In this episode, we are joined by journalist Sam Venis, a contributor to The Point magazine whose current work investigates the radical ideological foundations of Silicon Valley’s most influential power brokers. By documenting the “network state” movement and the rise of the tech-right through firsthand reporting, Venis’s work aims to bridge the gap between the balance sheets of tech titans and the classical and reactionary philosophies driving their long-term vision for society.

Who is Peter Thiel, and what are the “secrets” at the heart of his world-building? How do the theories of thinkers like René Girard, Leo Strauss, and Carl Schmitt shape the development of technologies like Palantir and Bitcoin? This episode hopes to shed light on the mysterious character of Peter Thiel and the movement to build new nations in the shadow of a declining Liberal order.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit techgnostics.substack.com

In this episode, we interview Dr. David Mindell of MIT’s STS (Science and Technology Studies) and AeroAstro (Aerospace and Astronautics) departments. As an expert in deep oceanographics probe design with extensive experience in extending human inquiry into far off inhospitable environments, his work asks us to question relationships between human intelligences and the tools we use to enhance them.

What is automation? What do we expect of automated systems, and what role does the engineering community have in defining autonomy? This episode hopes to clarify some of these questions.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit techgnostics.substack.com