Does Andrew Tate Give Good Advice? - Sam Harris

Summary

The transcript discusses the influence of controversial figures like Andrew Tate and Donald Trump on society, particularly young men. It touches on the importance of seeking wisdom from various sources, even if they are flawed, and the need for a more compassionate and less self-absorbed role model. The conversation also critiques the abandonment of direct conversation with young men by figures like Jordan Peterson, leading to a vacuum filled by less ideal voices. The discussion emphasizes the importance of discerning between fluency and truthfulness in messaging and the role of storytelling in shaping societal values and personal beliefs.

Takeaways

• 💡 The speaker believes there is a thirst for wisdom, even from controversial sources like Andrew Tate, despite concerns about the toxicity or divisiveness of the messages.
• 📈 The speaker acknowledges why young men are drawn to figures like Andrew Tate but expresses concern that Tate is not an ideal role model for the current generation.
• 🤔 There's a need for a more compassionate and less self-infatuated standard for manliness and success, in contrast to figures like Andrew Tate and Trump.
• 🌍 The speaker comments on how people are seeking answers in a world that doesn't align with their evolved psychology, leading them to figures who offer fluency in their messages, even if they aren't necessarily truthful or insightful.
• 🚫 The speaker criticizes figures like Trump and Tate, who flaunt selfishness and shamelessness as strengths, which resonate with a particular audience.
• 🧠 The speaker distinguishes Jordan Peterson from figures like Trump and Tate, yet disagrees with Peterson’s views on objective truth versus storytelling, noting that Peterson seems to value myth and fiction.
• 📚 The speaker believes that religious texts like the Bible have value but should be viewed as human-made, emphasizing that they are not necessarily the wisest or divinely inspired books.
• 🔄 The speaker draws comparisons between ancient religious texts and modern examples like Mormonism and Scientology, implying that all religious texts were constructed by people, not divinely inspired.
• 🎭 The speaker notes that figures like Andrew Tate and Trump represent a certain narrative of success that is unapologetically self-serving, which appeals to those who reject societal ethics or compassion.
• 🛠 The speaker emphasizes the importance of professional help, like therapy, in enhancing one’s mental health and finding deeper insights, promoting a mental health service at the end.

Q & A

What is the speaker's view on Andrew Tate?

The speaker acknowledges that Andrew Tate has issues and is 'radioactive,' but recognizes why young men are drawn to his content. However, the speaker believes Tate's version of success and manliness is problematic and not ideal for young men.

How does the speaker describe the influence of fluency on public perception?

The speaker suggests that fluency in speech can be mistaken for truthfulness or insight. People are more likely to believe someone who speaks fluently, even if the content is not necessarily accurate or insightful.

Why does the speaker compare Trump’s appeal to his audience?

The speaker compares Trump's appeal to a kind of shamelessness about his selfishness. Trump conveys that he won't judge others because he doesn’t judge himself, which resonates with a certain audience who value his unapologetic attitude.

What critique does the speaker offer about Andrew Tate’s message?

The speaker criticizes Tate's message, stating that Tate's focus on material success (e.g., owning a Bugatti) and a selfish, unapologetic lifestyle lacks ethical wisdom. Tate's philosophy is seen as shallow and not something to aspire to.

What is the speaker’s take on Jordan Peterson’s recent focus?

The speaker notes that Jordan Peterson has shifted his focus away from young men to broader issues like climate change and the trans debate. This shift has left a vacuum for young men, who seek guidance elsewhere.

How does the speaker distinguish between storytelling and truth?

The speaker argues that while storytelling and myth have symbolic or figurative truths, there is a need to separate these from objective empirical truths. They view storytelling as potentially useful but caution against conflating it with actual truth.

What does the speaker say about the Bible’s wisdom?

The speaker acknowledges that the Bible contains pearls of wisdom but asserts that it was clearly written by human beings. They argue that the Bible is not the wisest book we have and that much of its authority comes from outdated claims about divine origin.

How does the speaker view the process of creating religious texts?

The speaker describes the creation of religious texts, such as the Bible, as an all-too-human process, likening it to more modern examples like Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon or even Scientology, where followers are sold on an unproven narrative.

What comparison does the speaker make between different religious traditions?

The speaker compares traditional religious claims, such as those in Christianity and Islam, to more recent movements like Scientology. They highlight how the process of writing sacred texts, whether ancient or modern, often involves unverifiable claims.

What is the speaker’s position on the search for wisdom in modern society?

The speaker believes there is a thirst for wisdom in modern society, but people often turn to flawed figures for guidance. This includes individuals like Andrew Tate, who offer solutions but are ethically deficient, and figures like Jordan Peterson, who have moved away from addressing certain demographics.

Outlines

00:00

🤔 The Influence of Controversial Figures on Youth

The speaker discusses Andrew Tate, a figure who has gained a following among young men, despite being controversial and accused of toxic behavior. The speaker acknowledges the appeal of Tate's content but criticizes the lack of a compassionate and less self-absorbed role model for the younger generation. The speaker also touches on the idea that fluency can be mistaken for truthfulness and insight, leading people to follow figures who may not have their best interests at heart. The conversation also includes a critique of the current state of role models and the need for a more ethical and wise influence.

05:01

📚 The Debate on Objective Truth and Storytelling

This paragraph delves into a discussion about the role of storytelling and myth in shaping our understanding of truth and values. The speaker contrasts their views with those of Jordan Peterson, emphasizing the importance of distinguishing between wishful thinking, delusion, and core truths. The conversation also includes a critique of religious texts, particularly the Old Testament, questioning their divine origin and the moral lessons that can be drawn from them. The speaker advocates for a more critical approach to such texts, suggesting that their human origins should be acknowledged and that objective truth should not be conflated with religious narratives.

10:02

💬 Sponsorship and Mental Health Awareness

The speaker transitions to a sponsored segment, promoting BetterHelp, an online therapy service. They discuss the benefits of seeking professional help for mental health issues and the convenience of accessing therapy through the BetterHelp platform. The speaker encourages listeners to take advantage of the service, highlighting the importance of mental well-being and the potential for personal growth through therapy.

Keywords

💡Radioactive

In this context, 'radioactive' is used metaphorically to describe someone whose reputation is toxic or harmful, making them socially or culturally untouchable. The speaker uses this term to express why a certain individual is controversial and avoided by many, despite their influence. It's tied to the broader theme of public figures who, while influential, carry negative associations that impact how they're perceived.

💡Wisdom

'Wisdom' refers to deep knowledge or insight, particularly when it comes to understanding life or human behavior. The speaker emphasizes a societal thirst for wisdom, suggesting that people are seeking guidance and insight from a variety of sources, even if those sources are 'contaminated' or flawed. The search for wisdom is central to the video's reflection on how young people find role models in figures like Andrew Tate or Jordan Peterson.

💡Compassion

'Compassion' refers to the ability to empathize and care for others. The speaker contrasts the lack of compassion in some influential figures with the need for a more compassionate standard for leadership and success. Compassion is presented as a key quality that is missing from the modern image of success, particularly in figures like Andrew Tate and Donald Trump.

💡Shamelessness

This term describes the lack of guilt or embarrassment in one's selfishness or questionable actions. The speaker discusses how public figures like Donald Trump embrace their selfishness without shame, which in turn becomes a 'superpower' for their audience. Shamelessness is critiqued as a negative trait that is admired by certain people, tying into the video’s theme of flawed role models.

💡Objective Empirical Truth

Objective empirical truth refers to facts that can be observed and verified through evidence, free from personal bias or emotion. In the video, the speaker contrasts objective truth with 'storytelling' or myth, which are seen as more subjective. The conversation touches on how figures like Jordan Peterson approach truth, and how this differs from a strictly empirical understanding of reality.

💡Narrative

'Narrative' refers to the stories or frameworks through which people interpret the world. The speaker highlights the importance of storytelling, especially in how societies create meaning or moral frameworks. Jordan Peterson is noted for his use of narrative to explain human behavior, but the speaker critiques how narratives can sometimes lead to delusion or confusion when not grounded in truth.

💡Vacuum

The 'vacuum' in this context refers to the absence of meaningful guidance or leadership for young men, which is filled by figures like Andrew Tate when others, like Jordan Peterson, shift focus to broader issues. The vacuum metaphor suggests a lack of positive influence that leaves space for potentially harmful ideas to take root.

💡Fluency

Fluency here refers to the ability to speak persuasively and smoothly. The speaker argues that fluency, or the ability to present ideas in a compelling way, can often be mistaken for truthfulness. This concept is central to the video's examination of how figures like Andrew Tate attract followers, not necessarily through wisdom, but through their fluency in communicating their message.

💡Integrity

'Integrity' is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles. The speaker sarcastically points out that figures like Donald Trump have a form of 'integrity' in their shamelessness, in that they do not pretend to be ethical or selfless. This warped form of integrity is critiqued as part of the problem with modern role models.

💡Myth

'Myth' refers to traditional stories or beliefs that explain aspects of the world or human nature. The speaker critiques how myth and storytelling can sometimes cloud objective truth, while acknowledging that myths can still hold symbolic or figurative value. This ties into the broader discussion of how people, including figures like Jordan Peterson, use myths to construct meaning in society.

Highlights

Andrew is described as radioactive, indicating strong controversy or negative perception.

There's a societal thirst for wisdom, which can come from various, potentially contaminated, sources.

Young men are drawn to Andrew's content, viewing him as a life guru, despite his issues.

The need for a more compassionate and less self-infatuated standard for manliness and success is emphasized.

Jordan Peterson's influence and his shift in focus from young men to broader issues like climate change are discussed.

The vacuum left by Jordan Peterson's shift has implications for the guidance young men seek.

People will look for answers and insights, even if they come from controversial figures.

Fluency can be mistaken for truthfulness, leading to the acceptance of ideas regardless of their source.

The concept of 'assholery' being declared more concisely by fluent speakers is critiqued.

Trump's shamelessness and its impact on his audience as a form of superpower is analyzed.

The importance of distinguishing between wishful thinking, delusion, and core truths is highlighted.

Jordan Peterson's view on the status of objective truth versus storytelling is discussed.

The debate between Jordan Peterson and Richard Dawkins on the Old Testament God is mentioned.

The Bible is not considered the wisest book, despite containing some wisdom.

The human composition of religious texts is emphasized, challenging their divine origin claims.

The process of scripture compilation is described as too human, undermining religious authority.

The value of wisdom in world literature is recognized, independent of religious texts' veracity.

BetterHelp is advertised as a therapy service, emphasizing convenience and professional support.

Transcripts

Andrew takes a perfect example of

somebody who he's radioactive for

obvious reasons I haven't met him I

haven't done an especially Deep dive on

what he's guilty of or you know I mean

he's obviously he's

he's got issues but um

I just feel like we're at a moment now

where

there is such a a thirst for wisdom

that you know it's okay it can come from

so many different places and those

places can be more or less contaminated

with Concepts that are more or less

toxic more or less divisive more or less

confusing and

yeah I mean I've what you know

I've watched enough of his stuff to see

why young men are getting addicted to

his content and thinking that he's their

their life Guru and I've also watched

enough to think that it's not

um

it's not ideal that he's the voice of a

generation right like we need a a um

a more compassionate less

self-infatuated

standard for manliness and and success

than whether he's he's putting out if I

was to I've got Jordan uh coming on the

show again at some point later this year

and it's something that I think I'll

speak to him about that he's on to big

things with this Arc which is kind of

his competitor I think to the wef that

he's doing later this year yeah I

haven't I haven't followed that yeah no

um but I do think that Jordan's relative

abandonment of the conversation directly

to young men uh to move on to other

things whether it be climate change or

the trans issue or pick your poison

about whatever he's got interested in

recently uh I think that that has left a

vacuum and you can't expect young you

can't expect anybody to go through life

without insights coming from somewhere

and whether that Insight is for young

men or young women or old men or old

women whether it's Andrew Tate or you

know Whoopi Goldberg or whoever happens

to have the hot take of the week and and

trend insufficiently highly on Twitter

uh

people are going to look for someone

they're going to look for answers and in

a world where we are

chronically mismatched our evolved

psychology and the world that we find

ourselves in has never really been

further apart

people are going to find answers and and

sometimes

fluency is a really brilliant proxy for

truthfulness or insight and if you can

say things with a sufficiently

uh well-rounded compelling delivery

regardless of who you are yeah whether

it be Whoopi Goldberg or anybody else

people will say that sounds that sounds

true it sounds fluent not sure if it's

true yeah except the thing that

surprises me is that

it should be more obvious than it is to

more people

that someone's an [ __ ] right it's

like that like it doesn't matter how

fluent you are you're you're only just

declaring your assholery in in more

concise form right

um and

so it's kind of a trumpian moment like

Trump is obviously an [ __ ] he's

obviously a selfish person but nobody

none of his fans care right he's like

he's not a compassionate person he's he

can't even pretend to care about people

really right he's but his

his shamelessness around his selfishness

has become a kind of superpower for a

certain audience because he's he's

conveying the message

I will never I will never judge you

because I'm incapable of judging myself

right like I'm not I I'm not holding

myself to any kind of standard apart

from the gratification of my own desires

so you know I'm I'm in some sense I have

a real Integrity because I know I'm

selfish all those people who are

pretending not to be selfish or

pretending to be ethical and

compassionate to care about you know the

sub-Saharan Africa and the you know the

education and developing countries I

mean someone like Bill Gates right you

know Bill Gates is somebody who can't

get laid and he's just going to

microchip you with the next vaccine

right like that that's this is going to

be a great uh quote to export from this

podcast

um

uh you're welcome Twitter

um

that's so that's the that's the center

of narrative and ethical gravity for

these guys right I don't include Jordan

there but like Andrew Tate Trump there's

like a I've got a [ __ ] Bugatti and

you know you want one and I've got no

apologies right I've got no [ __ ] to

give uh I know you want to be like me

you know and if you don't if you're not

good enough to be like me I'll sleep

with your girlfriend right like that's

that's the that's not an ethically wise

person on any [ __ ] level even if he

can even if he can string together a few

sentences that seem actionable and

useful to get you to clean your room and

get in shape and and meet a girl right

um we should be asking more of our

elders than that right and and so and so

where I part ways with Jordan again I do

not put Jordan

um in the same category but he is

he has a very different view of the

the kind of the status of objective

empirical truth in relation to the

stories we tell about

uh ourselves and our place in the world

and

um

what makes life worth living what what

allow what will allow for a society to

really cohere around shared values and

he thinks that there's a a layer of

storytelling and you know what I would

what I would call myth and fiction

really in a way that is

kind of somewhat derogatory right it's

not to say that I'm I don't see the

power in it but it's just what I want to

do is be able to distinguish between

the

layer of wishful thinking and a layer of

delusion and a layer of uh ancient

confusion that is still has good

standing among millions of people and

probably some symbolic truth or

figurative truth in there too and and a

kind of harmless harmless uses of the

imagination that it could be a nobling

and fun and empowering right

um and kind of core truths that don't

require a story to be a nobling did you

see that Jordan got into it with Richard

Dawkins on well you wouldn't have done

you're you're off Twitter so I will no

I'll uh be the Weathervane to update you

on whatever's happening in Twitter's

conditions at the moment uh

Richard's a clip of Richard one

semi-viral of him criticizing the Old

Testament God right and then I think

Jordan basically called him out Anytime

Anyplace anywhere it wasn't far off that

I think that the actual tweet was about

saying that it was a I think damaging

science and and and doing a disservice

to

maybe Dawkins himself and and some other

stuff yeah well so I mean that's

I mean I agree with Richard yeah with

respect to the

what I think of the the Old Testament

God and the the moral instruction we can

or can't take from him I mean I just

think that's I just don't think that the

the Bible is the wisest book we have

even though there are there are Pearls

of real wisdom there which I I

understand that people love

um

it's a book it was clearly written by

human beings right so like the

fundamental the the breach point is not

he is is Upstream of many of the things

people might want to debate there's just

this basic claim we've got millions upon

millions of books

were they all written by people or not

right and the moment you admit that they

were all written by people okay we're

having a very different conversation

about the status of religion certainly

the religion of any of the religions of

Abraham right I mean these are these are

claimed at bottom Judaism Christianity

and Islam are claims about the divine

origin of of a specific book or certain

texts

um and some of these texts were

canonical for centuries and then got

thrown out you know within within

Christianity and then some got added

later

um so the the process of cobbling

together these these scriptures was all

too human we know way too much about it

if you if we knew more about it it would

look much more like Joseph Smith in the

Book of Mormon and the and it would look

like a you know the South Park episode

that Mormonism in fact looks like right

and you drag it further into the present

and it looks like Scientology right and

then you're like you're just staring at

L Ron Hubbard's driver's license and it

says okay this goofy guy with bad teeth

sold all these people honest on a story

about the stars that was just obviously

[ __ ] and should have it should have

been obvious to them now again that's

not to say that there isn't real wisdom

in in all of these streams of

information even

Scientology but

you just

the basic claim and I think Richard

would agree with this is that you don't

have to believe anything on insufficient

evidence to extract

all the wisdom that is to be found in

the world's literature and in the

conversations conversations with people

in the present and conversations with

the dead by reading their their books in

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