You're listening to the Ina ran Institute live
podcast series.
She is the title of this talk. You
tell me, I I have no idea how
I got into this. This is the title
of the talk. It's in your program.
The battle for the future. Okay? That's pretty
clear. Right? Can you Melee,
Ukraine,
Trump, Israel,
America,
Europe,
and all that.
I have no idea what anybody was thinking
when they came over with that title. It
wasn't my title. Believe me. I don't... I
wouldn't do that to myself, but there you
go.
Hey good luck. Thank you.
Simon actually get a start somewhere else. I'm
gonna start you in Amsterdam. Rather than try
to take on that list. We'll get to
that list later.
I mean, I I love the city, and
I'm I'm happy that this an objective conference
here, and I'll talk about Amps amsterdam specifically
tomorrow. We've got a whole talk about it.
But 1 of the things that Ams amsterdam
I think
represents and should represent in our mind and
if you study history a little bit.
Am amsterdam to a large extent
can be viewed as the birthplace of the
enlightenment.
Amsterdam represents
the turning from
the Renaissance,
to an enlightenment that really develops in france
and in England and a Scotland but everything
goes through
right where we are now.
Really, many of the first thinkers of the
enlightenment, the beginning of the enlightenment that we
are radicals of the enlightenment are here.
Am amsterdam where almost all the publishing houses
that ultimately publish the text of the enlightenment
that are too radical to be published in
Paris or in London.
This is where they're published.
So Ams amsterdam has a unique historical
significance if we value liberty if we value
freedom, again, I'll talk about it more tomorrow.
But I think that's a good entry into
what I think is really, really important if
we wanna understand the world and we we
live today.
And that is an entry into the enlightenment.
In
in a
in a sense, the enlightenment is
what when we talk about Western
civilization,
is really
intellectually what we're talking about.
The alignment is
intellectually the most crucial period
in the West history
other than Greece, which, of course, inspires, the
Renaissance and then the enlightenment.
But in terms of what's happening in Europe,
the enlightenment is where the ideas,
the good ideas that we have today in
the west come from.
And all the battles that long list of
bad stuff that's happening in the world
is really an anti enlightenment
constant
force. There is a battle going on in
the west
between the enlightenment and the anti enlightenment. And
it's me going on, since
Main enlightenment?
So what is the enlightenment? What does it
represent? What are the ideas that come out
of the enlightenment?
That are then challenged
and a constantly under attack. And today you
see that attack on a scale. Maybe we
haven't seen
maybe since World war 2.
But what are the what is the enlightenment
represent?
It represents a
decline and demise
of religion, but more fundamentally,
a decline of demise of faith
as the source of knowledge.
The idea of the enlightenment is that reason
is where we get knowledge from. Maybe they
didn't have a folk... We know they didn't
have a full conception of reason. Full conception
of what rationality meant, that Only Rand has.
And in every 1 of these respects, Rand
completes
the project that is the enlightenment.
But they clearly have a view
that's understand the world
we need
reason. We need
perception
we need to view
the world out there and we need cognition.
We don't get truth from revelation.
And they're rejecting faith, not completely, not in
any in every realm of life, but in
a significant
portion
of life.
So it's the re rebirth of reason. It's
not an accident that the enlightenment is often
called the age of
reason,
the age of reason, and the age of
science and science and reason, of course, go
together.
You know, 1 of the
Amsterdam. Right? So so you... We have here
the philosopher Spin who's part of that movement.
Away from faith
towards reason.
So reason
is definitely a concept and idea that efficacy
of reason. The importance of reason, reason as
our means as human beings I'm knowing reality
comes from
the enlightenment.
And if there's an understanding that they're
entity that reasons
is the individual.
And the value of the individual again comes
out of the enlightenment.
It's a period in which
individuals liberated to stop making decisions for themselves.
This is a period in which people are
thinking for themselves,
acting,
pursuing their own values, their own
interests.
It's the shadowing of the idea
that, you know, the the community can decide
who you should marry what profession you should
have what values you should pursue what you
should believe and suddenly, the idea that individuals
should be able to decide for themselves.
Who to Marry, what career to pursue
and ultimately
who their political
leaders should be.
So coming out of the enlightenment is a
concept, again,
somewhat primitive, particularly when you come from the
perspective of Vine man.
Of individual, there's even an attempt to figure
out how do we get morality
if it's not from God. How do we
get from morality from reason?
That they don't do a good job at
it, but they're trying.
And it's not accident than in the declaration
of independence in American declaration independence,
there's
an alien a right to pursue happiness, happiness
as an individual,
your happiness.
That's individual ism. There's that's a beginning of
self interest. That's a beginning or maybe the
right? It there's real ego there. Even if
they can't articulate it as a moral theory,
the orientation is already towards that.
That's coming out of the enlightenment, individual ism.
And finally, of course, the consequence of individual
is political.
And a consequence of an individualistic
perspective politically is political freedom.
And the enlightenment is this period where they're
advocating,
this starting to challenge the prevailing view of
politics,
kings, and and our stock
and that whole notion and you get
both out of the Scottish light, but primarily
out of the enlightenment, this real suspicion of
ever stock with see this world suspicion of
kings, and the demands, the beginning of demands
for Republic
for
individuals being able to choose their political leaders.
And of course, what you get is the
key
political concept,
the key political concept that we all understand
is that the heart politics,
which is what.
What's the beginning,
the key concept for politics?
Rights?
Individual rights. Right? Individual rights. That's the bridge.
Between individual,
and the political is individual rates,
and that's John Lock. Right? And even before
John Lock, a little bit. There's a beginning
of it here. An Am amsterdam with,
how do you pronounce it?
Oh, forget about it.
I'm not gonna even try to do that,
but that guy.
And again, he doesn't have it full conception,
but this is the beginning that that that
working on this concept of rights and what
it means and what implications it has for
politics
And of course, by the time you get
to the funny father, there's 17 76.
Now you've got a theory and you've got
a political application. And America is the cro
achievement of the enlightenment in terms of pull
politics.
It is the manifestation of it.
And the declaration of independence, the greatest document,
political document I think ever written
is a manifestation of that enlightenment.
So here you have a whole system built
on reason,
individual
and political liberty,
individual rights.
That's what the lay is. And really that
is what Western civilization is. That's the essence
of civilization. That when we're talking about what
we're fighting for. That's what we're fighting for.
We're fighting for a deeper understanding of that
because Ay rand has completed all of those
and given us a much more solid
foundation for all of those concepts. But it
is those concepts that we're fighting for is
those ideas,
that are crucial to maintaining
civilization. It is what civilization
means today.
And An got talked about how amazing the
world around us isn't it is.
I mean, it's again, easy in my list.
Reinforces is easy to focus on all the
negatives.
But, you know who's holding up his phone
up there and video taping me, you know,
it is amazing. You know, yeah. I've got
the iphone.
How to pull it out at some point.
Right? And this stuff is amazing. We live
in a time that is
truly spectacular in terms of,
our ability to live ability to exercise, I
will ability to add to pursue our values.
Yes. There are lots of limitations and we
can focus on all the bad and all
the constraints and all
But why? You know, we can also focus
on other the positives from historical perspective. There's
never been a better time to be alive.
Intellectually.
The enlightenment the nineteenth century and and Greece
were greater, artistic, the nineteenth century was great
of it.
And and many centuries were greater, but, you
know, I can enjoy all that all today.
So they're no modern and artists that are
equating anything like that. Okay. But I can
still enjoy all that out today, and I
can enjoy all that out today because I
can get on an plane and go there.
And I can enjoy all that out today
because I can go on the internet and
search it.
And experience it, I can even go to
a company and ask them to print me
out a copy of my favorite painting.
And
you'll get a... Oil painting, a a replica
of, your favorite painting put up on your
wall doesn't cost that much money.
These are truly amazing things.
But that's all, and it's important to understand
that all of that. The science, the technology,
the
entrepreneurship
And
the acceptance in our society at least to
some extent of the fact that each 1
of us is pursuing happiness to the acceptance
of that.
That's the enlightenment.
That's the remnants of the enlightenment in our
culture.
That's still alive and well every time Entrepreneur
a start a company.
Taking risks
based on his own ideas, without asking for
permission from the Prince of the King or
whatever,
that's the lang now that...
Again, it's not perfect,
but
we should appreciate what we have, and we
should appreciate where it comes from.
So that's the positive.
And the positive is
all grounded in those ideas.
Now from the beginning,
the enlightenment is challenged.
From the beginning, the anti enlightenment
forces ways up.
Initially, it's a philosophical
objection.
Initially, it's an attack both from philosophy and
from religion.
The attack of religion is not particularly powerful.
But what is powerful is the attack from
philosophy. And you can talk to the philosophers
about why their tax from philosophy was so
successful, what the holes were in the lay.
We're not gonna get into that. But for
emmanuel, or can't he to shopping out to
marx the whole string of mostly German philosophers.
They attack and demolished these ideas of reason,
we on commented mentioned it earlier, Right? But
undermining reason. Right? Can't turning reason upside down.
Yeah. You can do it. It just doesn't
reflect anything about the real world. It doesn't
reflect anything about reality.
The attack reason,
the attack individual,
We're all 1. He says, Right? I mean,
there's no individual
marx,
and they attack, of course, political freedom, political
liberty. And the consequence, once you get rid
of individual
is gonna be authoritarianism.
Now it takes ideas time to manifest
themselves
in human action and in political action.
So the really, really bad ideas that compost
composed enlightenment that attacking the enlightenment.
Don't really have an impact in the nineteenth
century.
Or don't have as much of an impact
in the nineteenth century. Nineteenth century, there's the
energy, the spirit of the enlightenment. It's the
industrial revolution. It's taking those enlightenment ideas and
manifesting
themselves in people's lives and building and creating
people too excited
what are they excited about?
They're free.
Maybe for the first time in human history,
people are free. They go out there. They
can invent they could produce. They can... Build,
they can create.
This has never happened before.
They don't need to ask for permission.
It's
for brief period, there's a permission society.
So the enlightenment is manifest.
In this nineteenth century,
not fully not consistently with all the caveats
associated with it, but
to a greater extent than in ever in
human history really. In terms of the freedom
individuals can express
and go out there and build and create
and make.
But in the background, the intellectual are striving
against.
And the real
the real effect of the anti enlightenment is
really not felt until
the twentieth century.
Right?
And in the twentieth century you, you get
the full impact of what that means.
And that's world 1, and that's world 2
That's the ways of communism,
ways of fascism,
and ultimately the ways of the mixed economy.
But really fascism and
communism,
a direct attacks
on the enlightenment in politics.
Their direct attacks on Western civilization. They arise
from the west, but they're anti western.
The anti civilization forces.
They want in that sense the reactionary forces.
They're trying to take us back to an
era from before the enlightenment. From before the
discovery of the efficacy reason, communism denies it,
really if you understand what they talk about
when they even say the word reason.
Fascism denies reason, suddenly they both deny individual
ism and suddenly both deny
political freedom.
So fascism,
and and communism, a direct attacks at the
enlightenment and direct attacks at Western civilization.
And they're defeated.
Thoroughly,
systematically. They're defeated. They're crushed
And it by the time they're crushed.
Our understanding in the west
of the ideas that made the west possible
is dramatically diminished.
So we know we kinda won, but we
don't know why
We know we kinda won, but we don't
understand where that comes from.
In the West we cling maybe to the
idea of political freedom but we don't really
understand its value because we've lost individual and
we've lost reason.
I intellectual is no longer advocate for individual
and reason.
So all we have is kind of AAA
mushy conception of what political freedom actually means,
and it's turned into much more of a
democracy than it was originally. Thought of as
an individual rates based Republic. The concept of
individual rates is lost
to a large extent. I mean, remnants survive
in America because America has a constitution. So
they can, you know, why they're textual lists,
why are their original lists and the Supreme
Court of America, the conservatives became. Original textual?
Because they don't understand
the concepts.
So they go by the woods. Oh, what
did this mean in the 17 18 oh,
okay. That's what it means. Right? They can't...
They don't have a conceptual understanding of individual
rights and how to apply it.
State follow the exact wording of the thing.
Oh,
abortion... It doesn't say here there's a right
abortion in the bill of rights.
And
they had to attitude in the bush and
in the at eighteenth century therefore oh, Bush
and must not be protected
because they can't understand.
The idea of individual ways and therefore a
highway apply to all these circumstances
unless it's written down.
That's how
non conceptual
our
most, you know, as smartest judges in the
United States are.
Not very smart.
In terms of their conceptual understanding
of the document that's supposed to be protecting.
Right?
So here we have a situation where
collect
in its most
consistent forms, if you will. Communism fascism are
demolished.
But the west doesn't really know
why they were demolished.
It doesn't really know what it is,
what it stands for, what values it represents.
It doesn't see the stomach a link with
the enlightenment and what those ideas that came
out of there that are driving whatever good
is still in the west.
They...
They're still doing it. We're still acting on
it. Right? Still entrepreneurs. They're still science.
To a large extent. Right?
And we're still pursuing happiness somewhat, a little
bit. People out. There seeking self help and
all this stuff.
But there's no intellectual understanding of any of
that.
So this the week... The the the the
the the west,
to extent there's Western civilization is weakening, and
it's constantly weakening.
But the forces that are anti enlightenment are
still out there.
They haven't gone away.
The week could 2.
There's no
integrated idea like communism
anymore.
It's like this flaky walk stuff.
Right? And and and nobody really likes and
there's no no real understanding of how we
need integrates into everything.
But people do it out of a sense
of guilt because it's associated with certain things
that are bad in the past on racism
and so on. But but they don't understand
it. They don't have a passion around it
except for small minority. And that's why every
time it comes up for a vote. It's
voted down.
Majority of people don't like it.
And
you know, so you've got this this the
left is is churning
anti western
stuff. But it's not geared towards any kind
of
grand ideology that integrates it all like communism
was.
And even on the right
at best what they have, the best
integrating
source they have on the right is what.
What's it?
Is religion.
So they have to go way back
to before the enlightenment to bring forward
their
source for
for the for the anti enlightenment ideas.
But they are growing in strength because the
people advocating,
for
enlightenment ideas don't know what they're advocating for.
There's a weakness, a fundamental weakness. So even
though our enemies, I think a week
pathetic really.
I mean, the left is pathetic.
I mean, Long gone is the scientific
views of marx that actually had a system
and, you know, a whole philosophy and a
view of man.
Now it's just completely hap has a disintegrate
it some makes extent nonsense.
And on the right,
Gun is any kind of again, system and
and even even an idea of abs state,
all they have is religion.
So what do you have today?
Yeah putin.
A thug.
Who doesn't stand for? What's the ideology of
putin?
I mean, this nationalism, but where does... Where
does he get the nationalism from? Is it
is this some
core philosophical. I mean, if you ever listen
to Doug, which is 1 of the philosophy
fist... I mean, it's J gi groove. I
mean, it's nonsense.
It's hawking back to mystic.
There's no set of ideas here. There's no
philosophy.
There's... I mean, there's a philosophy, but it's
kind of an implicit.
Mystical
ancient philosophy. This is why when he sits
down with Tucker.
He doesn't articulate. Here's my view of how
the wall should work. This, No. He starts
telling him stories about what the Russians were
at 800
And and you know, what what what the
Woo were and the ky of and this
and that. Who care... I mean, it's interesting
if if you did it objectively, which he
doesn't.
But he he has no... All he has
his history.
All he has is mystic.
All he has is a vague notion of
I hate the west.
I'm anti reason, anti individual, anti political freedom.
He can't say that,
but that's all he's proposing.
Or if you take
Hamas. Right? I'm supposed to do israel. Right?
I think it was on the list.
I mean, what do they have? What do
they proposing?
Mystic,
An ancient religion,
a religion that never was reformed, never went
through an enlightenment.
Never was modified... Just Ji. This is about
establishing a global ji. This is about establishing.
S law the world. That's what motivates. That's
what g come off. If you read their
actual papers, they don't care about, a state.
They don't believe in states. They believe in
a 1 big
ji hottest world.
They're part of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is
a international organization, the believes in taking over
the world, They take this stuff seriously.
But again, it's a primitive religion.
There's nothing more there than primitive religion.
Do I have to talk about Trump was
on the list. But look, you know, look
at our political candidates in America. Ronny right
now Trump and Biden.
What do they represent?
Nothing.
I think is pretty much right?
Right. Again, Trump represents some hawk
to to to some national vague nationalism.
Which is really far into Americans. It's not
exactly clear what it actually means. There's no
thousand year history that he can go to
and there's no... So so he just... It's
it's
it's just promising the popular, you know, it's
pop in the sense of figuring out what
gets people excited in they cup and seeing
that.
And he'll change his mind like that if
the audience responds differently to what he says,
because he stands for
absolutely
nothing.
There's no ideas this. There's no ideology. And
what is Biden stand for?
Nothing.
What's that? I didn't hear.
Oh, dementia. Yeah.
You know, the funny thing is Biden is
that, if you if you go back and
watch him when he was a senator,
He was just as inc coherent.
And just as ba as he is now.
So I don't know that it's dementia as
much as it's Biden.
He was never that coherent to begin with.
A but, again, he represents nothing. There's no
ideology there. Again, there's an acceptance a kind
of mixed economy of neither hear nor there
or a little bit of everything.
A vague
notion of what pro democracy, but
nothing.
Nothing really.
But what do they want?
They clearly all these forces. What are they
against?
Against each other kind of and they... Yet
they agree on so much? What they're really
against is
the enlightenment.
What they're really against this reason,
individual,
and and true political liberty, individual rights.
But notice that the the forces against
a kind of bubbling idiots.
But that's who dominates our political landscape? I
mean, what does European Union stand for?
Nothing.
Kind of a a vague notion of we
want to maintain political liberty, but we don't
really know what that is. And suddenly there's
no concept of individual rights. And we certainly
don't want any individual and
so what you have today is nothing gross
nothing.
And the more consistent party is the party
that is willing to use more force because
everybody is using Cog. That makes economy uses
C.
Cog is acceptable. So now it's just a
question of who's willing to use more force?
Who's willing to stand up and use more?
I mean, 1 of the things that makes
the crisis in Ukraine
or the war in Ukraine, not a crisis.
And the warren gaza are so important right
now.
Is it in both cases.
The enemy
is
clearly
evil.
In both cases,
Hamas and Russia have dedicated
themselves to the destruction of Western civilization. They
are clearly
anti enlightenment. They clearly want to destroy whatever
remnants of enlightenment is.
And as flawed as Ukraine is.
And as florida's as Israel is, israel less
flawed, I think than Ukraine.
As fraud as Europe is. As flawed as
America is,
All of this still have those remnants of
the enlightenment. In all of those places, they
still hope of who is e of re
engaging
those ideas of the enlightenment.
The reason we should care about what happens
in Israel is truly in israel, what's happening
is you've got the remnants of Western
civilization fighting against barbarian who wanna destroy it.
And you've got the same thing. In Ukraine.
Ukraine was just turning
towards Europe, just turning towards an enlightenment. Just
turning towards more reason, more individual ism.
Again, as makes been as shallow as those
concepts on the west today. As... And that's
the reason why Russia invaded. This no in
my view, there's no question. That Russia invaded
because Ky was turning more western.
Not because it was gonna light itself with
nato, but because it was gonna lie itself
with a west,
in every aspect. And if you if you've
been to care of if you weren't care
before the war, you could see it. You
could see the young people
striving to become more European and in that
sense more enlightenment.
And that's what
Moscow could not allow to happen.
So what you see today
in the world out there is very much
the same battle that we saw in the
twentieth century. Just a continuation. Just the forces
now both on both sides the weaker,
intellectually,
philosophically.
And less committed to the battle
because,
I mean, the reality is
that Israel could end the war in Gaza
in days
The reality is
that if Nato had supplied and the western
supplied the weapons Ukraine needed, they could have
ended the war there.
The only reason these was ongoing is because
our own lack of commitment
to actually
defend
ourselves.
The reason these wars ongoing is because
of the weakness
that the West has in its own ideas
and its willingness to defend those ideas. I
mean, imagine
Israel fighting like the allies fought in World
war 2.
I mean, there's no... I mean, it wouldn't
survive more than a few days in Gaza.
Right?
But nobody's willing to do that anymore.
So
we have 2 weakened enemies
enlightenment versus anti enlightenment.
And as much as we criticize own governments,
and I'm assuming here. Everybody is from
decent countries. Right? I think. Trying to think.
Yep. Pretty much.
Not no... That's right. We've got somebody from
Hong Kong here. Because I haven't mentioned China
yet.
But but, yeah.
There is this constant battle between
enlightenment and anti enlightenment.
And it's ongoing. It's been going on since
the enlightenment happened.
And the reaction every forces of religion
rose up against it,
and secular their anti enlightenment views,
and have been coming at the enlightenment since
then.
And, you know, China is another example of
this anti anti enlightenment force. Right?
This anti western force? In the name of
what? What is what is the Chinese regime
today,
consolidating power,
and
and rep pressing its people and taking over
Hong Kong, What what is it doing in
the name of? What ideology is it doing
it in the name of?
Kind of a vague nationalism.
Well, it's not even imperialist. They don't really,
you know, but It's like this vague. They
they they they suggest a link to to
Marx. They wanna pretend that there's some linked
to marx. There's xi young jinping
thought. The study now in schools, nobody knows
what exactly any of that means. When mao
thought was studied everybody knew what it was.
It was a It was a it was
clear cut communism
This is kind of vague and unspecified weak.
But China's
everybody's a afraid of it because
we don't know what we stand for.
We don't know what we stand for.
So the battle we're in
is really
a battle to save the good that we
still have
and to make it better
because we know much better is possible.
As good as things are in America's as
good as things are in Europe as good
as our individual lives are. They could be
so much better both personally
as we integrate these ideas into our lives,
but also politically
as these ideas spread
throughout the world.
But 1 way to conceptualize this is to
think about any in terms of these ideas
of the enlightenment.
The enlightenment has to win
for us to win.
We are in that sense objective,
those objective out there that are...
That are fighting to bring these ideas into
the culture,
a fighting for the ideas of enlightenment.
The ideas of reason, individual,
political liberty,
individual rights.
That's what this is all about.
Enemies are pretty weak.
It's all like the strong.
What is the concept that I ran uses
to
describe what's going on today.
In terms of why the enemies of the
good are winning.
Sanction or the victim.
They can't win without us sanction them.
Putin can't win without the west's
weakness
and to some extent.
I tucker a carlson,
grove before him.
Putin can't win
on the basis of his own strength, he
has no strength.
Hamas cannot win on the basis of their
strength. They have no strength. They can only
win through Israel's weakness. They can only win
through Biden constantly telling Israel to stop.
The west constantly telling to Israel now, the
risk is that if Israel actually execute on
the wall,
they will be declared what, war criminals and
anytime they step in his... In in Europe,
they'll be arrested.
That is what gives power.
It's out sanction that gives them power. It's
out
inability to support fully
outside
the side of
civilization.
So I think if we can conceptualize what,
you know,
On described today, you know, we're trying to
train new intellectual. We're trying to get object
and then intellectual.
Well,
the war, the battle that we're trying to
train those intellectual 4
is about to save Western
civilization. It's about to save the enlightenment.
Life is
the best that it's ever been, and it
might be the best that it's ever been
for a while still.
But at some point, it will not sustain
itself.
At some point, the momentum
will stop. At some point, if somebody doesn't
defend it, the enlightenment will disappear.
And the forces defending the lay
are very weak.
And here I wanna come to me lee.
Right?
Mille who's now the president of Argentina surprisingly.
Surprisingly.
Has being kind of a beacon of hope
and a and a beak of lightness in
a sense. Right? Here's a guy who was
advocating for shrinking government
gave a speech or,
you know, in many respects and an amazing
speech. The world economic forum about the contrast
between collect activism and individual ism, how it's
all about individual and collect activism is evil,
that the I, here's a guy who who
is
completely
trying at least to,
completely reform
the Argentinian economy and argentinian political world and
political culture.
And
I hope you succeeds. I mean, I really
hope you succeeds. Right?
But the reality is
that
he's too early.
He's too early.
The world's not ready.
For that kind of change.
And in a sense, he's not ready for
it.
He's still a mixture
of a lot of good
but a lot of confusion and a lot
of bad ideas.
His talk at World Economic firm was was
pretty good, but when he comes to, his
moral defensive capitalism which you try to provide.
It was pretty collect,
utilitarian.
Right? It's good for society. Capitalism is good
because the poor New bill. Well. I mean,
that's true. That's not why capitalism is good.
That's not what the morality of capitalism is,
wilde of capitalism is the freedom of the
individual to live his life based on his
own judgment.
In pursuit of his own values
in pursuit ultimately leave his own happiness.
Capitalism allows to that. Liberty.
But me can't go there.
He can go there because he's not yet
completely committed to these ideas of individual and
to these ideas of ego ism of selfish.
Nes of self interest.
So he can criticize collect activism, but what's
the alternative
The enlightenment is still weak.
It's still not
ready for, you know, the the full blown
is not ready for me. You know, for
for prime time?
And
if he did say it all, would have
got elected?
I don't know. Catholic Country Argentina. I I'm
I'm I'm not... I don't think he would.
Now and I and I don't saying he
held back anything, because I think he says
what he believes. I don't I think he's
just mixed.
If you listen to his
seat pack talk, Cpa is a conservative political
action committee, which is a big conference in
Washington Dc. Trump spoke at and Mille cat.
He spent, like 15 minutes on why abortion
is a left wing conspiracy.
To to to to reduce the number of
human beings on the planet.
Talk about missing the point
and about individual missing individual and missing the
concept of rights. I mean, it was a
disaster.
It literally was the left has this. They
don't want a lot of people which is
true,
but that's not why
abortion is prevalent.
It's abortion is prevalent is because
Women don't wanna have a kid when they
happen to get pregnant.
They wanna live their life. They have personal
values. They're pursuing the happiness.
But that is so radical. That is so
individualistic. That is so
requires a concept of individual rights.
And so requires a real understanding of the
pursuit of happiness
that he's too early.
Too early.
So I wish him luck,
and I'm hoping to meet him,
but I, you know, I hope I hope
he succeeds in Argentina.
But I just... It's not gonna spread globally.
This is not the beginning of a of
some kind of free market revolution in the
world. It ain't happening.
And what's missing is that consistency.
What's missing is is that
understanding
And I don't think Melee has it and
certainly the culture doesn't have it.
And I don't think the culture is ready
for it.
And that's what we need new intellectual full.
What we need right now is to get
these ideas into the culture.
What we need right now is to convince
people
of the values of the enlightenment,
reinforced with Ina rand.
Solidified by Ai man's philosophy.
We need objectives to intellectual to go out
and into the culture and prepare the culture
for political leaders,
who will be far more consistent
and will have traction in the population because
of their consistency,
because of their advocacy for rights.
And we need leaders who can do that,
not when the economy has 200 percent inflation
and everything everybody's going bankrupt and it's the
end and what the hell let's flip a
coin. And go with
the crazy economist.
Right, who who is super radical. But because
what these
political leaders are advocating is true.
We need new founding fathers in that sense.
Who can change a culture and build a
new political
political reality,
a new political reality.
That is grounded in a proper philosophy
and brings back
the enlightenment ideas.
That brings back reason,
individual ism
and real political liberty grounded
individual individual rights.
Thank you.
Alright, we got time for questions.
20 minutes for questions.
That's how I like it.
So microphone is here. No. You have to
go up to Mike.
Right here.
Get in line.
The microphone for the questions is off.
Can you turn down?
Oh, There we go. Okay. Right.
So
I have observe a lot of people from
different countries with you know, my age and
my education background.
And 1 thing I really tend to notice
is that good times create weak men.
Yeah. Like, I Like, I I compare,
I I compare most of the... My Eastern
European acquaintances and the my American acquaintances is.
And
You know, like... And my eastern European acquaintances
is aren't into socialism. They aren't into pac,
whereas
Most of my American acquaintances are so well
defended that they don't know they are being
defended.
So
which makes me a little pessimistic
like,
do people have to learn the lesson
the hard way because if we're trying to
achieve a better society a better society. Like,
how do we educate people on this sort
of stuff without having people learn it in
hallway?
So,
you know, people don't tend to learn
from experience. If they did China would be
in a lot better shape than it is
right now. Right? The Chinese live through mao.
Why they wanna living that? Why did they
wanna relive that? Right?
The Eastern Europeans
live through communism. They know what they hate.
But they also have the benefit of being
next to Western Europe.
And seeing what's available and seeing what's possible
and having the impact
of enlightenment ideas on them.
Now it... America is weak, but it's not
weak because it hasn't been authoritarian.
It's weak because the ideas that made it
great have gone un unaffected.
Nobody is defending them. And it doesn't a...
It shouldn't surprise anybody that the common election
is between a nothing like Trump and a
nothing like Biden.
When over the last 50 years, we've had
nothing intellectual,
nothing ness. Right? So there there is no
intellectual
support.
Intellectual reinforcement for good ideas in America and
those good ideas. And given the the the
the
awful educational system in America, which is worse
in many of respects. And I think European
educational system.
You've just seen a
deterioration and values the deterioration in
determination. I don't think it's the the the
fact that they're not challenged,
you know, by nature right now because
The reality is that we most challenged by
nature,
life was tough
before the enlightenment. Right? And
didn't lead... I mean the dark ages were
dark for very, very long time. In it's
spite of the fact that you think they'd
be motivated not to be dark anymore. So
it's it's it's
That's not what motivates us. It's ideas that
drive history.
And ideas have being rotten for the last
50 years. So, yeah, you get Rotten people.
There's a consequence.
That advantage again the the Eastern Europeans is
they've seen
the better. They've seen wars, and they can
look and they can see the better.
So for a while, that'll hold them up.
And and, you know, Poland right now is
is doing fairly well, and they're investing hugely
in the military. And there's a clear reason
and why.
Right? Putin sanders is right there. And and
notice
that the country he blamed for all their
problems during his interview were Tucker,
was not Ukraine it was not Germany he
actually gave the Nazi to pass. Who was
it?
Was the polls.
I mean, if there's 1 people that came
across that he hates in that interview, it
was the polls. I would be investing heavily
in in in tanks right now if I
was poland.
So...
But that won't last
unless there's an intellectual foundation for it to
last. So, yes, for a while that keep
them going.
But they will surrender just like, you know,
other countries are willing to surrender, have been
willing to surrender in the past. If they
don't have the ideas to
to bolster
their self confidence.
Thank you.
Hi.
So I have a question that I I
have debated about with a lot of objective,
and
I still haven't gotten an answer that status
aside me. So
there was
Trump
says
repeatedly,
and it was part of his company think
in 2016
and and even now that if the countries
of Europe want to raise their defense budget
to a certain percentage,
which is agreed upon in the Nato agreement.
He will kick them out of Nato. And
I've I view this
and
demand
as
completely fine. Like, why should America be altruistic
country and help countries that don't even pay
for their for their own defense.
But a lot of objectives tell me
no we should defend...
It's
the in this context to say when Russia
invade Ukraine,
and
you can't
leave the countries of Europe alone. There's still
remnants of freedom over their and Trump is
crazy, but I think this is pretty legitimate
demand.
So
I don't think it's illegitimate demand. It's just
becomes illegitimate when Trump makes it because he's
not making it on the basis of any
kind of principle. I would even argue
you could make a legitimate argument to say
the United states should not even be in
nato. Nato should be an alliance of European
countries to defend Europe, and they don't really
need America rich enough to defend themselves. And
you guys are rich enough to defend yourselves.
You don't really need America if you're willing
to go out and defend yourselves.
But you need to make be able to
make a principal argument for why? Which is
the exact opposite of what Trump does. Right?
So now,
there's no question that Europe needs to
pony up and defend itself better, and needs
to
depend less on the United States. The United
States should soft stop,
presenting itself as the fend of europe no
matter what, particularly when Europeans are not willing
to defend themselves.
I I think all of that is absolutely
true.
It's just when Trump says it, and the
context in which he says it and how
he says it. There's no principle behind it.
There's no reason for it. He's just... You
know, he he he got a good
applause line when he went after nato.
So he he went with it.
He... There's no belief there. There's no system
of beliefs
There's no this strategic understanding of what is
required. There's no understanding of the difference between
Western Europe and Russia. There is a big
difference between Western and Europe and Russia.
And rest Europe up basically and there's no
understanding of the fact that we are right
now, whether we agree or not, we're a
nato.
Which means that if Estonia Tam tomorrow is
invaded by Russia, the Us by treaty has
to defend Estonia. Does anybody think Trump would
actually do that?
I don't.
So what he's really doing
is not standing up America. What he's really
doing is trying to undercut europe.
So his motivation is not...
This is what America self interest is.
It's
I don't care about europe a Putin? What
did he say the other day,
you know, if you wanna invade them fine.
That's
corrupt. And he is corrupt.
I I can agree that he's correct, and
I can see what you're saying, but still,
I think when it talks about it in
does pro, it it says
We don't need to pay for countries that
don't pay for them themselves. Absolutely because it's
a great applause line. I'm mean, and I'm
sorry. I've I've watched Trump enough to know.
Like he used to say,
I saved us from Covid because I funded
the vaccines and the vaccines are amazing. And
we saved millions of lives and what happened?
The audience booted him.
Trump does not like to be boo.
Now he's backs.
He's becoming and and he has lines or
or your avoids va completely because he knows.
Right? So he placed his audience and the
and the line saying, nato, those bad Europeans
they need to pay for their own defense.
That got great applause line as you would
expect. So he's gone he's gone all in
with it. Okay. And there's no
there's no actual strategy. I mean, it would
be 1 thing if it there was a
strategy.
That says here's what American self defense requires.
And part of American self defense means we
need to bring troops home. We need to
stop if defending Europe they're enough to defend
themselves,
Let's... Here's the steps that we should take.
It's not what is going on. And and
look, his attitude to a Ukraine.
I mean,
here's a real... I think a real existential
battle here. This does represent Western of civilization
versus the barb wisdom that I think Russia
represents today. And what is... What what is
he suggesting? It's not just, you know, we
shouldn't use a make and taxpayer pay money
to whatever, which is you know, you... It's...
He doesn't care. If puts in wants care,
let him happen,
that's the attitude.
And that means,
I I... I'm not standing with Western
civilization. I'm I don't care.
I'm stand indeed he likes.
I mean, he he admire putin. He admire
she. He admire the dictators of the world.
So he has no...
Positive view of Western Europe and even of
America in my view. He doesn't know what
America is. Has no conception of America. That's
why the whole America first is or make
a america a great to get is such
a... It's such a really ridiculous because what
is America Mean?
What is America?
I mean, according to technical carlson, it's beautiful
scenery in God.
But not according to reality,
America is the land of the enlightenment. America
is the land of the declaration of Independence.
America is the land of
the constitution, it
these people have no clue about any of
that.
So just and Is that a lot of
questions you.
So it just... If you say the right
things, but for the wrong reasons, there are
not the right things. They're worse than the
right thing. They're worse than the wrong things.
They're the they're worse.
Because then
because then the right things associated with somebody
who's really, really bad with really, really bad
fundamental ideas.
Bye.
Okay.
My question is.
About... If you think it is important
to know where to fight and how to
fight. I mean, it is worth,
to fight,
I would object of, the the objective in
word on the.
That
do you think that there are places and
on on earth that it is not working,
and you think yeah,
just... We sold go gal
instead of
give any force on those cultures
and leave them.
Look, there's no... It it depends what we
mean by by fight for. If you're trying
to change a culture...
Yeah, there's some cultures that are more difficult
than others.
I I think cultures that are that are
basic oriented we it towards
western ideas towards the enlightenment are gonna be
should be
easier to influence.
Because there's already sudden orientation towards them.
But
but that doesn't mean that any particular case
And if you can't get to that part
of the world. You should just give up
on whatever culture you're in. Latin America, that
take like in America, for example, Latin America
is very influenced by by continental philosophy, they
had very little exposure to kind of the
enlightenment ideas.
There's a brief period with Bo. But
so much tougher because in in a sense,
everybody there is
some form of status.
And in America, there's still a certain level
of what I meant called the sense of
life that is oriented towards individual ism, and
you can capitalize on it. So I mean,
I could still, I believe the best hope
we have
to change a culture. It's also a very
big country, and that makes it really tough.
To have an influence in such a big
country. There's so many intellectual or there's so
many forces.
So, you know, I'd say fight where you
can.
Or you want to? Or you wanna live?
Don't don't go... Don't move so you can
fight. Right? If you wanna become an intellectual
and, you know, your native language is Spanish,
and that's where you write best, and that's
where you speak best, then find a Spanish
country and do it there. Right?
Doesn't necessarily mean you have to you have
to move to the United States. Right? Or
or or or to move to particularly European
country. Find where your values are most
att
and do the work that you do there.
You know, the... It's not... You're not supposed
to
sacrifice your personal values for the cause.
Right?
But, of course, moving to America is not
a bad idea
even beyond
objective.
Most for most people, not all people, but
for most people.
Hi. So I like 2 points that you've
made that putting primary motivated by hatred of
the west of the
enlightenment, reason, individuals and capitalism,
and the point that you're made in a
question period that,
the cuts he he blames
the most and hates the most in Europe
is Poland.
Especially for me As a poll,
my question rates, the presidential elections,
whom are going to vote for and why?
I I live 1 of the great benefits
of living in Puerto Rico.
Is you're still in American? It's still in
American territory
but you're literally not allowed to vote for
president.
So I don't need to make a choice.
Who would I vote for if I could?
Not for Trump.
So I view Trump as the number 1
existential threat to America.
Another 4 years of Biden would be awful,
h, disastrous,
but not an existential fit.
So,
I don't know if I could actually bring
myself to vote for Biden.
So I would either not vote or vote
for Biden, but Trump, I would never vote.
Why?
Okay. Thank you. Who asked why?
Because I said, I think Trump is an
existential threat to the very nature of the
American system of government to the very nature
of the country. And and to the very
nature of the ideas,
in the country. He is he is a
you know, he by
adopting the America first, by adopting this notion
of Make America great again. He is promoting
the very nature of what America is and
the very conception of America
by associate himself with a flag,
and and and and with this great country,
I think he undermine all the greatness that
is there,
He is the ultimate p, the ultimate And
I think an eye in the ads. Because
what he really wants is to see what
he perceives as his enemies pretty much everybody
but.
He's not a builder.
Even though he's a builder. Right? Said, we'll
say developer. He's not a builder.
He's a he's a destroyer. And and
so
Yeah. III think... And and you saw, you
know, anybody who acted the way he acted
after they last election should never be present.
Just that childish,
you know, emotional,
you know,
disrespect for the entire political system.
The rigging of it. They've appeal to pence
to manipulate the system in order to somehow
get him elected. These call to Georgia. And
Said, oh, give me another 17000 votes, just
give me find them somewhere. Right? I mean,
somebody like that should never be allowed.
To be president again. I mean, it is
so contempt
that he's even on the ballot. It is
a it is a it is a an
embarrassment should be an embarrassment in America. That
he's even under
consideration. And it says a lot
about the nature of American politics and the
nature of the hoping a party today. That
they voted for. Right? Everybody will tell you.
It's the party system. They're just 2 of
them. Yeah. But they they they were, like,
5789
candidates.
They chose him.
Alright. We have to go. Yeah. Yeah.
I wanted to ask,
Well all the
rational people in the world, of I... I
mean, when the war in israel started, you
know, when everyone sold all the atrocities.
I I thought to myself, now they'll
pro peep probably
people who are rational or semi rational kinda
who see that
and say in and and say, well, I
can't deaf defend it or it I can
defend it anymore, and it was, like,
when at started it was kinda like that
sse didn't continue. So
well well all the
people where all people who have 1 foot
in reality.
They are riddled with guilt.
So they might have put in reality, but
they won't stand up and declare it
because they afraid. They're afraid of the mall
question. Look,
the Palestinians must be the good guys.
The weak,
and, you know, the the they're oppressed,
and their poor
and alt demands that you side with them.
And I don't think many people do side
with them.
But they don't sit with them, but they
were afraid to stand up against them because
that would make them
the opposite of alt.
That would make them self interested and it
they're riddled
and fear.
Fear of that you might wanna step away
from the mic because I I don't know
how it's resonating, but
yeah. It's it's shocking and outrageous and stunning
that so few people stood.
By Israel after October seventh, and it's stunning
that so many people
went out immediately
to side with the Palestinians. And that the
voices against them will ultimately muted.
And
you know, if I can if I can
just, you know, just this...
And I know this will offend some of
you, but so be it,
you know, a
1 of the best reasons in the world
never to call yourself a libertarian.
Never to call yourself a libertarian
is
the response of the American libertarian
party and it's into... In its leaders
to what happened.
Because they didn't just not comment. They clearly
cited with hamas.
And that is such a betrayal of liberty,
of freedom
of the values of the enlightenment that supposedly
at some point And 1 of the reasons
I am much more sympathetic than me that
it would be generally is the mille didn't
fall for them. Mila actually stood with Israel
and this stands with Ukraine.
In a opposition to the leaders of the
libertarian party in the United States who will
betrayed everything they supposedly claim to stand for.
And this has shown them.
Naked
as anti liberty, anti freedom,
anti everything the west stands for.
And therefore of the enemy, part of the
enemy.
So I'm all getting involved
politically and doing what you can politically,
but the label libertarian was already tainted.
Now
I don't know how you ever recover from
that taint and Niko are saying, I have
to stop. So thank you.
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