The Silicon Valley Christians Who Want to Build ‘Heaven on Earth’

Thiel made astir identical comments successful a 2015 effort arguing that technological advancement should beryllium accelerated. Science and technology, helium wrote, are earthy allies of “Judeo-Western optimism,” particularly if “we stay unfastened to an eschatological framework successful which God works done america successful gathering the kingdom of eden today, present connected Earth.”

But what bash Thiel, Trae Stephens, and different almighty tech figures really mean erstwhile they accidental it’s imaginable to physique a Christian eden connected this planet? For Trae, the thought is practically literal, and happens done his conception of “good quests,” archetypal outlined successful an nonfiction cowritten with entrepreneur Markie Wagner successful 2022.

In the article, Trae and Wagner argued that Silicon Valley was successful a “crisis of nonsense.” Pastimes specified arsenic “exiting your archetypal startup lone to participate task capital,” “armchair philosophizing connected Twitter,” and “yachting betwixt emails successful de facto status astatine property 35” are examples of atrocious quests. Good quests, connected the different hand, tackle massively hard and analyzable problems, and effect successful advancements successful manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and the hold of quality lifespans.

After the effort came out, Trae said a antheral approached him and shared that helium was trying to lick an important occupation by gathering an NFT marketplace. That close there, Trae told the assemblage astatine the ACTS 17 event, is an illustration of a atrocious quest. “The quality encephalon tin person you thing you’re doing is simply a bully quest,” helium said.

Trae, who ran President Donald Trump’s defence modulation squad during his archetypal term, utilized the aforesaid bully versus atrocious quests framework to explicate wherefore helium precocious turned down the accidental to service arsenic US defence secretary. Very fewer things successful beingness should beryllium capable to instrumentality you distant from your “yes,” oregon your bully quest, Trae explained. “I deliberation the crushed for my ‘no’ was knowing what my ‘yes’ was,” helium said.

Alex Karp, the main enforcement of Palantir, precocious criticized what helium likewise described arsenic a motivation situation successful the tech industry, decrying the information that ample superior and “legions of talented engineers” were wasted “merely to physique photo-­sharing apps and chat interfaces for the modern consumer.” Karp went connected to accidental that the “prevailing agnosticism” of the modern epoch has “paved the mode for the marketplace to capable the gap.”

The agnosticism Karp refers to is cultural, alternatively than spiritual. But similar Trae Stephens, helium believes the tech assemblage has been excessively focused connected solving trivial problems and ignoring the astir pressing issues of society. The problem, Karp argued, could beryllium solved by rebuilding the United States from the crushed up arsenic a technological republic. (Presumably, that would see Palantir selling its exertion to the government.)

The Bay Area, wherever Silicon Valley is nested, has agelong been a haven for progressive values and is often perceived to beryllium mostly agnostic oregon atheistic. Its prevailing rich-hippie vibes are good documented, with tech workers turning to biohacking, psychedelics, Burning Man, and Esalen retreats arsenic forms of introspection and self-discovery.