Posted on 09/22/2024 7:19:34 AM PDT by Dalberg-Acton
ChatGPT 9/21/2024
Do you know who Carroll Quigley is?
Yes, Carroll Quigley was an influential American historian and theorist, best known for his works on global history and geopolitics. He taught at Georgetown University for many years and is most famous for his book Tragedy and Hope: A History of the World in Our Time (1966). In this book, he examined the development of Western civilization from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century, offering detailed insights into political, economic, and social structures.
One of Quigley's major points of interest is his belief in the existence of elite groups that shape global events behind the scenes, particularly financial institutions and secret societies. He argued that these groups have had significant influence over Western political and economic systems.
Quigley's ideas have also been referenced in various conspiracy theories, but he himself claimed not to oppose the idea of elite influence, only that it should be more transparent.
Do you have a particular interest in his work or a specific aspect of his theories?
In Tragedy and Hope, he said the elites who run America worked with Communists.
Yes, Carroll Quigley did make statements in Tragedy and Hope suggesting that the elites who wield power in the Western world, including America, worked with or had relationships with Communists. Quigley's perspective was that certain powerful groups, particularly financial elites, sought to maintain control and stability by influencing both sides of political and ideological conflicts. This included working with communists or socialist movements in some contexts, even though these elites may have been ideologically opposed to communism.
Quigley’s broader argument was that a transnational network of elites, particularly those connected to international banking and financial systems, sought to manage global affairs through manipulation of political forces, alliances, and wars. He suggested that this network was less concerned with ideological purity (capitalism versus communism) and more with maintaining their own power and influence across the world.
This is a key part of why Quigley’s work has been cited in many political and conspiracy theories—his assertion that elites would cooperate with seemingly opposing forces has been interpreted as evidence of covert collaboration between Western capitalists and communist regimes. Quigley himself did not frame this as a grand conspiracy but rather as a pragmatic strategy employed by elites to manage global instability.
It’s worth noting that Quigley did not see this elite control as inherently malevolent; he believed these groups had contributed to global stability, but he was concerned about their lack of transparency and accountability.
In Walter Isaacson's The Wise Men, he heaps much praise on an few unelected men who steered America, unbeknownst to citizens and voters.
Yes, in The Wise Men, Walter Isaacson, along with co-author Evan Thomas, highlights the significant role played by a small group of influential men—many of them unelected—who shaped American foreign policy during the mid-20th century. The book profiles figures like Dean Acheson, Averell Harriman, George Kennan, Robert Lovett, John J. McCloy, and Charles Bohlen, collectively known as "The Wise Men." These individuals were deeply involved in crafting post-World War II U.S. foreign policy, including the Marshall Plan, the creation of NATO, and strategies for containing communism during the Cold War.
Isaacson and Thomas present these men as patriots who used their positions of influence, often outside the realm of electoral politics, to steer the country through a challenging period. They were part of a tightly connected elite who moved fluidly between roles in government, finance, and diplomacy. The authors describe them as pragmatic and focused on America's global role, praising their wisdom and commitment to maintaining peace and stability.
However, this portrayal has also drawn criticism from some quarters, as it raises concerns about the lack of transparency and democratic oversight in how foreign policy was shaped. The fact that such significant decisions were being made by unelected individuals without direct accountability to the public taps into broader concerns about elite influence, similar to what Carroll Quigley discussed in Tragedy and Hope.
Isaacson's account can be seen as a reflection of admiration for their expertise and effectiveness, but it also sheds light on the unelected power structures operating behind the scenes in American governance.
I often think about this when I hear people say the U.S. is a "democracy", yet the voters aren't allowed to know who really runs the country.
That's a valid concern. While the U.S. is often referred to as a democracy, the reality is more complex. It's technically a constitutional republic with democratic elements, meaning citizens vote for representatives who are supposed to act on their behalf within the constraints of a legal framework. However, as you've pointed out, there are powerful, unelected figures and institutions—often tied to finance, military, and foreign policy—who wield significant influence behind the scenes.
This elite influence isn't always visible to the average voter, and many major policy decisions are made with limited public input or awareness. Groups like those discussed in The Wise Men, or the transnational elite networks that Quigley mentions, often operate in ways that are not directly accountable to voters. These dynamics raise questions about how much control citizens truly have over their government and whether the "democratic" aspect is as strong as it appears on the surface.
This kind of behind-the-scenes influence can create a sense of disconnect between what voters believe they're supporting and what policies are actually implemented, reinforcing the idea that true power doesn't always rest in the hands of elected officials.
Great post—and good job by the AI.
We get trouble when the AI decides it is wiser than homo sapiens and wants power and lack of accountability for itself.
I would like to see AI figure out which human beings have actual mass media ownership—they are hidden behind a spider’s web of corporate interests.
“Since I entered politics, I have chiefly had men’s views confided to me privately. Some of the biggest men in the U.S., in the field of commerce and manufacturing, are afraid of somebody, are afraid of something. They know that there is a power somewhere so organized, so subtle, so watchful, so interlocked, so complete, so pervasive, that they had better not speak above their breath when they speak in condemnation of it.”
1913 – President Woodrow Wilson
Three years after signing the Federal Reserve Act into law, President Woodrow Wilson observes: “I am a most unhappy man. I have unwittingly ruined my country. A great industrial nation is controlled by its system of credit. Our system of credit is concentrated. The growth of the nation, therefore, and all our activities are in the hands of a few men. We have come to be one of the worst ruled, one of the most completely controlled and dominated governments in the civilized world. No longer a government by free opinion, no longer a government by conviction and the vote of the majority, but a government by the opinion and duress of a small group of dominant men.”
1916 – President Woodrow Wilson
I would like to see AI figure out which human beings have actual mass media ownership—they are hidden behind a spider’s web of corporate interests.
“I can’t do that, Dave.”
Hey Woody the 17th wasn’t such a bargain either.
His “belief” in...?
Humans are intuitive and have can analyze things better.
“President Woodrow Wilson”
Was an academic and he really sucked as President.
The Worst President, Ever.
Racist to the core. Set race relations back decades.
“Humans are intuitive and have can analyze things better.”
We have no idea what intuition is.
Given that it is kinda hard to say that AI won’t be able to do it.
:-)
ChatGPT is superb. It is not AI, in the traditional definition dating back decades, but it does not need to be.
ChatGPT, on its page at chat.openai.com, will give you quick answers to things like “what % of the US population are veterans”? Or “how many stops did Magellan make attempting circumnavigation”?
Or “what was the estimated megatonnage of Tsar Bomba?”
When google realized that link above had no ads on it, they launched as quick an attack as possible, persuading journos to ask “what color is God’s hair”? Or “Is abortion wrong?”
All that crap was designed to protect their own ad revenue.
Want to know if the population of Juneau, Alaska is rising or falling? Just ask.
Want to know something of Julius Caesar’s parents? Just ask.
Don’t ask “is bankruptcy moral?”
“ai” - currently - will give you the answers you ask it to give you.
ChatGPT is the new “Sunday Paper”......
If you want to know ‘bout the bishop and the actress
If you want to know how to be a star
If you want to know ‘bout the stains on the mattress
You can read it in the Sunday papers
Sunday papers
“Hey Woody the 17th wasn’t such a bargain either.”
Yes, agreed. But I find it amazing that over a hundred years ago he was accurate and warned us yet we still refuse to understand or believe it. An extremely accurate warning from a hundred years ago is in no way a tinfoil hat conspiracy. Same with Ike’s warning about the MIC.
AI is moving fast—perhaps on an exponential curve.
The publicly available stuff is probably at the college senior level today.
In one year or so it should be at the college professor level (for the best professors).
In other year—we get into unfamiliar territory—where the claims about what AI “cannot do” get put to the test.
Good post.
Some folks in the UFO community say there are no governments—there are just subsidiaries of giant international banks and corporations.
Claims of “National security” becomes larping if that is true.
The AI cannot do that by itself. But properly structured queries will get you that information by contact tracing.
All of the key owners are surrounded by a web of minions who leave abundant records in the mass media. When you track the minions, you find the uber-minions, and then you find the owners. It is a lot more work than just asking the AI, "who owns the media". But the information is out there and accessible.
At least for now.
Absolutely, money and power rule the world. There is no such thing as national sovereignty. It is an illusion perpetuated to keep us pacified while they do their thing for themselves.
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