Our techno-world could benefit from philosophy

WSJ book review

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Excerpt: "Named after the indestructible crystal balls in J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings,” Palantir’s mission was to use big data to help tackle terrorism and other threats. Today it is one of the most successful software companies in the world, with deep ties to the national security state.

In “The Technological Republic,” Alexander Karp, Palantir’s co-founder and chief executive, reflects on how this mission jarred with the prevailing culture of Silicon Valley, in which the idea of supporting the nation-state in its fight for primacy was anathema. Such a position, the book argues, is an unsustainable and unjustifiable luxury in a world of fierce geopolitical competition.

It is an argument that goes right to the heart of the social contract. Today the political economy of the Western world—indeed the international system—is being radically rewired by novel forms of power. Technologies such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, quantum computing and cryptocurrencies are the new black gold. 

...A new age is upon us. And so the hunt is on for a new set of principles to govern the relationship between state and society. As they contemplate the future, people are also looking for inspiration from the past, including the wartime era. I recently heard one venture capitalist in California speak of his admiration for James Burnham’s “The Managerial Revolution” (1941)—a book that I remember my first chief of staff at 10 Downing Street would often cite. Something borrowed, something new. Old wine in space rockets."