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Two Books Examine Fascism, Technology, and Power Today
The article asks what fascism might look like today.
It says fascism is not only about old uniforms, marches, and dictators.
Some modern writers connect it to technology, wealthy elites, religious ideas, and fear about social collapse.
Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor call this “end-times fascism,” where some people believe the world is doomed and should be destroyed or escaped.
Gil Durán focuses on powerful Silicon Valley figures who want technology and private wealth to shape government and society.
The article agrees that these ideas can be dangerous but says both books focus too much on famous powerful men.
Technology can help governments control people, spread simple stories that blame minorities, and push people toward more extreme beliefs.
The author says fascism also needs to be studied among ordinary people, not only among leaders.
Understanding how these ideas become popular may help people resist them.
Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor describe “end-times fascism” as an ideology that treats crisis and collapse as reasons to accelerate destruction and social division.
Gil Durán argues that Silicon Valley elites are using technology, wealth, and political influence to advance an authoritarian social order.
Both books focus heavily on powerful politicians, technology executives, and investors, while the article says they offer less explanation of fascism’s broader social roots.
The article identifies technology’s roles as operationalizing domination, filling crises with scapegoating myths, and spreading extremist beliefs through algorithmic platforms.
It concludes that understanding how fascist ideas reach ordinary people is necessary to counter them in the present.
- Who
- Naomi Klein, Astra Taylor, and Gil Durán are the authors discussed; the article also examines technology executives, politicians, investors, and their audiences.
- What
- Two books diagnose contemporary fascism, especially its links to apocalyptic thinking, Silicon Valley power, advanced technology, and attacks on democracy.
- Where
- The analysis focuses mainly on the United States and Silicon Valley, while also discussing Gaza, Australia, Minnesota, and broader Western politics.
- When
- The discussion concerns the present moment and two recently published books; no publication dates for the books are specified.
- Why
- The books and article seek to explain how authoritarian and fascist ideas are adapting to technological, economic, environmental, and political crises.
Authors’ Diagnoses
Article’s Critique
What drives contemporary fascism?
Authors’ Diagnoses
Klein and Taylor emphasize apocalyptic beliefs, collapsing systems, elite survival strategies, and the abandonment of democracy; Durán emphasizes Silicon Valley wealth and technology.
Article’s Critique
The article argues that these accounts do not sufficiently explain where fascist energies originate or why the ideas become compelling to ordinary people.
Role of powerful individuals
Authors’ Diagnoses
The books use figures such as Donald Trump, Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, and other technology or political leaders as concrete examples of how authoritarian visions gain influence.
Article’s Critique
The article says the “Big Man” focus can make fascism appear dependent on egotistical elites and leaves unclear how it operates beyond their direct control.
Technology and authoritarianism
Authors’ Diagnoses
Durán argues that AI, cryptocurrency, and social media can be bundled toward authoritarian goals that privatize public functions and weaken democracy.
Article’s Critique
The article says both books need a deeper account of how technologies actually produce authoritarian outcomes, while proposing that technology operationalizes domination, spreads myths, and manipulates users.
Key facts
- Books discussed
- End Times Fascism And the Fight for the Living World by Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor; The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy by Gil Durán.
- End-times fascism
- Klein and Taylor define it as fascism embedded in the belief that something immense is ending, with crisis answered through cruelty and acceleration.
- Durán’s focus
- Silicon Valley elites using AI, cryptocurrency, social media, wealth, and political influence toward authoritarian goals.
- Technology’s three functions
- The article says technology augments domination, alienates people through meaning-making myths, and manipulates users through influential media environments.
- Central company example
- Palantir is presented as a technology firm serving intelligence, police, military, corporate, and nonprofit clients, including through a data-driven deportation partnership with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
- Main criticism
- Both books are said to emphasize powerful individuals while offering less systemic explanation of fascist values, origins, and appeal among everyday people.
Quotes
Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor
Authors of End Times Fascism And the Fight for the Living World
“End times fascism is a fascism embedded in an understanding that something immense is ending, and it responds to this discomfiting truth with unabashed cruelty.”
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Palantir recruitment advertisement
A recruitment advertisement for the Silicon Valley technology company Palantir
“A moment of reckoning has arrived for the West.”
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Gil Durán
Journalist and author of The Nerd Reich: Silicon Valley Fascism and the War on Democracy
“bundles powerful technologies like AI, crypto and social media towards authoritarian goals”
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Sources
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