypical population. However, no conspiracy involved. It's our modus operandi 🤣

[@1MoreTurn]

Clang intensifies

[@zwatwashdc]

There is something else going on. People in power live much much longer and far fewer die suddenly opening up new breathing space. Look at our current system. If anything we are ruled by the Queen of the Damed, a long living vampire who has turned to stone.

[@silberlinie]

Ja Peter, du redest Wasser trinkst aber selbst Wein. Z.B. gibt es die konzeptuale Ausarbeitung von mir für Technologien beruhend auf der Kontrolle von Inertia.

[@gregorysagegreene]

Your German translated into eminently reason-able English. 👍

[@aboucard93]

The problem in today's world is PE and large asset management companies. These firms buy up and privatize essential businesses and load them up with debt until they're bankrupt. Essential businesses like housing, food companies, hospitals, nursing homes. They put these companies in so much debt these companies are force to lay people off, keep employees wages stagnant, raise prices on consumers, and slash employee retirement and benefits all while using our own money. But Peter won't tell you that because he benefits from this system. If you're seeing this comment please like to spread the word.

[@TamasKalman]

whats up with the dishes? great talk though

[@rihardsgr]

Ten years later and you have not made any conclusions out of his speech but actually have made it all much worse.

[@organisationxiv2927]

...but technology *hasn't* failed. Humans have failed. The technology just exists; the failure to control it or to safeguard against the negative impacts of technological advancements is human fault. Maragaret Thatcher pointed this out.

[@gregorysagegreene]

... or to steer it.

[@annjuurinen6553]

I always thought Maggie was a fraud. She reminded me of a man in drag. Her policies devastated communities in Britain. Not long after London's financial district became known as am offshoot of the Kleptocrat Society of Thieves from Russia.

[@techievena]

Can a philosopher partner up with a king?

[@ChannelMath]

there's something kinda sad about paying people to act like you have something interesting to say. Especially now, when people seem to think rich people have something interesting to say just because they're rich.

[@bobbym6130]

Thiel started PayPal, multiple hedge funds which have funded many startups, and was the first outside investor in Facebook. He's clearly a lot smarter than any of us. The money is secondary.

[@moffattF]

Stream of consciousness rant😮 thoughts that start from somewhere but lead nowhere.😊A kind of low key Gish gush. Since when was the Bible one book???😂

[@vitalii991]

Да

[@vampireLFD]

Don't challenge the status quo, society wants people to agree, not confront the people in position of decision making about their lack of understanding of what they need to make decisions about. Boomers know better is what boomers believe.

[@gcgenerals22]

Please say “Umm” more

[@rolandnelson6722]

He’s somehow dropped the umm’s in his recent speeches. He sounds quite different now. A masterful speaker.

[@QUARTOPARTITO]

An auxiliary of War Criminals!!!!

[@Star-hg1kt]

It was game on LOL 🍽

[@manassurya2019]

There are a lot of really good talks from US think tanks, but a common and annoying feature is that these are dinner events, and you often hear the annoying sound of cultery on plates in the talks. I think this concept needs to end.

[@paramsingh3538]

How he can recall exactly where he came across a phrasing for an idea is crazy (16:12)

[@Clyde.artwork]

It's 2024 and they can't get a directional mic that cuts out the people stuffing their faces in the back of the room???????

[@imagoodlistener2730]

Failed? There is plenty on the roads. Tell our wonderful local leaders to say no to automatic license plate readers and everything else coming down the pipe creating a even worse existential prison.

[@edward481]

The question "what do you believe is true that nobody agrees with" is good but he's wrong that people don't believe that god does not exist, since most people are not polytheists, tragically. My answer would be, "companies should respect the human right of free speech" since nobody believes that, at least no Americans.

[@davidrichards1302]

"It is a poor measure of mental health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly insane society." - Krishnamurti Thiel is profoundly well-adjusted to our society, which is why he is so wealthy. He's also quite insane.

[@zinjanthropus322]

Oh no success, how horrible! Lol

[@davidrichards1302]

@thropus322 Flippancy indicates that one has reached their limit of self-introspection. 'Lol' (This response was edited to include an obligatory 'Lol', which was omitted from the original response.)

[@zinjanthropus322]

@@davidrichards1302 Not nearly as much as a lack of a sense of humor, which seems to be your primary affliction.

[@Teeveepicksures]

​@@zinjanthropus322 He's a wildly succesful and influential ghoul.

[@zinjanthropus322]

@@Teeveepicksures Nothing wrong with being wealthy and influential.

[@gregorysagegreene]

Your buddy said advancement isn't guaranteed. We live in another Copernican Inquisition, which is historically Normal. We *should* have had an Economic System by *now* that didn't throw away a tranche of people every few years. Why is it you guys think you're the Centrum of societal structure ? Obviously the only thing that was promised that got 'saved' in the last 50 years was y'all. Good talk, otherwise.

[@sunroad7228]

Transformative power of single-pool Energy - "No matter how highly mechanised and self-powered, fossil fuels extraction requires a number of people - as if the process is executed by hands using buckets and ropes - by physics". Today, this number is 8 billion people - working flat out 24/7 - strong. What's called Economics, you and I are among those, too. Living-animated from one single Energy vessel, trading finite fossil fuels by the doctrine of what's called 'supply and demand' - is no Economics, but rather the best of a Communism-disguised-Capitalism system. Karl Marx, Nikola Tesla, Einstein, Huxley, Orwell, Turing - should be forgiven for thinking their systems can last forever. Finite fossil fuels are dangerously hypnotic to humans, their consciousness, reasoning and mental capacity. Humans were not ready morally, ethically and intellectually to start the mass extraction of fossil fuels with the steam engine 300 years ago. The Magna Carta requires now overhauling - adding to it the right for humans to understand what Energy really is - before any other commandment; "In any system of energy, Control is what consumes energy the most. No energy store holds enough energy to extract an amount of energy equal to the total energy it stores. No system of energy can deliver sum useful energy in excess of the total energy put into constructing it. This universal truth applies to all systems. Energy, like time, flows from past to future"(2017).

[@Kansika]

The so called fossil fuels were a real saviour for Europe's forests. If it hadn't been for advances in coal power and coke refining tech all trees would've eventually been cut down and burned in open fires for heating and cooking. Hydrocarbons on other bodies in the solar system like oil on Titan and methane on Mars are from dead dinosaurs and ferns, too?

[@DanM-ys5pz]

Regardless of opinions on PT's politics, businesses or speaking ability, it's clear the guy is incredibly intelligent. Enjoy reading his work and listening to him speak..

[@loading__abhi6709]

Indians are there

[@of_henological_annoyance]

contrarianism is cool

[@jmbaka007]

Dude is part of the team that created gig economy and he became rich. Now we have a generation of workers who can never get pension. Will they work to death? We have generation of workers who do not have any insurance for their jobs do not give them any of that. We have a generation of workers who must work 365 days a year to make a livelihood. These are things tech people do not figure out in their business models all they think about is just being the dominant player in the field. This is not entrepreneurship but rather crime. There is need of a conversation of "Sustainable entrepreneurship" where progress and innovation is not a column of Forbes list but rather progress and development in people's lives, society and a nation in general. It is not about making money from people with jobs that are pensionable but creating more jobs that are pensionable and have insurances and people can have a work and life balance.

[@user-kg1od9es5d]

Mate you just figured out a huge gap in the pension market. Go build the solution and build a billion dollar pension fund…

[@rradekanon1945]

We need an AI to remove all the stammers and fillers so that this can be a 3 minute talk.

[@EduardoRodriguez-du2vd]

There are people who talk and what they express seems to be coherent and informed thoughts. But sometimes, that's just appearance. Here ignorance, lack of critical thinking, prejudices, fear, helplessness, lack of introspection, etc. come together. And the result is sounds in the air. Just sounds in the air.

[@jlandles]

He actually raises quite a number of serious and important points, particularly around things like medical research and our reliance upon corporate behemoths to discover and then market treatments. He also taps into a much wider body of literature that suggests a declining level of innovation in the 21st century. The fact you associate his ideas in what appears to be your own turbulent emotional profile and construction of political orthodoxy ("prejudice" is mostly code for a political or language violation) rather suggests why you are so repelled by someone expressing, if not original, then at least relatively novel ideas that challenge popular certainties. To claim he is uttering speech without meaning is reminiscent of the Party's efforts in 1984 to render meaningful speech to be unintelligible through a new lexicon: it really points to a horrific closure of a human mind into a calcified box. Exactly what is being challenged here.

[@EduardoRodriguez-du2vd]

@@jlandles Being ignorant of neurological differences and their relevance, and embracing absurd conspiracy theories, resulting from prejudices and frustration, is not "raises quite a number of serious and important points."

[@wubanizer]

​​@@jlandles Yeah or maybe Peter thiel is just stupid

[@codeantlers485]

Desert = the "productive" working years of the boomers.

[@Harshharsh111]

To summarize his notion : Hello, can i just lie a little bit more ?

[@cbbcbb6803]

Politically correct and politically incorrect are both meaningless terms. Was the genocide of indigenous people politically correct, or, was the genocide of indigenous people politically incorrect?

[@chrisbremner8992]

Russia is defeating America on all levels, it is what America was in 1960.

[@freedomrides5713]

Shit kinda slaps

[@jimlaguardia8185]

Thiel is brilliant, but a poor speaker. If he took speech lessons, he could have a huge impact.

[@jzmcgriggs8652]

Peter Theil is the definition of overthinking the problem.

[@BenJoffe]

Peter Thiel: maybe these things they teach you are not sacred, and not quite correct Also Peter Thiel: read the bible!

[@krunkle5136]

Monopolies have no incentive to improve their products and all the more to keep the status quo. They can rig the game because they're the only show in town. Also they just make life boring frankly.

[@julian11d]

Like the Monopoly on violence of the state or the education system?

[@krunkle5136]

@@julian11d those are different as the first is an expression and the second is an institution which shouldn't be on the market.

[@julian11d]

@@krunkle5136 no its not different goverment security services are shit and the education system would be better if it where private.

[@krunkle5136]

@@julian11d it doesn't help that American needs to maintain its posture around the world, but true, however the mismanagement isn't a simple matter of public vs private. My town is fine and has little crime, but overall the US is sparsely populated and so people with money and power are naturally disconnected with the poor, so nothing gets done to help the situation and bring the country together. Everyone wants their castle. The issue with having everything private is that education becomes a thing for the privileged. Again it goes back to the sparse population problem, and budgets are determined by the money coming from the neighborhoods in a given district. There needs to be a cultural change too. Uniforms, committing to quality, audits by parents being allowed etc., life long learning etc.

[@MrClockw3rk]

This is an old talk

[@cdes68]

The real failure is your kind gaining power.

[@JamesDavid-yt4ec]

"to be a 'contrarian' by yourself" ... [Not funny , thoughts Harley Q.? , Mahatma G.?]