Peter Thiel, the highly successful tech entrepreneur and author, discusses his mentor Rene Girard; the Bible, how we read it, and how it reads us; Jesus’ death and resurrection; atheism; and the limitless escalation of violence towards apocalypse.

Timestamps:

0:43 The Bible reads us 
2:02 Cain and Abel vs. Romulus and Remus
6:05 Cross vs Resurrection
7:26 The Gospels are different from Death of Socrates
9:04 The Bible is discontinuous from pagan classics
11:30 "The idea that victims exist comes from Judeo-Christianity and nowhere else."
14:54 Was Nietzsche somehow extremely close to the truth of Christianity?
17:18 Pagan Pharmakoi, the ancient sacrificial medicine
19:48 Fascism and Communism
23:00 Girard on the Woes against the Pharisees
26:02 The cycle that leads to apocalypse
31:11 Steven Pinker and the story of progress
32:19 Is an apocalypse, such as a nuclear war, inevitable?
35:10 Being too sanguine about apocalypse makes it more likely
42:08 Is there an off-ramp? What would it look like? If we don't know, shouldn't we at least try to figure it out?

Peter Thiel, the highly successful tech entrepreneur and author, discusses his mentor Rene Girard; the Bible, how we read it, and how it reads us; Jesus&rsquo; death and resurrection; atheism; and the limitless escalation of violence towards apocalypse.
Timestamps:
0:43 The Bible reads us&nbsp; 2:02 Cain and Abel vs. Romulus and Remus 6:05 Cross vs Resurrection 7:26 The Gospels are different from Death of Socrates 9:04 The Bible is discontinuous from pagan classics 11:30 "The idea that victims exist comes from Judeo-Christianity and nowhere else." 14:54 Was Nietzsche somehow extremely close to the truth of Christianity? 17:18 Pagan Pharmakoi, the ancient sacrificial medicine 19:48 Fascism and Communism 23:00 Girard on the Woes against the Pharisees 26:02 The cycle that leads to apocalypse 31:11 Steven Pinker and the story of progress 32:19 Is an apocalypse, such as a nuclear war, inevitable? 35:10 Being too sanguine about apocalypse makes it more likely 42:08 Is there an off-ramp? What would it look like? If we don't know, shouldn't we at least try to figure it out?

Meeting of Minds brings together the top minds in history, theology, finance, economics, language, mathematics and science. Host Jerry Bowyer invites guests to be both intelligent and clear and to follow truth wherever it leads.

Meeting of Minds brings together the top minds in history, theology, finance, economics, language, mathematics and science. Host Jerry Bowyer invites guests to be both intelligent and clear and to follow truth wherever it leads.

Meeting of Minds Podcast

I talk to the smartest people in the world about the wisest people who have ever lived, and I ask them not to dumb it down and not to follow any party line.

I talk to the smartest people in the world about the wisest people who have ever lived, and I ask them not to dumb it down and not to follow any party line.