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Andreessen Horowitz is investing billions into a bleak future

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Re: Andreessen Horowitz is investing billions into a bleak future

#181

Post by kodoman »

estearum wrote: post #138
kodoman wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you are interpreting the quote incorrectly. It is not that the prince should be immoral, but rather that he must understand political reality is often filled with perfidious actions and motives. He must recognize that within his principality, there will be those ready to backstab him to gain power. His duty is to the continuation of his principality and the preservation of his own power. This is not merely se…

> Precisely because they are dedicated to a particular set of morals, they are unlike the prince. These are morals both of us dislike, yet they believe in them dare I say, naively and idealistically. They view capitalism and profit as an immutable moral truth that others must accept as righteous power. They actually don't believe in capitalism and profit, because if they did, they'd recognize that extreme concentrati…

I concede partially to your point about not believing in capitalism, the issue is I think though Smith sincere I do not think that Smith's moral positions are based on a need to ascribe moral value to the budding industrialists and the moral scorn on the aristocracy and Tory power. The adoption of these ideas by the British empire is that they are the best way to exploit and the talk of free markets by empires both British, American and Chinese? (later no doubt) is that they are to be promoted when it is useful to do so. The best capitalists therefore are the ones who understand subconsciously or consciously that the ability manipulate the market by some means or to have the market already pre-figured in your favor is the purpose of the talk of the good of the free market. It is true how ever that free market no doubt turns against all empires and the economic, political, military reality shifts in a way that is outside the control of the empire.

That is all to say that the cynical attitude of Andreesen or Thiel is what I think it's always been about. I probably sound a little Marxist or just cynical but I am not a Marxist and I do right and wrong, I do think that the modern theories of morality should be understood cynically as their purpose is primarily a political attempt to change or preserve something and in some sense when one examines them deeply we see self interest usually hidden and diffused by moralising prose and sentiments in these modern theories of morality. So techno optimism manifesto is a more brash, bold and crass version of these works of moral theory indeed a making a sort of unintentional parody. None of this is to say that political economy is only moralising (which techno optimism is).

Re: Andreessen Horowitz is investing billions into a bleak future

#183

Post by Supermancho »

vintermann wrote: post #51
mathieuh wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As Locke said: "I have always thought the actions of men the best interpreters of their thoughts." What organisations say are their principles and what their actions reveal them to be are often very different. Even at my own job the CEO claims to be a big environmentalist yet the company is spending huge amounts of money on LLM tokens and the "leadership" team is jetting off around the world for "off-sites" constantl…

Unless you oppose our economic system in a fundamental way, you always accept that wealthy people get to consume more resources than poor people. That goes for shared resources like "acceptable impact on climate and the natural world" too. As long as they pay for the privilege in a comparable scheme to what they want (carbon taxes, tradable quotas etc.), and aren't some sort of anticapitalists, they aren't hypocrites…

> As long as they pay for the privilege in a comparable scheme to what they want (carbon taxes, tradable quotas etc.) ... they aren't hypocrites.

I don't agree. The hypocrisy is from the intent versus the behavior. eg Whaling on the weekends while heading an anti-whaling charity. You can't stop something you're actively working against at the same time. This has nothing to do with capitalism per se, but the qualities of "our economic system".

Capitalism is a foundational philosophy to global economics, to be sure. Systems have bounds that are philosophical (legal is included) and practical. That's where the hypocrisy tends to lie.

Re: Andreessen Horowitz is investing billions into a bleak future

#184

Post by Zigurd »

oezi wrote: post #155
Zigurd wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nietzsche died broke and insane. Was that from following his own advice or failing to do so?

Being successful or not in your wealth doesn't make you right or wrong about anything with the exception of maybe running the business that generated your wealth. Nietzsche presented two prototypical sets of human who interface with laws and ethics. He described why those believes exists and are self-reaffirming even if they are puzzling from the other side.

The Ayn Rand stans say the same.

Re: Andreessen Horowitz is investing billions into a bleak future

#185

Post by Supermancho »

pulkitsh1234 wrote: post #77
Valakas_ wrote: post #59

For me it's insane, how in this day and age, we don't conduct DSM-V / ICD tests (interviews) that screen for Cluster B personality disorders on everyone , and bar, at least those with anti-social PD, psychopathy, or extreme forms of narcissism, to work in positions of influence or power over others.

Well... you would be surprised on how many "successful" people, i.e. people with immense wealth, fall into these categories. These are the specific traits which allow them to reach the positions of influence or power.

> These are the specific traits which allow them to reach the positions of influence or power.

Those are the winners ofc, while there are innumerable losers along the way.

Re: Andreessen Horowitz is investing billions into a bleak future

#186

Post by EGreg »

Zigurd wrote: post #150
oezi wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nietzsche also described it well when noting there are those who deem themselves nobles and feel they are righteously above the laws and those who derive their identity from suffering under the same laws.

Nietzsche died broke and insane. Was that from following his own advice or failing to do so?

So did Tesla and Vincent Van Gogh, but how much did he create?

Faraday was poor, etc.

Lenin deteriorated, and Marx was always poor.

Anyway...

Re: Andreessen Horowitz is investing billions into a bleak future

#187

Post by EGreg »

chermi wrote: post #163
Zigurd wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nietzsche died broke and insane. Was that from following his own advice or failing to do so?

My uncle told me not to smoke, but he's a smoker so I didn't listen.

Good, lots of other people who aren't smokers can tell you that

Re: Andreessen Horowitz is investing billions into a bleak future

#188

Post by mr_toad »

Zigurd wrote: post #150
oezi wrote: post #135

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nietzsche also described it well when noting there are those who deem themselves nobles and feel they are righteously above the laws and those who derive their identity from suffering under the same laws.

Nietzsche died broke and insane. Was that from following his own advice or failing to do so?

> Nietzsche died broke and insane

If he was alive today he’d probably have a YouTube channel and be making bank shilling dietary supplements.

Re: Andreessen Horowitz is investing billions into a bleak future

#189

Post by miltonlost »

Otterly99 wrote: post #145

I'm actually baffled that some of these companies are even allowed to sell their services. Especially the deepfakes and the fake doctor notes for tax reduction. Is investing in these companies even legal?

When the DoJ is non-independent and the President is a literal crook and grifter, legality doesn't matter anymore to companies. They won't be prosecuted as long as they don't screw over the rich.

Re: Andreessen Horowitz is investing billions into a bleak future

#190

Post by tescreal »

Zigurd wrote: post #144

This is just one of the things turning China into a relatively less dangerous and harmful trading partner. I've often wondered aloud how the US tech industry is going to deal with losing international markets, which have historically been half their sales in mature product categories. Investors might be attracted to the bleak future they are selling, but they are selling a shrinking share of the world economy. I can…

They're just silently waiting. No need to make a big show, just simply being the best alternative is enough of a pitch.
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