Who is Curtis Yarvin

Prat or Prophet? What is the “neoreactionary” Right

Propaganda

Curtis Yarvin

Nov 18, 2022

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The highest art is propaganda.
Virgil and Shakespeare: propaganda.
Eisenstein: propaganda.
Leonardo: propaganda.
We only think of bad propaganda—
Or don’t parse it as propaganda—
Which makes it good propaganda.
Never forget that this is obvious.
In truth the Latin “propagation
Of the faith” well paints the need
For spirit, theme, or breath in art,
Purpose flowing like a spring breeze
Or even screaming like a hurricane.
In The Tempest, for example,
Shakespeare invented racism.
There is no void of faith in art:
Just dull, muddy unconscious,
Faith of algae and mosquitoes.
Purpose is the hot artery of power,
The canyon-carving rapid fall.
In regimes where art is seditious
Or otherwise bereft of purpose,
Daniel is already captive in Babylon
And the wall he will write on is built.
Nothing is bigger than propaganda.
Nothing is older than propaganda.
Nothing is finer than propaganda.

Love Poem

Curtis Yarvin

Jan 26, 2022

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David Greenglass, who sent his sister
Ethel Rosenberg to the electric chair,
Checked his Soviet spy contact
By matching halves of a torn boxtop.
Many couples seem to fit like this:
The natural marriage. Mine was so.
We were in no way identical; but
The edge between us somehow fit,
Wave by wave and tear by tear,
Till the Wheaties logo felt whole.
She is still with me in the house—
I keep seeing her in the bathroom.
Then there are whole categories
Of unequal pairings. I pass over
These, without condemnation.
The one other kind of connection
Is the rarest, hardest and most divine:
The marriage of the tiger and the wolf,
Two supernal animals, irreversibly
Distinct from each other, who agree
To tame each other, and be tamed
By each other—to accept each other
Who can never become each other.
The wolf visits the forest-swamp.
He will never, ever like leeches.
He learns to ambush, after a fashion.
The tiger may trot with him a way,
Far enough but no further, across
The green and anteloped hills,
Tiring and tiresome hills, without
Water or camouflage, until—
Then rest. But be up for the kill,
Or at very least the meal—but
Wolf-pursued, no elk expects
To meet and greet a resting tiger.
The old union, the marriage of nature,
Completed the Platonic sphere,
From jagged halves an ideal whole.
This reaction is a marriage of power,
A magical union, not a biblical union,
Not even like any other like it,
A bubbling flask of something green,
An underground volcano lab
Where unnatural syntheses are made;
Chimeras and unicorns, Frankensteins,
Goats that give the finest merino wool.

Passage Prize winners, 2022

The Technocrat's Dilemma: Aesthetic Control and Artistic Freedom in Authoritarian Visions

Introduction

The relationship between technocratic governance and artistic expression presents a fundamental paradox that has haunted authoritarian regimes throughout history. From Plato's proposed expulsion of poets from his ideal republic to Curtis Yarvin's contemporary neo-reactionary appreciation of poetry, the tension between control and creativity remains unresolved. This essay examines how different authoritarian approaches to art reveal deeper contradictions in technocratic thinking about culture and human expression.

The Classical Authoritarian Approach

Plato's position in "The Republic" represents the archetypal technocratic approach to art. His argument for banning poets stems from a rationalist desire for truth and social stability. For Plato, poetry's emotional and mimetic nature made it dangerous to the rational order he envisioned. This perspective finds echoes in modern technocratic thinking, where measurable outcomes and social engineering often take precedence over artistic expression.

However, this creates an immediate contradiction: the desire to control art reveals an implicit recognition of its power. If art were truly irrelevant to social order, there would be no need to control it. This paradox would later haunt both Soviet and Nazi approaches to artistic production.

Stalinist and Nazi Aesthetic Programs

Both Soviet Socialist Realism and Nazi Approved Art represented attempts to harness artistic expression for state purposes while simultaneously constraining it. The results were often technically proficient but artistically sterile. Consider the work of Soviet artist Alexander Gerasimov or Nazi sculptor Arno Breker - their technical mastery is undeniable, yet their works often feel empty of genuine artistic innovation.

The key features of these state-managed artistic programs included:

1. Emphasis on classical technical skill

2. Heroic themes and idealized figures

3. Clear political messaging

4. Suppression of modernist experimentation

5. Institutional control of artistic production

The Bauhaus Contradiction

The Bauhaus movement presents an interesting case study in the relationship between technocratic thinking and artistic freedom. While embracing modernist principles and technical innovation, the Bauhaus also represented a kind of technocratic utopianism. Its founder Walter Gropius envisioned a fusion of art, craft, and industrial production that would transform society.

This vision contained its own contradictions:

• The desire for standardization versus individual expression

• Mass production versus artistic uniqueness

• Functional design versus aesthetic experimentation

The Nazi regime's closure of the Bauhaus school in 1933 highlighted the tension between different forms of technocratic control over art - the industrial-modernist versus the classical-authoritarian.

The Dadaist Response

Dada emerged as a direct response to the rationalist, technocratic thinking that artists like Marcel Duchamp and Hugo Ball saw as responsible for World War I's mechanized slaughter. Their rejection of traditional artistic values represented more than mere rebellion - it was a fundamental critique of the rationalist project itself.

The Dadaist approach demonstrated that:

1. Artistic expression cannot be fully controlled

2. Attempts at control generate their own opposition

3. True creativity often emerges from chaos rather than order

Corporate Classicism

Modern corporate art represents a new form of technocratic control over artistic expression. The sleek, inoffensive aesthetics of corporate spaces and marketing materials echo classical forms while emptying them of content. This "corporate classicism" shares features with both authoritarian art programs and modernist design:

• Technical proficiency without risk

• Broad appeal without depth

• Classical references without historical context

• Innovation within strict parameters

Yarvin's Paradox

Curtis Yarvin's appreciation for poetry while advocating for technocratic governance presents a fascinating contemporary case. His detailed analysis of poetic technique combined with apparent support for authoritarian control mirrors the contradictions found in earlier technocratic approaches to art.

Consider his criteria for evaluating poetry:

• Technical excellence

• Authentic expression

• Risk-taking

• Traditional form

These values seem at odds with the controlled, hierarchical society he envisions. How can authentic artistic risk-taking flourish under strict social control?

The Fundamental Tension

The core problem facing technocratic approaches to art lies in the nature of creativity itself. Genuine artistic innovation requires:

1. Freedom to experiment

2. Tolerance for failure

3. Space for individual expression

4. Engagement with uncertainty

These requirements conflict directly with technocratic desires for:

1. Predictable outcomes

2. Measurable results

3. Social stability

4. Controlled messaging

Implications for Contemporary Culture

Today's digital platforms and algorithmic content creation systems represent a new form of technocratic control over artistic expression. The tension between human creativity and systematic control has not disappeared but rather taken new forms:

• AI-generated art versus human creation

• Platform-optimized content versus artistic vision

• Metric-driven production versus creative risk-taking

• Global standardization versus local expression

Conclusion

The fundamental contradiction in technocratic approaches to art remains unresolved. Whether in Plato's Republic, Stalin's Soviet Union, or contemporary neo-reactionary thought, attempts to control artistic expression while maintaining its vitality create paradoxes that cannot be easily resolved.

This suggests that any future attempts to create technocratic systems of governance must grapple with the essential unpredictability and freedom required for genuine artistic creation. The alternative - as history has shown - is the production of technically proficient but spiritually empty art that ultimately undermines the very social order it aims to support.

Perhaps the solution lies not in attempting to control art directly, but in creating conditions where both technical excellence and creative freedom can coexist. This would require a fundamental rethinking of the relationship between political power and artistic expression - a challenge that remains as relevant today as it was in Plato's time.

The tension between technocratic control and artistic freedom thus serves as a crucial reminder of the limits of rational planning in human affairs. Art, in its deepest sense, may be precisely that element of human experience which cannot be fully systematized without being destroyed.

Sources.

The Father, The Son, and The Mencius Moldbug

Curtis Yarvin, the “libertarian” far-right blogger, who’s famed for calling for a military coup in USA and for his campaign RAGE (Retirement of All Government Employees), is a genius to some and a crypto-fascist to others. This investigation exposes lesser known Yarvin family history, their ties to DARPA, to the Clinton Administration, and to the 2003 Yale University Law School Pipe Bombing.

byJohnny Vedmore

Let me compile information about Norman Yarvin from multiple sources, with proper citations:

### Academic and Research Work

Norman Yarvin was a prominent researcher at Yale University's Department of Computer Science, where he made significant contributions between 1991 and 2006. He authored multiple research papers, many of which were sponsored by DARPA. His work focused on complex mathematical and computational topics including machine learning, computing on matrices, and linear algebra algorithms. [3]

### Notable Research Publications

One of his significant works was published in collaboration with Vladimir Rokhlin, focusing on wideband fast multipole methods for the Helmholtz equation. This research demonstrated his expertise in advanced computational methods and mathematical modeling. [2]

### Yale Computer Science Connection

At Yale's Computer Science Department, Yarvin was involved in producing research reports, including work on one-dimensional structures and numerical analysis. His research report 1119 at Yale Computer Science Department showed his deep involvement in theoretical computer science and mathematical analysis. [1]

### Controversial Aspects

Beyond his academic work, Norman Yarvin gained attention in 2003 during the Yale Law School pipe bombing investigation. While he was not formally charged, materials found in his residence during an unrelated break-in investigation raised questions. He maintained his innocence throughout the investigation, though he acknowledged having an interest in explosives and admitted to possessing materials that could be used to make pipe bombs. [3]

### Family and Background

Norman is the elder brother of Curtis Yarvin (known online as Mencius Moldbug) and son of Herbert Yarvin, who worked in the U.S. Foreign Service. Both Norman and Curtis attended prestigious universities on Foreign Service scholarships, with Norman focusing on computer science and engineering. [3]

This information paints a picture of a complex individual: a highly accomplished academic researcher in computer science who also had controversial aspects to his life story. The contrast between his serious academic work and the later controversies makes him an intriguing figure in both academic and public spheres.

August 24, 2021

20 minute read