Curtis Yarvin: the "Philosopher" behind Peter Thiel and J.D. Vance

[FireDragon76]

J.D. Vance is said to be inspired by Curtis Yarvin, a political extremist and "philosopher" who "jokingly" advocated for the genocide of poor people, and who seriously advocates for turning the US into a de jure monarchy or corporate plutocratic state.

Where J.D. Vance Gets His Weird, Terrifying Techno-Authoritarian Ideas

Yes, Peter Thiel was the senator’s benefactor. But they’re both inspired by an obscure software developer who has some truly frightening thoughts about reordering society.

newrepublic.com

Frankly, it would strain credulity that anybody that would associate with such a reprobate creature as Yarvin could be a real follower of Jesus Christ, who said "Blessed are the poor" and "blessed are the meek". All that Vance seems to take from Christianity is a hostile attitude against women (mommy issues?) and anger at poor people's supposed lack of morality, whom he frequently blames in his book, Hillbilly Elegy, while simulatenously angry at perceived coastal elites. This is not a man that has undergone serious repentance and taking every thought captive for Christ.

 

[Goonie]

J.D. Vance is said to be inspired by Curtis Yarvin, a political extremist and "philosopher" who "jokingly" advocated for the genocide of poor people, and who seriously advocates for turning the US into a de jure monarchy or corporate plutocratic state.

Where J.D. Vance Gets His Weird, Terrifying Techno-Authoritarian Ideas

Yes, Peter Thiel was the senator’s benefactor. But they’re both inspired by an obscure software developer who has some truly frightening thoughts about reordering society.

newrepublic.com

Frankly, it would strain credulity that anybody that would associate with such a reprobate creature as Yarvin could be a real follower of Jesus Christ, who said "Blessed are the poor" and "blessed are the meek". All that Vance seems to take from Christianity is a hostile attitude against women (mommy issues?) and anger at poor people's supposed lack of morality, whom he frequently blames in his book, Hillbilly Elegy, while simulatenously angry at perceived coastal elites. This is not a man that has undergone serious repentance and taking every thought captive for Christ.

Frightening. From how they are dismantling federal govt, the USA is definitely in its way to an oligarchy where citizens made redundant can expect to be made redundant permanently if judged surplus to requirements.

 

[durangodawood]

J.D. Vance is said to be inspired by Curtis Yarvin, a political extremist and "philosopher" who "jokingly" advocated for the genocide of poor people, and who seriously advocates for turning the US into a de jure monarchy or corporate plutocratic state.

Where J.D. Vance Gets His Weird, Terrifying Techno-Authoritarian Ideas

Yes, Peter Thiel was the senator’s benefactor. But they’re both inspired by an obscure software developer who has some truly frightening thoughts about reordering society.

newrepublic.com

Frankly, it would strain credulity that anybody that would associate with such a reprobate creature as Yarvin could be a real follower of Jesus Christ, who said "Blessed are the poor" and "blessed are the meek". All that Vance seems to take from Christianity is a hostile attitude against women (mommy issues?) and anger at poor people's supposed lack of morality, whom he frequently blames in his book, Hillbilly Elegy, while simulatenously angry at perceived coastal elites. This is not a man that has undergone serious repentance and taking every thought captive for Christ.

Jesus Christ was (or is - if youre a believer) who he is.

Christianity otoh is a human endeavor that people shape as needed to advance their deeper ends.

 

[JustaPewFiller]

Interesting, and frightening. I'd never heard of him before.

From the article in @FireDragon76 original post.

“The basic idea of Patchwork is that, as the crappy governments we inherited from history are smashed, they should be replaced by a global spiderweb of tens, even hundreds, of thousands of sovereign and independent mini-countries, each governed by its own joint-stock corporation without regard to the residents’ opinions,” he wrote in Patchwork: A Political System for the 21st Century.

Each patchwork would be ruled by a “realm”: a corporation with absolute power. Citizens would be free to move, but every other realm would also be ruled by corporate governments with chilling impunity. For example, Yarvin says the tech overlords of the San Francisco realm could arbitrarily decide to cut off its citizens’ hands with no fear of legal consequences—because they’re a sovereign power, beholden to no federal government or laws.

The nearest thing I can think of he is advocating for from history would feudalism or the old "city-states".
As I recall from history that worked out really well with all manner or little wars as the little empires fought with each other or tried to become big empires. That's just nutty.

 

[FireDragon76]

Interesting, and frightening. I'd never heard of him before.

From the article in @FireDragon76 original post.



The nearest thing I can think of he is advocating for from history would feudalism or the old "city-states".
As I recall from history that worked out really well with all manner or little wars as the little empires fought with each other or tried to become big empires. That's just nutty.

What Yarvin doesn't understand is that it wouldn't be a Cyberpunk techno-utopia for elites. Because feudalism was vulnerable to raids by brigands, Vikings, Goths, extortionists, outlaws, clerical and religious intrigues, rampant corruptiuons and kleptocracy. And law enforcement, such as it was, was weak and largely ineffectual. The techno-feudalist corporate states would be beset by yakuza and criminal intrigues looking to extort power and wealth from the techno-oligarchs. Economic output and efficiency would be negated as compared to a rules based order with proportional representation, which he decries as "ineffectual".

 

[JustaPewFiller]

What Yarvin doesn't understand is that it wouldn't be a Cyberpunk techno-utopia for elites. Because feudalism was vulnerable to raids by brigands, Vikings, Goths, extortionists, outlaws, clerical and religious intrigues, rampant corruptiuons and kleptocracy. And law enforcement, such as it was, was weak and largely ineffectual. The techno-feudalist corporate states would be beset by yakuza and criminal intrigues looking to extort power and wealth from the techno-oligarchs. Economic output and efficiency would be negated as compared to a rules based order with proportional representation, which he decries as "ineffectual".

Well, back in the day it was nice for the elites when the barbarians were not at the gates, the peasants were not rising up or your neighbors had not banded together to take your stuff or the overlords were not demanding more taxes.

But yeah, he seem to have forgotten all of that. One of the issues with the "might makes right" philosophy is there is always someone more mighty or more clever plotting to take your stuff.

 

[FireDragon76]

If you've ever heard about the game Bioshock, it's a good example of why an anarcho-capitalist techno utopia would be a dystopian hellhole. The undersea libertarian paradise of Rapture has no orphans, because all the orphans are sold into slavery to make drugs out of sea slugs, called Adam. It's ultimately brought down by crime lords who prey upon social inequalities, vanity, and corruption. The population are reduced to being insane drug addicts that spend all their time killing each other and becoming something less than human.

 

[That Guy 11200]

Interesting, and frightening. I'd never heard of him before.

From the article in @FireDragon76 original post.



The nearest thing I can think of he is advocating for from history would feudalism or the old "city-states".
As I recall from history that worked out really well with all manner or little wars as the little empires fought with each other or tried to become big empires. That's just nutty.

It struck me as a capitalist version of soviets.

 

[Pommer]

It struck me as a capitalist version of soviets.

I’ve thought of it as Ayn Rand writing a sci-fi novel.