[By Guancha Observer Network, Ruan Jiaqi]

On May 30 local time, the US media CNN published an interview with Curtis Yarvin, a core founder of the American "Dark Enlightenment" school.

This political theorist, who is revered by the far right as a "beacon of thought," reiterated his consistent view, advocating for the implementation of a "technocratic monarchy" in the United States, which would reconstruct government operations using the management model of technology companies, making the president an "executive-style" leader directly controlling policy implementation without being constrained by legislative procedures to replace what he calls the "inefficient" existing representative system.

"Perhaps putting any Fortune 500 CEO in the White House and telling them 'you take charge of the executive branch and solve this problem,' they could do a good job, and they wouldn't become Hitler or Stalin," Yarvin explained to CNN as he transitioned from being a Silicon Valley programmer. "The concentration of power is absolutely necessary for the effective operation of any integrated system."

CNN reported that for those who still believe in the system of checks and balances, Yarvin's ideas are "terrifying," but he insists that the current system has proven too weak to address the core challenges facing the United States, and that his proposed new government system is essential for the survival of the nation.

The US media pointed out that although Curtis Yarvin's name is not widely known in American politics, in recent years he has been a central figure in the Silicon Valley right-wing circles, and his theories have garnered attention from key figures in Washington and Silicon Valley, including many in the second Trump administration, such as Vice President Vance.

Despite Yarvin's repeated denial of being a "behind-the-scenes planner" of the Trump administration's policies and his lack of close ties with Vance, who publicly mentioned his theories, it is evident that Trump's governing style and policy direction since taking office align closely with his core theories, particularly in significantly reducing the size of the federal government and bypassing Congress to push presidential executive orders.

In Lafayette Square near the White House, Yarvin claimed that he maintains dialogue with members of the Trump administration and other influential individuals in politics, business, and technology through Signal. He also said that he had closer relationships with some officials in the Trump administration, such as Michael Anton, Director of Policy Planning at the US Department of State.

However, he believes that his greatest influence lies in those who will one day hold power.

"I think my impact on the Trump administration is more through the young people within the administration—those who read my articles, because my audience is very young," Yarvin said. "I think one of the advantages of the Trump administration was... bringing fresh blood and letting people understand how Washington works."

Yarvin stated that he was actually quite disappointed with the actions of the Trump administration. He believed that the reforms carried out by the Trump administration were superficial and fell far short of what he considered necessary.

"If you only try to tackle 10% of any complex problem... you may not get any good results," he said.

Yarvin also told CNN that he has no plans to enter politics and is currently focused on his company Urbit and writing on the subscription platform Substack.

"I'm just in the marketplace of ideas, and I think the marketplace of ideas has indeed expanded over the past decade," Yarvin claimed. "My goal is to make people live in the real world."

Curtis Yarvin (right) CNN video screenshot

Invited to attend Trump's inauguration ceremony, Yarvin was accused of "directly influencing" Trump's policies

According to The Wall Street Journal and other reports, Curtis Yarvin's "Dark Enlightenment Movement" holds that modern American institutions have been alienated into a "Cathedral," and true political power in America is held by a centralized ideological hegemony composed of mainstream media, universities, non-governmental organizations, etc., which can only be overturned by fundamental changes in the regime. Trump's criticism and narrative against the so-called "deep state" aligns highly with this theory.

More than a decade ago, when Yarvin first began writing blogs under the pseudonym "Mencius Moldbug," denouncing "so-called democracy as nonsense" and advocating "a responsible monarchy should replace it," his early ideas were widely regarded as "nonsense from an internet troll."

However, in recent years, Yarvin's emphasis on enhancing governance efficiency through centralization and his advocacy for reconstructing the American political system with a "technocratic monarchy" have gained increasing favor from some famous Silicon Valley investors and Republican politicians.

After 2020, Yarvin opened a column under the pseudonym "Gray Mirror" on Substack, where many articles were regarded as "golden rules" by the New Right.

His most famous supporter includes Peter Thiel, the founder of PayPal, who was also the first Silicon Valley heavyweight to publicly support Trump's first campaign in 2016. It is worth noting that Thiel later funded Vance's campaign for senator, and Vance praised Yarvin's idea about eliminating the "administrative state" in a podcast episode in 2021.

In January this year, Yarvin attended Trump's inaugural celebration in Washington. Politico reported at the time that due to his "enormous influence on the far-right of Trump," he became an "informal VIP."

The Guardian of Britain went so far as to say that Yarvin's theory directly influenced this administration, and that "everything Trump and his deputies did was extremely similar to Yarvin's propositions."

It was reported that Trump's administration's measures of bypassing Congress to sign executive orders, reusing tech tycoon executives like Musk to participate in government reforms, and cracking down on traditional media and elite universities were almost a concrete practice of Yarvin's thoughts.

In addition, Trump's administration's anti-environmental stance and highly exclusionary immigration policies also align with Yarvin's critique of the so-called "democratic progressive narrative."

In response to various speculations, Yarvin repeatedly downplayed his political influence on the Trump administration.

When he participated in a debate activity at Harvard University this month, he said, "In fact, my distance from Washington is much farther than most people imagine. People imagine me as a Svengali whispering in these people's ears. But I am just posting articles online, aren't I?"

Harvard Professor "Engages": It's Dangerous That Such Ideas Have Followers

CNN pointed out that the "Dark Enlightenment" was more of an edge discussion in the past, but with the return of Trump 2.0, there is a tendency for this alternative right-wing ideology to "enter the hall" and potentially influence Trump's administration policies.

And this trend is unsettling, causing particular concern among scholars and experts in institutional studies, who noticed that these ideas are gaining resonance among American youth.

Charles DeMatteo, a third-year student at Harvard University, told CNN that Yarvin's unconventional background and rebellious fringe ideas are precisely why they appeal to the new generation. He said that for a generation that spent their high school years during the COVID lockdown, Yarvin's ideas resonate with their disillusionment with institutions.

"This idea is becoming increasingly popular among the young because they have seen the failure of the government. They have also seen what happens in institutions they perceive as hostile to them, so they consider this indeed an untried solution," he said.

But DeMatteo believes that students from Ivy League schools do not fully embrace Yarvin's ideas; many only agree with parts of his theories.

In early May, DeMatteo organized a debate between Yarvin at Harvard University. To everyone's surprise, Danielle Allen, a professor at Harvard University and an expert in democracy and political theory, was invited to participate in this debate.

CNN reported that Yarvin's theory was criticized as "extreme right-wing accelerationism," and his advocated technocratic oligarchy was seen as a fundamental threat to the existing American system. Therefore, many scholars and experts in this field often view Yarvin as an "odious person" and even refuse to discuss matters related to him, let alone engage in court debates with him.

Afterwards, Professor Allen wrote an article in The Wall Street Journal explaining her decision to participate in the debate. She chose to do so because she saw followers of Yarvin's ideas, "and it is precisely for this reason that these ideas seem dangerous and deserve serious responses."

Danielle Allen (left) Harvard Crimson

"Mr. Yarvin's influence on Harvard students surprised me. He is known for founding the 'Dark Enlightenment' movement. People need to understand his arguments, their appeal—and the profound fallacies within," she wrote. "When students seek help in interpreting intellectual material, providing assistance is my duty."

Allan candidly admitted that she agreed with Yarvin's view that "America's political system is failing" and concurred with his criticism that "members within the system fail to see the depth of governance issues." However, she emphasized that "the ability to expose the hypocrisy of the authority class has always won a large number of followers. Mr. Yarvin is misleading them with visions of absolute monarchy and ethnic cleansing."

Allen wrote, "If today our constitutional system seems so weak and powerless that it cannot help us meet governance challenges, perhaps it is because we have slackened in citizen participation. We no longer use the means provided by the system to assert our equal rights, but instead allow political parties to monopolize institutions, serving private interests rather than public welfare."

This article is an exclusive piece by the Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7510508177230774820/

Disclaimer: This article solely represents the author's views. Feel free to express your opinions by clicking the "like/dislike" buttons below.