I’ve explained the theoretical core of neoreaction and made an introduction to neoreaction. But what it the ultimate goal of neoreaction?
Neoreaction was originally an intellectual exercise, a discussion of ideas. Because of this it had no real goal beyond theorizing. Moldbug wrote a general idea of the final goal of neoreaction in his Open Letter.
The end goal of neoreaction is formalized, privatized government. The Open Letter and Letter to France outline the steps a country’s elites should take to do this.
But how is neoreaction to achieve this?
The current social order is slowly(?) collapsing. The money’s run out, inflation and cheap debt are reaching the limits of their ability to mask insolvency, the natives are growing increasingly restless, low-level guerilla war is rising, and our culture and cohesion are breaking down. What can not last forever, won’t. Eventually this social order will be replaced.
What will it be replaced by?
One option is a slow limping decline/dark age. Another is simple collapse and anarchy, possibly an on-going low-level civil war. Another possibility, particularly in Europe, is Islam. A fourth possibility is a leftist singularity. The most likely possibility is a right-wing surge of the native population and the violent expulsion of the elites and invaders.
You’ll notice that all of these are bloody. Neoreaction wants to avoid this. To do so, we are building an ideological and, eventually, structural basis for a leader* to arise and implement the neoreactionary agenda by making a bargain with the elites.
The neoreactionary bargain to the elites will essentially be this:
Your regime will fall. It can fall to the leftist chaos, Islamic invaders, or right-wing populists, but it will fall. Any of those three groups will happily and ruthlessly exterminate you and your families, probably after torture, reeducation, work camps, rape, and/or enslavement. The leader knows that violent revolutions of any type tends to end poorly for the country and he also would like to avoid death camps and mass executions if possible. So he will make a deal.
If you willingly divest power to the leader, he will restore orderly government. He will expel the Islamic invaders, halt the leftist singularity, and placate the right-wing populists. Current higher elites will be allowed to keep some of your wealth (and your lives) as long as you obey the new order; lower elites and officials hostile to the new order will be retired on a modest, livable stipend and not be further harassed as long as you remain private. Some of the most criminal of the elites will have to meet final justice but it will be served cleanly and measuredly, there will be no torture, no camps, and families will be spared and treated well.
You can give power to the leader, who will formalize and privatize government, or you can try your odds with chekists, Islamic militants, and right-wing death squads?
This is the neoreactionary bargain to the elites: surrender power to a leader to formalize government and be treated well, or be exterminated by one of the populist groups.
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Honestly, as one of the most prol of the neoreactionaries, the less charitable parts of me wouldn’t mind seeing our criminal elites meet right-wing death squads. I’d probably feel some primal satisfaction upon hearing of the fire-bombing of Yale and Harvard, the torching of the Federal Reserve with everyone in it, the decimation of Washington, and the staff of NYT and Gawker going for helicopter rides.
But Christian charity compels me towards mercy, so I hope they take the bargain.
“Honestly, as one of the most prol of the neoreactionaries, the less charitable parts of me wouldn’t mind seeing our criminal elites meet right-wing death squads. I’d probably feel some primal satisfaction upon hearing of the fire-bombing of Yale and Harvard, the torching of the Federal Reserve with everyone in it, the decimation of Washington, and the staff of NYT and Gawker going for helicopter rides.’
C’mon Free Northerner – be optimistic. We can hope that they don’t surrender until at least a few helicopter rides.
You have a knack for the succinct. The offer you describe has substantial basis in history.
Even in the best case scenario, there’s still going to be a need for right-wing death squads seeing how true believers (e.g. “antifa” activists) are very violent and deranged people that refuse to see reason.
I think your bargain is fair and smart politically as well. Within the political science field exists the so called “Theory of Democratic Peace.” This theory appears to show that “democracies” do not generally have wars against other “democracies.” Of course, these “democracies” are under the thumb of the Anglo-American-Judeo power structure, but that isn’t the point. The pertinent part in relation to your bargain in the transition to “democracy.” It was found that when the elites of the old regimes (the “non-democratic” regimes) were facing a dire outcome they were more likely to not go out without a fight. But when they were given a deal (which in these cases meant that they were given a role in the new “Democratic” regime) they were much more likely to accept the change and the overall transition went smoother. By giving *most* of the elites a peaceful way out, you’re making the transition smoother. Good job sir. You’re also correct that a small group of the most guilty elites will need to face final justice. A new order cannot begin without seeing some red flow into the earth.
The credentialed need to return to the colleges, and the colleges seen as sheltered workshop for those who are intelligent but unwise.
They’ll take the deal when it makes sense to, if we can offer it—and it is by no means certain that we can.
Chaos is coming, whether in turbans, cowboy boots, or dreadlocks. The NRX project is and must be: build a metaphorical ark.
A good way to think of this is: Imagine the Jews did all the nasty stuff Hitler said they did in prewar Germany. Grr, those Jews, profiting off of the volk! Hitler’s popularist rise was a foregone conclusion—but for Jews to give up their ill-gotten spot in society and flee, there had to be an America to flee to.
Have kids! Know your neighbors!