Talks to Watch

Peter Thiel on "The Portal", Episode #001: "An Era of Stagnation & Universal Institutional Failure."

1.2M views · Jul 19, 2019 · 2:52:07 · 8 HN recommenders · 11 mentions · discussed 2019–2024

Peter Thiel is the first guest on Eric Weinstein's The Portal, in a nearly three-hour conversation about technological stagnation, institutional failure and the link between growth and violence. They discuss universities, the economy and the search for a more ambitious future.

Why Hacker News points people here: HN people recommend it as a thought-provoking, wide-ranging case for the stagnation thesis, worth hearing even if you disagree with Thiel.

“I recommend that people listen to that episode even if it's not interesting to you.”HN comment, 2020

What Hacker News said 11

Strongly recommendsscopJul 2020

“I recommend that people listen to that episode even if it's not interesting to you.”

Thought-provoking Thiel discussion worth hearing.

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I recommend that people listen to that episode even if it's not interesting to you. Very good food for thought. Video: this video Audio: link

in “Peter Thiel on Progress and Stagnation” · view on HN
RecommendsluniasAug 2019

“Lots of relevant conversation within.”

Relevant conversation on slow technological change.

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this video Lots of relevant conversation within. There's a quote in there somewhere along the lines of: "we've built the computer from the starship enterprise, but we possess little other tech from Star Trek"

in “Major Technological Changes Are Coming More Slowly Than They Once Did” · view on HN
Recommendsned7Jan 2020

“The first episode of "the portal" was great.”

Wide-ranging Thiel and Weinstein discussion.

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The first episode of "the portal" was great. In that episode Eric Weinstein and Peter Thiel deeply discussed a variety of topics. this video

in “Ask HN: What were your most impactful podcast episodes from 2019?” · view on HN
RecommendscinntaileJul 2020

“I found it to be an interesting discussion and an unusual viewpoint.”

Interesting discussion with an unusual viewpoint on stagnation.

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This is also discussed on the very first episode [0] of The Portal where Eric Weinstein talks with Peter Thiel. It's been a while since I listened to it but I remember I found it to be an interesting discussion and an unusual viewpoint. [0] this video

in “Peter Thiel on Progress and Stagnation” · view on HN
RecommendscrmdOct 2021

“I enjoyed this podcast[0] with Peter Thiel and Eric Weinstein”

Discusses stagnation of innovation since the 1970s outside software.

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I enjoyed this podcast[0] with Peter Thiel and Eric Weinstein, where one of their central discussion points is the current stagnation of technological innovation, beginning in the mid 1970s, with the sole exception of computer software. [0] this video

in “Too many new papers may mean novel ideas rarely rack up citations” · view on HN
RecommendspetermcneeleyNov 2021

“I think one can learn quite a bit from Thiel even if one is not ideologically aligned with him.”

Lengthy Thiel discussion worth learning from.

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I think one can learn quite a bit from Thiel even if one is not ideologically aligned with him. Here is a much more lengthy discussion: this video

in “David Graeber’s Possible Worlds” · view on HN
RecommendssystemvoltageAug 2022

“If you want to listen to him with good faith, I enjoyed this interview”

Good-faith interview showing Thiel's views.

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I've studied Thiel, he's just not mainstream left. If you want to listen to him with good faith, I enjoyed this interview: this video Doesn't come across evil to me unless by evil you mean just not mainstream left, which might be the correct in the valley.

RecommendsHarryHirschAug 2024

“It's interesting and worth watching”

Lengthy Thiel interview, with caveat that he is a financier.

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There was a lengthy interview with Peter Thiel a few years back: this video It's interesting and worth watching, but it becomes apparent that Thiel is a financier, and science takes place on a different timescale. Better seek advice from someone who was active when US science was still functional, let's say Roy Vagelos.

in “Mourning and moving on: rituals for leaving a career (2014)” · view on HN
Cites itmeremortalsJul 2019

“Peter Thiel discusses this often, and recently on The Portal with Eric Weinstein”

Thiel on breakthroughs perpetually being around the corner.

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Peter Thiel discusses this often, and recently on The Portal with Eric Weinstein-- where all these sorts of breakthroughs are perpetually right around the corner. previous hn discussion link youtube interview: this video

in “Brain Simulation Promised a Decade Ago Hasn't Succeeded” · view on HN
Cites itkeiferskiNov 2019

“semi-recent comments by Peter Thiel on how the West has technologically stagnated in the past ±50 years”

Thiel on Western technological stagnation.

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It is interesting to juxtapose this conversation with semi-recent comments by Peter Thiel on how the West has technologically stagnated in the past ±50 years. Perhaps there is a link between "no-heavy-CS-required web development" becoming the dominant tech industry and this stagnation. this video

in “A CS degree is better than teaching yourself how to code?” · view on HN
Cites itmoneytide1Apr 2021

Thiel's eye of Sauron metaphor for surveillance.

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> the visceral reaction against FLoC The article title contains the word "everybody" which is evidence of the authors tendency to deal in absolutes. He is claiming to speak for us all with this loose assimilation of words ("hates" further describes an emotional disposition towards idea proposal, and the tagline is equally charming). Let's make it our mission to be polite for a cleaner archive of Internet Interaction Instances. I will not match the negative energy and instead proceed to be cordial&calculated in the delivery of my opinion (I lost sleep over this last night). Thiel on Weinstein's "Portal" ventured the "eye of Sauron" metaphor [0] to describe the effect of surveillance on generations developing during the Information Age. The "double-slit experiment" is also relevant here (modern scientific lore suggesting that the act of observation influences outcome - "spooky action"). Tolkien and Wagner both constructed epic "entertainment" sagas that describe elaborate human feud because of a "golden ring of power". Both of these works were written after the Industrial Age had fully (quickly) propelled civilization into a new form, with recent regional warfare fresh in the memories of the aforementioned authors (Wagner would have monitored Franco-Prussian conflict, Tolkien personally participated in the Somme). The Völsunga saga could be considered the first instance of the same story ("... the ring Andvaranaut serves as a connection and explanation for the characters' troub