Behind the Bastards

Part Two: Peter Thiel and the Anti-Christ

November 6, 2025

Key Takeaways Copied to clipboard!

  • The hosts critique Peter Thiel's lecture series for framing secular apocalyptic fears (like nuclear war or AI risk) as evidence of the biblical Antichrist's agenda, while simultaneously ignoring contemporary political figures who align with apocalyptic rhetoric. 
  • Thiel appears to selectively interpret biblical prophecy, arguing that figures warning about technological apocalypse (like Greta Thunberg and Eliezer Yudkowsky) are agents of the Antichrist, despite the Bible traditionally identifying the Antichrist as a political leader. 
  • Thiel's animosity toward Bill Gates stems from Gates's promotion of the Giving Pledge, which Thiel views as funding 'left-wing nonprofits,' suggesting Thiel's theological framework is heavily influenced by his financial and political grievances. 
  • Peter Thiel's desire to avoid the biblical apocalypse and achieve eternal life through science, rather than traditional Christian theology, suggests he is attempting to found a self-centered religion hybridizing Christianity with Silicon Valley culture. 
  • Thiel's philosophical leanings, heavily influenced by Carl Schmitt and René Girard, lead him to advocate for authoritarian political structures, such as a global surveillance system outside democratic checks, as a necessary defense against perceived enemies and the coming apocalypse. 
  • The hosts conclude that Thiel's intense fear of death and desire for security is paradoxically driving him toward embracing authoritarianism and apocalyptic thinking, which they equate with welcoming the Antichrist. 

Segments

Introduction and Guest Plug
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(00:00:01)
  • Key Takeaway: Sarah Marshall is promoting her new podcast, The Devil You Know, which covers the satanic panic.
  • Summary: The episode of Behind the Bastards, Part Two: Peter Thiel and the Anti-Christ, begins with host Robert Evans and guest Sarah Marshall. Marshall plugs her new podcast, The Devil You Know, focusing on the satanic panic and the fear it generated. Marshall also hosts the show You’re Wrong About.
Fantasy Devil Discussion
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(00:01:45)
  • Key Takeaway: Peter Cook’s portrayal of the devil in the original Bedazzled is praised for focusing on petty annoyance over grand evil.
  • Summary: The hosts agree that Peter Cook’s devil in the original 1967 film Bedazzled is the best cinematic Satan due to his focus on petty annoyances, such as scratching records or ripping out novel pages. This portrayal contrasts with the biblical narrative, where God’s character in stories like Job is deemed insufferable by the hosts.
Technology and Apocalyptic Thinking
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(00:08:27)
  • Key Takeaway: Thiel argues that post-1945 technology became apocalyptic, leading to a decline in scientific advancement due to nuclear paranoia.
  • Summary: Peter Thiel claims that after the atom bomb, technology itself became apocalyptic, citing the 1945 film One World or None as the start of this trend. Thiel suggests this paranoia is why technological progress has stalled, a claim the hosts dismiss as historically inaccurate, referencing earlier apocalyptic films like Metropolis.
Critique of Thiel’s Theological Claims
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(00:11:42)
  • Key Takeaway: Thiel incorrectly asserts that the Catholic Church stopped giving apocalyptic sermons after 1945, which the hosts refute using personal experience and general Christian history.
  • Summary: Thiel claims that the Catholic Church ceased apocalyptic sermons around 1945, a statement the hosts find factually baseless based on their own experiences in church. The hosts argue that apocalyptic themes remain common across various Christian sects, contradicting Thiel’s premise that secular fears replaced religious ones.
Mapping Secular Fears to Antichrist
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(00:13:13)
  • Key Takeaway: Thiel’s core argument is that secular apocalyptic fears (AI, bioweapons) are agents of the biblical Antichrist because they seek to stop technological progress.
  • Summary: Thiel believes that those warning about existential risks like AI or fertility collapse are playing into the Antichrist’s agenda, as the Antichrist seeks to halt technological advancement. The hosts point out the paradox that Thiel supports figures like Donald Trump, who promised to avoid World War III, a classic Antichrist promise, yet dismisses this parallel.
Violence Origin and Disconnect
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(00:16:30)
  • Key Takeaway: Thiel’s assertion that both atheists and fundamentalists believe violence comes from God reveals a significant disconnect between his views and reality.
  • Summary: Thiel claims that atheists and fundamentalists agree that violence originates from God, which the hosts find absurd, noting that atheists typically attribute violence to non-divine causes like capitalism or entitlement. This specific claim is cited as the most frightening evidence of Thiel’s detachment from general human belief systems.
Identifying Modern Antichrist Candidates
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(00:25:20)
  • Key Takeaway: Thiel identifies Eliezer Yudkowsky and Greta Thunberg as potential Antichrists or agents thereof because they warn against unchecked technological progress.
  • Summary: Thiel labels figures like Yudkowsky and Thunberg as potential Antichrists because they advocate for slowing down science or technology, which Thiel views as necessary for his financial interests. Thiel dismisses Mark Andreessen as a candidate because he is too popular and promotes corporate utopianism, which Thiel finds less compelling than his own apocalyptic framework.
Thiel’s View on Bill Gates
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(00:45:19)
  • Key Takeaway: Thiel’s primary objection to Bill Gates being the Antichrist is that Gates advocates for billionaires to donate fortunes to ’left-wing nonprofits.'
  • Summary: Thiel views Bill Gates as a Jekyll and Hyde figure but ultimately disqualifies him as the Antichrist because Gates is not a political leader and is not broadly popular. Thiel revealed in recordings that he actively encouraged Elon Musk to renege on the Giving Pledge, fearing Gates would direct billionaire wealth toward undesirable causes.
Thiel’s Heretical Theology
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(00:55:35)
  • Key Takeaway: Thiel suggests a ’third path’ exists to avoid the biblical Antichrist and Armageddon, which the hosts identify as a heretical deviation from orthodox Christian belief.
  • Summary: Thiel argues that since the Bible presents only the choice between the Antichrist and Armageddon, a third path must be found through correct political action. The hosts note this belief is fundamentally heretical for someone claiming to be Orthodox Christian, suggesting Thiel is creating a new religion blending Christianity with Silicon Valley billionaire culture.
Thiel’s Anti-Apocalypse Theology
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(00:57:18)
  • Key Takeaway: Thiel believes human politics can avert the biblical apocalypse, a concept deemed non-orthodox by the hosts, suggesting he is creating a new religion.
  • Summary: Peter Thiel suggests avoiding the biblical apocalypse through correct political action, moving into territory similar to Joseph Smith by adding to biblical belief. This idea that God might allow humanity to live forever without an Antichrist or Armageddon is considered Peter theology, not Christian orthodoxy. The hosts suggest this path is akin to founding a new religion tailored for Silicon Valley elites.
Cryonics and Fear of Death
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(00:58:42)
  • Key Takeaway: Thiel’s intense desire to avoid the biblical apocalypse stems from a profound fear of death, preferring scientific preservation over guaranteed eternal life in heaven.
  • Summary: Thiel’s wish to avoid the biblical apocalypse indicates a deep fear of death, preferring scientists to maintain his body over accepting eternal life offered by Jesus. This preference highlights a self-centered approach to religion, prioritizing personal control over divine promise. The discussion references Thiel considering cryonically freezing his head, as detailed in the show notes.
Girard, Schmidt, and Post-9/11 Politics
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(01:07:54)
  • Key Takeaway: Thiel utilizes the philosophies of Carl Schmitt, who champions defining enemies as the high point of politics, to interpret 9/11 as a failure of the West to recognize a holy war.
  • Summary: Thiel is a major follower of René Girard and Carl Schmitt, whose ideas on mimetic rivalry and scapegoating are central to his worldview. Thiel’s interpretation of 9/11, influenced by Schmitt via Wolfgang Palaver, argues the West failed by not recognizing the conflict as a rational, holy war against an enemy. Schmitt’s political concept emphasizes the concrete recognition of an enemy as the highest political act, a view Thiel embraces.
Fascism and Counterfeit Reality
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(01:15:17)
  • Key Takeaway: Thiel views replacing real conflict with simulated experiences (like video games) as the path to the Antichrist, necessitating a return to Schmitt’s definition of politics (friend vs. enemy).
  • Summary: Thiel argues that replacing violent wars with thrilling amusement park rides or video games creates a counterfeit reality that prefigures the final catastrophe of the apocalypse, as described by Schmidt’s Antichrist concept. Thiel advocates for fortifying the modern West outside democratic checks and balances, suggesting secret coordination of intelligence services for a Pax Americana. This approach is characterized as fundamentally fascist because it prioritizes defining and confronting an enemy over democratic procedure.
Girardian Horror Over Scapegoating
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(01:18:08)
  • Key Takeaway: Prominent Girardians are experiencing horror as figures like J.D. Vance twist Girard’s anti-scapegoating philosophy to justify spreading harmful lies about marginalized groups.
  • Summary: Peter Thiel justified his Facebook investment by betting on mimesis, the mimetic rivalry underpinning social media. J.D. Vance, claiming to be a Girardian, is using the concept of the scapegoat—which Girard argued is wrong—to justify spreading lies about Haitians. This misapplication of Girard’s work, particularly regarding Christ as a scapegoat, has caused prominent followers to publicly denounce Vance and Thiel.
Fear Driving Authoritarianism
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(01:22:36)
  • Key Takeaway: Wolfgang Palaver observes that Thiel’s embrace of extreme political solutions stems from deep, unaddressed fears of death and terrorism, leading him to play with dangerous fire.
  • Summary: Palaver diagnoses Thiel’s actions as stemming from deep fear of death and terrorism, resulting in a craving for security that leads him to ‘play with fire.’ The hosts conclude that Thiel’s fear of death is causing him to embrace authoritarianism and apocalyptic thinking, forcing others to follow his dangerous path. The ultimate irony is that Thiel’s attempts to secure immortality are impossible, making him no different from historical figures obsessed with eternal life.