We stand at the brink of a new political age. In the shadows of Silicon Valley boardrooms and Washington backrooms, an unlikely alliance has taken shape. The Dark Enlightenment – an obscure neo-monarchist ideology born on internet forums – has crept from fringe blogs into the corridors of power. When I first heard whispers about tech CEOs and White House aides reading the same forbidden tracts, I knew something extraordinary was unfolding. This chronicle that follows is a firsthand journey into that unfolding drama, written in the heat of events by an intrepid observer who witnessed the transformation up close. It reads like a political thriller because, in many ways, it is one – except every bit of it is based on real people and real ideas shaping our world.
To set the stage, let me sketch the key players and ideas at work, so you can follow the wild narrative that ensues:
- Curtis Yarvin (Mencius Moldbug) – Ex-programmer turn