Yes, Peter Thiel was the senator’s benefactor. But they’re both inspired by an obscure software developer who has some truly frightening thoughts about reordering society.
He then concluded that the “best humane alternative to genocide” is to “virtualize” these people: Imprison them in “permanent solitary confinement” where, to avoid making them insane, they would be connected to an “immersive virtual-reality interface” so they could “experience a rich, fulfilling life in a completely imaginary world.”
Yarvin’s disturbing manifestos have earned him influential followers, chief among them: tech billionaire Peter Thiel and his onetime Silicon Valley protégé Senator J.D. Vance
Pretty much “Science fiction warns us of the evils of building the Torment Nexus. Let’s tell people why a Torment Nexus is really great and build one!”
This is seriously messed up:
That’s a real thing that someone said?
Apparently. It’s also roughly the plot to The Matrix. And to Halo4, to an extent. And that episode of Black Mirror
Pretty much “Science fiction warns us of the evils of building the Torment Nexus. Let’s tell people why a Torment Nexus is really great and build one!”
The only possible positive use for the torment nexus is to put torment nexus supporters in it.
How about we just outlaw and not build orphan crushing machines?
They wrote a book saying that, yes.
Is that from one of those “rationalist” influencers?
Yes, Curtis Yarvin, writing under the pen name Mencius Moldbug