In\u00a0this essay, we\u00a0aim to\u00a0examine a\u00a0new ideological and cultural phenomenon that is\u00a0becoming increasingly visible at\u00a0the state level in\u00a0both Russia and the United States: the Dark Enlightenment movement. This movement represents a\u00a0hybrid of\u00a0illiberalism, techno-optimism, and Christian metaphysics.<\/p>\n
We\u00a0begin with a\u00a0brief overview of\u00a0the Western version of\u00a0the Dark Enlightenment and its main theorists, with a\u00a0particular focus on\u00a0the political theology of\u00a0Peter Thiel. We\u00a0then outline several key parallels between the Dark Enlightenment and the ideas of\u00a0the Russian conservative revolution. Finally, we\u00a0offer a\u00a0preliminary analysis of\u00a0the first official event reflecting the Russian conservative elite\u2019s aspiration to\u00a0align with Western Dark Enlightenment thinkers: the Forum of\u00a0the Future 2050, held in\u00a0Moscow on\u00a0June 9\u221210, 2025.<\/p>\n
The Dark Enlightenment<\/p>\n
The Dark Enlightenment, or\u00a0Neo-Reactionary movement, emerged within libertarian circles in\u00a0the\u00a0UK and the United States, particularly among the tech elite of\u00a0Silicon Valley and communities surrounding technology start-ups that advocate for the liberation of\u00a0capital from state control and for the right to\u00a0exercise individual freedom unbound by\u00a0contemporary liberal ethics.<\/p>\n
The movement formulates its critique of\u00a0the liberal ethos through an\u00a0explicitly anti-democratic, anti-gender, anti-immigrant, and anti-environmentalist platform. It\u00a0rejects identity politics and state support for marginalized groups while simultaneously working to\u00a0create alternative cultural frameworks and independent centers of\u00a0knowledge production.<\/p>\n
However, neo-reactionaries do\u00a0not merely critique the present in\u00a0the name of\u00a0a\u00a0techno-optimistic, corporate future; they also call for the restoration of\u00a0certain political forms of\u00a0the past\u2014namely, the reintroduction of\u00a0the sacred into politics. In\u00a0doing so, they seek to\u00a0overturn the very foundations of\u00a0European modernity, which began with the Peace of\u00a0Westphalia (1648) and the end of\u00a0the Thirty Years\u2019 War.<\/p>\n
The movement takes its name from the 2012 manifesto<\/a> The Dark Enlightenment by\u00a0British philosopher Nick Land. In\u00a0Land\u2019s view, the humanism and rational governance of\u00a0man proposed by\u00a0the old (\u00abbright\u00bb) Enlightenment of\u00a0the 18th century has exhausted itself. It\u00a0led to\u00a0the catastrophes of\u00a0the 20th century and is\u00a0no\u00a0longer capable of\u00a0addressing the complexities of\u00a0the present; instead, it\u00a0obstructs the further development of\u00a0humanity. Land speaks of\u00a0\u00abliberal degeneracy\u00bb as\u00a0a\u00a0force that holds back capitalist and posthumanist progress.<\/p>\n In\u00a0his manifesto, Land cites<\/a> Peter Thiel\u2019s 2009 essay The Education of\u00a0a\u00a0Libertarian. Thiel is\u00a0a\u00a0German-American entrepreneur and tech investor, co-founder of\u00a0PayPal and Palantir, and today one of\u00a0the most influential supporters of\u00a0Donald Trump and J.D. Vance. In\u00a0the essay, Thiel makes a\u00a0crucial distinction between democracy and freedom, stating: \u00abI\u00a0no\u00a0longer believe that freedom and democracy are compatible.\u00bb<\/p>\n In\u00a0addition to\u00a0Peter Thiel, the other key theorist of\u00a0the Dark Enlightenment who significantly influenced Nick Land\u2019s conception of\u00a0Neo-Reaction is\u00a0the American programmer and blogger Curtis Yarvin. Beginning in\u00a02007, under the pseudonym Mencius Moldbug, Yarvin used his blog Unqualified Reservations to\u00a0critique modern liberal democracy and to\u00a0envision a\u00a0future grounded in\u00a0what he\u00a0called \u00abcapitalist feudalism\u00bb (as\u00a0outlined in\u00a0his Formalist Manifesto, 2007).<\/p>\n Yarvin developed the concept of\u00a0neocameralism, which proposes transforming the state into a\u00a0corporation. According to\u00a0Yarvin, democracies are inherently inefficient and prone to\u00a0corruption. Therefore, he argues<\/a> for the establishment of\u00a0a\u00a0techno-autocracy or\u00a0CEO-monarchy, in\u00a0which a\u00a0single CEO governs the state based on\u00a0corporate management principles, emphasizing efficiency and direct accountability for leadership and outcomes.<\/p>\n Another important concept developed by\u00a0Yarvin is\u00a0the idea of\u00a0the Cathedral. According to\u00a0Yarvin<\/a>, the Cathedral represents the intellectual forces that shape the neoliberal episteme\u2014namely, universities, mainstream media, and the cultural elite\u2014which systematically suppress alternative worldviews. In\u00a0this view, the Cathedral is\u00a0an\u00a0obstacle to\u00a0true progress, and it\u00a0is\u00a0precisely this hegemonic structure that the Dark Enlightenment seeks to\u00a0challenge through its cultural war as\u00a0the vanguard of\u00a0a\u00a0future political order.<\/p>\n Thus, the theorists of\u00a0the Dark Enlightenment raise three fundamental questions that have attracted numerous followers to\u00a0what was originally a\u00a0countercultural movement:<\/p>\n the relationship between freedom and democracy; All of\u00a0these questions are addressed by\u00a0Neo-Reactionary theorists, although certain dominant themes can be\u00a0identified. The concepts of\u00a0the Cathedral and neo-monarchy are primarily developed in\u00a0the writings of\u00a0Curtis Yarvin; the notion of\u00a0non-human progress and the acceleration of\u00a0capitalism are central to\u00a0the work of\u00a0Nick Land; and the return of\u00a0metaphysics to\u00a0politics is\u00a0the key focus of\u00a0Peter Thiel\u2019s essays and public speeches.<\/p>\n What unites these thinkers is\u00a0their countercultural ethos and their shared commitment to\u00a0future-oriented political and philosophical projection.<\/p>\n Peter Thiel: The Political Theology of\u00a0the Dark Enlightenment<\/p>\n How do\u00a0these ideas relate to\u00a0the Russian version of\u00a0illiberalism? It\u00a0appears that the closest parallel to\u00a0the Russian version of\u00a0the Dark Enlightenment can be\u00a0found in\u00a0the work of\u00a0Peter Thiel, a\u00a0student of\u00a0Ren\u00e9 Girard, whom he\u00a0encountered while studying philosophy at\u00a0Stanford.<\/p>\n In\u00a0his 2004 lecture The Straussian Moment, Thiel criticizes<\/a> the West\u2019s obsession with security, which, he\u00a0argues, has led to\u00a0the erosion of\u00a0civil liberties. He\u00a0argues that the catastrophe of\u00a09\/11 exposed the failure of\u00a0economic rationalism and liberal political thought, as\u00a0the attacks revealed the existence of\u00a0a\u00a0political reality rooted not in\u00a0rational-economic motivations, but in\u00a0religious ones. He\u00a0writes:<\/p>\n \u00abThe most direct method for comprehending a\u00a0world in\u00a0which not all human beings are homo economicus would therefore appear to\u00a0involve a\u00a0return to\u00a0some version of\u00a0the older tradition.<\/p>\n [\u2026]<\/p>\n Today, mere self-preservation forces all of\u00a0us\u00a0to look at\u00a0the world anew, to\u00a0think strange new thoughts, and thereby to\u00a0awaken from that very long and profitable period of\u00a0intellectual slumber and amnesia that is\u00a0so\u00a0misleadingly called the Enlightenment.”<\/p>\n Thiel draws on\u00a0the ideas of\u00a0Carl Schmitt, Ren\u00e9 Girard, and Leo Strauss, describing<\/a> America as\u00a0the Katechon<\/a> and linking the Enlightenment\u2019s separation of\u00a0politics from religion to\u00a0the rise of\u00a0the Antichrist. In\u00a0other writings and interviews, he\u00a0argues that the West, consumed by\u00a0fear of\u00a0the Armageddon, which became tangible in\u00a0the nuclear age, has forgotten about the Antichrist.<\/p>\n During an\u00a0October 2024 interview<\/a> with Stanford University\u2019s Hoover Institution (Uncommon Knowledge with Peter Robinson), Peter Thiel suggested that the Antichrist could emerge by\u00a0exploiting apocalyptic fears and offering a\u00a0solution through global governance. He\u00a0warned that such a\u00a0figure or\u00a0system would present itself as\u00a0a\u00a0savior, initially mimicking Christian values, but ultimately subverting them through the imposition of\u00a0excessive state control.<\/p>\n In\u00a0this interview, Thiel cites A\u00a0Short Tale of\u00a0the Antichrist by\u00a0Russian religious philosopher Vladimir Solovyov (1853\u22121900)\u2014one of\u00a0the earliest Russian dystopias, published in\u00a01900\u2014in which Solovyov depicts the Antichrist as\u00a0a\u00a0figure who seduces humanity through promises of\u00a0order, peace and security.<\/p>\n Thiel envisions a\u00a0path forward for the West through resistance to\u00a0ideological state control (drawing on\u00a0the Straussian strategy of\u00a0esoteric reading) and the advancement of\u00a0AI technologies. In\u00a0his view, these tools can enable the Christian West to\u00a0prevail in\u00a0the ongoing religious conflicts without becoming a\u00a0mirror image of\u00a0its enemy. For Thiel, this means preserving Christian culture while resisting the temptation of\u00a0the Antichrist, who promises safety at\u00a0the cost of\u00a0freedom. It\u00a0is\u00a0from this political-theological worldview that Thiel founded Palantir Technologies.<\/p>\n In\u00a0his 2015 article<\/a> Against Edenism, Thiel connects the Christian concept of\u00a0theosis (i.e., the acquisition of\u00a0the Holy Spirit and deification) with techno-optimism:<\/p>\n \u00abScience and technology are natural allies to\u00a0this Judeo-Western optimism, especially if\u00a0we\u00a0remain open to\u00a0an\u00a0eschatological frame in\u00a0which God works through us\u00a0in\u00a0building the kingdom of\u00a0heaven today, here on\u00a0Earth\u00a0\u2014 in\u00a0which the kingdom of\u00a0heaven is\u00a0both a\u00a0future reality and something partially achievable in\u00a0the present.\u00bb<\/p>\n Peter Thiel\u2019s project, where techno-optimism is\u00a0combined with the idea of\u00a0the Katechon\u2014the force that holds back the coming of\u00a0the Antichrist\u2014provides a\u00a0conceptual foundation for a\u00a0potential alliance between American and Russian illiberal forces. The concept of\u00a0the Katechon plays a\u00a0central role in\u00a0Thiel\u2019s analysis<\/a> of\u00a0AI technology, as\u00a0that which is\u00a0capable of\u00a0restraining the Antichrist may also, paradoxically, hasten his arrival.<\/p>\n In\u00a0Russia, the concept of\u00a0the Katechon was introduced into political and cultural discourse in\u00a0the mid-1990s by\u00a0Alexander Dugin, who, like Peter Thiel, draws on\u00a0this idea from Carl Schmitt. In\u00a0a\u00a0recent interview with Metametrica, Alexander Dugin revealed<\/a> that representatives of\u00a0Thiel had met with him before the COVID-19 pandemic. According to\u00a0Dugin, they discussed Thiel\u2019s interest in\u00a0the ideas of\u00a0the Conservative Revolution, Eurasianism, and that Thiel had read Dugin\u2019s Foundations of\u00a0Geopolitics. A\u00a0meeting between Thiel and Dugin in\u00a0Moscow was reportedly in\u00a0the works.<\/p>\n Thiel\u2014and specifically his article<\/a> The End of\u00a0the Future (2011)\u2014is cited<\/a> in\u00a0a\u00a0new programmatic document by\u00a0the Tsargrad Institute, Russia\u2019s leading conservative think tank:<\/p>\n \u00abOver the past 60\u221270 years, no\u00a0genuine scientific or\u00a0technological breakthroughs have occurred. The first to\u00a0draw attention to\u00a0this was the leader of\u00a0American right-wing technocrats, Peter Thiel. In\u00a0his article The End of\u00a0the Future, published back in\u00a02011, he\u00a0noted that \u2018we are no\u00a0longer moving faster.\u2019\u00bb<\/p>\n This document was presented at\u00a0the Forum of\u00a0the Future 2050 in\u00a0Moscow in\u00a0June 2025.<\/p>\n Forum of\u00a0the Future 2050: Techno-Optimism and Traditionalism<\/p>\n On\u00a0June 9\u221210, the Forum of\u00a0the Future 2050 was held<\/a> at\u00a0the \u00abLomonosov\u00bb Innovation Cluster of\u00a0Moscow State University. The event was organized by\u00a0the Tsargrad Institute, founded by\u00a0Konstantin Malofeev in\u00a02023. Its stated goal is\u00a0to\u00a0formulate strategic visions for Russia\u2019s development in\u00a0the post-liberal era and to\u00a0model a\u00a0digital and technological future.<\/p>\n The Forum of\u00a0the Future 2050 is\u00a0the largest event organized by\u00a0the Tsargrad Institute to\u00a0date. It\u00a0was held with the support of\u00a0several major Russian state corporations and tech companies, including Roscosmos, the Federation of\u00a0Auto Modeling Sports of\u00a0Russia (FAMS), Robbo, and others.<\/p>\n This event can be\u00a0viewed as\u00a0the first official forum of\u00a0the Russian and American Dark Enlightenment, bringing together key technocrats and Christian traditionalists. In\u00a0addition to\u00a0Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Tsargrad Institute Director Alexander Dugin, the Forum featured prominent figures from both the Russian and Western conservative (illiberal) spheres, including Jeffrey Sachs, Alex Jones, George Galloway, Errol Musk, Peter Tolstoy, Alexey Chadayev, Sergei Pereslegin, and others.<\/p>\n The main topics discussed at\u00a0the Forum included foreign policy and national interests, culture and traditional Christian values, advanced technologies, science and space exploration, demography, and education.<\/p>\n
\nthe tension between humanism and technological progress;
\nthe return of\u00a0the sacred and the eschatological into politics (and the Christian understanding of\u00a0history as\u00a0a\u00a0collaboration between God and humanity).<\/p>\n