Eric Weinstein

[[File:Eric Weinstein in January 2019.png|thumb|right|165px|The ultimate grifter as photographed back in 2019]]{{conspiracy|1}}
'''Eric Ross Weinstein''' {{lived|1965}} is a public intellectual associated with the [[Intellectual Dark Web]] (IDW) (a term Weinstein coined) and the managing director of Thiel Capital, [[Peter Thiel]]'s personal investment firm, since 2015. He received his PhD in [[mathematical]] [[physics]] from the Mathematics Department at Harvard University in 1992.<ref>For more about the boring parts of his history, see {{wpl|Eric_Weinstein||.}}</ref> He is the brother of [[Bret Weinstein]], a fellow IDW figure.

If you ever feel useless, remember Eric Weinstein spent years trying to convince people that the real problem with physics is that no one listens to Eric Weinstein. Weinstein’s career is a masterclass in how to turn being overlooked for tenure into a personality.

==Founder of the Intellectual Dark Web==
{{main|Intellectual Dark Web}}
Weinstein first coined the label "The Intellectual Dark Web" in a ''[[New York Times]]'' article by Bari Weiss,<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/08/opinion/intellectual-dark-web.html "Meet the Renegades of the Intellectual Dark Web"] by Bari Weiss, NYT, May 8, 2018</ref> to describe a grouping of public intellectuals and [[conservative]] or [[centrist]] political [[pundit]]s who could talk to each other and criticize "the [[far left]]". He was motivated when his brother [[Bret Weinstein]] retired from Evergreen University after a student protest.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theolympian.com/news/local/education/article175061841.html |title=A school year of events that led to chaos at The Evergreen State College |first=Lisa |last=Pemberton |publisher=The Olympian |date=2017-09-23 |access-date=2020-07-19}}</ref> Since then, the Intellectual Dark Web has been accused of becoming a gateway to the [[alt-right]].<ref>[https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/youtube-far-right-radicalization-study-877061/ "Study Shows How the ‘Intellectual Dark Web’ Is a Gateway to the Far Right"] by EJ Dickson, Rolling Stone, August 28, 2019</ref> Critics have called the network a giant myth of victimization disguised as a defense of free expression. Weinstein himself has gone relatively quiet on YouTube since June 10, 2020.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/c/EricWeinsteinPhD/videos</ref>

His "Intellectual Dark Web" schtick is basically a support group for people who think being contrarian is the same as being insightful. Similarly, Weinstein’s useless former "Discourse™" grift podcast often feels like a TED Talk that got lost on its way to a cultish self-help seminar.

==Conspiratorial views==
Conspiracy theories are a frequent element of Weinstein's stated opinions, both in connection to his career and in general.
For example, Weinstein believes that his and his wife's efforts in economics, his own theories in physics, and his brother Bret's research in biology are of "Nobel quality" but have been excluded from mainstream peer reviewed channels by the nefarious scientific establishment.

===Repressed genius===
For years as a mathematician he has said that he has some kind of [[theory of everything]] that will knock everyone out and overturn the field of physics, but he just can't publish it yet because the world isn't ready, and the information will only be suppressed.<ref>[https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn23632-how-to-test-weinsteins-provocative-theory-of-everything/ "How to test Weinstein's provocative theory of everything"] by Jacob Aron (31 May 2013 ) ''New Scientist''.</ref>

In 2020, Weinstein published his much-hyped Oxford lecture on his Theory of Geometric Unity.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7rd04KzLcg "A Portal Special Presentation- Geometric Unity: A First Look"]</ref> It was met with silence and indifference among theoretical physicists and the scientific community at large. In February 2021, Timothy Nguyen and Theo Polya released a critical response to Weinstein's Geometric Unity.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210223235436/https://timothynguyen.files.wordpress.com/2021/02/geometric_unity.pdf "A Response to Geometric Unity"]</ref> Nguyen and Polya's central concerns relate to Weinstein's "shiab" (ship in a bottle) operator, the choice of gauge group, the assumptions of supersymmetry, and omission of essential technical details required for the verification of Geometric Unity's central claims. A summary of Nguyen and Polya's concerns is outlined by Nguyen in a blog post published in March 2021.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210302174557/https://backreaction.blogspot.com/2021/03/guest-post-problems-with-eric.html "Problems with Eric Weinstein's Geometric Unity"]</ref> On 1st April 2021, Weinstein released a draft of his paper online.<ref>[https://geometricunity.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com/Geometric_Unity-Draft-April-1st-2021.pdf "Geometric Unity: Author’s Working Draft, v 1.0"]</ref> Given the 1st April release date and the author details on the cover page describing Weinstein as an "entertainer" and the paper itself as a "work of entertainment", it is unclear at this stage whether Geometrical Unity was an elaborate {{wpl|April Fools' Day}} prank all along. After the April Fools' Day release of Weinstein's draft paper, Nguyen stated on Twitter that despite Weinstein's 69-page treatise being "a testimony to perseverance. Unfortunately, the paper addresses none of the technical gaps presented in our response".<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210403212436if_/https://twitter.com/IAmTimNguyen/status/1377805716497440770?s=20 "Timothy Nguyen's tweet about Geometric Unity paper"]</ref>

He’s the poster child for "smart enough to sound profound, but not smart enough to realize he’s just repackaging old ideas."

Listening to Weinstein explain why he’s a misunderstood genius is like watching someone try to sell you a timeshare in theoretical physics.

If Eric Weinstein had a dollar for every time he said "paradigm shift," he might finally have enough funding to prove geometric unity—or at least buy a better microphone.

===Bret Weinstein Deserved a Nobel Prize===
Weinstein believes his brother Bret Weinstein was in line for a [[Nobel Prize]] but was undermined by a peer review conspiracy and a female Nobel Prize winner.<ref>[https://podtail.com/en/podcast/the-portal/19-bret-weinstein-the-prediction-and-the-disc/ The Portal, Episode 19 (January 18, 2020.)] At around 1:33:00 Bret starts to tell a 30-minute story about he was in line for a Nobel Prize but was undermined by a female Nobel prize winner and the closed peer-review process. He then tries to argue that peer review has no reason for existing in modern science and that it only prevents you from publishing discoveries, (even though you could just post them on a blog.) About 20 minutes later he goes on to accuse [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_W._Greider Carol Greider], (a female Nobel prize winner) of stealing his work and getting the Nobel prize, while Eric agrees and just believes his brother.</ref><ref>[https://podtail.com/en/podcast/the-portal/19-bret-weinstein-the-prediction-and-the-disc/] [http://archive.is/wip/RYCSM Highlighted clips from Portal Episode #19 on Twitter.] uberfeminist (10:24 PM- Jan 20, 2020) ''Twitter'' (Archived from February 3, 2020).</ref>

===Views on Truthers===
Weinstein also doesn't understand some things about [[9/11]] and thinks we need to [[Just asking questions|just ask more questions.]] But don't you dare call him a Truther.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20200127013031/https:/twitter.com/EricRWeinstein/status/1220252411735896065 I don’t have a theory. I’m not an engineer. I don’t know demolitions. I just don’t get it. And when I ask experts, the conversation often gets weird. I don’t have a 9/11 conspiracy theory. I do note that Building 7 produces weird conversations and avoidance. I got nothing else.] by Eric Weinstein (11:50 PM - 22 Jan 2020) ''Twitter'' (archived from January 27, 2020).</ref>

===Conspiratorial views on doctors===
{{cquote|We have entered a period in which we cannot trust our experts....We have two generations of institutional experts that are corrupted and that we can not wake up from that crazy fever dream because we can't figure out who we can still trust. '''The doctors are compromised,''' the professors are compromised, the journalists are compromised, the politicians are compromised."|||Eric Weinstein<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/samharris/comments/alxl87/eric_weinstein_propagates_a_weird_conspiracy/ Eric Weinstein propagates a weird conspiracy theory, says we can't trust experts: journalists, professors and health care professionals are 'compromised', in latest IDW documentary.] ''Reddit''. [https://youtu.be/TKeMIWVOnbo?t=431 "Glitch in the Matrix II, The Origin of the Intellectual Dark Web"] (Jan 30, 2019) ''Youtube''.</ref>}}

==Antivaxxer==
Eric repeats the talking points of anti-vaxxers and is hyper-focused on vaccine deaths while insisting he supports vaccinations.<ref>[https://twitter.com/ericrweinstein/status/1350907284575043584?lang=en] Eric Weinstein on ''Twitter''. Retrieved 14 August 2021.</ref> His brother is more openly a COVID anti-vaxxer who has caused the death of at least one of his followers.<ref>[https://twitter.com/jeremiahdaustin/status/1424952692493983745] A Twitter thread with a link to the dead man's video with screenshots of his Facebook page. Retrieved 14 August 2021.</ref><ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-dorset-58080116 | Covid vaccine refuser died after terrible mistake, says partner, ''BBC'' 5 August 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2021.</ref> The two brothers often promote one another and enable each other. Though defenders would say they're "just asking questions" and insist Ivermectin, a horse paste used to treat parasites and not viruses, could be a miracle cure for COVID (it definitely is not, per a major study with 1500 participants in Brazil where no effect was seen).<ref>[https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-08-11/ivermectin-no-effect-covid] Column: Major study of Ivermectin, the anti-vaccine crowd’s latest COVID drug, finds ‘no effect whatsoever’ ''LA Times'', 11 August 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2021.</ref>

==Wacky political views==
He’s the guy who blames "the establishment" for his lack of mainstream success while cozying up to billionaires and podcast bros. His other political beliefs follow from that.

===Billy Bragg challenge===
Weinstein challenged progressive musician Billy Bragg to bring him onto the stage of his next concert to debate him because people who go to concerts with their dates would just love to hear the musician interrupt the show for a fifteen-minute argument with some rando about what they talked about on Twitter.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20190919001147/https:/twitter.com/ericrweinstein/status/1174474674878595072 I just learned, @billybragg that you're complaining that I wont talk to you. Really?? I've been listening to your music throughout my life. Invite me on stage. I'll learn "Which side are you on?" or "L&N don't stop here anymore." & we'll play it together.] by Eric Weinstein (5:05 PM - 18 Sep 2019) ''Twitter'' (archived from September 19, 2019).</ref>

===Worried about fertility===
Weinstein is worried about all the young women in their 20s and 30s who are not prioritizing 
being a baby-making machine
 motherhood. As a public intellectual, he thinks breasts being sexy is essential to being human and is annoyed with women who have PhDs who are called doctors even though they're not part of STEM like he is.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20210612022316/https://twitter.com/NiceMangos/status/1207081928593149953 Definitely not weird or creepy to b a dude fixated on women's fertility & menstrual cycles or to think swollen breasts being sexy is *essential* to being human. These r the brave truths the Regressive Left don't want u to hear...this is why we have the super Rational IDW.] by NiceMangos (3:35 PM - 17 Dec 2019) ''Twitter'' (archived from June 12, 2021).</ref>

===Democrats are trying to arrest and deport 70 million Republicans===
Yes, this crank really said this, "It is hard to escape the idea that somewhere in Washington DC, there is a Democratic Working group trying to figure out if we can get the Republican Party classified as a domestic terrorist organization so that we can silence, arrest & deport 70M+ voters who don’t agree with us."<ref>[https://archive.is/0OqJm It is hard to escape the idea that somewhere in Washington DC, there is a Democratic Working group trying to figure out if we can get the Republican Party classified as a domestic terrorist organization so that we can silence, arrest & deport 70M+ voters who don’t agree with us.] by Eric Weinstein (6:48 PM - 22 Jan 2021) ''Twitter'' (archived from 6:48 PM - 22 Jan 2021).</ref>

===Biden Derangement Syndrome===
Ever the rational centrist, he was too confused to know whether to vote for Trump or Biden so he voted for neither.<ref>https://twitter.com/EricRWeinstein/status/1323711652865339392</ref> He has, however, spent more time defending Trump on Twitter and criticizing Joe Biden, typically in reactionary and petty ways. For instance, Biden promised to help small businesses run by minorities and women in low-income communities rebuild from a pandemic. What a nightmare if you're as reactionary as Eric!<ref>https://twitter.com/EricRWeinstein/status/1348515736558321664</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weinstein, Eric}}
[[Category:Anti-vaccination movement]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Physicists]]
[[Category:Intellectual Dark Web]]
[[Category:Racists]]
[[Category:Thielsphere]]

Categories: Anti-vaccination movement, Living people, Physicists, Intellectual Dark Web, Racists, Thielsphere