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>Peter Thiel is often described in techno-hyphenated words: ... Techno-utopian. I think the journalist got that characterization wrong. Based on PT's writings

by jasode 12y ago

>Peter Thiel is often described in techno-hyphenated words: ... Techno-utopian. I think the journalist got that characterization wrong. Based on PT's writings and interviews[1], he's not a techno-utopian. My cursory google searches doesn't show that others call him that either. Techno-utopians would be people like Ray Kurzweil, Kevin Kelly, and Marc Andreessen. And possibly Elon Musk as well. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yztBoNQRYo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yztBoNQRYo

jseliger 12y ago
I wouldn't even call them tech-utopians. I would call them people who do know that a) the world can be made a better place but that b) for that to happen people must make it happen. I can't speak for any of the three but I don't think any of them are utopians; understanding that progress can be made isn't the same as utopianism. Journalists seem to like phrases like "techno-utopian" in order to make them sound more like the other and like a different species than their readers.
- jasode 12y ago
  >I can't speak for any of the three but I don't think any of them are utopians; Well, in the context of media awareness and public perception, it's not if they truly __are__ utopians insomuch as other journalists and pundits call them that. Yes, RK, KK, MA, and others like Tim O'Reilly and Dean Kamen may prefer to call themselves the blander title of "techno-optimists" or "tech-progressives". If the outsiders like journalists choose to exaggerate "optimists" to "utopians" for dramatic effect, it sort of goes with the territory of being in the public eye. (Like Michael Jackson the "king of pop", or 1970s babies the "X Generation". The subjects of those labels didn't give journalists permission to call them that.) The other side of techno-utopians would be tech-cautious writers like Tom Standage (Economist editor) and Evgeny Morozov. In terms of how public figures are viewed, I still don't think Peter Thiel is in the same category as the other people I mentioned.
- eli_gottlieb 12y ago
  People nowadays like to use the word "utopian" as a snarl-word for someone who hasn't gotten the memo that people are So Totally Over This Whole "Progress" Thing.

by jasode 12y ago

jseliger 12y ago

I wouldn't even call them tech-utopians. I would call them people who do know that a) the world can be made a better place but that b) for that to happen people must make it happen. I can't speak for any of the three but I don't think any of them are utopians; understanding that progress can be made isn't the same as utopianism. Journalists seem to like phrases like "techno-utopian" in order to make them sound more like the other and like a different species than their readers.

jasode 12y ago
>I can't speak for any of the three but I don't think any of them are utopians; Well, in the context of media awareness and public perception, it's not if they truly __are__ utopians insomuch as other journalists and pundits call them that. Yes, RK, KK, MA, and others like Tim O'Reilly and Dean Kamen may prefer to call themselves the blander title of "techno-optimists" or "tech-progressives". If the outsiders like journalists choose to exaggerate "optimists" to "utopians" for dramatic effect, it sort of goes with the territory of being in the public eye. (Like Michael Jackson the "king of pop", or 1970s babies the "X Generation". The subjects of those labels didn't give journalists permission to call them that.) The other side of techno-utopians would be tech-cautious writers like Tom Standage (Economist editor) and Evgeny Morozov. In terms of how public figures are viewed, I still don't think Peter Thiel is in the same category as the other people I mentioned.
eli_gottlieb 12y ago
People nowadays like to use the word "utopian" as a snarl-word for someone who hasn't gotten the memo that people are So Totally Over This Whole "Progress" Thing.