Condensed Moldbuggery
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Wed, 2008-09-17 22:49by Martin Regnen
The man hiding under the odd pseudonym of Mencius Moldbug is certainly one of the more interesting anti-democracy thinkers today. It is unfortunate that his writings are not easily absorbed because they are long-winded and completely unedited. I am not aware of any presentation of Moldbug's ideas in a simpler form other than one guest post by Arnold Kling at Creative Capitalism. So, as a service to the public, I am presenting here my understanding of Mencius Moldbug's major ideas. I personally agree with most of them and think all are interesting. Some seem strange and extreme at first, but they explain a lot of otherwise insane things going on in the world today - from the absurd number of lawyers employed by the US military to the fact that National Socialism is far more unfashionable today than plain ol' socialism even though the latter killed a lot more people.

This piece is intended to serve as an easily digestible introduction to the Moldbuggian worldview and also as a convenient reference for when you're reading one of his essays and suddenly stop to ask yourself "What the hell is this Polygon he's talking about?" Of course, do read the original.

Progressivism

Progressivism (also called Universalism) is responsible for the vast majority of the world's problems today. It is a non-theistic religion descended in a direct line from the various Dissenter sects of England. Although the belief in God was dropped during the religion's evolution in order to improve its ability to spread, the core of progressive beliefs are very similar to the Quaker beliefs of a few centuries ago. In short, progressives are dangerous and creepy religious maniacs who don't need to believe in God but that makes them no less dangerous, creepy or maniacal.

The conflict between progressivism and conservatism

Progressivism always wins in the long run. Conservatism can at most slow down the implementation of selected progressive ideas. This is because progressives dominate the universities, media and non-governmental organizations which allows them to mold public opinion. Progressives dominate those institutions because progressivism is a far more attractive ideology for people who are intelligent, ambitious and status-seeking. In the US conservatives are largely members of Protestant sects of American origin (mostly Evangelical sects) whereas progressives are the spiritual descendants of the English dissenters, so this conflict is essentially a religious one.

The US government

The Presidency and Congress are mainly ceremonial. The US is governed mainly by the permanent civil service bureaucracy although the real decisions are made at elite universities and then spread by the media and by non-governmental organizations. The universities, media and NGOs are all essential elements of the de facto government, which is referred to as the Polygon or the Cathedral. There is no conspiracy involved - the system is self-organized and self-perpetuating with no need for central leadership.

The military

Militaries are the only institutions with any importance or power which is not dominated by progressives. Because of this progressives burden the military with rules of engagement which make victory impossible and then use left-wing insurgencies or adventures in foreign countries to defeat the military in proxy wars.

Political parties

In a democracy with two major political parties, the more progressive party is referred to as the Inner Party and the more conservative party is the Outer Party. Supporting the Outer Party in any way is not an effective strategy against progressivism.

International relations

The US essentially runs the world since the aftermath of World War II. Many military conflicts around the world are usually best understood proxy wars in the struggle between progressivism and conservatism. What progressives refer to as independence means total dependence on the US. The current system should be replaced by a return to classical international law with all non-nuclear countries becoming client states of nuclear countries.

Insurgency

There has never been a successful right-wing insurgency in the XX century with the possible exception of Franco. Left-wing insurgencies can succeed as progressive auxillaries in the progressive-conservative in another (more powerful) country.

Activism

Progressive political activism is directed against the elected government and supports the unelected civil service bureaucracy. Anti-American political activism consists of pressuring the US to live up to its own progressive ideals, and therefore is more accurately called ultra-Americanism. Both are effective methods of influencing US government policy in the progressive direction.

Castes

In an earlier version, the population of the US was divided into five castes: Brahmin, Optimate, Vaisya, Helot and Dalit. In the new, simplified version we have Eloi, Morlocks and Proles. A caste is a large social group with its own internal rules for ranking social status. The Eloi or Brahmin are the well-educated progressive elites. The Proles or Vaisyas are regular people who work for a living. The Morlocks or Dalits are the underclass supported by crime and/or welfare. The Optimates are the remnants of the old WASP elites and Southern aristocracy, but they no longer are of any importance - in the simplified version they have either joined the Eloi or become Proles. The Helots are unskilled laborers, largely of Mexican origin - they've been split up between the Proles and the Morlocks in the simplified version.

Crime

The criminal underclass is a military auxillary of the progressives. The criminals see themselves as taking what's rightfully theirs and waging war against an unjust society. Progressives enable and support this war by supporting ineffective crime policy.

Removing a democracy

The removal of a democratic government is called a restoration. It cannot be accomplished by forming a political party and winning elections. It can be achieved either by military coup or by making democracy sufficiently unpopular. The latter can be done by convincing sufficiently large numbers of the public that progressivism is a harmful and untruthful ideology.

Replacing a democracy

Democracy should be replaced by a temporary government headed by a Receiver with plenary powers which acts similar to what is done in a corporate bankruptcy - sells off assets and restructures. The future shape of government is left up to the temporary government but in order to prevent progressivism from taking over the new government, all parts of the Cathedral should be dissolved.

Neocameralism

The preferred alternative to democracy is neocameralism in which the government is a joint-stock corporation with ownership of the country and the goal of maximizing profits.

Recommended reading

If you are new to the world of Moldbug and want to dive in head-first, I recommend starting with the first part of the "Open Letter to Open-Minded Progressives" series. Then you can go through the rest of the series: Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI, Part VII, Part VIII, Part IX, Part X, Part XI, and finally Part XII.

If you prefer to first dip your toes in something less massive and less overtly political, I suggest a post about how progressivism destroyed the arts.

Enjoy.

Note: The views of Mencius Moldbug are not necessarily those of Corrupt.