27 February 2026
“Muskism Proposes Something More Like Social War”
Elon Musk’s influence extends far beyond business – and it continues to grow. But to understand how powerful and how potentially dangerous for democracy Musk’s empire truly is, one has to examine the worldview that made his rise possible. In their new book, the historian Quinn Slobodian and the writer Ben Tarnoff trace the ascent of the self-styled “Technoking” and the idea of fusing human beings with machines. We spoke with them about Musk’s relationship with the state, “cyborg conservatism,” and whether anything can still counter the fusion of political and digital power. Continue reading >>
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27 February 2026
„Muskismus setzt eher auf sozialen Krieg“
Elon Musks Macht reicht weit über die Wirtschaft hinaus. Und sie nimmt zu. Um zu verstehen, wie gefährlich Musks Imperium für die Demokratie tatsächlich ist, muss man das dahinterstehende Weltverständnis in den Blick nehmen. In ihrem neuen Buch zeichnen der Historiker Quinn Slobodian und der Autor Ben Tarnoff den Aufstieg des selbsternannten „Technoking“ nach und analysieren seine Idee einer Verschmelzung von Mensch und Maschine. Wir haben mit ihnen über Musks Verhältnis zum Staat gesprochen, über „Cyborg-Konservativismus“ – und über die Frage, ob sich der Symbiose von politischer und digitaler Macht noch etwas entgegensetzen lässt. Continue reading >>
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12 June 2025
Power, Profit, and Washington’s Paradox
The Trump administration has been accused of corruptly placing private financial benefit above the public interest, most recently in President Trump’s acceptance of the gift of a Boeing 747 from Qatar for his use as Air Force 1, and invitations to dinner at a private club and to a private White House tour, offered as perks for those who invested substantial sums in his Stablecoin. Although, here, the President’s self-enrichment is blatant, more troubling are his policies aimed at dismantling safeguards against corruption at home and abroad. These reveal a deep contradiction in the warring goals of those currently governing in Washington; a contradiction that may eventually burst into the open. Continue reading >>19 December 2024
New Zealand’s Constitution of Liberty
The New Zealand government has launched a consultation on a Regulatory Standards Bill that could shape both existing and future regulation. In addition to laying down principles to which regulation will be expected to conform, the bill would set up an institutional mechanism for implementing them. It is an ambitious undertaking which deserves attention beyond New Zealand’s shores for three reasons: first, its remarkably libertarian content; second, the unusual way in which it would be implemented; and third, what it can tell us about the ways in which an “unwritten” constitution changes―or doesn’t. Continue reading >>
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01 November 2024
The Messiah and His Oligarchs
On Power, Personalities and Populism. Continue reading >>
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01 September 2020