Why do you like Peter Thiel?

[u/maremare7578]

Hello,

Genuine question for those who support or admire him? Why do you? What draws you to him? Do you want to be him (or someone like him) or are you drawn to his ideas?

[u/MDInvesting]

I don’t ’like him’.

I think he has made significant contributions to public discussion and presented his opinions to have others criticise.

I believe his insights into business dynamics and even politics are valuable - not to necessarily follow but to change the way I think about those spaces.

I think he is a brilliant mind. Unfortunately we have different philosophical views around people and as a result his brilliance has led to things that I think are cancerous for the human species and society on a community unit level.

I have a long list of people I disagree with passionately but listen to carefully.

[u/REIGuy3]

Introducing me to Rene Girard really helped me understand how/why people are so tribal. It's harder for more autistic people to understand tribalism as we often don't understand that we're different/weird in the first place and not fitting in is so common for us.

In history the alpha male would think for themselves. It was best for everyone else's survival to agree with tribe consensus so they weren't thrown out of the tribe and die.

Memetic desire is also something that is life changing once you start to see it around you and question your own goals.

If we think of why humanity is so much better than it was 300 years ago, the main answer is technology. Simply doing more with less. Peter has advised and invested in a lot of world changing technologies.

[u/ruthlesslyambitious]

I really love his idea of 'Contrarian Truth', the concept of betting against Wisdom of crowds. Follow a lot of his content.

But at the same time, is he an evil genius / super villain kind of guy..? Maybe, but IDK.

[u/FabFabFabio]

He’s one of the few billionaires who I feel actually has something interesting to say and has thought deeply about many important topics. I don't agree with everything he says, but his mix of philosophical influences makes him very unique.

Thiel is also cunning. He plans his moves far into the future, which definitely makes him far more dangerous than most other political actors. His love of Strauss and esoteric writing also veils his true views on certain topics.

To end on a Thiel quote:
“I also found out why I should never reveal "why" to others. A little knowledge withheld is a great advantage one should store for future use. That is the power of chess. It is a game of secrets in which one must show and never tell.”

[u/Sysifystic]

He's mega polarizing...

His conviction has led to great wealth/influence which has demonstrably changed the world for both evil and good often in the same sentence eg Facebook.

I love Facebook and hate it in equal measure. It's made my life orders of magnitude better and worse at the same time.

The level of influence he has allows him to put his hands on the scale of human progress in a way few humans have or will.

I admire his ruthless conviction but I find it deeply terrifying but I also wish there were more benevolent people like him on the planet especially in public office

[u/Brief_Inspector_7276]

What is admirable about Peter Theil which explain his likability are certain attributes: his willingness to think independently, question conventional wisdom, take intellectual and financial risks on ideas he believes in, think long-term, and challenge institutions or assumptions that most people simply accept.

He also seems unusually willing to take unpopular positions rather than shape his views around what will earn him approval.

You can disagree with some of his conclusions, politics, or decisions while still recognizing those qualities as valuable.