The Crisis of the Humanities in the Age of Neo-Reaction
The "crisis of the humanities" has resurfaced as a topic of public discussion. While not a new phenomenon, there's a distinctly unsettling element in the current debate, particularly concerning our understanding of what it means to be human. This article explores the contextual factors contributing to this crisis, focusing on the growing influence of neo-reactionary thought and its potential impact.
The Erosion of the Enlightenment Ideal
According to Carlos Peña, Rector of the Universidad Diego Portales, the core of the crisis lies in a defective understanding of "the human." However, this assertion requires context: the current siege on Enlightenment thinking, particularly its universalism and rationalism. The rise of extreme right-wing ideologies, such as the "dark enlightenment" of Nick Land and the accelerationism of Silicon Valley techno-libertarians, collectively known as Neoreaction (NRx), plays a significant role. These ideas are gaining influence and impacting civilization through technology.
The Neo-Reactionary Challenge to Humanity
The issue isn't just a difficulty in understanding humanity, but the active attempts to radically modify the very definition of what it means to be human within the NRx framework. Land's "dark enlightenment" aims to reverse the course of the Enlightenment, not to return to the past, but to re-establish traditional hierarchies, abandoning the autonomy and freedom of judgment that originated from the French Revolution. This perspective sees the Enlightenment's rationalism as a potential breeding ground for totalitarian dynamics, with Land stating that “the pluralism incapable of a free society transforms into an assertive multiculturalism of a soft democratic totalitarianism.”
Technological Acceleration and the Post-Human
The "accelerationism" promoted by Silicon Valley figures pushes for relentless advancement of capitalism and technology to its ultimate consequences. This unchecked development leads to not just redefinitions of the human, but explorations of the post-human, particularly transhumanism. Figures like Peter Thiel (founder of Palantir) and Sam Altman (OpenAI) exemplify this trend, with Altman envisioning the emergence of a benevolent artificial general intelligence, as discussed in a dialogue with Tucker Carlson. Curtis Yarvin serves as a connector between these ideas, blending modern engineering with pre-democratic historical thought.
Global Implications and the Crisis of the Left
While these ideas may seem distant, their effects are becoming increasingly apparent through technological innovation, each innovation introducing a new ontology of the human guided by anti-rationalism. This is where the crisis of the humanities is rooted. This crisis affects the universalist left, challenged by identity politics that reject universalism in favor of ethnic, racial, or gender identity. This tension is seen in debates between universalist left intellectuals like Stéphanie Roza and Susan Neiman and proponents of woke ideology. The potential transformation of the human, driven by technological advancements and neo-reactionary ideals, overshadows these internal debates within the left.
The Power to Redefine Humanity
While the left engages in debates, the powerful alliance of technological oligarchs and neo-reactionaries possesses the capacity to dramatically transform the world by redefining, or perhaps even canceling, the very concept of the human. Understanding and addressing this challenge is crucial for the future of the humanities and the preservation of fundamental values.
