Uploaded June 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
I was fascinated by Timothy Snyder’s recent Robert L. Silvers Lecture at the New York Public Library—an urgent reflection on freedom, fascism, sacrifice, and what Snyder calls “the new paganism.” His concept of “three natures”—and his view of smartphones as modern oracles—opened up rich terrain that I respond to here, weaving in my own background as a psychedelic explorer, author, and critic of techno-capitalism.
We’re living through a regression, a re-mythologizing of reality, where oracles and charismatic authoritarianism are replacing rational thought. Snyder’s diagnosis feels urgent and dead-on. In this video, I expand on his themes with references to Walter Benjamin, Nietzsche, Rudolf Steiner, and my own concept of a psychedelic, monistic anarchism.
📚 Watch Snyder’s original lecture here → youtube.com/live/TMyHbgUYk78?si=LMFN-RYaTdUwEVpp
⏱️ Chapters
00:00 – Why I'm responding to Snyder's lecture
02:00 – My background: psychedelics, prophecy, idealism
06:30 – Snyder’s “Three Natures” explained
13:45 – Have we regressed instead of evolved?
20:00 – The smartphone as oracle
26:15 – Screen time, addiction & cognitive capitalism
32:40 – Sacrifice, fascism & the return of myth
45:00 – U.S. politics, cruelty, and the spiritual void
55:20 – Reflections on Steiner, Snyder & the path ahead
—
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📚 Goodreads → goodreads.com/author/show/26172.Daniel_Pinchbeck
📚 Explore My Books
tinyurl.com/mrsmtpwv
🌐 Join Our Online Community, e-Courses, Seminars & more! – The Liminal Institute
https://www.liminal.news
🖥️ Official Website
pinchbeck.io
🎧 Also available on:
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4dk2HIaOeosK7d4IEY7szb?si=47ada2ca4d6b4c48
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/liminal-news-with-daniel-pinchbeck/id1541925540
—
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#TimothySnyder #DanielPinchbeck #TheNewPaganism #DigitalAddiction #Smartphones #PhilosophyTube #PoliticalTheory #Sacrifice #TechnoFeudalism #Fascism #Consciousness #NYPL #Authoritarianism #ScreenCulture #ThirdNature #Oracles #RudolfSteiner #PsychedelicPolitics #SpiritualCrisis #CognitiveCapitalism #GreatRegression #LiminalNews
I was fascinated by Timothy Snyder’s recent Robert L. Silvers Lecture at the New York Public Library—an urgent reflection on freedom, fascism, sacrifice, and what Snyder calls “the new paganism.” His concept of “three natures”—and his view of smartphones as modern oracles—opened up rich terrain that I respond to here, weaving in my own background as a psychedelic explorer, author, and critic of techno-capitalism.
We’re living through a regression, a re-mythologizing of reality, where oracles and charismatic authoritarianism are replacing rational thought. Snyder’s diagnosis feels urgent and dead-on. In this video, I expand on his themes with references to Walter Benjamin, Nietzsche, Rudolf Steiner, and my own concept of a psychedelic, monistic anarchism.
📚 Watch Snyder’s original lecture here → youtube.com/live/TMyHbgUYk78?si=LMFN-RYaTdUwEVpp
⏱️ Chapters
00:00 – Why I'm responding to Snyder's lecture
02:00 – My background: psychedelics, prophecy, idealism
06:30 – Snyder’s “Three Natures” explained
13:45 – Have we regressed instead of evolved?
20:00 – The smartphone as oracle
26:15 – Screen time, addiction & cognitive capitalism
32:40 – Sacrifice, fascism & the return of myth
45:00 – U.S. politics, cruelty, and the spiritual void
55:20 – Reflections on Steiner, Snyder & the path ahead
—
📩 Subscribe to Liminal News on Substack
substack.com/@danielpinchbeck
🔗 FOLLOW DANIEL PINCHBECK
📸 Instagram → instagram.com/danielpinchbeck
🧵 Threads → threads.net/@danielpinchbeck
📘 Facebook → facebook.com/danielpinchbeck.author
🐦 Twitter / X → twitter.com/pinchbeck
🔵 Bluesky → https://bsky.app/profile/danielpinchbeck.bsky.social
💼 LinkedIn → linkedin.com/in/danielpinchbeck
📚 Goodreads → goodreads.com/author/show/26172.Daniel_Pinchbeck
📚 Explore My Books
tinyurl.com/mrsmtpwv
🌐 Join Our Online Community, e-Courses, Seminars & more! – The Liminal Institute
https://www.liminal.news
🖥️ Official Website
pinchbeck.io
🎧 Also available on:
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/4dk2HIaOeosK7d4IEY7szb?si=47ada2ca4d6b4c48
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/liminal-news-with-daniel-pinchbeck/id1541925540
—
👉 If you enjoyed this conversation, please like, comment, and subscribe to support independent media and help spread the message.
#TimothySnyder #DanielPinchbeck #TheNewPaganism #DigitalAddiction #Smartphones #PhilosophyTube #PoliticalTheory #Sacrifice #TechnoFeudalism #Fascism #Consciousness #NYPL #Authoritarianism #ScreenCulture #ThirdNature #Oracles #RudolfSteiner #PsychedelicPolitics #SpiritualCrisis #CognitiveCapitalism #GreatRegression #LiminalNews
