Dark Enlightenment
What do proponents of the Dark Enlightenment movement believe about democracy?
Who are the leading figures of the Dark Enlightenment movement?
What is Curtis Yarvin’s view on government?
What concept did Nick Land coin, and what is his view on China’s political system?
Which prominent individuals have endorsed aspects of Dark Enlightenment thinking?
Dark Enlightenment, intellectual and political movement that began as a reaction against Enlightenment ideas of reason, progress, and equality. The Dark Enlightenment (alternately known as the Neo-Reactionary movement, or NRx for short) posits that democracy itself creates social erosion because of the development of deep state bureaucracies that cannot control oligarchic forces. The movement also rejects the idea that history inevitably progresses toward greater liberty and equality. Dark Enlightenment thinkers believe that authoritarian rule is the optimal solution to modern problems of governance. In particular, the idea that society should be run either like a corporation with an all-powerful CEO, or like an absolute monarchy, is widespread in the movement.
Origins and key concepts
The roots of the Dark Enlightenment movement can be traced to the late 2000s, when its leading figures began writing in blogs and online forums. Silicon Valley and its associated tech world formed a major base. The two most prominent proponents of the Dark Enlightenment movement are Curtis Yarvin and Nick Land, both of whom have written extensively on the topic.
Yarvin, a software engineer who began blogging under the pseudonym Mencius Moldbug during the first decade of the 21st century, has expressed support for hierarchical, authoritarian forms of government. In particular, he supports the strategy of using democratic methods to destroy the democratic system and install an absolute ruler who would suppress our current ruling oligarchy. Yarvin has coined the term “the Cathedral” as a shorthand way of defining both “the intellectual institutions at the center of modern society” and the way in which such institutions operate in a coordinated fashion.
Nick Land is a British philosopher who coined the term “Dark Enlightenment.” Originally based at the University of Warwick and active at that institution’s Cybernetic Culture Research Unit until he left academia, he eventually relocated to China. He has praised that country’s fusion of Marxist ideology and capitalist economics as “the greatest political engine of social and economic development the world has ever known.” Both Land and Yarvin have cited the city-state of Singapore as a good example of the governing principles they endorse. Land has also written many essays rejecting Enlightenment principles. He is regarded by some as “the father of accelerationism,” a philosophy that advocates the intensification of capitalistic and technological processes to bring about social change. Land’s more recent work has been focused on advocating scientific racism and eugenics via “assortative mating,” or what he refers to as “hyper-racism.” This term refers to Land’s belief that elites should genetically separate themselves from the rest of the population.
Dark Enlightenment thinkers are frequently seen as being related to (or a part of) the movement known as the alternative right or “alt-right.” This is a reactionary ideology that stresses the importance of racial, ethnic, and sexual identity as essential categories, while favoring a strongly hierarchical or dictatorial approach to governance.
Influence in high places
Aspects of Dark Enlightenment thinking have been endorsed by a number of prominent individuals in business and government. Among them are Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, U.S. Vice Pres. J.D. Vance, and Silicon Valley tech tycoons Peter Thiel and Marc Andreessen. Yarvin was also a guest of honor at U.S. Pres. Donald Trump’s “Coronation Ball” in January 2025.
- Context:
- alt-right
- Key People:
- Curtis Yarvin
In recent years the Dark Enlightenment and Yarvin, in particular, have received increased media attention. Yarvin was interviewed on Tucker Carlson’s show in 2021. In addition mainstream outlets such as The New York Times and The New Yorker have run in-depth profiles of him. In 2025 Yarvin participated in a debate on his ideas at Harvard University.
