Bitcoin & the Culture Wars with Eric Weinstein

“There’s something about the way in which money, and China, and law, and the US government, and technology interact…every institutional player, at some level it seems of any size, capitulates; everybody’s recording a hostage video at the institutional level.”— Eric WeinsteinLocation: Los AngelesDate: Friday 4th FebruaryCompany: Thiel CapitalRole: MDCulture wars, identity politics, the intellectual dark web, audience capture: this is the well-worn nomenclature used to define the battles of open discourse that have been raging over the past few years. Retaining an authentic and honest voice in today’s polarised and intolerant society has required fortitude and resilience. But, trying to engage with those who refuse to have (or are incapable of having) an open mind takes its toll. In addition, it is equally waring to engage with those who have a firm opinion on all matters. People generally refrain from admitting they don’t know, or that they are open to changing their views, as though indecision or uncertainty are damning frailties. Having a society that is blinkered and entrenched and toxic is obviously counterproductive. In a political context, pluralism is the bedrock of a functioning democracy. In science, openness to new ways of thinking and new ideas allows for the paradigm shifts that propel the advancement of our civilisation.That some of our generation’s greatest thought leaders are having to waste their time defending their right to have views, instead of actually developing and sharing their views, is the behaviour of an inward-looking society starting to wither. The people within Bitcoin must help fix this.In this interview, I talk to the managing director of Thiel Capital and podcaster Eric Weinstein. We discuss media fact-checking, colonising other worlds, physics beyond Einstein, intelligent design, narrative wars, modern fascism, and economic deception amidst the rise of Bitcoin.This episode’s sponsors:Gemini - Buy Bitcoin instantlyBlockFi - The future of Bitcoin financial servicesSportsbet.io - Online sportsbook & casino that accepts BitcoinCasa - The leading provider of Bitcoin multisig key security.Ledger - State of the art Bitcoin hardware walletCompass Mining - Bitcoin mining & hostingLVL - Bank on BitcoinBCB Group - Global digital financial Services-----WBD466 - Show Notes-----If you enjoy The What Bitcoin Did Podcast you can help support the show by doing the following:Become a Patron and get access to shows early or help contributeMake a tip:Bitcoin: 3FiC6w7eb3dkcaNHMAnj39ANTAkv8Ufi2SQR Codes: BitcoinIf you do send a tip then please email me so that I can say thank youSubscribe on iTunes | Spotify | Stitcher | SoundCloud | YouTube | Deezer | TuneIn | RSS FeedLeave a review on iTunesShare the show and episodes with your friends and familySubscribe to the newsletter on my websiteFollow me on Twitter Personal | Twitter Podcast | Instagram | Medium | YouTubeIf you are interested in sponsoring the show, you can read more about that here or please feel free to drop me an email to discuss options.