Since I mentioned Against Edenism in a previous post and because Ayn Rand was such a disappointment, I’ve decided to review Peter Thiel’s article.
We’re off to a promising start with a quote from the Book of Revelation right at the beginning. Long story short, Thiel believes the world is going to Malthusian hell and the only way to reach that New Jerusalem promised in John of Patmos’s visions is through technology. He also thinks that, apart from that unfortunate selling-his-soul-to-the-Devil blunder, Faust actually had a point. And he doesn’t get why we shouldn’t be able to cure mortality. Well, not dying is definitely one way to not end up in the 7th Circle of Hell.
Time for a little detour. No, I don’t think Peter Thiel is going to Hell for being gay because I’m not a religious person. I just find his selective reading of the Bible, which is not exactly gay-friendly, really confusing. There are people who believe in Jesus’s message of love, while rejecting the Bible and the Church. But Thiel is using biblical quotes to support his ideas. What I’m trying to say is that, yes, Christianity in general has become nicer about some things, but what if God is like Alan Moore and he’s witnessing all this and going “Hey! That’s not what’s in my book!”. How can Thiel or anyone else be sure their immortal soul won’t be thrown into the darkest pits of Hell because God doesn’t consider Pope Francis’s or any other religious leader’s latest feelgood speech canon? Really, how can they possibly be sure?
Back on topic. According to Thiel, without technological evolution, our democratic, capitalist society won’t survive. Sadly, Hollywood sci-fi dystopias have made everyone afraid of advanced technology. This fear is bipartisan, so no matter who we vote for, we’re screwed! He wants a future where everybody wins. Hmm, isn’t that Communism? And if we build this Heaven for real on Earth, where does that leave the meek? Weren’t they going to inherit everything? Anyway, he also believes God is working through Humanity to fix this mess. Does this mean he believes God is working through Donald Trump? Well, that would certainly explain why he makes about as much sense as the Book of Revelation most of the time.
Thiel posits that Faust’s project to reclaim land from the sea might even be part of God’s plan because the sea represents chaos and is home to Leviathan. Okay, why does he keep trying to excuse Faust? Was he considering selling his soul when he wrote this back in 2015? And has he never watched Friday, the 13th or Halloween? Evil always comes back! The end of chaos? More like Book of Revelation 2: Leviathan’s Revenge, in which we find out evil is not only immortal, but also amphibious.
So, Peter Thiel wants to make the heavenly rewards mentioned in the Book of Revelation literal through technological evolution, while skipping that bit about facing God’s final judgement? Wow, talk about hubris. And surely someone who’s familiarized with the term “bathos” knows that nothing good comes from too much hubris… Oh, and I still can’t believe this was published in a Christian magazine! Priceless.
By Danforth