TESCREAL is an acronym coined in 2023 by Émile Torres, a transhumanist critic, and Timnit Gebru, an AI bias researcher. It encapsulates a bundle of ideologies often associated with Silicon Valley's elite techno-utopianism. The acronym stands for Transhumanism, Extropianism, Singularitarianism, Cosmism, Rationalism, Effective Altruism, and Longtermism【10†source】. These ideologies are interrelated and collectively form what could be described as a "court philosophy" for the global oligarch class, advocating for accelerating inequality towards the goal of colonizing distant galaxies. This set of beliefs lionizes the notion of an evolutionary phase change or technological singularity that, according to its proponents, can only be realized through elite control over the world's resources.
The ideology encapsulates a futuristic vision where advancements in AI, space exploration, and possibly even the manipulation of life itself are seen as essential steps toward humanity's progress. It reflects a blend of optimism about technological progress and a contentious belief in the necessity of hierarchical, elite-driven control over such advancements. TESCREAL's critics caution against its potential to justify increasing material inequality and the monopolization of resources and opportunities by a privileged few, warning that it could exacerbate societal divides rather than bridge them.
TESCREALism's emphasis on a future dominated by elite control and its vision for humanity's technological ascension highlight significant philosophical and ethical debates within the broader discussions about the direction of technological progress and who gets to dictate that trajectory.