This is a slightly emotional response off the back of a discussion with a heavily TESCREAList family member recently. Which concluded with his belief there are a very small number of humans with incredible information processing abilities that know the real truth about humanity’s future. He knows I hate Yudkowsky, I know he considers him one of the most important voices of our time. It’s not fun listening to someone I love and value heading into borderline scientology territory. I kind of feel like, just with Peterson a few years ago, this is the next post-truth battle on our hands.
If you are the sort of person who subscribes to the worldview that rats do (anti-collectivist, libertarian) you absolutely subscribe to the Great Man view of historiography. It’s meaningless to ask the question if “we” are more fixated in individuals. The view among historians is divided, after all. I believe the consensus view is mixed.