[walter.palma]

Thanks a lot for your reply Dr Jewell.

When I wrote that his lecture has “nothing to do with analytical thinking or research” I have, indeed, overreacted. Brier, however, is explicitly glorifying totalitarianism several times throughout the DVDs. I don’t like that and I don’t think it is sound. If anything, it indicates to me that he is lacking important economic basics.

The questions you raise are very interesting as well. I cannot prove my potential explanation about the pyramids towards the end of my post (neither can Brier or any ‘Court Historian’ prove theirs, I dare to say). I also cannot prove my dismissal of Brier’s explanations. I have to say, however, that it is not really my prime motivation to do so (though I surely would like to be able to). My assumption is that there are experts in this field who might at some day be able to do so.

My prime motivation, however, is to make conclusions for myself based on what I have seen so far. Some of these conclusions are firm (such as my dismissal of much of Brier’s propaganda, including his opinions on the pyramids), some are less firm and in fact pure speculation (such as what was the real story behind the pyramids). This is only my personal conclusion today that I am making for myself (I am not asking or expecting anyone to share this).

My personal conclusion doesn’t change if the pyramids were built in 100 years or if pyramids, in fact, could be built by modern technology today. It is also possible that such specialists from different fields were theoretically available back than. However – and this is one of my core arguments – I think it is impossible to have been able to get these specialists to produce something of that significance, something of that perfection and brilliance, with that amount of sophistication and complexity in coordination under a system of coercion and force. Brier would like to believe it and uses it as yet another plug to advocate totalitarianism. Genius, however, doesn’t produce under force. Ayn Rand was very clear about that and (in my personal view) she was right about that.

I would also like to point out that I am still finding the DVDs valuable in the evolution of my personal understanding, as being able to exclude certain views helps me sharpen my understanding (and whenever Brier isn’t busy plugging totalitarianism, he is actually telling quite interesting stories). As such I am still happy that I bought the DVDs.

I couldn’t agree more that this is a very interesting field of study. Because if Brier and his fellow ‘Court Historians’ are wrong, then it would have wide implications to say the least.

If I make further significant learnings, I will share them here. Please also do so yourself.

Thanks 🙂