Hey all, I had to move my machiavelli lecture from the 12th to the 19th. If you already submitted an application to attend no need to do so again, but if not feel free to throw your hat in the ring.
America needs a natural aristocracy.
Aristocracy just means “rule by the best” and Joe Lonsdale argues that it is an idea that is unduly demonized. Artificial, hereditary aristocracies are indeed a corrupting force, but to reject the idea that the most competent should rule is equally dangerous. By rejecting aristocracy altogether, we don’t unleash democracy we get bureaucracy: a geriatric slop that will suffocate a civilization if not eradicated. This is what is plaguing America today.
Joe is the closest thing you’ll find to a Roman senator, someone who acts courageously in politics, commerce, and the military informed by a classical understanding of virtue. And this interview will tease out Lonsdale’s political philosophy that underlies all of his ventures: Palantir, UATX, Cicero and 8VC.
Topics We Cover:
5:03 America’s Problem: No Aristocracy
10:20 In a World of Machiavellis, Be a Cyrus
18:38 The World Can’t Afford the Absence of Good Men
23:29 Democracy Dies With Bureaucracy
32:33 Cicero Institute: Philosophy-to-law pipeline
52:20 The Philosophy Behind Palantir