Secret History #1: How Power Works

Good morning, class. Welcome to our first class. Today, I want to provide the framework for how we will learn this semester. What are we learning? How are we learning?

Why are we learning? All right, so this is a class of ideas. It is really important for you to pay attention and understand how these ideas connect with each other. If I’m not being clear, please ask me a question. In fact, make it a habit to ask as many questions as possible because, that way, you will learn more, learning will be more fun for you, and it will be much clearer to you, okay?

So let's get in the habit of asking questions. Wherever I am confusing, wherever I'm speaking too fast, or wherever you don't understand, interrupt me, okay? All right, so I first want to talk about Immanuel Kant. We will be discussing him a lot this semester because he is the greatest philosopher in Western history, and he teaches us—he taught us—how the world works.

And this is what he told us: he told us that we can never know the objective reality. There is an objective reality, which he calls the "nomina," or the things in themselves.

That is not knowable to us. That is a world we can never access. Why? Because we perceive the world through our senses. Our senses, our perception, warp the world and change it into a structure that we can process, called the phenomena, which are the things that appear to us.

Okay, so the example is time and space. Time and space do not exist outside of us. Time and space do not exist in reality. However, for us to understand reality, we need to incorporate time and space. And that's the example.

Alright? So, how the world works is that we perceive the world, we perceive the nomina, and turn it into the phenomena for us. In other words, and this is really important, reality is what we imagine it to be. There is no objective reality. Life is a constant process, a constant act of imagination.

Alright? That's Immanuel Kant. That's the first idea I want you to understand. What I aim to do in this class this semester is to train you, teach you, or inspire you to augment your imagination so that you see the world much more clearly. This class is not about what to think.

It's about how to think. Alright, let me explain the structure of the course. We will be looking at three key aspects: the past, the present, and the future. This semester, we will analyze all three in order to construct a more objective reality for ourselves.

We will not succeed; we will fail. However, the process of trying will train our minds to think much more critically about the world. So, let me explain how. In the present, we have geopolitics, and we will be studying geopolitics.

For example, why is there war in Ukraine? Why is there war in the Middle East? We'll be studying geopolitics, and we'll try to understand why this is happening. We'll work to formulate an analytical model of geopolitics.

Okay? An analytical model. We will then use this analytical model to make predictions about the future. Why do we do this? Because these predictions will tell us if our analytical model is correct or not.

Okay, does that make sense? It's no different from artificial intelligence. How do you know if your artificial intelligence model is correct or not? When you test it against reality. Okay, there's no difference between that artificial intelligence system and what we're trying to do here.

And why are we doing this? Because if we're able to have an actual model that makes correct predictions, then we can take all of this and go back to analyze the past to reveal the secret history of the world. That is a project we are undertaking this semester to discover for ourselves the secret history of humanity. You may not know this, but all the history that you learn in school—all that history that you think you know—is false. The history that you know, the history that you believe, is a system implanted into your minds by powerful people.

The real question we are examining this semester is: how does power function? If we can figure this out, then you will achieve liberation and freedom. You will understand how you are being manipulated by others, and consequently, you will be free. You will be empowered to live the way you want to live.

To see the world that is true to you. So, let me give you three examples of how power works. Okay, the first example is money. Let's do a thought experiment. I'm a bank, okay?

I decide I want to open a bank. And now you're allowed to put money in the bank, okay? So all of you get together and put $5 million in the bank. Not just $5 million. Now, why do you put $5 million into my bank?

Because I promise you 1% interest. Right? 1% interest. That's a really good deal. Because I owe you some money, right? I owe you 1% interest.

I now need to go make money for myself. I have a friend who's building a restaurant, and he says, "I need $5 million to build a restaurant, and after a year, I will pay you back with 10% interest." Okay?

10% interest, and so I make a 9% profit. I can use that to pay my employees, to pay myself a salary, and to build a new building. Okay? Now, I want you to think about this: I’m a bank, I have $5 million in deposit money, and I gave out a $5 million loan.

Today, how much money is in the bank? Hmm? How much money do I have now? I received $5 million from you guys, and then I gave it to someone else. Right?

So how much money is in the bank right now? Zero. Zero, right? It should be zero. Logically, the answer is zero.

In fact, zero is the answer that you are taught in economics. It's what you are taught, right? Zero is not the answer that you are taught in economics. You cannot loan all the money that you have. For example, if there is a limit of 25% or maybe 10%, then you can only loan around $400,000. Okay, yes, that’s a really good point.

Okay, so that's really good. In economics, you learn about the concept of the fractional reserve system. So, what is fractional reserve? As you mentioned, you must leave behind a certain amount of money. It can be 7%, it could be 10%; it depends on the country.

Let's say 10%. So, theoretically, I can't actually lend out $5 million. I'm going to lend out $4.5 million. Okay? You're right, okay?

That's law as well, okay? Actually, let's say I lend out $4.5 million, okay? Now, how much money do I have in the bank? Yeah, half. Also, again, this is what you're taught in economics.

This is what makes logical sense, right? The correct answer, what actually happens in real life, is that you now have $9.5 million. That is the correct answer. This makes no sense, right? But it happens in reality.

And how do we know? Because, okay, for the past 20 years, Chinese banks, like the Bank of China, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, and the Agricultural Bank of China, have become the largest in the world. If you Google these banks, you will see their remarkable growth over the past two decades. How did that happen? Was it because Chinese people got rich and deposited all their money in the bank? No, that's not what happened.

What happened, guys? What happened was that these banks started to lend money out to corporations, to governments, and to people to build skyscrapers and roads. In other words, the banks began to create money out of nothing in order to finance China's infrastructure projects. And that's what banks are allowed to do; they are allowed to print money and create money out of nothing. Does that make sense?

Now the question then is, wait a minute here. That's kind of absurd. How did this system come into being? How was it created? Okay, well, actually, there's a very easy explanation for where we got the system from.

Alright, let me explain the history and the origin of the system. In the beginning, it was merchants who engaged in finance because they needed money to facilitate trade. Some merchants became extremely wealthy, and when they did, they started banks to support trade and assist other merchants.

Okay, so these banks traded in gold because that was the primary source and supply of money back then. What happened was that you would come and deposit your gold in a bank for safekeeping. The bank would then give you a contract. A contract is simply a document stating, "Thank you for depositing your gold."

I promise to give back your gold at any time that you want it. And that's what we call a receipt, right? This would allow for better and easier trade. Because now I can take this contract and go to England, okay? Maybe I'm based in Italy, but now I can go to England and say, "Listen, I need to buy cotton or bananas from you."

And the person is like, "Well, what do you give me?" I'm going to give you gold, right? So I take the receipt and I give it to you, right? And why do we do this? Because it's a lot easier than giving gold to other people. And so this system would facilitate trade throughout the world.

Doesn't make sense. Now, I'm the bank. I have all this gold, and I want to make money with it. So, I want to give it to other people.

So other merchants would come to me and say, "Listen, I need gold. Can you lend me some gold?" I would respond, "Yes, but if I give you the gold, you have a security issue. It's inconvenient for you. So why don't I give you a receipt or a contract instead?"

Does that make sense? Because all I need is a contract. All I need is a receipt in order to go and trade elsewhere. Right? So by doing this, what I've done is I've doubled the gold in my bank, right?

I've created money out of nothing. So the gold value is still 5 million; that hasn't changed. However, the receipt is now 5 million plus 5 million. Theoretically, I now have 10 million in the bank. All right? Finance works.

Now, there's a problem with this system. What's the problem with this system? What do you mean? Okay, that's a good question. Why is it that people believe in me?

The answer is very simple. The answer is that for most of human history, people didn't use money. If you were just a normal person, what were you doing? Were you in a village growing crops? If you wanted to get new things, what would you do?

You would trade with someone else, right? Maybe you have a goat that I want. Well, then I would trade you a cow for it. So we didn't actually need money. For most of human history, no one had any need for money.

It was only in certain circumstances that people desired money. Throughout most of human history, money represented debt that could never be repaid. For example, if you and I were to get into a fight and I killed you, your family would theoretically come after me. However, that would create a lot of problems. The way to settle the dispute would be for me to give your family money.

Because money was symbolically meant to say, "I'm sorry, I killed you." This is a debt that can never be repaid. That's what money has been used for in most circumstances throughout human history. There was no real use for money; it was symbolic.

But with the rise of trade among merchants, they needed money in order to facilitate transactions. However, these merchants all knew each other and trusted one another, so money served as a mechanism to make trading easier. Does that make sense? All right?

Okay, so let's go back to the question. This system looks great; I can print money out of nothing, but there's a problem with this system. What is the problem? There's a problem here. Okay, that's actually a great question.

So, yeah, is it possible to forge the contract? Okay, that's a really good point. The problem is that they all knew each other anyway. It's a very small circle. Again, we have not reached the modern period where a lot of people are using money.

If that's the case, then fortune becomes a problem. We'll discuss this in future classes, okay? Counterfeiting. However, at this point in history, forgery is actually not a big issue. This is actually a bigger issue.

And it's a huge issue. What's the issue? I have $5 million worth of gold, right? There are about $10 million worth of gold represented in receipts. What's the problem with that?

The problem is that if everyone wants to withdraw at the same time, I go bankrupt, right? Because I lose my reputation. The contract states that at any time you want the gold, I must give it to you. But if there are $100 million in gold contracts and I only have $10 million in gold, if $15 million wants the gold back, then I'm screwed. This is what we call a run.

Okay, a bank run. This is a huge problem for merchants. Additionally, there is another issue with this system.

And the problem is this: Who do I usually lend my money to? Do you guys know? If I'm a bank or a merchant, who do I usually lend my money to? Okay, guys.

Today, we lend money to entrepreneurs. But back then, they really weren't entrepreneurs; they were kings and noble people. What did they do all the time? Why did they need money?

To fight wars, okay? That's why there's a demand for gold. Because if I'm a king, I need to fight a war. Usually, I get my brother or someone else to control this territory.

Right? Now, the problem with this is I could get killed, in which case, oops! But also, what's much more common is the king would be like, "Screw you, bank. I don't need to pay you back."

Okay? So, there's actually a lot of risk with this system. Over time, they developed a system to mitigate or reduce this risk. What they would do is create cartels.

Cartels are just partnerships. So, maybe this bank works with another bank, which works with another bank throughout Europe. The way they establish these cartels is usually through intermarriage, right? They would marry each other and combine together.

And that way, let's say 15 million of receipts want the gold back, but there's only 10 million. Well, guess what? You just go to another bank. Okay? And let's just say a king decides, "I'm not going to pay you back, bank."

Well, your bank works with other banks to establish a new enemy, to kill the king to get the money back. Do you understand? This system is what we call today central banking. What you will learn in this class is that central banking controls the world today. Okay?

Now, what's really important about this system is that it's based on power. And what power is, is the ability to turn nothing—money, the contract—into everything. That's what money is. Okay, so we live in a world in which banks can print money, right? So now, let's ask ourselves a question.

Wait a minute here. Banks can print as much money as possible. Why do we have poverty? Right? We could just give money to poor people, and they wouldn't be poor anymore. Why do we have poverty? If there's all the food in the world that we want, why are people still starving?

Why? Okay, so we don't have limited resources; we have scarcity. Right, so that is the common answer: scarcity. We have poverty because of scarcity. But I've already told you this: they can create money out of nothing. So, money is infinite.

Money is an infinite resource. So why do we have poor people then? That's kind of strange. You see, what's happening is this: you all believe money is scarce, okay?

I just spent the past 10 to 20 minutes explaining this to you. It's not scarce; it's infinite. It's just a number. We can print as much money as we need at any time.

Okay? So that's how power works. It has brainwashed you into thinking something that is not true. You've been taught from the first day that money is scarce. But it's not scarce; it's infinite. And no matter what I say to you, you still believe this, okay?

So you have to get that out of your head. Money is not scarce; it is infinite. Let's write a question: Why is there poverty in this world? Why do people starve? Why is there inequality in this world?

Why are there poor people? Why are there rich people? What's the answer? Because they don't print infinite money. Okay.

Because it's scarce. So, guys, this is amazing, okay? You can't get it out of your head. You think money is scarce. You believe it is not possible to print infinite money.

When I already told you, it is possible to print infinite money because they do this all the time. Yeah? Because we don't want everyone to have money. The powerful people don't want that. That's exactly the answer. And why?

Because otherwise, no one would work. Do you understand? The point of putting money into circulation is not to give you money directly. The point of introducing money is to create the illusion that it is valuable, which motivates you to work hard to obtain it. However, in order for me to make you desire money, I need to create artificial misery.

Do you understand? Right? If there weren't poor people, you wouldn't want to be rich. It's only because you see people suffer that you would want to go make money for yourself. What do your parents tell you?

Your parents tell you to work hard in school and make a lot of money. Otherwise, you're going to end up like a poor person. Right? Well, guess what? If there were no poor people, your parents couldn't say that to you.

And you wouldn't want to work hard in school, right? That's why we have poverty. Because poverty creates the illusion that money is valuable. In other words, poverty isn't what you do to yourself; it is what the powerful do to you.

Now let me ask you another question. You all have studied some economics. Why do we experience crises? For example, why does a stock market crash occur?

For example, if the economy declines, people lose their jobs. Why do we experience crises? Exactly. You're not taught this in economics class. That's kind of strange, right? The point of crises is to destroy money.

Why do we need to destroy money? Because if there's too much money in the system, people don't have to work. So you have to destroy this money in order to make people feel that money is scarce. Okay, does that make sense? So, why do you have wars?

Right? Why are there wars in the world, then? Because they're fighting over scarce resources, right? I already told you that scarcity is a lie. The real reason for war is to destroy wealth in order to make you think money is valuable.

Do you understand? You guys play World of Warcraft or games like that, right? Guess what, guys? In our world, there's absolutely no difference. You just run around pointlessly, working hard to obtain credits in order to buy stuff.

If credit just flew out of the sky, they could do that, right? They could actually program the engine to produce money out of nothing. You wouldn't do nothing every day; you wouldn't play the game, okay?

It's only because you believe that there's scarcity in the world and that you must work hard to obtain wealth that you do any work. Do you understand this? Okay? So this world that we live in is a complete illusion created by central banking to make us work as hard as possible. The real value is not money; the real value is the work we do.

Okay, does that make sense, guys? Alright, yeah? That's a great question. So the question is, isn't food scarce? Because food is a finite resource, right? Do yourself a favor, okay?

Go to a garbage dump somewhere, anywhere in Beijing, and see the amount of food that is wasted every single day. If food were scarce, why do we have food waste? If you do the math, you will discover that there is enough food to feed everyone. There doesn't have to be hunger and starvation.

It's an artificial crisis. Okay, does that make sense? So you're right in that, yes, the food is not infinite, but it's abundant. There's a lot of it—enough to feed people.

Okay? Oil resources, you know, the reason they went to war before. Alright, so again, you guys are stuck in the scarcity mindset, and it's very convincing. Let's move on, okay? This is something that we'll revisit later.

Because I cannot convince you today, this morning, that everything you believed about the world and about yourself is wrong. Okay, you're still stuck there, like, "Okay, there's scarcity." Uh, and you're right, there is scarcity, but we also live in a world of abundance. Okay? A lot of things that you believe are just misconceptions about the world. Okay, so we'll go back to that later on. All right, so let's move on. We've discussed money, so now let's do another question. Let's ask the question of happiness. The question for us today is: What makes us happy? Come on. What makes you happy? How can you live a happy life? Well, obviously, money, right?

You have a lot of money; that's going to make you happy. What else? Power. Exactly. Power, right?

Sure. Power. Freedom. Excuse me? Freedom.

Okay, good. Freedom. Yeah. What else? Relationships, yep, sure. You have good friends, right?

Like lots and lots of friends. What else? Romantic relationships. Okay, love, right? Love, sure.

What else? Like video games, I guess. Vacations, okay? Lots and lots of things, okay? What you will discover about this list is this: you are thinking about individual happiness.

And this is actually unique in human history. If you look back in time to 500 years ago and ask people how they can be happy, they would focus more on collective happiness. In other words, if your community is not happy, you cannot be happy. So, the very idea of the individual is new in human history. Previously, we understood that if you wanted to live a happy life, you needed to take care of your family.

You need to take care of your community—for them, for us. Throughout most of human history, happiness meant helping others and being generous to them. So, for example, let's just say that I go off and I wander and then I find a lot of gold, right? I come back, and what's the first thing I do with all this gold? Do you guys know?

And this is like the ancient past. Okay, yeah, good, right? We're going to dig a hole and put that money inside because we want to give it to our children. That's a modern mindset. But what did they do before?

And this happened throughout every society. If I became rich one day, what's the first thing I would do? So we'll learn this, okay? But the first thing that people did was have a big feast for everyone. They spent all the money on a big feast.

Because what mattered was your reputation within the community. What mattered was your generosity. If you got rich one day, you made sure that everyone in the community benefited from your wealth, usually by holding a big feast. And guess what, everyone? This is true in China for most of Chinese history.

Right? If you come from a Chinese village, move to Beijing, open a restaurant, and make a lot of money, what’s the first thing you do when you go back to your village? Come on, guys. You throw a big feast for everyone. Okay, so this is to ingrain that tradition in us. But, as you mentioned, today what we believe is that if you have a lot of money, you should put it underground or into a bank, right?

But back then, for most of human history, we would just spend it all on a big feast. We wanted everyone to share in happiness, and that’s what made us happy. Okay? Any questions?

Yeah? So you're asking, isn't this about individual reputation? And again, I mean, this is hard, okay? But the individual, the concept of the individual, did not exist before. We just created it. The idea that I'm a person independent of my family, independent of my community, independent of the world around me, makes no sense.

What was the worst punishment that could be inflicted on you in the past? Let's just say that we're going to fight; I kill you, right? Exactly. Banishment and exile. Not death, right?

And today, if I killed you, the police would come, catch me, and kill me. But before, we didn't do that. Because the worst thing we could do was exile you. It says, "You're no longer part of us." Do you understand?

So the concept of the individual did not exist, right? Okay. Let's move on. Alright.

So now I'm going to present two understandings of the world. You're going to tell me which understanding you think is correct. The first understanding is that we humans don't have agency. We don't really have control. Why?

Because there are powerful gods out there, okay? There are these powerful gods like Apollo and Dionysus. Oh, the problem, though, is that they are also controlled by other gods that are more powerful, like, for example, Fate and Fortune. Then there are these really ancient gods that control the structure of the universe, such as Anger and Pride.

So, you have to understand individual agency because there's always a god messing with you, okay? You might get rich, but then the god of pride looks at you and says, "No, no, no, I need to teach this person a lesson." So, the god comes into me, makes me too arrogant, and I screw up. We're always being controlled by forces beyond our understanding. So, that's a first-world view.

The second worldview is this: We are synapses that generate memories. We are memories. Our understanding of the world comes from our experience, which is controlled by synapses.

Synapses come from a combination of DNA and environment. Our genes and our interactions with the environment shape our experiences. This means that we can have control over our individual fate. If you're angry, it's because some experience or some genes made you angry, and this anger becomes reinforced in your memories. Therefore, if you engage in proper therapy, reflection, or exercises, you can better control your anger and, in turn, control your fate.

Okay, in the first worldview, there are lots and lots of gods. They are evil and random, and we have no control over our fate. We can only hope to get lucky in life and not anger the gods. In the second worldview, we are merely a collection of our memories, and we are only synapses.

So, if we're able to manipulate the memories and the synapses in a proper way, we can be free of all problems. We can be free of anger. We can be free of depression. We can be free of misery. Alright?

Let me ask you this question: Which worldview is a more accurate reflection of reality? Obviously, the second one, right? Because this is neuroscience. Science. Or psychology or psychiatry.

This is what you've been taught in school. This is what you all believe. Our entire society is structured around this very idea. What you will learn in this class is that it is completely wrong. The first one is a more accurate reflection of reality.

The first one gives you more information and provides a more accurate assessment of how the world really works. Okay? Now let me ask you this question: If the first worldview—what we call polytheism—was the dominant religion for most of human history, how do we reconcile this with the fact that we now live in a world where the religion is science? Science has essentially become a form of religion.

So, why do we make this transition? What's the benefit? If you're a powerful person, why would you prefer the second option over the first? What are the benefits for powerful people?

What is power? Why do you believe the second one but not the first? Yeah, okay. So, the idea of individual responsibility. Okay? So then, there's more control.

It's easier to control people in the system, right? That's the first benefit. What's the second benefit? The second benefit is that you will work harder, right?

Because in the first system, you're thinking, "You know what? I don't need to go make a lot of money, because if I make a lot of money, the gods will punish me and make me proud." So I'm just going to enjoy life and take it easy. Alright? In the second system, however, it's different. I have control over my own life, so I need to work hard.

Okay? So again, the entire point of the system is to make you work. It's possible because when you work hard, that generates real wealth for the powerful people. Money does nothing, okay? Money just incentivizes you to work hard. So, this exists in order to make you work harder.

There's one more benefit, or rather, there are more benefits, but what's another benefit? Okay, the other benefit is this: powerlessness. It makes you feel powerless. Why? This system is designed to make you absolutely powerless.

Why? Why? No, no, no, no. No, no, no. See, see again.

Again, this is how you're brainwashed. You believe that one makes you powerless, but that's not correct. Two makes you powerless. Why? What’s the difference between one and two?

Why is it number two? You are powerless. Okay. So the problem with number two is that you are incapable of collective action. You believe that all sorts of problems stem from the individual within that society. However, number one means you are capable of collective action.

And the only way to change the world is through collective action. Does that make sense? Does it really point to the issue? The second point is designed to make you think that the source of all your problems is within you, so you should ignore what other people do and think.

It doesn't matter to you; therefore, you're incapable of identifying with other people. You're not capable of collective action, and you feel really miserable. What you will do is play video games or watch porn all day.

Okay? And that's what's happening in society today. Yeah? So, in number two, who has authority? Who do you listen to? You're listening to scientists, right?

Scientists. Because this system was created by scientists to trick you. Okay? This system, you think, "Oh, it's science. Therefore, it must be real."

Guys, let me give you a piece of advice, okay? If you're ever feeling sad and depressed, what should you do? What should you do? What have you been taught to do? You feel sad and depressed—what should you do?

Hmm? Okay, yeah, the correct answer is "walk around." But that's not what you've been taught, right? What have you been taught to do? Telling your friend to tell your parent is actually really good, right?

So walking around, exercising, resting, and talking to a friend about your problem is all really good. But what have you been taught to do in school? Really? If you are feeling really, really sad, what should you do? You should go talk to a psychiatrist, right? You should talk to a psychologist.

And what will he do? What will he or she do? Okay, well, I'm going to give you a piece of advice, and you can test it for yourself. But if you're feeling sad, if you are feeling depressed, and you think you need to talk to a psychiatrist, I will bet that the psychiatrist will make it a lot worse.

You will feel worse after talking to a psychiatrist, okay? The reason is that the system is not designed to cure you of any problems. The system is meant to make you dependent on authority. If you feel sad, you know what? Just go for a walk or talk to a friend; you'll feel better over time.

But the system teaches you that if you feel sad, you should go talk to a psychiatrist who will give you drugs. It's designed to make you dependent on authority. That's actually a great question. Okay? God is authority. Thank you so much.

So, I have to spend time explaining both systems to you, and I will do so. But what's really important about number one is that the gods are really bad people, okay? In the first system, the polytheistic system, they fight all the time. They're vengeful and angry.

They're proud. But because they're gods, they can get away with it. And that's the difference between humans and gods. We're all the same. We're all angry.

We're all jealous. We all fight, okay? But the gods can get away with it. The humans cannot. Gods can exhibit hubris.

We cannot engage in hubris. Do you understand? The idea that the people in power are benevolent and that authority figures are acting in our best interest is a relatively modern concept.

Before, it was assumed that the king is a king. Why? Because he is favored by the gods. It's not because he is a good person or a just ruler; it's simply because the gods like him for whatever reason.

But guess what? The gods give, and the gods take. Maybe today the king will rule us, but perhaps five years from now he will get unlucky, and the gods will kill him. Too bad. If you read Greek mythology—and we will do so in this class, okay?

We'll explore Greek civilization. We'll examine Oedipus and look at Homer and "The Iliad," okay? These themes are discussed frequently. Fate is something that you cannot control.

It's something that happens. It happens to you. Therefore, you must live life to the fullest, alright? So, the difference is this: in number one, they have a concept called eudaimonia.

If you have no control over your fate, if things can happen to you tomorrow that could kill you, then live your life to the best of your ability today. Seize the day. Be the best that you can be today. And that's how you win favor from the gods: Eudaimonia, what we call flourishing.

The point of life is to live it to the best of your ability. And that's why, guess what, guys, the ancients—the Greeks—were superior to us. If you read Greek literature, Greek philosophy, Plato, Homer, Aeschylus, and Euripides, they were the best. Today, we fall short. Why?

Because instead of eudaimonia, we have pleasure. Rather than flourish as creative people, we're like, "How do I enjoy my life today? How do I not feel sad?" In the first system, even though it sounds like we have no control and no agency, it inspires us to live to the best of our ability.

The second system, we're like, "Oh, you have complete control of your life." It enslaves us. Alright, now let's move on to the third and final example. I know this is shocking.

I know this is surprising, but over the course of the semester, I will give you enough evidence to convince you that this is all true, okay? I'm just setting up the structure and the framework today. Alright, let's now do school. Guys!

Why do you have school? Why are we in school? Why? Why are you here? What?

Something is to learn and to teach. Exactly, right? Learn! What else? To earn the degree, okay?

To get the degree. Okay, to graduate. What else? Knowledge, yes. Excuse me? Brainwashing.

Okay, guess what, guys? The correct answer is brainwashing. Everything else is a lie. Alright, what are you doing in school? You come to class, you listen to a lecture, you read books, right?

And then you have to do a test, and you have to write a paper. Then the teacher gives you a grade. That's how you learn, right? Let me ask you this question then: Throughout most of human history, how did we learn?

If you want to become a doctor, what should you do? The answer is experience. Do it, right? Let me ask you this question.

Let's say you're 12 years old and you want to be a doctor. There are two paths ahead of you. The first path is that you can go to a hospital and learn there for about 10 years.

Someone's going to mentor you. You're going to be that person's apprentice. Maybe in the first year, all you do is wash the floor. Okay? But you're going to observe the doctor.

And then eventually, the doctor is going in to tell you how to treat patients. Okay? That's the first system. The second system is that you go to the best school in the world. Then you go to Harvard for undergraduate studies.

Then you go to Harvard Medical School, the best medical school in the world. Okay? At age 30, who's the better doctor, number one or number two? Oh, this is the first one, right?

Because the second person, the individual who went to Harvard and Harvard Medical School, never worked in a hospital. Do you understand? Now, let me ask you another question. In the first system, do you have to be really, really smart to be a good doctor? Actually, you don't.

Anyone can be a doctor in the first system. We human beings are all born with the capacity to learn anything if we want to learn it, right? If you want to be an engineer, a lawyer, a doctor, a scientist, or anything else, just go find a mentor who can teach you how to do so. I guarantee that you will learn how to do it well.

And anyone can do this. But instead, we have a system in which we tell students, "You're smart; you're stupid." Smart students go to good schools and universities, and they get good jobs. Stupid students wash dishes. Okay?

And that was not true for most of human history. It's true today, but for most of human history, if you wanted to learn something, all you had to do was find a teacher. That teacher would teach you, and then you would learn it, right?

So, school is not a place that teaches you how to learn. A school doesn't impart knowledge; it doesn't do that. A school is a place that brainwashes you. Okay?

Now the question is: what does it brainwash you into? What would it brainwash you to believe? Alright. To answer that, I'm going to provide you with some history.

We will cover a lot of history in this class, but I'm going to tell you about the three societies that first introduced mandatory free public schooling in the world. The first is called Sparta.

Sparta was a small city-state in Greece about 3,000 to 4,000 years ago. They had a unique system in which children, as early as five or six years old, were put into a school. In this school, they were often beaten by older kids who were around nine or ten years old. That was Sparta. The second society was called the Aztecs.

Aztecs. They also provided free compulsory education to all their children. Really good, right? The third society is called Prascia, which is actually a system that everyone uses today.

Do you guys know any history? What is common about all three societies: Sparta, the Aztecs, and Prussia? What do they all have in common? Okay, war.

All three societies are fundamentally war societies dedicated to defeating their neighbors. Sparta was one of thousands of city-states in Greece, and it was the only society among these thousands that had compulsory education. Why? Because Sparta was first and foremost engaged in war-making.

Sparta, you've heard of the Spartans, right? The Spartan warriors, okay? The Aztecs were the greatest war society in Central America before the arrival of the Europeans. They defeated everyone. They were constantly engaged in war.

They also performed a lot of human sacrifices. Okay, we will learn about the Aztecs later on. Prussia, the Prussians, had the greatest military in Europe for centuries. They were engaged in warfare as well. Do you understand this?

The reason we have schools is that they are effective in preparing people for various challenges, including the harsh realities of life. Why, you may ask? Allow me to pose a question: Why didn't people have schools in the past? What led to the sentiment of not wanting schools? Why is that?

Again, Sparta, the Aztecs, and Prussia were a few societies that had free public schooling. Why didn't other societies simply copy them? Why? Okay, let me ask you this question: Let's just say you're a mother or a father.

And you have a child, right? What's the worst thing that could happen in your life? No parents? No, no. Not your mother or your father. You have a child, right?

What's the worst thing that could happen to you in your life? Your child being taken away from you, right? What does school do? School is designed to take your child away from you, okay? Let me ask you this question.

If school is about learning, why don't parents and children go to school together? Yeah, why not? Why? Because parents have to work to survive, right? There's actually a better reason why.

Okay, it's about brainwashing, right? Because how do you brainwash someone? If you're with your parent, are you going to be brainwashed? No. Because you feel loved.

You feel secure. Your parent is going to protect you. Hey, is this teacher lying to me? And the parent is like, "Yeah, he's lying to you, okay?" It's only because you've been taken away from your parent that you are now willing to be brainwashed.

Why? Because what happens if you leave your parent? How do you feel? How do you feel? Hmm? Yeah, exactly, right?

Insecure. You're anxious. You're afraid. Do you understand? You've lost your parent.

You're four. You're five. You're six years old. You've lost your parent. You feel really insecure.

So, who do you trust? Your teacher. Whatever your teacher says is now correct. Yeah, okay, that's a great point. Aren't our parents brainwashed as well? That's correct; your parents are brainwashed.

But what I'm saying is that when a parent is with a child, the child feels secure. When you feel secure, you're much more willing to disobey authority. You're more willing to ask questions and to think for yourself because you know your parent is there to protect you. However, if you take the parent away, you can't do that.

You must now rely on the teacher who can brainwash you. Okay? So, are you brainwashing us? Am I brainwashing you? Okay.

Okay. Alright. So the question is, am I brainwashing you?

That's a good question, and it's a fair question. Again, that's why I tell you this: you have the capacity to ask me questions, and you have the capacity to challenge me.

You have the capacity to think for yourself, okay? So all I'm saying is, hear me out, ask me questions, and then think for yourself about whether or not I make sense. Because the difference between my class and other classes is that I don't test you, right?

I don't give you grades; it's a pass-fail class. You can actually choose to say, "You know what? This is nonsense. I don't want to listen anymore."

I can't stop you, okay? But in school, guess what happens if you don't come to school? Your parents get arrested, alright? Do you understand?

That's the difference. It's your choice whether or not to pay attention. Alright, so another question is, if schools are designed to brainwash you, what are they brainwashing you into believing? Well, they're designed to brainwash you into accepting a concept—call it the nation-state. The nation-state.

The school is designed to brainwash you into thinking that the nation-state exists. It is a person: Mother China. You must love this person and be willing to sacrifice yourself for them.

You must be willing to take it upon yourself to address this person because it is Mother China. And how do we brainwash you? We teach you language, right? We teach you history. We teach you geography. We teach you all of this to make you believe that the nation-state—Mother China, the United States, France—they all exist.

But guess what? Throughout most of human history, it was absurd to think the nation-state existed. Before, you didn't say, "I'm Chinese." You would say, "I'm a Beijinger," or "I'm from Haidian," right from Chaoyang, right?

Because that makes more sense. You're from a place where you know the people. But now, because of the nation-state, you are forced to believe that you are the same person as someone from Yunnan, Tibet, or Guangxi. Even though, that's right, guys, you have absolutely nothing in common. But you're all Chinese.

And that's what school is designed to do. School is designed to implant in you a false memory of a nation-state. Okay? That's what history is. History is the false memory of a nation-state.

And it happens. And that's why you're all forced to go to school. Okay? Yeah. So, the point of school is to serve the nation-state.

Do you understand? Right? Does that make sense? If you believe in the nation-state, if you believe in Mother China, then you must serve her. You must obey her.

You must fight for her. You must die for her. Okay? So, the idea of the nation-state was created to make you obedient to authority. And it works very effectively.

Yeah? All countries are nation-states, okay? So, I mean, I'm not saying China is different from other places. China is actually the same as other places, okay? What you will learn in this class is how we got to this point. Because, again, the three things that we will learn, okay?

Money, the individual, and the nation-state are all ideas and concepts beyond human experience. If you try to work this out from first principles, if you try to figure it out by yourself, you wouldn't be able to do it. You have to be conditioned into believing these three things. If someone from a thousand years ago were to come today and you explained the concepts of money, the individual, and the nation-state, that person would likely say, "Wait a minute here. This means that you're all slaves."

So, now the question is, where do we get these three concepts from? What you will learn in this class is that these three concepts come from a revolution in human thought called monotheism, the belief in one true God. This idea of monotheism forever changed the course of human history. It gave us the concepts of money, the individual, and the nation-state. Monotheism is such a powerful idea that it turned nothing into everything.

That's what you will learn in this class. We will explore monotheism and discover how it led to the creation of money, individualism, and the nation-state. It essentially shaped the world we live in today. Okay? Alright. Any questions? Excuse me?

Okay, yes, there are three great monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. What I will show you later on is that they are essentially the same religion. Yes. All right.

Okay, so I don’t want to give you too much information, because it’s a lot to process. But I want you all to remember the concepts. Money, individual, and nation-state are all powerful concepts that are embedded in everyday life. You cannot escape it.

Okay, you've been brainwashed into thinking that they all exist; in fact, they actually don't exist. And that's how power works. What power truly is, is what we call alchemy. Alchemy, throughout human history, was the pursuit of turning lead into gold.

Okay? Lead into gold. Nothing into everything. That's what alchemy was. And maybe in science class, you're taught that alchemy is this fake science. It's a pseudoscience.

And it did not work. What you will learn in this class is that we achieve alchemy. We turn nothing into everything. We turn lead into gold. Or that's what power is.

Power is the capacity to turn nothing into everything. Power is the ability to make you believe that money is valuable, that the individual can lead to happiness, and that the nation-state exists. That's what power is.

Okay? As a result, today we live extremely miserable lives. You've been taught to think that life just gets better and better. What you will learn in this class is actually, nope. What's really important is that you will also learn in this class that this was an accident.

Okay? This is an accident. It's an accident of the human imagination. It's because we didn't know what we were doing that we created this system. So, what you will also learn is that if you're able to control the human imagination, you can use it to create a new system that allows for eudaimonia or the flourishing of the human intellect.

Okay? Alright. Any questions? Okay. So, that's it for today.

Okay, I'll see you guys in the next class.