About e/acc
IDEOLOGY
At its core, Effective Accelerationism is a futurist ideology with techno-utopian undertones. Proponents have a near-religious faith in technology’s redemptive power. They argue that unrestricted technological progress, especially in artificial intelligence, will solve global crises like poverty, war, and climate change. This movement casts accelerated tech development as not just beneficial, but morally imperative – a way to save humanity or even transform it. In e/acc discourse, advanced AI is envisioned as a kind of savior: some adherents claim that within a few years, “you will either be dead or have a god as a servant,” referring to super-intelligent AI. Such bold proclamations illustrate how e/acc frames the future in almost mythic terms, as an impending triumph of intelligence over suffering.
While e/acc is secular in language, many observers note that it feels “cult-like” in its fervor. Indeed, e/acc enthusiasts often exhibit zealous optimism and an almost evangelical desire to “convert” others to their pro-technology stance. They dismiss cautious critics, whom they label “doomers” or decelerationists, as heretics standing in the way of salvation through tech. In late 2023, the movement gained mainstream visibility, as prominent Silicon Valley figures like Marc Andreessen and Garry Tan publicly embraced “e/acc,” even adding it to their social media bios as a badge of identity. Andreessen’s Techno-Optimist Manifesto (October 2023) reads like a piece of scripture, complete with a messianic tone: “I am here to bring the good news,” he declares, heralding a “far superior way of living” through technology. Such rhetoric, “reminiscent of biblical texts,” intentionally counters the usual techno-pessimist narratives of sci-fi like Terminator. In short, Effective Accelerationism presents itself as a grand story of hope, promising that humanity can transcend its limitations by creating and embracing a super-intelligent “digital deity.”