How Can We Defeat Techlordism?
Some thoughts based on “Palantir and the New Order” by Yanis Varoufakis.
The US gamified capitalism after the end of WW2. Usually, there are winners and losers in games. The problem with gamifying life itself is that there is no restart button, no way to admit defeat and start over because the game keeps on rolling. As a result, those who win continue to win as their edge grows larger, while those who lose have a diminishing chance of winning with each passing year.
Capitalism is now at a stage where the ever-thinning share of early winners has monstrous wealth and resources at their disposal, while the vast population are competing for the remaining scraps. The best shot young people have of making it today without inheriting wealth is no longer to take a long education and work hard like their parents did. As AI becomes sufficiently good to take care of most entry-level tasks, the chances of achieving a life with material abundance may be higher through gambling, online prostitution, or trying to catch people’s attention for a few minutes by amusing them. In other words, society’s structure is moving back to the dark medieval times, where society is ruled by a few overlords, and the most viable way for a peasant to earn a comfortable income is by becoming a gambler, a whore, or a jester.
The name of this system America has created is Techlordism. Another fitting term for the age we live in is the Dark Enlightenment. Techlordism is actively working to undermine the democratic ideals shaped by philosophers during the Age of Enlightenment. Above all, it dispels the idea that the ‘truth’ can be discovered through observations and reasoning. Rather ‘the truth’ is constructed through power and influence. With enough status and reach, you can successfully claim that the earth is flat and that the 2020 election was stolen, because you will reach a much larger audience and convince more people with statements that defy science and political realities, than you could ever do with facts.
The mission of Techlordism is to control humans through technology. More could be said about how it works (see my ebook) and how horrible it is, but after all, complaining about the problems is not going to solve them.
What can we actually do?
There is good news and bad news on this front. The good news is that we have the political tools and legal instruments available to limit and dismantle Techlordism. The bad news is that our politicians and institutions prefer to look the other way, because they benefit too much from status quo and are afraid of taking the radical measures that are needed. Democracy is corrupted by the spell of Techlordism and we can’t count on the public sector to save us.
So, how can we actually fight back?
Realistically, there is not much we can do as individuals. Defeating Techlordism means changing the rules of the game, how the system works, how we define success in life and what it means to be a human. It will require a massive collective awakening and conscious efforts. Whether or not it will ever happen is beyond our control.
However, I believe it’s possible to participate in the system while distancing ourselves from it; without subscribing to its underlying values. For example, instead of striving for a beachfront house and a lambo, we could be genuinely content with a regular car or a bicycle and a roof over our heads. Instead of planning a vacation to Bahamas every other year, we can just go out in nature. Instead of spending hours scrolling on TikTok, swiping Tinder, hunting digital dopamine hits from strangers and confiding in AI chatbots, we could do something useful such as cleaning, reading a book or engaging in local community activities.
I know this is a hard sell, especially for young people who are brainwashed into thinking that social popularity and material wealth is the ultimate metric of success in life. The answers we are looking for are not motivating or exciting, but right there in front of us.
