Audrey Tang: On Becoming a "Good Enough Ancestor"
RadicalxChange(s)
Technology and Traditional Values
This chapter examines the dynamics between technology and traditional values through the lens of Leonard Cohen's philosophy. It emphasizes the transformative power of connection and the role of personal experiences in shaping perspectives on democracy and societal change.
In this episode, Matt Prewitt sits down with Audrey Tang, Taiwan’s Cyber Ambassador-at-large and 1st Digital Minister, as well as the star of the new short documentary Good Enough Ancestor. It is a fascinating conversation exploring the profound intersections of technology, spirituality, and democracy.
Topics they cover include:
- Daoism and spiritual practice – and their favorite Leonard Cohen lyrics.
- “Laser blended vision” as a metaphor for democracy – integrating different perspectives into a coherent whole.
- “High-bandwidth, low-latency” democracy – allowing for real-time collaboration.
- January 6 vs. Taiwan’s Sunflower Movement – contrasting two parliamentary occupations.
- Marshall McLuhan’s “hot and cool media” – and what it means for how we should build and use AI.
- The role of education in democracy – and how spirituality’s place in learning differs between the East and West.
- AI’s moral tradition gap – why today’s models lack cultural and ethical grounding.
- Trade, sovereignty, and democracy – how to balance open societies with national autonomy.
- RadicalxChange – how the movement is like “conservative anarchism” and Daoism in transcending left-right divides.
Watch Good Enough Ancestor at combinationsmag.com/good-enough-ancestor.
Bios:
Audrey Tang, Taiwan’s Cyber Ambassador-at-large and 1st Digital Minister (2016-2024), is celebrated for her pioneering efforts in digital freedom. Named one of TIME’s “100 Most Influential People in AI” in 2023, Tang was instrumental in shaping Taiwan’s internationally acclaimed COVID-19 response and in safeguarding the 2024 presidential and legislative elections from foreign cyber interference. Tang is now focused on broadening her vision of Plurality — technology for collaborative diversity — to inspire global audiences.
As the first nonbinary cabinet member globally, Tang identifies as “post-gender” and is comfortable with any pronouns. She is a respected community leader and a founding contributor to g0v, an initiative promoting transparency by making information about Taiwan’s economy, history, politics, and culture accessible.
Tang has been key in developing participation platforms such as Join.gov.tw, leading to practical improvements like enhanced access to tax software and revised cancer treatment regulations. A “conservative anarchist,” Tang is dedicated to boosting digital competence and safeguarding information integrity online through collective intelligence.
A child prodigy, Tang excelled in advanced mathematics by age six and computer programming by age eight. By 19, she had held significant positions in software companies and worked as an entrepreneur in Silicon Valley. Growing up in a large family following Christian and Taoist traditions, Tang embraced pluralism and the internet’s potential to connect people based on shared interests rather than geography, fueling her drive for global impact.
In Taiwan, Tang’s generation has always intertwined politics with the internet, striving for a more transparent and inclusive society. Despite Taiwan’s martial law history, Tang and her fellow civic technologists have achieved internationally acclaimed progress toward greater governmental transparency.
During the 2014 Sunflower Movement, Tang played a crucial role in livestreaming protests against a trade agreement with Beijing, facilitating real-time communication that led to more peaceful negotiations and the movement’s success.
“Democracy can evolve.” Tang says. “We can create innovative policies by simply asking the people, ‘What should we do together?’”
There is also promising news behind Tang’s grand plan: more than half the world’s population – over 4 billion people – are holding elections in 2024. That’s over 70 countries.
Says Tang, “I want to be a good enough ancestor for future generations.”
Audrey’s Social Links:
- ⿻ Audrey Tang 唐鳳 (@audreyt) / X
- ⿻ Audrey Tang 唐鳳 (@audreyt.org) — Bluesky
- 唐鳳Audrey Tang (@digitalminister.one) • Threads, Say more
- Plurality.net
Matt Prewitt (he/him) is a lawyer, technologist, and writer. He is President of the RadicalxChange Foundation.
Matt’s Social Links:
Production Credits:
- Produced by G. Angela Corpus and Matt Prewitt.
- Executive Produced by G. Angela Corpus and Matt Prewitt.
- Intro/Outro music by MagnusMoone, “Wind in the Willows,” is licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)
Additional Credits:
- This episode was recorded, narrated, and edited by Matt Prewitt.
- Production support from Jack Henderson.
This is a RadicalxChange Production.
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