Live data from Hacker News

Peter Thiel's Apocalyptic Worldview Is a Dangerous Fantasy

jacobin.com

61–70 of 281 posts

Re: Peter Thiel's Apocalyptic Worldview Is a Dangerous Fantasy

#61

The problem that this article has is essentially this: > Thiel by contrast is profiting from the use of AI weapons targeting systems used in the Ukraine war and the genocide in Gaza. Thiel is IMO not doing this for profit. He is deeply ideological, which should be more worrisome.

What AI weapons systems are in use in Ukraine?

Re: Peter Thiel's Apocalyptic Worldview Is a Dangerous Fantasy

#62
post #13

Maybe slightly off topic to the article, but I don't really care what Peter Thiel has to say. I do think we need to collectively think about how to not give these people a microphone. It's one thing to have concentrated wealth. It's a very different thing to have concentrated wealth and people's attention. I think that's a much more interesting discussion :).

The trouble is, he isn't just a crazy uncle. He's a crazy uncle with significant political power.

Re: Peter Thiel's Apocalyptic Worldview Is a Dangerous Fantasy

#63
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Odd for a gay man to court those who support Leviticus stoning of gays. Self hating? Or just savvy?

In the current setup, having enough money protects you from the laws of the country and the judgment of others. Thiel is rich enough and therefore powerful enough that these culture wars will never personally affect him or anyone he cares about.

I've always suspected this mentality had a lot to do with why Peter Thiel is like that. Growing up in the wreckage of the AIDS crisis and thinking to yourself, "I don't have to go down with them. I don't ever have to be like them. I'm still here, because I'm smarter, I'm better than them." I'd never admit any of this publicly, but I have a lot of similar thoughts as a trans woman who slipped through all the cracks and ended up wealthy in my thirties. Poverty is the tip of the discrimination spear and you really could buy your way out of it all.

Re: Peter Thiel's Apocalyptic Worldview Is a Dangerous Fantasy

#64

And here I thought he was just trying to wrap his techno libertoonian worldview in the Book of Revelations in the hopes that the religious right would get behind it. Did I miss something?

Not everything is a conspiracy; sometimes a crazy person is just a crazy person.

Re: Peter Thiel's Apocalyptic Worldview Is a Dangerous Fantasy

#65
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In the current setup, having enough money protects you from the laws of the country and the judgment of others. Thiel is rich enough and therefore powerful enough that these culture wars will never personally affect him or anyone he cares about.

"Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition...There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect."

I was wondering about the origin of this phrase, and it may not be what you think it is.

https://slate.com/business/2022/06/wilhoits-law-conservative...

Re: Peter Thiel's Apocalyptic Worldview Is a Dangerous Fantasy

#66

I would have never believed it 10 years ago. I actually think there is a high probability the world will be ended, not by war or natural disaster, but by an honest to god trillionaire super villain. The ultra wealthy are an actual existential threat to humanity. No one can be trusted with that much money and power.

I fact I think exactly the opposite observing how the nations are ruling their people.

Re: Peter Thiel's Apocalyptic Worldview Is a Dangerous Fantasy

#67
post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Jacobin is not a whole journal on literal communism. It’s a magazine with a professed socialist view point but it’s more aligned with left-of-center American politics. Think Sanders or Mamdani rather than Stalin or Mao.

> Jacobin is not a whole journal on literal communism. It’s a magazine with a professed socialist view point but it’s more aligned with left-of-center American politics. Think Sanders or Mamdani rather than Stalin or Mao. > Sanders or Mamdani Sanders and Mamdani are about as far left of center as one can get at the moment, such that they almost meld into Stalin or Mao. The mental gymnastics you’re doing to blunt that…

> Sanders and Mamdani are about as far left of center as one can get at the moment

No, they aren’t. They are about as far left of center as you can get and be competitive in US elections, maybe, but that’s a very different thing. There’s a lot to their left (as you an see from the by the opposition from leftist as sellouts to capitalist/imperialist/etc. institutions both have.)

Re: Peter Thiel's Apocalyptic Worldview Is a Dangerous Fantasy

#68
post #13

Maybe slightly off topic to the article, but I don't really care what Peter Thiel has to say. I do think we need to collectively think about how to not give these people a microphone. It's one thing to have concentrated wealth. It's a very different thing to have concentrated wealth and people's attention. I think that's a much more interesting discussion :).

The issue is that having concentrated wealth and having concentrated people's attention are not separate things.

Re: Peter Thiel's Apocalyptic Worldview Is a Dangerous Fantasy

#69

And here I thought he was just trying to wrap his techno libertoonian worldview in the Book of Revelations in the hopes that the religious right would get behind it. Did I miss something?

Odd for a gay man to court those who support Leviticus stoning of gays. Self hating? Or just savvy?

That maybe why he seems to be targetting Catholics rather than evangelicals.

The problem is that in much of the world (e.g. the UK) Catholics are historically left wing, AND uninterested in apocalyptic ideas so it seems a big ask.

The article does not leave me with any understanding of what his ideas actually are.

Re: Peter Thiel's Apocalyptic Worldview Is a Dangerous Fantasy

#70

The problem that this article has is essentially this: > Thiel by contrast is profiting from the use of AI weapons targeting systems used in the Ukraine war and the genocide in Gaza. Thiel is IMO not doing this for profit. He is deeply ideological, which should be more worrisome.

He 100% uses this for profit. Why does he not give away his money? It is profit. The craziness is just the cover for it.

> He 100% uses this for profit. Why does he not give away his money?

You haven't given away your money. Does that mean everything you do (including writing the above comment) is for profit?

Post reply on HN