In this podcast, Peter Thiel explores the idea of an end times scenario, not from a strictly religious perspective, but as a potential outcome of unchecked technological growth and human behavior. He argues that universities struggle to address these significant issues due to their hyper-specialization and a dominant rationalism that shies away from existential questions. Thiel links this to a perceived slowdown in technological advancement and growing societal anxieties, drawing parallels to the unfulfilled promises of the Cold War and the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He introduces the notion of the "catechon," a force that holds chaos at bay, and discusses the delicate balance between the threats of Armageddon and the emergence of a totalitarian regime. This first part of a two-part series sets the stage for a deeper examination of the potential rise of an "Antichrist" figure amid today's technological and political landscape.
