The Beginnings of Curtis Yarvin -- Ed Walker - EmptyWheel

[erronis]

This introduction to this series should be read first. It has the index to all posts in this series.

Marcy points out that there is no policy in the Trump administration, only destruction, revenge, and palace intrigue. That’s a great start for Curtis Yarvin and the evil shits surrounding Trump, especially the destruction part. This post introduces Curtis Yarvin’s justification for that nihilistic approach.

The first post at The Substack Gray Mirror

Yarvin explains that the Grey Mirror substack is a sandbox for drafting a book. The book is intended to serve as a public policy manual for the leader of a new regime which will replace the current regime in the United States.

Policy is the art of the possible. Today’s possible is relative to an amorphous network of influential stakeholders. Any new idea must first be measured for relevance by its proximity to this meta-institution. The mirror’s abstract prince had no one to please but himself and God. His policy could and must be absolute.

I think the first three sentences are meant as criticism of democracy on the grounds that it spreads power among too many people, making it easy to block or affect policy. The meaning of the last two is clear: the new regime will be a one-man rule, and I do mean man . There will be be a new regime eventually because all regimes fail. And it will be under the control of a single man, because “if you want a completely different government, submitting to one person is the only way to get it.”

His prince has to start from scratch to build his regime. Most of the existing institutions can’t be remodeled to fit with the new regime. That leads to his idiosyncratic use of the term nihilist. His plan is nihilist because “… it’s a plan for building ex nihilo, from nothing.”

. . .

[SheltieLover]

1. Kick

[erronis]

2. Thanks. I'm not sure how many of us (DUers) can dig into Ed's very erudite posts.

I'd like to think I can grasp some smallish percentage of the content, but it makes me feel better for trying.

Missing my dogs. And looking for housing in my area having a pet is a serious disadvantage. I'll live vicariously with others (or go help at a shelter...)

[JohnnyLib2]

3. One to watch

Curtis Yarvin is one to keep an eye on, especially regarding any ties to Trump's shadowy inner circle.
Thanks for posting.

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. Link to the page your excerpt comes from:

https://www.emptywheel.net/2025/04/22/the-beginnings-of-curtis-yarvin/

I'm not sure that "Introduction to..." does have an index yet - "The Beginnings..." is listed at the top of the general "Recent Posts" for Empty Wheel, but nothing specific to Yarvin.

It's a shame that Google doesn't find old DU posts as efficiently as it used to - Yarvin/Moldbug was discussed here a bit, around 2015 I think (as "alt-right" seemed to bubble up), but I can find very little of it now.

[erronis]

5. Thank you. I usually try to put a link to the quoted article at the top of my post

but I definitely forgot to this time. Appreciate your help!

I find the google search in DU to be pretty lame - returning results in some undetermined order. The "advanced" search has been very slow for me so I don't even try it any more. That said, I really/really appreciate DU and the community.

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. I found a few Yarvin threads - 2016 and 2017

but the only way to find them was to restrict the advanced search to posts I made myself - without that, it times out.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1016166026
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10028613053
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1016194547