E79: How Civilizations Cycle & Collapse | Samo Burja and Rudyard Lynch

This week on Upstream, we’re featuring a discussion between Samo Burja, Rudyard Lynch and Erik Torenberg about the inherent differences between civilizations and their impact on history and politics. They explore the parallels and distinctions between ancient civilizations like Babylon and modern entities like Silicon Valley, the influence of Abrahamic religions, and how societal patterns challenge our current understanding.  — 🔥 Apply to join over 400 founders and Execs in the Turpentine Network: https://www.turpentinenetwork.co/ — SPONSORS: 💡 Level up your portfolio with access to pre-IPO companies via the Fundrise Innovation Fund. Access a $125M+ fund of cutting edge tech companies including AI frontrunners, now available to individual investors. Start your journey at Fundrise.com/upstream. Get first-party targeting with Brave's private ad platform: cookieless and future proof ad formats for all your business needs. Performance meets privacy. Head to https://brave.com/brave-ads/ and mention “MoZ” when signing up for a 25% discount on your first campaign. 💥 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. — RECOMMENDED PODCASTS: 🎙️Live Players Samo Burja and Erik Torenberg provide analysis of the news and case studies of Live Players, as well as key institutions and technologies that make up the global power landscape. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5fbMTkHBnom1JIBWYNVBK1?si=01ed191c74264f55  Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/live-players-with-samo-burja-and-erik-torenberg/id1718925188 Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LivePlayerswithSamoBurja 🎙️History 102 with WhatifAltHist Every week, creator of WhatifAltHist Rudyard Lynch and Erik Torenberg cover a major topic in history in depth -- in under an hour. This season will cover classical Greece, early America, the Vikings, medieval Islam, ancient China, the fall of the Roman Empire, and more. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/36Kqo3BMMUBGTDo1IEYihm Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/history-102-with-whatifalthists-rudyard-lynch-and/id1730633913 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@History102-qg5oj 🎙️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. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2HwSNeVLL1MXy0RjFPyOSz Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-wont-last-with-keith-rabois-kevin-ryan-logan/id1765665937 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThisWontLastpodcast — LINKS: Bismark Analysis: https://brief.bismarckanalysis.com/ Whatifalthist YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/Whatifalthist — FOLLOW ON X/TWITTER:  @eriktorenberg @samoburja @whatifalthist @turpentinemedia — TIMESTAMPS (00:00) Intro (01:00) A deep dive into civilizational differences (03:06) The influence of Abrahamic religions (07:38) Classical vs. modern western civilization (12:16) The rise and fall of civilizations (16:54) Literacy and its impact on societies (20:25) Sponsors: Fundrise | Brave (22:43) Pre-modern Feminism (27:28) Modern civilization and its roots (36:20) Sponsor: Squad (37:29) Debt slavery and social breakdown (42:58) The future of religion and technology (54:37) Obscure civilizations and their impact (59:21) Wrap