Today on Moment of Zen, Samo Burja and Rudyard Lynch return for for a mind-bending discussion and deep dive into the concept of "long ripples" — how ideas and events from the distant past continue to shape our present and future in unexpected ways. From Plato's influence on modern political movements to the unforeseen consequences of the Industrial Revolution, this conversation challenges our understanding of historical cause and effect. Are we truly progressing, or are we caught in cycles we fail to recognize? Can we learn from the past, or are we doomed to repeat it in new, technologically-amplified ways? This episode is a rollercoaster ride through time, technology, and human nature, forcing us to reconsider our place in the grand sweep of history.  Both Samo and Rudyard are hosts of Turpentine shows, Live Players and History 102, respectively. CHECK OUT: Live Players: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5fbMTkHBnom1JIBWYNVBK1 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/live-players-with-samo-burja-and-erik-torenberg/id1718925188 History 102: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/36Kqo3BMMUBGTDo1IEYihm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/history-102-with-whatifalthists-rudyard-lynch-and/id1730633913 — Apply to join over 400 founders and Execs in the Turpentine Network: turpentinenetwork.co — RECOMMENDED PODCAST: ️ Dealcraft: Insights from Great Negotiators is the brand new weekly podcast that features interviews with world’s greatest dealmakers and diplomats, including Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman, and music industry super-lawyer John Branca, on their most challenging negotiations. Each episode, host Jim Sebenius (Harvard Business School professor and renowned negotiation expert) relates fascinating deal stories and distills useful insights for listeners to apply in their toughest deals and disputes. Apple: https://link.chtbl.com/3CG3TbHY?sid=Turpentine ️ This Won't Last - Eavesdrop on Keith Rabois, Kevin Ryan, Logan Bartlett, and Zach Weinberg's monthly backchannel. They unpack their hottest takes on the future of tech, business, venture, investing, and politics. Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1765665937 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2HwSNeVLL1MXy0RjFPyOSz YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWontLastpodcast — SPONSORS: Building an enterprise-ready SaaS app? WorkOS has got you covered with easy-to-integrate APIs for SAML, SCIM, and more. Join top startups like Vercel, Perplexity, Jasper & Webflow in powering your app with WorkOS. Enjoy a free tier for up to 1M users! Start now at https://bit.ly/WorkOS-Turpentine-Network Head to Squad to access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to https://choosesquad.com/ and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist. — LINKS: Bismark Analysis: https://brief.bismarckanalysis.com/ Whatifalthist YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/Whatifalthist — FOLLOW ON X: @eriktorenberg @samoburja @whatifalthist @turpentinemedia — TIMESTAMPS: (00:00) Intro (00:15) Exploring Plato's Influence (05:10) Historical Ripples and Convergent Evolution (06:45) The Fall of Civilizations (12:43) Comparing Civilizational Cycles (17:42) The Future of Human Civilization (23:30) Sponsor: Dealcraft (29:02) AI and Genetic Engineering: Potential and Pitfalls (33:30) Pandemic Era Reflections (34:04) Genetic Engineering and Society (34:49) Sponsor: WorkOS | Squad (36:43) 19th Century Misconceptions (39:23) Cycles of Societal Transformation (41:54) Intellectual Decay and Historical Rewriting (44:13) Anthropology and Cultural Studies (46:34) Decline of Western Institutions (53:12) Space Exploration and Technological Decline (1:01:15) Hypernormalization and Social Reality (1:01:49) Wrap