Joe Rogan Experience #852 - John Anthony West

Episode Summary

Main Topics Discussed

• Precession of the Equinoxes: Discussion of this 26,000-year astronomical cycle, its deep understanding and mapping by virtually all ancient societies (Egyptian, Chinese, Indian, Mesoamerican), and the implications of this advanced knowledge on the standard timeline of civilization. West also touches upon a counter-theory involving a dwarf star influencing Earth's wobble.

• Re-dating the Great Sphinx of Giza: Extensive focus on the geological evidence of water erosion on the Sphinx, primarily championed by Dr. Robert Schoch, which indicates a much older construction date, possibly predating dynastic Egypt (2500 BC) by many millennia (e.g., 9,000 BC or even earlier), linking it to a period of heavy rainfall.

• Critique of Mainstream Academia: West argues that archaeology and related fields function as a "Church of Progress," a rigid, unacknowledged religion that fiercely defends the linear narrative of human development (from primitive to modern) and resists any evidence that contradicts it.

• Ancient Advanced Knowledge: The premise that ancient civilizations possessed highly sophisticated scientific, astronomical, philosophical, and spiritual understanding, which they encoded in their myths, architecture, and societal structures.

• Mythology as Sacred Science: Reinterpretation of ancient myths not as primitive fabrications, but as "the interplay of cosmic principles described as drama," a superior method of communicating complex, hierarchical esoteric concepts that resonates deeply with people (e.g., the Osiris/Set myth, Shakespeare's Hamlet, Disney's The Lion King).

• Evidence of Cataclysmic Events: Brief mention of nuclear glass (tektites) found globally, corresponding to meteor impacts or coronal mass ejections (CMEs) around the end of the Ice Age (10,000+ years ago), suggesting a potential global "reset" event for human civilization.

• Gobekli Tepe: Acknowledged as crucial evidence for sophisticated stone structures and advanced design dating back at least 12,000 years, further undermining the mainstream academic view of early human capabilities.

• Ancient Egyptian Chronology: Reference to the Palermo Stone and Turin Papyrus, which recount incredibly long reigns by "gods" (Neteru) and "followers of Horus" (Shemsu Hor), suggesting an Egyptian civilization potentially dating back 34,000-36,000 BC.

Key Insights & Memorable Moments

• Schoch's Initial Sphinx Revelation: Dr. Schoch's immediate geological assessment upon seeing the Sphinx's erosion, stating the rocks "look like they're hundreds of thousands of years old," a stark contrast to conventional dating.

• Academia as a "Church of Progress": West's powerful analogy for mainstream scientific and archaeological institutions, emphasizing their dogmatic adherence to a narrative of linear human progress and resistance to contradictory evidence.

• The Implausibility of Precession Observation: Highlighting the incredible difficulty for ancient peoples to observe a phenomenon that takes 72 years per degree and 26,000 years for a full cycle, suggesting a highly advanced and long-term observational astronomy.

• Myth's Profound Purpose: The insight that ancient myths were not simple stories but sophisticated narratives designed to convey complex scientific, philosophical, and spiritual truths in an accessible, emotionally resonant way, fostering coherent civilizations.

• Egypt's Longevity vs. Modern Society: West posits that Egypt's 3,500-year stable civilization was due to its orchestration around these profound "sacred principles," contrasting it with modern society's rapid decay due to a lack of such foundational understanding.

• The "Idea Whose Time Has Not Yet Gone": West's cynical yet insightful extension of Victor Hugo's quote, explaining academic resistance as the "armies" protecting an outdated idea, often at the expense of new truths.

• The Egyptologist's Laughter: The memorable scene from "The Mystery of the Sphinx" documentary where a mainstream egyptologist dismisses the idea of a pre-dynastic civilization with a dismissive laugh, epitomizing the academic dogma West criticizes.

Notable Quotes or Revelations

• "Precession seems to be a factor of virtually every ancient Society... it upsets the notion that there's a knowledge of this going back to ancient times presupposes that there's a very advanced observational astronomy dating at a time when supposedly people were still living in trees."

• "The reigning Paradigm, the reigning religion today which is not acknowledged that as religion is that this is this is the Church of progress and it's Credo... we are the most sophisticated human beings that have ever lived on the face of the planet..."

• "Myth is actually... the more amazing mythology becomes that they should have been able to put together these complex High hierarchical esoteric Concepts in a way that resonates as a story."

• "There's one thing stronger than all the armies in the world and that is an idea whose time has come... the second strongest thing in the world is an idea whose time has not yet gone." (Victor Hugo quote, as extended by West)

• "The Great Sphinx of Giza has been weathered shows unmistakable signs of aquatic erosion... this will upset the whole Paradigm all of civilization will have to be our view of civilization will have to be rethought."

• (On challenging paradigms) "...the disgraced Emperor gets goes back to his goes back to his Palace and regroups the Empire and at the end they all of the all of the forces of Empire conspire to prove to everyone that the emperor's clothes are real but it's the child who's imaginary."

Overall Themes

• Re-evaluation of History: A fundamental challenge to the accepted historical narrative, proposing a much older, more sophisticated, and non-linear view of human civilization.

• Hidden Wisdom and Lost Knowledge: The central theme that ancient cultures possessed profound scientific and spiritual knowledge, which has been overlooked, misunderstood, or deliberately suppressed by modern institutions.

• Critique of Institutional Dogma: A strong indictment of mainstream academia and science, portraying them as rigid, ego-driven, and resistant to truth when it threatens established paradigms and personal careers.

• The Power and Purpose of Mythology: Re-positioning ancient myths from simple fables to sophisticated, multi-layered vehicles for transmitting complex cosmic and philosophical truths, integral to societal coherence.

• Cyclical vs. Linear Progress: An underlying suggestion that humanity's journey might not be a continuous upward climb, but rather a cycle of rise, fall, and knowledge loss, with ancient periods potentially surpassing modern ones in certain forms of wisdom and civilization.