Post #2418559

2026-03-06 18:57 UTC

The blue background is just for emphasis. Those are my own words. I'm not quoting anyone. I will happily say more about why I liked it, but I really wanted to be emphatic about much MUCH I liked it.

Replies (1)

@marymessall@mendeddrum.org 2026-03-06 19:10

I have been following the stories of AI, crypto, effective altruism, longtermism, life extension, etc in a disjointed way on social media. I knew vaguely that there was some discussion of "TESCREAL" as an ideology (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TESCREAL) but mostly I saw those topics as separate from each other, and separate from mainstream American politics. I have found the discussion of all of those topics confusing, since people starting from the same premises I start from -- a love of science and rationality, a love of science fiction and space travel, an interest in computers and technology -- seem to end up so excited about stuff that does not excite me. Why I am I not excited? Am I not the true nerd I thought I was? Where is my enthusiasm for the future? Have I become too cynical and pessimistic as I have gotten older? Becker (also a physicist, also a Star Trek fan and about my age) struggles with these same questions. But he comes to the conclusion that the billionaire driven hype about AI, life extension, longtermism, etc is actually a religion. It's based on faith and a desire to avoid death. This is very reassuring to me. I'm the same skeptical science nerd I always was. They have been seduced by their wealth into seeing themselves (or their creations, which they control) as all-powerful. It's a cult. And they are trying to buy political power. The whole thing makes much more sense to me now. This kind of thing has happened before. It's just weird to see it arise out of my own subculture.

Open ##2418560