This week, Mark Leonard welcomes Curtis Yarvin, American blogger and political thinker, to talk about the ideas reshaping parts of the American right and Silicon Valley. Known for his critiques of liberal democracy, bureaucracy and what he calls “the cathedral”, Yarvin reflects on his intellectual journey from libertarianism to monarchism and explains why some of his arguments have an audience among tech figures and Trump supporters. 

Together Mark and Curtis explore the growing alliance between parts of Silicon Valley and MAGA, and why he believes modern governments are too procedural and inefficient to cope with technological and political change. From AI and automation to the future of human labour, he argues that the 21st century will force societies to rethink the purpose of government and the structure of the economy itself. 

As debates around democracy, technology and elite power intensify, this episode asks: why are more people losing faith in liberal democratic institutions? And can modern governments function effectively in an age of technological transformation? 

Bookshelf  

The Machiavellians: Defenders of Freedom by James Burnham  

Latter-Day Pamphlets by Thomas Carlyle  

Popular Government by Henry Maine 

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