Transcending the Culture War: the Foundation of a New Polis
I wanted to share with the Motte an idea. The culture war is premised on several rarely debated foundations. Key among them is the idea that there should or must be a tug-of-war within existing Western countries.
For a long time, I have lurked the Motte, and I never questioned this premise. But recently, I have started to think outside of this box. My ultimate desire is freedom. I increasingly doubt that this can be obtained through the Culture War. Both sides have serious flaws.
What if, instead, smart people focused on a new type of state for a different type of human? Don't wage the culture war, cut through the culture war. What if instead of effective altruism 1.0, smart people embraced effective altruism 2.0, which is premised on the necessity of founding a new state which is run for and by humanity's best? Which is devoted not to war, like the United States, or equality, like Europe and China, but to human flourishing and improvement?
What would the new state look like politically? It would be a meritocracy instead of a democracy. It would be founded on science and reason instead of political formulae like equality and social justice. In particular it would take advantage of psychometrics, behavior genetics, general computing, and AI in ways that the 18th and 19th century states we have today can't.
Some might say we are out of time thanks to AI. But this idea is an important precursor to AI alignment. Current nations cannot be trusted with AI. They also barely have the capacity to build it. For example, the EU is building nothing. The United States is exploiting elite human capital who should instead be citizens of this hypothetical brilliant new nation of the future. Chinese companies are much more Chinese, but some of their EHC I believe would prefer the new city. It is quite dangerous that this polis did not already exist before AI. If we are lucky, and there is a lull in development or the exponential curve is slow enough, we could use intermediate AI to help found it.
Is it possible? I think so. Some people are working on it, and their results so far aren't bad. The worst part of this right now is the lack of good governance. It is unclear who the Network State is for. I suppose everyone eventually can form a Network State. But what about the first one?
Balaji is essentially right, I think, that it is imperative to start with an new ethnos first and then move on to land and laws. Starting with ethnos means at first gathering people who consider themselves part of a new nation. This leads me directly to implore the Motte. None of you consider yourself a citizen of a new nation. Most of you consider yourself American. Globally, most of the people I would like to see start a new nation and state consider themselves American. Consequently, the first step rhetorically is to address the pitfalls of being American. Most of these pitfalls will be the same for those who consider themselves Canadian, British, German, or a member of whatever other nation.
Is America working out for you? Do you feel fully represented by Donald Trump? How about Biden? And Obama? If Trump is your president, was Jan 6 your rebellion? If he's not your president, is your president Biden? How strongly do you identify with Kamala Harris? My point is that most of you are not represented, and yet you are taxed. The first step to breaking free is acknowledging that American citizenship is a shackle and that you are a member of a new nation of reason which will represent your interests if or when it comes to fruition.
I've already taken this step. To me, the United States is nothing more than an economic zone. Americans are foreigners. I don't like their customs. Their laws are weird and sometimes barbaric, like how they might think of laws from a nation that existed 1000 years ago.
I may be able to get rich in America, but I will never be free. Its democracy will never vote in my interests. Its people just aren't my people. My people are here, but most of you believe you are American. That means you spiritually surrender what is best for you to the desires of the median American voter.
Changing your mind requires nothing but a change of attitude. It doesn't have to be like this, and given enough time, a peaceful alternative is possible. The only next step is to exercise your freedom of speech and to spread the idea. If enough people concur, a blockchain could be founded. Then funds can be raised to buy office space as Balaji explains in The Network State. Eventually, diplomatic recognition is possible.
p
Transcending the Culture War: the Foundation of a New Polis
I wanted to share with the Motte an idea. The culture war is premised on several rarely debated foundations. Key among them is the idea that there should or must be a tug-of-war within existing Western countries.
For a long time, I have lurked the Motte, and I never questioned this premise. But recently, I have started to think outside of this box. My ultimate desire is freedom. I increasingly doubt that this can be obtained through the Culture War. Both sides have serious flaws.
What if, instead, smart people focused on a new type of state for a different type of human? Don't wage the culture war, cut through the culture war. What if instead of effective altruism 1.0, smart people embraced effective altruism 2.0, which is premised on the necessity of founding a new state which is run for and by humanity's best? Which is devoted not to war, like the United States, or equality, like Europe and China, but to human flourishing and improvement?
What would the new state look like politically? It would be a meritocracy instead of a democracy. It would be founded on science and reason instead of political formulae like equality and social justice. In particular it would take advantage of psychometrics, behavior genetics, general computing, and AI in ways that the 18th and 19th century states we have today can't.
Some might say we are out of time thanks to AI. But this idea is an important precursor to AI alignment. Current nations cannot be trusted with AI. They also barely have the capacity to build it. For example, the EU is building nothing. The United States is exploiting elite human capital who should instead be citizens of this hypothetical brilliant new nation of the future. Chinese companies are much more Chinese, but some of their EHC I believe would prefer the new city. It is quite dangerous that this polis did not already exist before AI. If we are lucky, and there is a lull in development or the exponential curve is slow enough, we could use intermediate AI to help found it.
Is it possible? I think so. Some people are working on it, and their results so far aren't bad. The worst part of this right now is the lack of good governance. It is unclear who the Network State is for. I suppose everyone eventually can form a Network State. But what about the first one?
Balaji is essentially right, I think, that it is imperative to start with an new ethnos first and then move on to land and laws. Starting with ethnos means at first gathering people who consider themselves part of a new nation. This leads me directly to implore the Motte. None of you consider yourself a citizen of a new nation. Most of you consider yourself American. Globally, most of the people I would like to see start a new nation and state consider themselves American. Consequently, the first step rhetorically is to address the pitfalls of being American. Most of these pitfalls will be the same for those who consider themselves Canadian, British, German, or a member of whatever other nation.
Is America working out for you? Do you feel fully represented by Donald Trump? How about Biden? And Obama? If Trump is your president, was Jan 6 your rebellion? If he's not your president, is your president Biden? How strongly do you identify with Kamala Harris? My point is that most of you are not represented, and yet you are taxed. The first step to breaking free is acknowledging that American citizenship is a shackle and that you are a member of a new nation of reason which will represent your interests if or when it comes to fruition.
I've already taken this step. To me, the United States is nothing more than an economic zone. Americans are foreigners. I don't like their customs. Their laws are weird and sometimes barbaric, like how they might think of laws from a nation that existed 1000 years ago.
I may be able to get rich in America, but I will never be free. Its democracy will never vote in my interests. Its people just aren't my people. My people are here, but most of you believe you are American. That means you spiritually surrender what is best for you to the desires of the median American voter.
Changing your mind requires nothing but a change of attitude. It doesn't have to be like this, and given enough time, a peaceful alternative is possible. The only next step is to exercise your freedom of speech and to spread the idea. If enough people concur, a blockchain could be founded. Then funds can be raised to buy office space as Balaji explains in The Network State. Eventually, diplomatic recognition is possible.
More options
Context Copy link