Topic: Machiavelli

The guest explains the origin of his pen name, derived from the 16th-century French philosopher Etienne de la Boetie, who analyzed how rulers gain adoration from subjects. The conversation posits that government is inherently illegitimate and unnecessary, arguing that all non-redistributive services should be privatized. The guest asserts that no group of people has the moral right to vote to take the wealth of others.

The discussion compares the control tactics used by the Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, East Germany, and the United States to engineer citizen obedience. Etienne de la Boetie Squared identifies rituals like the "Trooping of the Guard" and ostentatious royal wardrobes as tools for creating fealty. He argues that despite different ideologies, these regimes utilize a nearly identical playbook for domesticating their populations.

The deck's cosmology is identified as malefic, focusing on specific stars and planets used for attack sorcery known as maleficium. These practices reflect the ruthless nature of Renaissance elite families, who utilized both diplomacy and poisonous sorcery to maintain power. The tradition depicted in the cards is considered superior to common grimoires like the Key of Solomon, tracing its lineage back to Orphism and the Neoplatonists.