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Techno-Optimism Vs. Nature
In October of 2023, Silicon Valley venture capitalist and admitted Techno-Optimist or technorati elite, Marc Andreeson, released his manifesto. It has been deeply criticized and analysed. I myself wrote a rebuttal. A topic one of my readers and subscribers pointed out was around nature and the views of Techno-Optimism. In this article I explore this aspect in more detail.
First I will quickly summarise the ideology of Techno-Optimists (that may best be described under the heading of Transhumanism [not to be confused with transgender, totally different thing]), then explore why they are seemingly opposed to nature, why it’s helpful to understand their viewpoints and what this means in the longer term of humanity and nature.
“ Humankind is out of nature, but hopelessly in it”
— Ernst Becker, Anthropologist
What is Techno-Optimism?
Essentially, it is part of what we call in anthropology a Revitalisation Movement. The idea of which was posited by anthropologist Anthony Wallace in the mid 1950s. It is essentially, a way to describe how cultures change themselves, primarily seen through a religious lens. Techno-Optimism tend towards atheism, although in many ways, atheism bears many aspects of religion.
Techno-Optimists hold the view, as with transhumanism, that via technologies…
