IDK. That sounds like you projecting onto Elno, rather than an explanation that relies on Elno's
[hi]story. His narrative arc is (as Harris laid out in his video) is "the potential of
humankind". And that doesn't seem nihilist to me. Maybe he's become one, of course. As Harris
states in the video, when he became the richest man, a qualitative shift may have taken place.
Harris argues the shift was he bought Twitter because he *need* conflict and obstacles to overcome.
Maybe you could argue the qualitative change was that he became a nihilist when his hoard met that
criterion. But because he continues to be an "AI Doomer" (at least in rhetoric and an
accelerationist in action), there's some sort of Rawlsian curtain, like the singularity ...
something on the other side of the transition - and an attempt to bury one's hoard so that it's
available on the other side. And I think that eschatological conception fits better with his
narrative arc than a nihilistic one.
On 8/2/24 11:11, Marcus Daniels wrote:
My standard answer to this is -- given the neural reference frame of nihilism
-- is why not try some grand social experiments. There is no Purpose, so
causing harm in the short term, or for that matter long term, ultimately
doesn't matter.
-----Original Message-----
From: Friam <friam-boun...@redfish.com> On Behalf Of glen
Sent: Friday, August 2, 2024 8:12 AM
To: friam@redfish.com
Subject: [FRIAM] why musk bought twitter
This guy does what I think is a good job demonstrating that Elno's stated
reasons (free speech, liberal bias, censorship) for buying Twitter were false:
The Problem With Elon Musk
https://youtu.be/WYQxG4KEzvo?si=oXumcC8aqsYMTzdC&t=1487
Sure, we can project whatever fantasies we want into the mind of an oligarch like Elno. But if
we're trying to do a good job, find an explanation that's "hard to vary" (ala
Deutsch), we're left empty handed. However Timothy Snyder provides us with something I think's
intriguing; and it reflects various other arguments I've made, here, about TESCREAL
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TESCREAL>.
Here's where I heard Snyder's setup:
The New Paganism: How the Postmodern Became the Premodern
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Nr2Q2zGNC8
Appended below is Claude's summary of the talk. But the essence is that these people
"believe" (somehow) they can "take it with them" in a similar way to the pagans
(e.g. Vikings, Egyptians, etc.) believing they could hoard their stuff and somehow have access to
it in the next life. This reflects well, I think, Musk's objectives for SpaceX, Tesla, breeding
children, etc. It's somewhere between believing in souls, one's legacy, and spreading humanity (not
biology, of course, but humanity) throughout the universe.
My guess is most of our Oligarchs will give lip service to spiritual beliefs
like Christianity or whatever, but are actually more atheistic in their
ephemerides. But if you spend enough time arguing about atheism, you
consistently find people (even atheistic people) asking for Purpose (with a
capital P). Why are we here? What should we be doing? Etc. Despite our
overwhelming rationalism/justificationism, many (most?) of us still seek that
grand arch. And those of us who are *lucky* enough to be extraordinarily
successful (in whatever domain) are at the most risk for this
irrational/fideistic, paganist, TESCREAL Purpose. I think it's a relatively
strong hypothesis for why Musk bought Twitter.
Claude's summary:
- Snyder argues that conventional explanations based on rationality and interests fail to
adequately explain the rise of right-wing populist movements and figures like Trump,
Putin, and Musk. Instead, he proposes analyzing these phenomena through the lens of what
he calls "neopaganism."
- He identifies four key dimensions of neopaganism: value, sacrifice, charisma,
and oracular truth.
- On value, he argues today's oligarchs hoard wealth as if they can "take it with
them" after death, similar to pagan burial practices.
- On sacrifice, he contends oligarchs are sacrificing the earth itself through
climate change, taking the world down with them. Putin's invasion of Ukraine
also has a sacrificial logic.
- Charismatic leaders tell big lies to create an alternate reality their
followers live inside. Trump and Putin exemplify this.
- Modern technology, especially smartphones, function as pagan "oracles" -
sources of addictive but often deceptive truth that make us more stupid over time.
- Snyder believes the humanities are crucial for reflecting on these issues and
finding a way out of our current crisis. A narrow, failed rationality has
enabled these destructive dynamics. What's needed is a richer, more reflective
notion of human freedom.
In summary, Snyder argues we need to understand the pagan-like irrationality
and destructiveness driving our world today in order to have any hope of
countering it. The humanities provide essential resources for this task.
--
ꙮ Mɥǝu ǝlǝdɥɐuʇs ɟᴉƃɥʇ' ʇɥǝ ƃɹɐss snɟɟǝɹs˙ ꙮ
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