Aristotle's Greatness of Soul Fuels Entrepreneurial Impact - Episode Hero Image

Aristotle's Greatness of Soul Fuels Entrepreneurial Impact

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TL;DR

  • The academic system's focus on incremental scholarly arguments over inspiring content drains intellectual vitality, leading individuals to seek more impactful pursuits outside traditional institutions.
  • The Thiel Fellowship challenges the notion that higher education is essential for success, instead funding individuals to pursue impactful projects outside conventional academic paths.
  • Aristotle's concept of "greatness of soul" emphasizes ambition and self-worth, offering a counterpoint to modern culture's tendency to downplay achievements and embrace a passive hedonism.
  • True friendship, as described by Aristotle, is built on mutual recognition of excellence and shared pursuit of goodness, providing a robust foundation for collaborative endeavors.
  • Entrepreneurial success often stems from a philosophical inclination to wrestle with uncertainty and question reality, rather than solely from academic credentials or conventional intelligence.
  • Character is revealed through action, making real-world challenges and collaborations essential for self-discovery and transformation, far more than theoretical study alone.
  • The pursuit of honor, defined as reputation among those one most respects, can be a powerful motivator for grand ambitions and significant achievements.

Deep Dive

Michael Gibson's journey from a PhD dropout in philosophy to a co-founder of the Thiel Fellowship and venture capitalist reveals a profound critique of academia's current state and an Aristotelian approach to fostering human greatness. The core argument is that traditional higher education, while offering time for deep study, often drains intellectual vitality and fails to cultivate character or ambition effectively. This makes alternative paths, like the Thiel Fellowship and venture funds focused on unconventional talent, crucial for nurturing individuals capable of significant societal impact.

The implications of this perspective are far-reaching. Firstly, the conventional university system is framed as a "magisterium" issuing "modern indulgences" in the form of diplomas, a system that has become sacrosanct and resistant to skepticism. This critique suggests that the perceived value of a degree may be inflated, creating a cultural taboo against questioning higher education's necessity. This leads to a second-order implication: a de facto cultural hedonism, where comfort and happiness are prioritized over striving and ambitious pursuits, directly contrasting with Aristotle's concept of "greatness of soul."

Gibson emphasizes Aristotle's philosophy, particularly the idea that character is revealed in action and the importance of "external goods" like friendship and honor for a flourishing life. This is not merely academic interest; it forms the practical basis for evaluating talent. The Thiel Fellowship, for instance, shifted from objective metrics like GPA to seeking indicators of character, recognizing that real-world success, especially in entrepreneurship, demands courage, resilience, and a willingness to confront vulnerabilities -- qualities often obscured in traditional academic settings. This highlights a critical trade-off: the university provides structured learning but can stifle the bold, character-testing experiences that forge true capability.

Furthermore, the podcast delves into the concept of "greatness of soul" (megalopsychos), which Aristotle describes as desiring great things and deeming oneself worthy of them. Gibson argues that modern culture, with its emphasis on humility and downplaying achievements, actively discourages this virtue. He contrasts this with exemplars like Michael Jordan or Elon Musk, whose self-awareness of their capabilities is essential for their impact. This suggests a societal deficiency in fostering ambition and a willingness to pursue grand projects, leading to a culture that may settle for less than its potential.

The discussion also highlights the Aristotelian ideal of friendship based on virtue, as opposed to utility or pleasure. This is presented as a crucial element for navigating the intense challenges of startups and ambitious endeavors. Teams built on genuine goodwill and shared vision, rather than purely transactional relationships, are more likely to withstand adversity and achieve extraordinary goals. This implies that the quality of relationships is as vital as the quality of the idea or product in driving success, a factor often undervalued in purely results-oriented environments.

Finally, Gibson posits that entrepreneurship and ventures like his fund can act as "crucibles" or "laboratories" for self-transformation, revealing vulnerabilities and fostering growth in ways that more conventional careers do not. The journey itself, the process of confronting challenges with friends, can be more valuable than external rewards. This perspective suggests that the true value of intense work lies not just in the outcome but in the personal development it necessitates, offering an alternative framework for measuring success beyond traditional academic or financial metrics.

Action Items

  • Audit the 1517 fund's investment criteria: Identify 3-5 key Aristotelian virtues (e.g., courage, edge control, greatness of soul) to assess founders beyond IQ and academic metrics.
  • Develop a framework for evaluating character: Define 5-10 observable actions or behaviors that reveal Aristotelian virtues in potential investees.
  • Create a "Greatness of Soul" assessment tool: Design criteria to measure ambition and self-worth alignment in 3-5 candidate profiles, distinguishing from vanity or false humility.
  • Implement a "Friendship of Virtue" evaluation: Assess co-founder dynamics by identifying 2-3 indicators of mutual recognition of excellence and shared mission-driven goals.
  • Draft a "Second Self" self-knowledge exercise: Outline 3-5 prompts for founders to explore how startup challenges reveal personal vulnerabilities and strengths.

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Key Quotes

"I started studying Latin and Greek because I wanted to be a poet like Eliot and Pound and some of the other early modernists that I admired and for some reason I thought it required this storehouse of tremendous knowledge I wanted to be the type of person who could read Eliot without the footnotes and so I embarked on that journey and then it's interesting how I'm and this ties into like in Silicon Valley René Girard this French literary critic anthropologist has this theory about how we're driven by imitation and very much in that style of admiration it was seeing that Eliot had a PhD from Harvard in philosophy that I was like okay maybe if I you know grad school will give me the time to read even more and write more and and you know Eliot had a PhD so I I basically straight mimetic theory here thought that route would be would be great to pursue the life of writing poetry and in the meantime you know I'll be in the university system but but I burned my 20s in grad school and I hit an obstacle where the subject matter was not the inspiring stuff that I was reading and wanted to discuss it was more scholarly dry as dust discussions of what I thought were important things it felt like it was you know very incremental people arguing over the tenth decimal place or something and I never really felt like I wanted to be a professor."

Michael Gibson explains his early intellectual journey, driven by admiration for poets like T.S. Eliot and a desire for deep knowledge. Gibson highlights how this mimetic drive, influenced by René Girard's theory of imitation, led him to pursue a PhD in philosophy, believing it would provide the necessary time and resources for his literary aspirations. He contrasts this initial motivation with the eventual disillusionment he felt in academia, finding the scholarly discussions uninspiring and incremental.

"So I was in the basement another writer I love is Tom Wolfe who also had a PhD so you know that I didn't know that yeah not in his was in you know at the time in the 1950s this was such a new subject it was called American studies it was supposed to be this blend of history and sociology and who knows what but you know those departments are like so absurd now but in his day I guess they were some new kind of scholarship and so I'm in the basement of a bookstore Oxford University reading this collection on the new journalism by Wolfe and it just lit me on fire and I just thought wow I can't I don't I shouldn't be here I should be out there I had worked at newspapers and magazines along the way and so I dropped out to write basically I thought I'd you know cut the fat off my prose as a magazine writer or journalist and I did that I worked for MIT's Tech Review and did that for a couple of years and that is what led me eventually in a sense to to meet Peter Thiel."

Gibson describes his pivotal moment of deciding to leave academia, inspired by Tom Wolfe's work and the concept of new journalism. He explains that discovering Wolfe, who also held a PhD, showed him an alternative path to impactful writing outside traditional academic pursuits. This realization, coupled with his prior experience in journalism, led him to drop out of his PhD program to pursue a career as a writer, which eventually connected him with Peter Thiel.

"People were up in arms right away I mean Newsweek right like okay so Peter announces this program in the present tense like it exists it's so funny it's like we're taking applications you can still see this interview on YouTube interview with Sarah Lacy TechCrunch 2010 and right a week or two after we get magazine stories written about us saying that we're going to hell basically you know people it was always it was always framed as this idea that we were going to deprive these young people of the nourishing aspects of higher ed that you know the things that nourish their souls and furnish their minds for the rest of their lives and that was never the point I mean it's like and and God help I you know good luck if you think that's happening on campus by the way yeah so yeah that that was the outcry and then all the way for years people were upset later on Larry Summers Treasury Secretary President of Harvard he my favorite insult to us was his because he said it was the the Thiel Fellowship was the most misdirected philanthropy of the decade right yeah that's high praise you know in context yeah and and I think it was partly because it wasn't just an incorrect belief to say that not everyone should go to college it was sacrilegious right it was taboo so it says something about American culture especially that that somehow higher ed had become this sacred thing that no one could doubt or or throw skepticism on."

Michael Gibson recounts the strong negative reaction to the launch of the Thiel Fellowship, highlighting how it was perceived as sacrilegious and taboo to question the necessity of higher education. Gibson notes that media outlets and prominent figures like Larry Summers criticized the program, framing it as depriving young people of essential aspects of higher education. He argues that this backlash reveals a cultural tendency to view higher education as a sacred, unquestionable institution.

"We made this analogy that that the diploma is the modern indulgence you know people die it's because this message in our society it's like Yale or fail Yale or you fail or Yale or jail you know it's like if you're not in the top you're in hell and yeah we wanted to stand against that and in the number people would ask about when I wore it as a t-shirt so yeah it ties into that like sacred element like oh wow we're questioning the the main tenants of the atheist church of the university I don't know how to characterize it but definitely some kind of religious entity of our time."

Gibson explains the analogy used by his fund, 1517, comparing a university diploma to a medieval indulgence, which was a way to gain favor or avoid punishment. He illustrates the societal pressure to attend elite universities with phrases like "Yale or fail," suggesting that not achieving this standard is perceived as a form of damnation. Gibson asserts that 1517 aimed to challenge this deeply ingrained, almost religious reverence for higher education in contemporary culture.

"What I loved about Aristotle was and and this came out you know it's like my reentry into the public debates about things is like I wrote an essay against Stoicism I think in 2017 because there had been this resurgence of interest in Stoicism people like Ryan Holiday you know writing Tim Ferriss speaking about it and because I I was aware of these debates that occurred in ancient Hellenistic times that that Stoicism wasn't the end all be all of things and that there were other schools of thought I thought you know I decided to write an essay that basically would critique Stoicism from an Aristotelian point of view and some of the main debates back then and to this day are about how much uh how much of the good life is self-sufficient or how much depends upon external goods in the world and this can be you know external goods sounds chunky but it's like you know friendship it's family it's it's also things like homes and libraries but like you know can can you

Resources

External Resources

Books

  • "Paper Belt on Fire: How Renegade Investors Sparked a Revolt Against the University" by Michael Gibson - Mentioned as a book that inspired the speaker and discusses the failure of academia.
  • "The Waste Land" by T. S. Eliot - Mentioned as a difficult poem with allusions to previous literature that inspired the speaker's early academic pursuits.
  • "Tradition and the Individual Talent" by T. S. Eliot - Mentioned as an essay where Eliot discusses the importance of a poet knowing all literature from Homer to the present.
  • "The New Journalism" by Tom Wolfe - Mentioned as a collection that inspired the speaker to pursue a career in writing outside of academia.
  • "Nicomachean Ethics" by Aristotle - Mentioned for its focus on character and virtue ethics, and its discussion of external goods.
  • "Poetics" by Aristotle - Mentioned for the quote that character is revealed in action.
  • "Lives" by Plutarch - Mentioned as an attempt to apply principles of Aristotle's framework, serving as exemplars for conveying virtue.
  • "Philo Gelos" - Mentioned as an ancient joke book that categorizes jokes, with the largest category being "scholastics."

Articles & Papers

  • "Essay against Stoicism" - Mentioned as an essay written by the speaker critiquing Stoicism from an Aristotelian point of view.

People

  • Michael Gibson - Co-founder of the 1517 fund, instrumental in starting the Thiel Fellowship, and author of "Paper Belt on Fire."
  • T. S. Eliot - Poet whose work inspired the speaker's early academic pursuits.
  • Ezra Pound - Early modernist poet admired by the speaker.
  • Homer - Ancient Greek poet referenced in relation to T. S. Eliot's views on literary knowledge.
  • Tom Wolfe - Writer whose work on new journalism inspired the speaker.
  • Peter Thiel - Co-founder of the Thiel Fellowship, associated with Founders Fund and Palantir.
  • René Girard - French literary critic and anthropologist whose theory of mimetic desire was discussed.
  • Jim O'Neill - Head of Peter Thiel's foundation, involved in the initial concept of the Thiel Fellowship.
  • Sarah Lacy - Interviewer for TechCrunch in 2010.
  • Larry Summers - Former Treasury Secretary and President of Harvard, who criticized the Thiel Fellowship.
  • Aristotle - Ancient Greek philosopher whose ideas on ethics, virtue, and greatness of soul are discussed extensively.
  • Ryan Holiday - Contemporary figure associated with the resurgence of interest in Stoicism.
  • Tim Ferriss - Contemporary figure associated with the resurgence of interest in Stoicism.
  • Dylan Field - Founder of Figma, a recipient of the Thiel Fellowship.
  • Bill Gates - Mentioned in an anecdote about the Thiel Fellowship.
  • Plato - Ancient Greek philosopher, student of Socrates, and teacher of Aristotle.
  • Socrates - Ancient Greek philosopher, teacher of Plato.
  • Alexander the Great - Historical figure, student of Aristotle.
  • Achilles - Figure from Greek mythology, mentioned in relation to Aristotle's concepts.
  • Oedipus - Figure from Greek mythology, mentioned in relation to Aristotle's concepts.
  • Tarantino - Filmmaker, mentioned in relation to cultural concepts of "badass."
  • Nick Land - Philosopher, mentioned in relation to philosophical treatises on cultural concepts.
  • Naval Ravikant - Mentioned as an example of someone who waits for significant opportunities.
  • Jordan Peterson - Contemporary figure who touches on ancient philosophy in a practical sense.
  • John Vervaeke - Contemporary figure who touches on ancient philosophy in a practical sense.
  • Caesar - Historical figure, influenced by Alexander the Great.
  • Napoleon - Historical figure, influenced by Alexander the Great.
  • Darius - Persian king, mentioned in relation to Alexander the Great.
  • Cyrus - Persian king, mentioned in relation to Alexander the Great.
  • Socrates - Ancient Greek philosopher, mentioned in relation to Plato and Alcibiades.
  • Alcibiades - Student of Socrates, mentioned in relation to the failure of philosophy.
  • Epicurus - Ancient Greek philosopher, known for his rivalry with Aristotle.
  • Theophrastus - Student of Aristotle, successor at the Lyceum.
  • Sulla - Roman dictator, credited with saving the Library of Alexandria.
  • Bob Noyce - Co-founder of Intel, mentioned as a historical figure in Silicon Valley.
  • Steve Jobs - Co-founder of Apple, mentioned as a historical figure in Silicon Valley.
  • Elon Musk - Contemporary figure in Silicon Valley, seen as a paragon.
  • Dostoevsky - Russian novelist, mentioned as a literary hero.
  • Machiavelli - Italian Renaissance philosopher, mentioned for his writings on engaging with ancient thinkers.
  • Aristotle's Father - Physician in the court of Philip.
  • Aristotle's Patron - Wealthy patron connected to Plato who adopted Aristotle.
  • Aristotle's Nephew - Declined to follow a Persian command.
  • Aristotle's Best Student - Theophrastus.

Organizations & Institutions

  • 1517 Fund - Venture capital fund devoted to backing dropouts and individuals outside the traditional university system.
  • Founders Fund - Venture capital firm where Michael Gibson previously worked.
  • Thiel Fellowship - Program founded by Peter Thiel to support young entrepreneurs outside of academia.
  • MIT's Tech Review - Publication where Michael Gibson worked as a magazine writer.
  • Stanford Law School - Where Peter Thiel taught a class on philosophy and technology.
  • TechCrunch Disrupt - Event where the Thiel Fellowship was announced.
  • Newsweek - Magazine that published critical stories about the Thiel Fellowship.
  • Harvard University - University where T. S. Eliot earned a PhD.
  • The Lyceum - School founded by Aristotle.
  • The Academy - School founded by Plato, where Aristotle studied.
  • Palantir - Company co-founded by Peter Thiel.
  • Grate Lock - Investment firm associated with Reid Hoffman.
  • American Philosophical Association - Organization for academic philosophers.

Other Resources

  • Mimetic Theory - Theory by René Girard about human desire being driven by imitation.
  • New Journalism - A style of writing that emerged in the 1960s and 1970s.
  • Virtue Ethics - A school of thought in moral philosophy that emphasizes character.
  • Stoicism - A school of Hellenistic philosophy emphasizing virtue and resilience.
  • Greatness of Soul (Megalopsychos) - An Aristotelian virtue concerning ambition and self-worth.
  • Edge Control - A concept used by Michael Gibson to describe the golden mean in behavior, particularly in business.
  • Golden Mean - An Aristotelian concept referring to a desirable middle between two extremes.
  • Alpha Male - A cultural concept often ridiculed, discussed in relation to Aristotle's "greatness of soul."
  • Giga Chad - A cultural concept representing an idealized masculine figure.
  • Bios Theoretikos - The theoretical life, considered by Aristotle as a high form of life.
  • Symphilosophicus / Co-philosophizing - Terms related to the idea of philosophizing together with friends.
  • Friendship based on goodness/virtue - The highest form of friendship according to Aristotle.
  • Friend as a second self - An Aristotelian concept of friendship where a friend serves as a source of self-knowledge.
  • Hedonism - A philosophy that emphasizes pleasure as the primary goal of life.
  • Magnanimity - An alternative translation for Aristotle's concept of "greatness of soul."
  • Entrepreneurial Attitude - A proactive and risk-taking approach to life and work.
  • Scholastics - Individuals engaged in academic study, often the subject of jokes.

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