‘Techno-Optimism’ is Not Something You Should Believe In

^{Henk Caspers/Naturalis Biodiversity Center, CC 3.0}

Techno-optimism is a dangerous philosophy whose adherents espouse the blind faith that market capitalism and technology will solve the world’s problems. In reality, this kind of optimism simply justifies elite power and promotes indifference to human suffering.

Billionaire tech investor Marc Andreessen recently published a manifesto for “techno-optimism,” a worldview that contends technology will solve all of humanity’s problems and create a world of infinite abundance for all. Andreessen’s manifesto is so extreme that it has been heavily criticized even in the tech sector. It accuses anyone who opposes the unrestricted development of AI of having blood on their hands (since AI will save lives, meaning that if you slow down its development, you are essentially a murderer). It quotes favorably from Italian fascist Filippo Tommaso Marinetti in envisioning a race of technologically-augmented “supermen” and “conquerors.” It condemns “socialism” in favor of “merit and achievement” and treats “social responsibility,”  “trust and safety,” “risk management,” and even “sustainable development goals” as “enemy” ideas. 

Andreessen’s manifesto comes across as unhinged and manic. It is, in fact...