Michael Vassar is a futurist philosopher who believes that our civilization has lost the ability to think clearly, as the result of a silent project to destroy education & common law that has been running in the background for generations. At the core of his argument is that the modern world has been shaped by elites interested in taking over the world. Interestingly, he seems to think that this multi-generational plan has backfired, and produced a society where there is a vanishingly small number of people even capable of formulating such grand ambitions, let alone possess the cognitive abilities to execute on their plans. We talk through his argument, and start to unpack some lore about the Rationalists, an online community that openly pursues the ideals of the enlightenment but can’t stop spawning cults for some reason. PATREON https://www.patreon.com/c/demystifysci PARADIGM DRIFT https://demystifysci.com/paradigm-drift-show HOMEBREW MUSIC - Check out our new album! Hard Copies (Vinyl) FREE SHIPPING: https://demystifysci-shop.fourthwall.com/products/vinyl-lp-secretary-of-nature-everything-is-so-good-here Streaming: https://secretaryofnature.bandcamp.com/album/everything-is-so-good-here 00:00 Go! 00:07:30 Intentionality in Modern Social Structures 00:10:00 Media and Perception of Disasters 00:12:00 The Roller Coaster Metaphor for Society 00:15:00 Erosion of Critical Thinking Abilities 00:21:00 Historical Perspectives on Independent Thought 00:24:43 Understanding Literature and Its Interpretation 00:27:02 Institutional Influence on Thought 00:28:35 Market Influence on Power Dynamics 00:30:40 Rise of Constitutional Monarchy 00:32:17 Comparison of French and English Systems 00:37:34 Education and Governance in Germany 00:40:11 Historical Context of Education Systems 00:42:12 Power Dynamics in Thought and Organization 00:46:04 Democracy and Its Challenges 00:50:55 Displacement of Romanticism and Specialness 00:55:36 Modernism and Institutional Hierarchies 01:00:06 The Erosion of Common Law Principles 01:05:50 Discretion in the American Legal System 01:10:03 Pragmatism's Influence on Legal Thought 01:13:10 Bureaucracy versus Common Law 01:16:01 The Mythos of American Governance 01:17:12 Discussion on Interpretation and Unintended Consequences 01:21:25 Cultural Narratives and Their Influence 01:29:51 Education and Its Role in Society 01:37:03 Historical Context of Educational Systems 01:40:54 The Role of Institutional Thinking 01:42:30 Economic Control and Marketing Narratives 01:44:06 The Rationalist Movement 01:52:17 Mistake Theory vs. Conflict Theory 01:59:04 Conspiracy Theories and Truth 02:07:54 Whistleblowing vs. Conspiracy Theory 02:12:03 The Nature of Evidence and Conspiracy Theories 02:18:34 Cultural Dynamics of Belief and Inquiry 02:23:43 Justice, Honor, and Social Dynamics 02:30:58 Rationalism and the Quest for Truth 02:33:37 Rationality and Accountability in the Community 02:36:40 Justice and Honor in Rational Discourse 02:46:10 Power Dynamics and Rationality 02:54:00 The Nature of Power and the Human Condition 02:59:45 Insights on Ideology and Courage in Pursuit 03:02:03 Pursuit of Radical Life Extension #philosophy , #futuristic , #rational , #idw , #criticalthinking , #society , #aistory , #historyfacts , #cultures , #economics , #historyoflaw #legal #powerful , #innovations #philosophypodcast , #sciencepodcast, #longformpodcast MERCH: Rock some DemystifySci gear : https://demystifysci-shop.fourthwall.com/ AMAZON: Do your shopping through this link: https://amzn.to/3YyoT98 DONATE: https://bit.ly/3wkPqaD SUBSTACK: https://substack.com/@UCqV4_7i9h1_V7hY48eZZSLw@demystifysci RSS: https://anchor.fm/s/2be66934/podcast/rss MAILING LIST: https://bit.ly/3v3kz2S SOCIAL: - Discord: https://discord.gg/MJzKT8CQub - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/DemystifySci - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DemystifySci/ - Twitter: https://twitter.com/DemystifySci MUSIC: -Shilo Delay: https://g.co/kgs/oty671