The tech side of the Dark Enlightenment is one of its most interesting aspects, as it intersects with Silicon Valley ideology, accelerationism, and alternative governance experiments. Here’s a deeper dive:
Tech and the Dark Enlightenment: A Symbiotic Relationship
The Neo-Reactionary Movement (NRx) has found a natural home among some segments of Silicon Valley, where skepticism of democracy, admiration for elite technocrats, and belief in alternative governance structures are common.
1. Silicon Valley’s Natural Affinity for NRx
Certain tech leaders and venture capitalists resonate with Dark Enlightenment ideas, particularly:
- Meritocracy and Elite Governance – The belief that the best and brightest should rule, rather than being constrained by voters or bureaucrats.
- Libertarianism to Neo-Reaction – Many Silicon Valley figures start as libertarians but grow disillusioned with democracy’s inefficiencies and veer toward more authoritarian or corporate governance models.
- Techno-Optimism vs. Political Pessimism – While optimistic about technology, many tech elites view modern political institutions as outdated and inefficient.
One key example is Peter Thiel, the billionaire co-founder of PayPal and an early investor in Facebook. He has expressed skepticism about democracy, famously stating:
"I no longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible."
Thiel has backed seasteading (floating cities with independent governance) and invested in experimental tech-based governance models.
2. Alternative Governance and Tech-Driven Exit Strategies
A major theme in the Dark Enlightenment’s tech vision is creating alternative systems of governance outside traditional democratic states. Some major concepts include:
a) Seasteading
- Led by figures like Patri Friedman (grandson of economist Milton Friedman), the Seasteading Institute aims to create floating, autonomous cities outside state control.
- The idea is that governance should be like a startup, where people can opt into different political systems like choosing a software service.
b) Charter Cities
- Proposed by Paul Romer (though not explicitly NRx), this concept involves creating privately managed cities with their own legal and economic systems, separate from the host country.
- Honduras attempted something similar with ZEDEs (Zones for Employment and Economic Development) but faced political pushback.
c) Exit over Voice
- The idea that instead of participating in broken democratic systems ("voice"), elites should simply create their own alternative societies ("exit").
- Inspired by the book Exit, Voice, and Loyalty by Albert O. Hirschman, this principle underlies many tech-based governance projects.
3. Accelerationism and AI Governance
- Nick Land, one of Dark Enlightenment’s key thinkers, is also associated with accelerationism—the idea that capitalism and technology should evolve as fast as possible, even if it disrupts society.
- Some Dark Enlightenment thinkers speculate that AI or algorithmic governance could replace flawed human democracy.
- The idea of an "AI monarch"—where an advanced machine optimally governs humanity—is sometimes floated as a futuristic alternative.
4. Corporate Governance as a Model for Society
- Instead of democracy, NRx proponents often look to corporate governance as a better model.
- A CEO-monarch hybrid running a country like a well-managed tech company is seen as superior to messy democratic governance.
- Curtis Yarvin (Mencius Moldbug) argues that a nation-state should function like a corporation with "shareholders" rather than voters.
Criticism and Challenges
While these ideas are intriguing, they face serious critiques:
- Feasibility Issues – Many seasteading and charter city projects struggle due to legal, financial, and logistical challenges.
- Authoritarian Risks – Replacing democracy with an AI-run government or a corporate CEO raises concerns about unchecked power.
- Public Resistance – Most people still prefer democratic ideals, making widespread adoption of NRx governance unlikely.