Is Bureaucracy Killing Civilization?

This episode dives beneath Middle Earth's surface to reveal the profound historical and philosophical foundations Tolkien embedded as an Oxford professor of Anglo-Saxon literature. What appears as a "silly fairy tale" actually represents both a perfect exemplification of its era AND timeless wisdom that transcends even Tolkien's intentions. Prepare to be shocked by its true depth. -- SPONSORS: NetSuite:  More than 41,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, the #1 cloud financial system bringing accounting, financial management, inventory, HR, into ONE proven platform. Download the CFO's Guide to AI and Machine learning: https://netsuite.com/102 Shopify:  Shopify powers millions of businesses worldwide, handling 10% of U.S. e-commerce. With hundreds of templates, AI tools for product descriptions, and seamless marketing campaign creation, it's like having a design studio and marketing team in one. Start your $1/month trial today at https://shopify.com/cognitive Click here to use Masterworks:https://www.masterworks.art/whatifalt... -- LINKS: Instagram: Rudyard William Lynch (@rudyardwlynch) • Instagram photos ...https://www.instagram.com › rudyardwlynch Twitter:https://twitter.com/whatifalthist?ref... Patreon, First 200 pages of cultural history of America and 400 of history of the new world alongside exclusive maps:https://www.patreon.com › whatifalthist Check out Pearl:https://pearl.link/whatifalthist

22 Maalis 202434min

After nine years making predictions, I'm revisiting my World War III analysis because reality has proven EVEN WORSE than I forecasted. My original video was reasonable, but history has completely changed my assessment. This updated analysis explores who would win modern history's bloodiest conflict, where battle lines would form, and what's truly at stake—potentially our very survival. Check out War Thunder here: https://playwt.link/whatifalthist -- SPONSORS: NetSuite:  More than 41,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, the #1 cloud financial system bringing accounting, financial management, inventory, HR, into ONE proven platform. Download the CFO's Guide to AI and Machine learning: https://netsuite.com/102 Shopify:  Shopify powers millions of businesses worldwide, handling 10% of U.S. e-commerce. With hundreds of templates, AI tools for product descriptions, and seamless marketing campaign creation, it's like having a design studio and marketing team in one. Start your $1/month trial today at https://shopify.com/cognitive -- LINKS: Instagram: Rudyard William Lynch (@rudyardwlynch) • Instagram photos ...https://www.instagram.com › rudyardwlynch Twitter:https://twitter.com/whatifalthist?ref... Patreon, First 200 pages of cultural history of America and 400 of history of the new world alongside exclusive maps:https://www.patreon.com › whatifalthist Check out Pearl:https://pearl.link/whatifalthist

22 Maalis 202426min

History swings like a pendulum—progress exists, but never in a straight line. The left's "right side of history" mantra? DEAD WRONG. Data and historical patterns suggest the pendulum is violently swinging right for the next two decades. As a right-winger myself, I'm actually terrified how far this counter-reaction might go. Prepare to have your worldview shattered. -- SPONSORS: NetSuite:  More than 41,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, the #1 cloud financial system bringing accounting, financial management, inventory, HR, into ONE proven platform. Download the CFO's Guide to AI and Machine learning: https://netsuite.com/102 Shopify:  Shopify powers millions of businesses worldwide, handling 10% of U.S. e-commerce. With hundreds of templates, AI tools for product descriptions, and seamless marketing campaign creation, it's like having a design studio and marketing team in one. Start your $1/month trial today at https://shopify.com/cognitive Get 25% off Blinkist premium and enjoy 2 memberships for the price of 1! Start your 7-day free trial by clicking here: https://www.blinkist.com/whatifalthist -- LINKS: Instagram: Rudyard William Lynch (@rudyardwlynch) • Instagram photos ...https://www.instagram.com › rudyardwlynch Twitter:https://twitter.com/whatifalthist?ref... Patreon, First 200 pages of cultural history of America and 400 of history of the new world alongside exclusive maps:https://www.patreon.com › whatifalthist Check out Pearl:https://pearl.link/whatifalthist

22 Maalis 202452min

America dominates every crucial metric yet remains profoundly misunderstood—even by its own citizens. Americans, lacking cultural contrast, fail to recognize their civilization's unique foundations beyond pop culture stereotypes. This episode reveals what truly separates America from all others and examines where the world's hyperpower is headed next. SPONSORS: NetSuite:  More than 41,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, the #1 cloud financial system bringing accounting, financial management, inventory, HR, into ONE proven platform. Download the CFO's Guide to AI and Machine learning: https://netsuite.com/102 Shopify:  Shopify powers millions of businesses worldwide, handling 10% of U.S. e-commerce. With hundreds of templates, AI tools for product descriptions, and seamless marketing campaign creation, it's like having a design studio and marketing team in one. Start your $1/month trial today at https://shopify.com/cognitive Use my link https://www.piavpn.com/Whatifalthist and get 83% discount on Private Internet Access! That’s just $2.03 a month, plus 4 extra months completely for free! LINKS: Instagram: Rudyard William Lynch (@rudyardwlynch) • Instagram photos ...https://www.instagram.com › rudyardwlynch Twitter:https://twitter.com/whatifalthist?ref... Patreon, First 200 pages of cultural history of America and 400 of history of the new world alongside exclusive maps:https://www.patreon.com › whatifalthist Check out Pearl:https://pearl.link/whatifalthist

22 Maalis 202443min

With over a billion adherents, the Islamic/Middle Eastern civilization represents a paradoxical historical force - simultaneously the newest AND oldest of the great Eurasian civilizations that have molded our world order. The Islamic world stands at a critical historical inflection point - caught between traditional power structures, Western influence, and internal reformation movements. Their next moves will inevitably shape our historical trajectory as the great civilizational blocs position themselves in this new era of global competition. -- SPONSORS: NETSUITE: More than 41,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, the #1 cloud financial system bringing accounting, financial management, inventory, HR, into ONE proven platform. Download the CFO's Guide to AI and Machine learning: https://netsuite.com/102 SHOPIFY: Shopify owers millions of businesses worldwide, handling 10% of U.S. e-commerce. With hundreds of templates, AI tools for product descriptions, and seamless marketing campaign creation, it's like having a design studio and marketing team in one. Start your $1/month trial today at https://shopify.com/cognitive MORGAN & MORGAN: Check out https://www.forthepeople.com/whatifal... for our sponsor Morgan&Morgan -- LINKS: Instagram: Rudyard William Lynch (@rudyardwlynch) • Instagram photos ...https://www.instagram.com › rudyardwlynch Twitter:https://twitter.com/whatifalthist?ref... Patreon, First 200 pages of cultural history of America and 400 of history of the new world alongside exclusive maps:https://www.patreon.com › whatifalthist Check out Pearl:https://pearl.link/whatifalthist

22 Maalis 202443min

Two shocking observations: 1950s children knew enough about the obscure Barbary Wars to buy toy soldier sets of them, while TWO-THIRDS of today's 10-year-olds are functionally illiterate. College professors confirm each new class is increasingly anxious, less knowledgeable, and less skilled than before. This episode examines why American education has become so expensive, biased, ineffective and universally disliked—revealing surprising connections to history, anthropology, and Game Theory. -- NetSuite:  More than 41,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, the #1 cloud financial system bringing accounting, financial management, inventory, HR, into ONE proven platform. Download the CFO's Guide to AI and Machine learning: https://netsuite.com/102 Shopify:  Shopify powers millions of businesses worldwide, handling 10% of U.S. e-commerce. With hundreds of templates, AI tools for product descriptions, and seamless marketing campaign creation, it's like having a design studio and marketing team in one. Start your $1/month trial today at https://shopify.com/cognitive SPONSORS: Click this link to make some cash for giving your opinion! https://www.inflcr.co/SHJrB Thanks YouGov for sponsoring! -- Bibliography: Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman The Lonely Crowd by David Riesman Seeing like a State by James C Scott The Geography of Nowhere by Kunstler Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire The History of Civilization by Will Durant Albion's Seed by David Hackett Fischer The Ascent of Humanity by Charles Eisenstein Spiteful Mutants by Edward Dutton Witches, Feminism and the Fall of the West by Edward Dutton The Moral Animal by Robert Wright Bullfinch's Mythology North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell The Coming Caesars by Amaury de Riencourt The Hunter Gatherer's Guide to the 21st century by Heather Heying and Bret Weinstein Envy by Helmut Schoeck The History of Manners by Norbert Elias The Unabomber's Manifesto The Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan The Pursuit of Power by William McNeil Foragers, Farmers and Fossil Fuel by Ian Morris Cynical Theories by James Lindsay After Liberalism by Gottfried Woke Racism by John McWhorter A Conflict of Visions by Thomas Sowell Intellectuals and Society by Thomas Sowell The Master and His Emissary by McGhilchrist Tragedy and Hope by Carroll Quigley The Rise of the West by William McNeil Ages of Discord by Peter Turchin The Coddling of the American Mind by John Haidt Stolen Focus by Johann Hari

20 Joulu 202358min