cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/35095129
Peter Thiel’s Antichrist Antics Continue
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any weirder, Peter Thiel has announced plans to deliver a four-part lecture series on the Antichrist. These unusual events will take place at the Commonwealth Club of San Francisco on four days in September and October.
Thiel, one of the most influential tech billionaires of our time, seems intent on forcing us to discuss the Antichrist. He is clearly trying to make a point. But what is that point?
Thiel’s lecture series won’t provide any clues to the public—it’s off the record. He’ll be delivering his lectures to an exclusive group of Antichrist-curious tech acolytes in a highly-controlled atmosphere.
Here’s the thing: this isn’t really about religion. It’s about power and politics, wrapped in theological language. Thiel has long been fascinated with political theorist Carl Schmitt’s ideas about “political theology”—the notion that all significant political concepts are secularized theological concepts.
He is desperate that people regard him as a deep and serious thinker. The trouble is, no interesting thought has ever crossed his mind. This is the reason for his pathetic hatred of academics. His university professors rightly saw a useless dweeb with an outrageous sense of self regard.
The only reason Trump went to the Wharton School of Business was to take advantage of his draft deferments, which kept him out of the Vietnam War. (Trump got 5 deferments, one medical and 4 educational).
He apparently didn’t learn much while he was there, because his professor at Wharton (William T Kelly) has said, “Donald Trump was the dumbest goddamn student I ever had.”