Interesting article and quite astute in identifying the maze that is modern and science driven society.
I agree that we live in a world in which individuals are infantilised and therefore everyone needs a manual or guide to make any decisions. We are in a heuristic trap, where there's so much information we have left common sense at the door which lead to unhelpful policies or restrictions. Ultimately though, I am uncomfortable with the libertarian sentiment of the piece.
I dont know much about libertarianism but I do know its much more popular in North America than in Europe. In the US the state itself is seen as a necessary evil or even just evil. An ideological position that I find misguided as the state does a lot more for individuals than it is given credit for. We live in an ever increasingly complex mesh of civilisation due to a) number of people and b) the level of comfort and "freedom" we aspire to. People's freedom now includes to travel, purchase, and self actualize economically as they choose. But this process relies on an ever increasing amount of variables; more energy, more tools, more technology, more food etc etc.
This is why we have a complex system, our lives are intermingled and we need heuristic models to make decisions otherwise we would be in a state of decision paralysis.
I wasn't a big fan of lockdowns but lockdowns weren't issued because of "science" as if its an ephemeral entity. It was chosen because thousands of scientists seeped in a century of knowledge thought this was the best way to contain a novel virus. Did politics and powerful Interest about this? Yes of course. But you can't simply ignore things because you don't agree with them. Millions of people died of covid and millions more could have.
I agree with a lot of your criticisms of Libertarianism, and I think you're right that heuristic models are important for decision making. The world is complex - more so now than ever - and too many options is going to result in many people checking out.
But I don't think John Carter is coming at this from a Libertarian perspective. I could be wrong about this, I don't know all of his thoughts/opinions, but I think he takes issue with the current regime specifically. It's a regime lacking in vitality and accountability, one that uses a strange combination of social libertarianism (rather than conservatism) and subtle Nudge-like authoritarianism (rather than outright dominance) to benefit those in power. It's passive-aggressive, and therefore contemptible.
I think - and again, this is just my read of his perspective - Carter is in favour of a more assertive, vital, and life-affirming ruling class. One with ambition and a heroic, even spiritual purpose. To rebel against the current regime would be to embody these virtues.
This is really cool. I appreciated your summary and analysis of the essay. I think it’s very topical, and I am also sympathetic to the argument. Not being able to put a name on it makes the problem ungraspable. But once you realize what’s really going on, then you can finally do something about it.
I think ignoring is definitely one step, but not the only action we can take. And I think fiction / storytelling is extremely powerful as a vector of change and influence. And we need the analysis of those stories too. I’m interested in both and it looks like you are too.
"I think fiction / storytelling is extremely powerful as a vector of change and influence. And we need the analysis of those stories too. I’m interested in both and it looks like you are too."
I definitely am - and I agree, I think good storytelling is an important part of creating change. Stories and myths are, in my opinion, the way that values and cultural norms are transmitted, so anyone looking to take charge of culture needs to have some influence on what stories are and are not told.
I do think the cryptocracy is both an emergent phenomenon and an intentional choice. No one is really able to create it, but I think many of those who do have influence are to happy to hide behind the veil, which they only realized existed as a pleasant surprise.
Perhaps another event like Covid will serve as a little cataclysm. I think enough time is passed, and enough people have had a chance to reckon with what actually happened, and essays like this, and in private conversations, it’s clear that there’s still a residual level of frustration and resentment with what happened. Maybe things don’t have to get bad before they get better, but merely need to be threatened that they will get worse, and then we will be catalyzed into action. It only takes a few people.
"Maybe things don’t have to get bad before they get better, but merely need to be threatened that they will get worse, and then we will be catalyzed into action. It only takes a few people."
I think after COVID I'm more pessimistic about this. The pandemic should have been the Little Cataclysm, but it only served to entrench the current power systems even deeper. It's possible that people would respond differently to a repeat of 2020, but I'm not confident.
This was so well written and such a great analysis of John Carter's essay. Thanks for pointing me to it - gonna be next on my list to read.
Thanks Zan! It's well worth a read.
Interesting article and quite astute in identifying the maze that is modern and science driven society.
I agree that we live in a world in which individuals are infantilised and therefore everyone needs a manual or guide to make any decisions. We are in a heuristic trap, where there's so much information we have left common sense at the door which lead to unhelpful policies or restrictions. Ultimately though, I am uncomfortable with the libertarian sentiment of the piece.
I dont know much about libertarianism but I do know its much more popular in North America than in Europe. In the US the state itself is seen as a necessary evil or even just evil. An ideological position that I find misguided as the state does a lot more for individuals than it is given credit for. We live in an ever increasingly complex mesh of civilisation due to a) number of people and b) the level of comfort and "freedom" we aspire to. People's freedom now includes to travel, purchase, and self actualize economically as they choose. But this process relies on an ever increasing amount of variables; more energy, more tools, more technology, more food etc etc.
This is why we have a complex system, our lives are intermingled and we need heuristic models to make decisions otherwise we would be in a state of decision paralysis.
I wasn't a big fan of lockdowns but lockdowns weren't issued because of "science" as if its an ephemeral entity. It was chosen because thousands of scientists seeped in a century of knowledge thought this was the best way to contain a novel virus. Did politics and powerful Interest about this? Yes of course. But you can't simply ignore things because you don't agree with them. Millions of people died of covid and millions more could have.
I agree with a lot of your criticisms of Libertarianism, and I think you're right that heuristic models are important for decision making. The world is complex - more so now than ever - and too many options is going to result in many people checking out.
But I don't think John Carter is coming at this from a Libertarian perspective. I could be wrong about this, I don't know all of his thoughts/opinions, but I think he takes issue with the current regime specifically. It's a regime lacking in vitality and accountability, one that uses a strange combination of social libertarianism (rather than conservatism) and subtle Nudge-like authoritarianism (rather than outright dominance) to benefit those in power. It's passive-aggressive, and therefore contemptible.
I think - and again, this is just my read of his perspective - Carter is in favour of a more assertive, vital, and life-affirming ruling class. One with ambition and a heroic, even spiritual purpose. To rebel against the current regime would be to embody these virtues.
This is really cool. I appreciated your summary and analysis of the essay. I think it’s very topical, and I am also sympathetic to the argument. Not being able to put a name on it makes the problem ungraspable. But once you realize what’s really going on, then you can finally do something about it.
I think ignoring is definitely one step, but not the only action we can take. And I think fiction / storytelling is extremely powerful as a vector of change and influence. And we need the analysis of those stories too. I’m interested in both and it looks like you are too.
"I think fiction / storytelling is extremely powerful as a vector of change and influence. And we need the analysis of those stories too. I’m interested in both and it looks like you are too."
I definitely am - and I agree, I think good storytelling is an important part of creating change. Stories and myths are, in my opinion, the way that values and cultural norms are transmitted, so anyone looking to take charge of culture needs to have some influence on what stories are and are not told.
I do think the cryptocracy is both an emergent phenomenon and an intentional choice. No one is really able to create it, but I think many of those who do have influence are to happy to hide behind the veil, which they only realized existed as a pleasant surprise.
Perhaps another event like Covid will serve as a little cataclysm. I think enough time is passed, and enough people have had a chance to reckon with what actually happened, and essays like this, and in private conversations, it’s clear that there’s still a residual level of frustration and resentment with what happened. Maybe things don’t have to get bad before they get better, but merely need to be threatened that they will get worse, and then we will be catalyzed into action. It only takes a few people.
"Maybe things don’t have to get bad before they get better, but merely need to be threatened that they will get worse, and then we will be catalyzed into action. It only takes a few people."
I think after COVID I'm more pessimistic about this. The pandemic should have been the Little Cataclysm, but it only served to entrench the current power systems even deeper. It's possible that people would respond differently to a repeat of 2020, but I'm not confident.