Elon Musk, in his fourth appearance on The Lex Friedman Podcast, engages in a conversation about the role of war in human societies throughout history. He ponders on the question of whether war is an inherent part of human nature or a consequence of how societies are structured. Musk, who is generally a proponent of peace, argues that ignorance is the real enemy to be countered, and that all creatures, including humans, fight.
He draws a comparison between human and chimpanzee societies, stating that chimpanzee society is not friendly and is filled with extreme violence. Musk suggests that with greater intelligence, humans have much more ability to control their limbic instinct for violence than chimpanzees. Regarding the current war in Israel and Gaza, Musk recommends that Israel engage in the most conspicuous acts of kindness possible, such as establishing a mobile hospital and providing food, water, and medical necessities. He argues that these acts of kindness fight the broader force of hatred in the region.
Elon Musk's Thoughts on War and Human Nature
During his fourth appearance on The Lex Friedman podcast, Elon Musk discussed the role of war in human nature. Musk believes that war has been a big part of most empires and dynasties throughout human history. He notes that many leaders were excellent generals, and that they celebrated excellence in warfare.
When asked about the degree to which war is part of human nature versus a consequence of how human societies are structured, Musk stated that he is generally a proponent of peace. He believes that ignorance is the real enemy to be countered, not fighting other humans. Musk points out that all creatures fight, and that the jungle is not a peaceful place, as plants and animals are constantly trying to kill each other.
Musk believes that with greater intelligence comes greater control over our base instincts for violence. He notes that chimpanzee society is filled with violence and is not friendly, with extreme violence being the norm. Musk believes that humans have much more of an ability to control their limbic instinct for violence than chimpanzees.
Regarding the current war in Israel and Gaza, Musk believes that there is no easy answer. He believes that the goal of Hamas was to provoke an overreaction from Israel and that they wanted to commit the worst atrocities possible to provoke the most aggressive response from Israel. Musk recommends that Israel engage in the most conspicuous acts of kindness possible, including establishing a mobile hospital and ensuring that there is food, water, and medical necessities. He believes that acts of kindness are the actual things that would counter the goal of Hamas.
Musk notes that war has always existed and always will exist, but he hopes that it will be minimized in the future. He believes that the question is not whether there will be war, but rather how much war there will be.
Comparison Between Human and Chimpanzee Societies
War and military conquest have been a significant part of human societies and cultures throughout history. However, to what extent is war part of human nature, and how much of it is a consequence of how human societies are structured? Elon Musk, in a conversation with Lex Friedman, explored this question.
While humans are generally proponents of peace, all creatures fight. The jungle, for instance, is not a peaceful place, and the plants and animals are constantly trying to kill each other. However, with greater intelligence, humans have more control over their limbic instinct for violence than chimpanzees. Chimpanzee society is filled with violence, and it is not a peaceful society. The bonobos are an exception, but chimpanzees are not peace-loving creatures. There are no limits or ethics in chimpanzee society, and war and dominance are achieved by any means necessary.
Chimpanzee society is a primitive version of human society, and it is quite horrific. Raising a chimpanzee as a pet is dangerous, and it has resulted in several incidents where the pet has attacked the owner and caused severe injuries.
In human societies, war and military conquest have been a significant part of history, but it is not an inherent aspect of human nature. Ignorance is the real enemy to be countered, not fighting other humans. While there will always be war, the scope and scale of war can be reduced.
In conclusion, while humans have the ability to control their limbic instinct for violence, chimpanzees do not. Chimpanzee society is violent and primitive, and raising a chimpanzee as a pet is dangerous. War and military conquest have been a significant part of human societies, but it is not an inherent aspect of human nature.
Elon Musk's Views on Current Wars
During his fourth appearance on The Lex Friedman podcast, Elon Musk discussed his thoughts on the role of war in human history and society. He acknowledged that war and military conquest have been a significant part of most empires and dynasties throughout human history, often resulting from conquest. However, he also emphasized that he is generally a proponent of peace and believes that ignorance is the real enemy to be countered, not fighting other humans.
Musk pointed out that while humans are not the only creatures that fight, the jungle is a place of constant murder and death. He noted that humans have much more control over their limbic instinct for violence than chimpanzees, whose society is filled with extreme violence and dominance by any means necessary.
When asked about the current war in Israel and Gaza, Musk acknowledged that there is no easy answer and that Hamas's goal was to provoke an overreaction from Israel. He suggested that Israel engage in the most conspicuous acts of kindness possible, such as establishing a mobile hospital, to counter Hamas's atrocities and rally support for the cause of Gaza and Palestine. He emphasized that the goal should be to minimize human suffering in the long term and fight the broader force of hatred in the region.
Musk also acknowledged that war has always existed and likely always will exist, but the question is how much war and what the scope and scale of war will be. He referred to the Culture series, which includes war even in a futuristic society, but emphasized the importance of minimizing violence and creating fewer terrorists over time.
Discussion on Israel and Gaza Conflict
Elon Musk was asked about the ongoing conflict between Israel and Gaza and how he hopes it will come to an end. He believes that the situation is complex and there is no easy answer. Hamas' goal was to provoke an overreaction from Israel and rally Muslims worldwide for the cause of Gaza and Palestine, which they have succeeded in doing.
Musk recommends that Israel engage in the most conspicuous acts of kindness possible to counter the force of hatred in the region. He suggests establishing a mobile hospital and providing food, water, and medical necessities. Israel should be transparent and put cameras on the aid to show that it is not a trick.
Musk believes that the goal should be long-term peace and that Israel needs to look at the situation from the standpoint of over time. For every Hamas member that is killed, how many more are created? If Israel creates more than they kill, they have not succeeded.
He acknowledges that war has always existed and always will exist, but hopes that there can be a reduction in the scope and scale of war. Musk also notes that greater intelligence gives humans more control over their limbic instinct for violence. While chimpanzee society is filled with violence, humans have the ability to control their base instincts.
Elon Musk's Proposal for Peace
In a recent conversation with Lex Friedman, Elon Musk discussed the role of war in human society and his views on the current conflict in Israel and Gaza. Musk believes that war has been a fundamental part of human history, but he is a proponent of peace and sees ignorance as the real enemy to be countered.
When asked about the current conflict in Israel and Gaza, Musk acknowledged that there is no easy answer. He believes that the goal of Hamas was to provoke an overreaction from Israel, and they have succeeded in rallying Muslims worldwide for the cause of Gaza and Palestine. Musk's counterintuitive solution is for Israel to engage in the most conspicuous acts of kindness possible. He recommends establishing a mobile hospital and providing food, water, and medical necessities. These acts of kindness should be unequivocal and transparent, so people cannot claim it is a trick.
Musk believes that conspicuous acts of kindness fight the broader force of hatred in the region. He acknowledges that this is a contentious subject, but if the ultimate goal is long-term peace, one must look at the situation from the standpoint of over time, are there more or fewer terrorists being created?
Musk also discussed the role of war in human society and its connection to our base instincts for violence. He believes that with greater intelligence comes greater control over these instincts, and humans have much more ability to control their limbic instincts for violence than chimpanzees. Chimpanzee society is filled with violence, and Musk sees it as a primitive version of human society.
Musk acknowledges that war has always existed and always will exist. However, he hopes that the scope and scale of war can be reduced in the future.
Reflection on the Concept of "An Eye for an Eye"
Elon Musk, in his conversation with Lex Friedman, touched upon the concept of "an eye for an eye" in relation to war and human nature. Musk believes that war has been a significant part of human societies and cultures throughout history, often resulting from conquest. He also notes that many leaders in these societies celebrated excellence in warfare, and that chimpanzee societies, which are similar to primitive human societies, are filled with violence.
However, Musk also argues that ignorance is the real enemy to be countered, not fighting other humans. He believes that with greater intelligence comes greater control over base instincts for violence, and that humans have much more ability to control their limbic instinct for violence than chimpanzees.
When asked about the current war in Israel and Gaza, Musk suggests that the goal of Hamas was to provoke an overreaction from Israel and commit the worst atrocities possible to rally Muslims worldwide for the cause of Gaza and Palestine. He recommends that Israel engage in the most conspicuous acts of kindness possible to counter the force of hatred in the region. He believes that Israel should find and deal with Hamas members, but also engage in acts of kindness that are unequivocal and transparent to prevent being accused of trickery.
In terms of the concept of "an eye for an eye," Musk believes that it makes everyone blind, and that the ultimate goal should be long-term peace. He argues that the question should be whether more or fewer terrorists are being created over time, and that creating more terrorists than are being killed is not a successful outcome. While war has always existed and likely always will, Musk hopes that the scope and scale of war can be reduced in the future.
Future of War
Elon Musk, in a conversation with Lex Friedman, discussed the concept of war and its place in human nature. Musk believes that ignorance is the real enemy to be countered, not fighting other humans. However, he acknowledges that all creatures, including humans, have a natural instinct for violence.
Musk notes that with greater intelligence comes greater control over these base instincts for violence. He provides the example of chimpanzee society, which is filled with violence and lacks ethics or limits. Musk believes that humans have much more ability to control their limbic instinct for violence than chimpanzees.
Regarding the current war in Israel and Gaza, Musk suggests that the goal of Hamas was to provoke an overreaction from Israel and leverage that aggressive response to rally Muslims worldwide for the cause of Gaza and Palestine. Musk recommends that Israel engage in the most conspicuous acts of kindness possible to counter the force of hatred in the region. He suggests establishing a mobile hospital and ensuring access to food, water, and medical necessities.
Musk acknowledges that war has always existed and will likely continue to exist in some form. However, he emphasizes the importance of minimizing the scope and scale of war and looking at the long-term effects of military action. Musk believes that the creation of more terrorists than those killed in military action is not a successful outcome.