Robert Wright's Nonzero Disorder as the New Normal (Robert Wright & Nikita Petrov)
Nov 14, 2025
Nikita Petrov, a writer and commentator on geopolitics and psychology, dives into the chaos of our times. He reflects on how COVID shifted our collective reality and the implications of ongoing conflicts like the Ukraine war. They explore the idea of 'inner emigration' as a coping mechanism during turmoil and discuss the rising trend of younger generations distancing from social media. The conversation also touches on the challenges posed by deepfakes in media and how recent events have normalized conflict disruptions in our daily lives.
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Falcons, Doha, And Yeats
- Robert Wright described visiting Doha and the Falcon Souk where falconry is a luxury pastime tied to upper-class culture.
- The falcon image triggered his memory of Yeats' 'The Second Coming' about disorder and a falcon that cannot hear its falconer.
Disorder Breeds Authoritarian Temptation
- Wright notes that fear of disorder can fuel authoritarian movements that promise order, like fascism historically did.
- He warns that perceived chaos today invites similar authoritarian temptations as people seek stability.
COVID As Reality Fracture
- Nikita described how COVID shifted reality overnight and made consensus about facts fragment across social circles and countries.
- He recalled stockpiling food, border closures, and wildly different local rules that made the era feel surreal and unstable.
