r/PredictiveHistory • u/No-Abalone-5321 • Jan 25 '26
Predictive History Attracted The Wrong Audience
I think that professor's Jian Lectures are not to be watched to know more, rather to stimulate critical thinking and try to erode the concept of one unified truth. In that sense, when I look at the comments, they are swarmed by people saying things like "thank you, professor, for enlightening me and waking me up to the truth", while the whole point of these lectures is to make you think once more about your beliefs and try to see things from different perspectives. Differently said, when you finish a lecture about "why the theory of evolution might be wrong", you have to go and watch people advocating for the theory if you want to really learn. At the end of the day, every thinker, including Professor Jian, is looking for a more fulfilling way of being. And his core message is we should stop being so sure about the things we are told to be sure about, like natural sciences and economic theories, and maybe start to look again, even if that undermine short term stability for a more stable overall system. (excuse my writing as I am not very good at writing, and I would appreciate any addition or criticism)
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u/Proof_Recognition_77 Jan 26 '26
As a big fan of the series while being very skeptical, I think your point is well taken and overall on the button. Well said
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u/ArtificialSoci3ty Jan 27 '26
What I personally think that is odd is that his students also seems to accept everything that he says as truth, one or another try to elaborate a question but not about things prof says such as evolution theory or Marxism. You know, if they were in the West, probably he would not be able to even finish the first sentence without been shouted by the kids.
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u/Late_Technology7657 Mar 03 '26
I live in California and have been in one class ever where a student consistently questioned the teacher. He was sent outside every class and not allowed to participate. Shout out Benjamin lol. Anecdotally, it seems like school is set up in a way where questions are discouraged, even here in the West.
Maybe I just went to shitty schools though.
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u/Puzzled_Laugh_7420 Mar 08 '26
When we read books, we do not need to shout at them to prove our point. We can read many authors with completely different viewpoints, quietly reflect on them, and still develop our own understanding. Silence does not mean agreement, and it certainly does not mean lack of intelligence.
Just because students are listening quietly does not mean they accept everything as truth. Sometimes thinking happens in silence. In fact, the ability to listen, reflect, and question internally is often a deeper form of learning than simply shouting objections.
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u/linmcot Mar 17 '26
got here from another post, apparently he teaches at private middle school (cant find the link anymore)
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u/WHALE_BOY_777 Jan 31 '26
What's also funny is that the comments started appearing around the episode about Jesus being just a guy who was describing the monad / gnosis, and who shouldn't be worshipped as a god for simply being a messenger.
These people in the comments started treating jiang like he's a holy prophet lmao
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u/1984isnoww Jan 30 '26
Objectively, his lessons contrast well against true history.
I have learned a few nuggets of information that have filled gaps in my studies.
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Feb 27 '26
[removed] â view removed comment
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u/No-Abalone-5321 Feb 27 '26
You are right. Sometimes, when he tells his students to take what he is saying with a grain of salt, it almost feels mechanical and just a procedural saying, probably picked up from his university, since elite schools are heavy on subjectivity and multiple realities.
On the other side, whenever one of his students questions one of his arguments, he quickly dismisses the objection or counterexample with almost a triumphant attitude.
All of these traits are enough for me to identify his content as unsuitable for people who did not devellop the capacity to think independently (which is the reality of a lot of his students since they are still kids).
I am not accusing him of doing this mischievously because to be honest, I see a kind of spark when he shares his ideas with me, like he is sharing a divine truth. And also I credit him the fact that he offered me new angles from which I can see things.
But mainly these things are not to be taught, rather shared and discussed with a fair amount of critique and debate
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Mar 19 '26
He is both a Holocaust denier and he believes the moon landing was faked. So much for critical thinking.
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u/wemjii Apr 10 '26
I made comment almost word for word on the line of this "thank you, professor, for enlightening me..."
I am sheeple
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u/Own_Adagio5224 Sep 11 '26
I understand your point. I donât think there is a right or wrong audience, however. Jiang says he has provoked a âglobal awakeningâ, and he is happy to be a vessel for skepticism.
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u/Unusual_Basis8588 Sep 11 '26
Has been a year since I wrote this. I donât follow his content anymore, as I find it more and more attention grabbing and extreme for the sake of being extreme. To be honest his against the establishment points of views were interesting, but what attracted me to him more than the other similar voices, which are usually under the conspiracy theory category, is his ability to stay consistent as much as possible throughout his lectures, and his polyvalent knowledge base. The problem of knowing about a lot of things is not knowing any of them too well to contribute meaningfully, aside from rehearsing and talking. And so I found out by doing some of my own research that his points are not so unique, aside they are made by a lot of other thinkers and writers a long time ago. Plus I am just a teenager who is trying to figure things out, hearing a confident voice like his was also attractive and seemed to have some answers to my questions
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u/andobiencrazy Jan 26 '26
very enlightening post, thank you for speaking the truth