AmrikeeAkbar
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User ID: 1187
AmrikeeAkbar
9mo ago
I'd definitely read the piece if you ever get around to it.
AmrikeeAkbar
10mo ago
Been a minute since I logged in here, but I wanted to respond that I'd be interested to read that. What technologies exemplify this trend?
AmrikeeAkbar
11mo ago
Wanted to reiterate what others have already said, that I appreciate you taking the time to post this review and I will likely add the book to my ever-growing TBR list. If I could ask a follow up question - does the author posit a reason emotions were running so high? I get that there was a climate of fear and paranoia which contributed to the Terror, but what was the mechanism by which this climate emerged?
AmrikeeAkbar
1yr ago
My question is: what defines a civilization? Is it language? Religion? Some vaguer set of shared cultural norms? I think it's precisely the fuzziness of defining "civilization" that makes it hard to use as an effective behavioral model. I'll grant you that there has been increasing pushback on the western progressive narrative, but I'm not sure anyone has a clear idea what will replace it in the global south
AmrikeeAkbar
1yr ago
To me that just sounds like the good ol' urban-rural divide. Dunking on those dirty country-folk goes back at least to what, ancient Rome? If not further.
AmrikeeAkbar
1yr ago
Thanks for the clarification
AmrikeeAkbar
1yr ago
For Adult, I'm gonna go in a different direction and say Tolkien's "The Tale of Turin Turambar." Tolkien had a lot more range than he gets credit for, and Turin Turambar would let you use the Tolkien name to tell a story that's a lot closer in tone to his Germanic inspiration than LOTR proper. Turin is a grim-and-gritty antihero who lives and dies by the sword; perfectly in keeping with modern prestige drama norms.
For family friendly: Lord of Light. Obscure sci-fantasy novel from the 60s, loved it when I read it in my early twenties.
AmrikeeAkbar
9mo ago
A belated thanks! Added to my to-read list.
AmrikeeAkbar
10mo ago
Thank you, added that to my TBR
AmrikeeAkbar
11mo ago
Likewise
AmrikeeAkbar
1yr ago
I'd be interested in an english version, if available. I do agree that the techno-capitalists may be form the kernel of a rival elite to our current one. The very fact that they attract so much vitriol these days is a testament to this.
Re: your last point. If someone does devise a true grand vision along "the full range of possible action", we'll find out about it soon enough.
AmrikeeAkbar
1yr ago
I'd just like to say how much I enjoyed this series. Rarely have I seen fascism discussed in anything like a scholarly fashion, let alone on the internet. I found this whole sequence very informative and look forward to your next post.
AmrikeeAkbar
1yr ago
My working theory is that a really strong sense of local identity tends to be correlated with lower socioeconomic status. To be cosmopolitan requires education and the freedom and economic security to travel, all of which are correlated with wealth. I can't imagine someone who went to Groton penning this song
AmrikeeAkbar
1yr ago
Thanks, appreciate it.
AmrikeeAkbar
1yr ago
That depends on whether or not you are permitted to raise your children on your terms, with your own values, way of life, etc. In a strictly genetic sense, the Mongols may be one of the most successful people groups in history; in terms of their culture, society, and way of life, they are largely extinct. You can argue that was always going to happen over a sufficiently long enough time horizon, and that's correct. But it can happen on much shorter timelines, even within a single generation, and often does.
AmrikeeAkbar
1yr ago
I think this scenario gets interesting with multiple rival networks attempting to mobilize people in the name of a cause. Agree that a distributed globohomo ruling class scenario, of the kind @DaseIndustriesLtd seems to be talking about is less interesting. I'm a little bit skeptical of the ability of the ability of any ruling class to impose their will as totally as he seems to envision, however. I think on the whole there's a brittleness to such systems; they tend to result in people further down the hierarchy simply hacking the feedback loop to keep upper echelons off their backs. The illusion of legibility, if you will.
AmrikeeAkbar
1yr ago
I guess I'm not sure what you mean by that first sentence? Practical for what exactly? What I'm arguing is that network-actors could provide an avenue for disaffected people to erode the power of the state, even if they don't replace the state entirely. Participation in such networks can create maneuver space, wiggle room for people who for one reason or another want to do something the state doesn't want them to do. I'm not really proposing any particular solution for any particular problem for any particular group, just trying to describe and extrapolate from a trend-line.
I also think the second part still remains to be seen. Actually, I think we're visualizing a network "state" (the more I think about it, the less I like the second term) in two very different ways. I think you're thinking of, basically, a bunch of educated elites, folks already fairly well-positioned in the scheme of things, organizing to increase their own bargaining power vis-a-vis the existing state. Skull-and-bonesmen with crypto, withdrawing into their towers and walled estates, communicating with each other through their secure channels and not participating in society at large more than strictly necessary. I'm visualizing network actors as a vector for a successful mass movement. A framework for mobilizing people around a common identity and shared cause. Put another way, I don't think the most successful network-actor is the one that successfully recruits all the wealthy, talented people (though they'll probably need some). The most effective network actor is the one who nails 95 Theses to the Wittenberg church door.
AmrikeeAkbar
1yr ago
I haven't read enough of his writing to really know. In Network State he comes across as a guy with a technical background and mindset who perhaps doesn't have the same intuitive grasp of the rawer aspects of the human condition. Like, I think intellectually he has a model for nationalism, hunger, the thirst for vengeance and power, fanaticism, faith, prejudice, the whole glorious constellation of our savage species. He's just more comfortable dealing with the technical issues. I'll give him credit for at least acknowledging these things though. Plenty of people with similar background don't even do that much; their horizons end at Fully Automated Gay Luxury Space Communism.
AmrikeeAkbar
1yr ago
Well now I feel uncool for only being sort of aware of the Navy Seal copypasta, at least not enough to catch the reference first time round. Here, have this bit of internet humor I am familiar with
AmrikeeAkbar
1yr ago
Alternating between Democracy In America and Prometheus Bound
AmrikeeAkbar
1yr ago
Sliders always strikes me as a great premise that was largely wasted in execution. Seriously, reboot that instead of the 18th Batman movie.
AmrikeeAkbar
10mo ago
Anyone have any good references on market consolidation? I'm investigating the idea that economies of scale lead to a small percentage of firms controlling large sections of the market. Any literature on this would be appreciated.
AmrikeeAkbar
11mo ago
Great comment, thanks!
AmrikeeAkbar
1yr ago
Thank you, that was a very helpful explanation.
I'm gonna be that guy and suggest you mean "guerilla" warfare
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