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Talking to Political Scientist Henry Farrell with Max Read

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Feb 27, 2025

Guest

Henry Farrell

Henry Farrell, a political scientist at Johns Hopkins and author of 'Underground Empire,' dives into the complex interplay between tech and politics. He critiques the 'great man theory' dominating Silicon Valley’s ideological landscape, discussing how key texts influence leadership. Farrell unpacks the Pizzagate conspiracy, highlighting social media's role in distorting public perception. He warns against the dangers of micro-targeting in political communication and optimistically navigates the potential futures of society amidst technological upheaval.

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insights

INSIGHT

Silicon Valley Reading List

The "Silicon Valley Canon" reveals a focus on "great man" narratives and system-level thinking.
This shapes their understanding of power and their role in changing the world.

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ANECDOTE

Ayn Rand and Silicon Valley

Elon Musk tweeted an Ayn Rand meme, reflecting a "great man" ideology.
However, Silicon Valley adapts ideas to justify their desires, often misinterpreting complex works.

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INSIGHT

Systems and Power

The Silicon Valley canon shows an interest in systems and how players interact within them.
This differs from Ayn Rand's focus on individual heroism and bureaucratic obstacles.

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Silicon Valley's Ideological Landscape

01:37 • 22min

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Understanding Pizzagate and Social Media's Impact

23:41 • 16min

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The Impact of Social Algorithms on Political Perception

40:07 • 4min

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The Dangers of Micro-Targeting in Political Communication

44:26 • 2min

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The Future: Chaos or Control?

46:39 • 8min

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Seeing Like a State

How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed

James C. Scott

In this book, James C. Scott examines the failures of centrally managed social plans and the destructive consequences of high-modernist ideologies. Scott argues that states often impose simplistic visions on complex societies, ignoring local, practical knowledge and leading to disastrous outcomes. He identifies four conditions common to all planning disasters: administrative ordering of nature and society, high-modernist ideology, authoritarian state power, and a prostrate civil society. The book critiques various utopian projects, including collective farms, compulsory villagization, and urban planning, and advocates for a more nuanced approach that respects local diversity and practical knowledge.

Red Plenty

Francis Spufford

Francis Spufford's "Red Plenty" is a work of historical fiction that explores the Soviet Union's ambitious quest for economic abundance during the Khrushchev era. The narrative weaves together fictional characters with real historical figures, offering a nuanced portrayal of the era's complexities. Spufford masterfully blends factual events with imaginative storytelling, creating a compelling narrative that challenges traditional historical accounts. The book delves into the Soviet Union's attempts to implement cybernetics and mathematical planning to improve economic efficiency, highlighting the inherent challenges of a centrally planned economy. Ultimately, "Red Plenty" offers a thought-provoking exploration of the Soviet dream and its ultimate failure.

The diamond age

Or, A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer

Neal Stephenson

The novel is set in a near-future world where nanotechnology has revolutionized society. It follows Nell, a young girl from a poor background, who receives an interactive educational book called the 'Young Lady's Illustrated Primer'. This book, designed by John Percival Hackworth, is intended to provide a personalized education and becomes a central element in Nell's life. The story explores themes of education, social class, ethnicity, and the impact of technology on human society. The novel is known for its complex narrative, intersecting storylines, and its depiction of a world deeply divided along political, ethnic, and cultural lines.

Snow Crash

Neal Stephenson

Published in 1992, 'Snow Crash' is a science fiction novel by Neal Stephenson that delves into a future where the United States has fragmented into corporate city-states and the internet has evolved into a virtual reality called the Metaverse. The story follows Hiro Protagonist, a pizza delivery driver and part-time hacker, and Y.T. , a teenage skateboard courier, as they navigate a complex world threatened by a mysterious computer virus and a powerful drug known as Snow Crash. The novel explores themes of history, linguistics, anthropology, and computer science, and is noted for its prescient vision of the metaverse and its influence on Silicon Valley innovators.

Minds make societies

Pascal Boyer

Pascal Boyer's "Minds Make Societies" delves into the intricate relationship between human cognition and the emergence of social structures. Boyer argues that cultural phenomena are not simply arbitrary inventions but rather products of our evolved cognitive architecture. The book explores how our mental mechanisms, designed for specific adaptive challenges, shape our beliefs, practices, and institutions. Boyer's work emphasizes the role of intuitive psychology and the way our minds process information about social interactions. This approach offers a powerful framework for understanding the origins and persistence of cultural norms and institutions.

Underground Empire

Henry Farrell

Abraham Newman

In "Underground Empire: How America Weaponized the World Economy," Henry Farrell and Abraham Newman delve into the intricate ways in which the US government has leveraged its control over key economic and informational choke points to exert global influence. The book examines how this strategic control has shaped international relations and economic power dynamics. Farrell and Newman analyze various case studies, illustrating how the US has used its position to shape global markets and political outcomes. The authors explore the implications of this power dynamic for global stability and cooperation. The book offers a critical perspective on the role of the US in the global economy and its impact on international relations.

Groundbreakers

How Obama's 2.2 Million Volunteers Transformed Campaigning in America

Hahrie Han

Elizabeth McKenna

In "Groundbreakers: How Obama's 2. 2 Million Volunteers Transformed Campaigning in America," Hahrie Han and Elizabeth McKenna provide a detailed account of the Obama campaign's innovative approach to volunteer mobilization. The book examines how the campaign successfully engaged a vast network of volunteers, transforming the landscape of political campaigning. Han and McKenna analyze the strategies and organizational structures that enabled the campaign to achieve its goals. They explore the impact of this approach on the political process and its implications for future campaigns. The book offers valuable insights into the power of grassroots mobilization and its potential to reshape political participation.

This week on our untitled, unofficial, occasional podcast, Max Read of Read Max and I hosted our second guest: political scientist Henry Farrell, professor at Johns Hopkins University and writer of the tech and politics Substack Programmable Mutter, which we both follow with great interest. Farrell, with Abraham Newman, is the author of Underground Empire: How America Weaponized the World Economy.

We had Farrell on to discuss his recent piece for Bloomberg on the “tech canon,” entitled, “Silicon Valley’s Reading List Reveals Its Political Ambitions.” We also wanted to discuss Henry’s newsletter from January: “We're getting the social media crisis wrong: The bigger problem isn't disinformation. It's degraded democratic publics,” a very generative rethink of the often stale discourse around social media. It was a really fun, enlightening, and even strangely optimistic chat that ranged from democratic theory to sci-fi to whether or not we should reasonably fear a techno-totalitarian future. (I’m gonna give a spoiler and tell you now Henry thinks not, just in case you need a little pick me up.)

Some things we discussed:

* James C Scott’s book Seeing Like A State

* Tanner Greer’s post “The Silicon Valley Canon: On the Paıdeía of the American Tech Elite”

* Hahrie Han and Elizabeth McKenna’s book Groundbreakers: How Obama's 2.2 Million Volunteers Transformed Campaigning in America

* Minds Make Societies: How Cognition Explains the World Humans Create by Pascal Boyer

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