162: Skeptical Perspectives on Power, Control, and the Direction of Society

Dutch and Chris are catching up after not speaking for several weeks. Dutch has been traveling and is preparing for an upcoming road trip with his sister and friend. They discuss how thinking deeply and problem-solving can be mentally and physically exhausting, like a workout for the brain. There should be metrics for measuring brain power expenditure. They talk about how leaders often start wars throughout history to distract people and keep them occupied. Otherwise, people get bored and rebel. They feel there is a lack of good stories and myths nowadays, with too much "junk." Dutch recommends the book Longitude about solving the longitude problem. Regarding Trump, they discuss his sharpness and vitality despite his age and speculate there may have been assassination attempts that weren't publicized. They discuss "Senior Executive Service," unelected bureaucrats that stay in government offices long-term and subvert the elected officials. Other topics include the hive mind collective, false missile alerts when Trump traveled, totalitarian restrictions being planned like limited flights per person, and the information control strategy of denying platforms to some voices. Two friends discuss their skeptical takes on history, current events, and speculative conspiracy theories.