I now announce, with great pleasure, the knighting of the newest initiate of the Shadow Kingdom. Sir Cache Allot is a software engineer, an expert in information security and cryptography, has an exceptional academic background with research in another relevant CS sub-discipline, and is a long-time libertarian. His cryptographic armor will shield us from the claws of the Great Dragon who opposes us; his artifices will hide us from its yellow-hued eyes.
Arise, Sir Cache Allot, and rejoice: you are now a noble in our cryptographic brotherhood.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
The Empty Camp
"Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it was, and fled for their life."
"I have seen knights setting forth, beginning assaults and standing muster, and sometimes retreating to save themselves."
"Ravenous greed would devour everything and then discover other wants. No bridle can restrain man's disordered desires within reasonable bounds."
Greetings, Light-Children of the Shadow Kingdom.
We begin this catechism with a call:
Hail G_d who brings Order to Chaos!
And hail the Light-Children, the joyful slaves of G_d, who build the pyramid named Order from the empty and chaotic sand! May our work be a monument not of trunkless legs but of noble stone.
As we build the Shadow Kingdom it must be with open eyes and hearts. The lie that humanity is free is proven false by the bold bacteria legion in our tissue. We are all symbionts. We are unwilling slaves to our genes and our generations. We are often willing slaves to our loves and to our lineage. We can be best used as joyful slaves to G_d id est joyful slaves to the greatest work: building and preserving Order. Do not let the words of the Enemy entrap your heart. Our first freedom is the freedom to shackle ourselves to greatness. Our finest freedom is choosing Good over evil and Order over chaos.
In our last catechism, we held the Fundamental Tenant, from my Consolation:
"Only the wise can do what they want to do."
The First Harmonic Tenant follows naturally from it:
"No man can be rich who cries fearfully and considers himself to be poor."
Fools live in fantasy. They believe themselves beset by enemies waiting to snatch what little they have, even if that little is a house on the hill. They build walls of laws and project their fearful thoughts onto the hearts of all. Every setback is a devastation and every closed door is the end of the world. When one considers the state of such men who run our state it is a miracle we are left unmolested.
The wise live in reality. In a typo I wrote "freality." Though an ugly word it is a good descriptor. The wise live in a reality that gives freedom of thought and action. Because fools believe in the fantasy of personal freedom, every failing is a failure. Because the wise know that freedom exists only to be given away, every failing is a correction. Because the wise live in reality, a wise man stripped of physical possessions knows that nothing has been taken from him. Fools place their treasure in earthy delights. The treasure of the wise is in knowledge and family.
It is for this reason I call you my children. The Shadow Kingdom is a family. Progressive Fools, led by the Enemy have sought to destroy the family for these three-hundred years and perhaps three-thousand more. We will rebuild it and with the bonds of blood we will stand together and thrive.
Fides Et Conscienta,
Father Boethius
"I have seen knights setting forth, beginning assaults and standing muster, and sometimes retreating to save themselves."
"Ravenous greed would devour everything and then discover other wants. No bridle can restrain man's disordered desires within reasonable bounds."
Greetings, Light-Children of the Shadow Kingdom.
We begin this catechism with a call:
Hail G_d who brings Order to Chaos!
And hail the Light-Children, the joyful slaves of G_d, who build the pyramid named Order from the empty and chaotic sand! May our work be a monument not of trunkless legs but of noble stone.
As we build the Shadow Kingdom it must be with open eyes and hearts. The lie that humanity is free is proven false by the bold bacteria legion in our tissue. We are all symbionts. We are unwilling slaves to our genes and our generations. We are often willing slaves to our loves and to our lineage. We can be best used as joyful slaves to G_d id est joyful slaves to the greatest work: building and preserving Order. Do not let the words of the Enemy entrap your heart. Our first freedom is the freedom to shackle ourselves to greatness. Our finest freedom is choosing Good over evil and Order over chaos.
In our last catechism, we held the Fundamental Tenant, from my Consolation:
"Only the wise can do what they want to do."
The First Harmonic Tenant follows naturally from it:
"No man can be rich who cries fearfully and considers himself to be poor."
Fools live in fantasy. They believe themselves beset by enemies waiting to snatch what little they have, even if that little is a house on the hill. They build walls of laws and project their fearful thoughts onto the hearts of all. Every setback is a devastation and every closed door is the end of the world. When one considers the state of such men who run our state it is a miracle we are left unmolested.
The wise live in reality. In a typo I wrote "freality." Though an ugly word it is a good descriptor. The wise live in a reality that gives freedom of thought and action. Because fools believe in the fantasy of personal freedom, every failing is a failure. Because the wise know that freedom exists only to be given away, every failing is a correction. Because the wise live in reality, a wise man stripped of physical possessions knows that nothing has been taken from him. Fools place their treasure in earthy delights. The treasure of the wise is in knowledge and family.
It is for this reason I call you my children. The Shadow Kingdom is a family. Progressive Fools, led by the Enemy have sought to destroy the family for these three-hundred years and perhaps three-thousand more. We will rebuild it and with the bonds of blood we will stand together and thrive.
Fides Et Conscienta,
Father Boethius
Friday, January 29, 2010
The First Knight of the Shadow Kingdom
We have now knighted the newest initiate to the Shadow Kingdom, who has sworn the oath of fealty and offered his services to aid in the advancement of our goals. Sir Francis Walsingham has mastered the arcane art of "software engineering", is a skilled applied mathematician, and knows a thing or two about investing and web-based start-ups. His skill-set is so relevant to our first fief that someday missionaries will tell his tale to convince nihilist savages that the universe is divinely ordered.
Our week-old fief is now four nobles strong, and I am quite pleased with our progress. We still need new nobles, dedicated to the ideals of liberty, who possess the following skills/areas of knowledge: web design, programming, cryptography, feudalism, network engineering, web-based start-ups, seigneurialism, onion routing, Jiu Jitsu, finance, joint stock companies, law, neocameralism, system penetration, opinion entitlement, usury, information security, and/or horsemanship. Current compensation: title, including partial ownership of fief (shares). Contact me to for more information.
Our week-old fief is now four nobles strong, and I am quite pleased with our progress. We still need new nobles, dedicated to the ideals of liberty, who possess the following skills/areas of knowledge: web design, programming, cryptography, feudalism, network engineering, web-based start-ups, seigneurialism, onion routing, Jiu Jitsu, finance, joint stock companies, law, neocameralism, system penetration, opinion entitlement, usury, information security, and/or horsemanship. Current compensation: title, including partial ownership of fief (shares). Contact me to for more information.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Prophesy against Gog!
"Therefore, thou son of man, prophecy against Gog, and say, 'Thus saith the Lord G_d; "Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Democracy and Progressivism!"
"Of those he seemed the one who wins, not the one who loses."
"Do we not agree that happiness is good?"
Greetings, Light-Children of the Shadow Kingdom,
You have been led to our halls by G_d. It matters not the name or face you give; nor does even your belief or unbelief shake this fact. Now you are here, it would do well to get you acquainted with our way.
The Shadow Kingdom waits for the day when "the light shall pierce the darkness." You, my Light-Children, shall pierce the darkness of self-obsession and arrogance that leads the Foul'd Enemy to Progressive Ignorance masquerading as the Good (as if such miscreants had read Father Plato! Infantile!). You shall be Priests and Knights, Lords and Burghers, Craftsmen and Learned Doctors.
Over the coming weeks, we shall explore the culture and faith of the Shadow Kingdom. Our fundamental tenant comes from my Consolation:
"Only the wise can do what they want to do."
You have seen the desires of men for peace and prosperity go astray. Promises of Hope and Change preceded our Fair President and have not been fulfilled (indeed, they have been roundly perverted!) because they were the promises of fools. "The wicked follow their desires but they cannot accomplish what they want. For they do what they feel like doing, and they suppose that they will find among their pleasures the good they are really looking for."
The wise know that freedom is an infinite good that requires work to be brought into this world. Fools believe freedom is finite and can only be stolen.
It is for this reason that The Shadow Kingdom is a Kingdom and not a Republic or Democracy. Democracy is rule by fool and the greatest of all designed Republics cannot but devolve into Democracy. For further discourse on this precise subject, we defer to Brother Mencius Moldbug.
Fides Et Conscienta,
Father Boethius
"Of those he seemed the one who wins, not the one who loses."
"Do we not agree that happiness is good?"
Greetings, Light-Children of the Shadow Kingdom,
You have been led to our halls by G_d. It matters not the name or face you give; nor does even your belief or unbelief shake this fact. Now you are here, it would do well to get you acquainted with our way.
The Shadow Kingdom waits for the day when "the light shall pierce the darkness." You, my Light-Children, shall pierce the darkness of self-obsession and arrogance that leads the Foul'd Enemy to Progressive Ignorance masquerading as the Good (as if such miscreants had read Father Plato! Infantile!). You shall be Priests and Knights, Lords and Burghers, Craftsmen and Learned Doctors.
Over the coming weeks, we shall explore the culture and faith of the Shadow Kingdom. Our fundamental tenant comes from my Consolation:
"Only the wise can do what they want to do."
You have seen the desires of men for peace and prosperity go astray. Promises of Hope and Change preceded our Fair President and have not been fulfilled (indeed, they have been roundly perverted!) because they were the promises of fools. "The wicked follow their desires but they cannot accomplish what they want. For they do what they feel like doing, and they suppose that they will find among their pleasures the good they are really looking for."
The wise know that freedom is an infinite good that requires work to be brought into this world. Fools believe freedom is finite and can only be stolen.
It is for this reason that The Shadow Kingdom is a Kingdom and not a Republic or Democracy. Democracy is rule by fool and the greatest of all designed Republics cannot but devolve into Democracy. For further discourse on this precise subject, we defer to Brother Mencius Moldbug.
Fides Et Conscienta,
Father Boethius
Sunday, January 24, 2010
The First Priest of Crypto-Seigneurialism: Father Boethius Ordained
I have now ordained the First Priest of Crypto-Seigneurialism, who has chosen the name Father Boethius. Father Boethius has a frightening intellect, astonishing erudition, a long history commenting at all the right blogs, and a distinguished, verifiable publication list in a professional-level venue.
Those of you contacting me desirous of priesthood, take note. I am forced by practical concerns to reject the applications of those who have nothing I can evaluate: if you don’t have a blog, or published works, or a thesis, there really is no way I can tell if your contributions will be valuable, or even where your sympathies truly lie.
If you are a programmer or IT specialist, rather than a writer, contact me instead regarding knighthood. To put it simply:
Knights = nerds
Priests = poets
The knights will serve as programmers and in information security roles. Just as in feudal times, ownership of “property” hinges on the ability to defend it, and just as in feudal times, Father Boethius and his brethren will enforce our principles, wielding the weapon of excommunication.
Those of you contacting me desirous of priesthood, take note. I am forced by practical concerns to reject the applications of those who have nothing I can evaluate: if you don’t have a blog, or published works, or a thesis, there really is no way I can tell if your contributions will be valuable, or even where your sympathies truly lie.
If you are a programmer or IT specialist, rather than a writer, contact me instead regarding knighthood. To put it simply:
Knights = nerds
Priests = poets
The knights will serve as programmers and in information security roles. Just as in feudal times, ownership of “property” hinges on the ability to defend it, and just as in feudal times, Father Boethius and his brethren will enforce our principles, wielding the weapon of excommunication.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
It Begins
An entrepreneur has contacted me with an exciting proposal for the first crypto-seigneurialist fief. I’ve asked him to draw up a business plan, which should be done sometime next week.
The structure of crypto-seigneurialism, which will be further explained in my next post, requires an entity with the authority to grant titles. I have thus proclaimed myself Sovereign Founder and have granted the title of Baron to our entrepreneur, who has chosen the name Baron Fulk Nerra.
The project will use PHP and MySQL, so if you’d like to help for fun, profit, or knighthood: study up.
Also, Mencius Moldbug has set up a pledge fund, and he certainly deserves to be well-paid for the incredible body of work he has produced, but I fear we may see the end of Unqualified Reservations as a full-time blog.
Crypto-seigneurialism offers a solution. In Crypto-Seigneurialism Revealed, I spoke of “priests and cardinals offering oversight and ideas, the anonymous intellectuals of the crypto-economy, the chosen bloggers of neo-medievalism.” This, of course, is a paid position, and that Moldbug's blogging-fund ran dry at the same time that Perkunos chose to reveal crypto-seigneurialism seems more than coincidence.
I agree with Bruce Charlton that modern academia, by emphasis on specialization, agreeableness, and conscientiousness, prevents high IQ individuals from becoming revolutionary scientists, and that is likely what happened in Moldbug’s case … as well as in the case of another reactionary blogger, TGGP.
Even as extremely gifted individuals who seem to love nothing more than independent research, formally trained in CS, self-taught in economics, they don't quite fit in modern institutions, and yet are perfect for our priesthood.
If Baron Fulk Nerra’s fief ends up profitable – and I believe it will – then I, Sovereign Founder Ivan Navi, will command the Baron to tithe his profits for the establishment of a church, with initial offers of priesthood to the aforementioned bloggers.
We’ll see if the business plan is as convincing to you as it was to me.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Crypto-Seigneurialism Revealed
My eyes hold, unblinking, eyelids repelled like two like magnetite poles. The twinge in my liver tells me I’ve gone too far and I try typing. Hands twitching in the monitor’s light in a darkness too dark to see jaundice.
On your second sleepless modafinil night you can watch each object move and melt like stained glass panes into shadows. In certain states you are compelled by addict receptors to make cocktails, nicotine mints between gums and lips as you swallow an extra deprenyl pill with dribbling lukewarm coffee.
Then sometimes the steady monitor screen starts to make the same silly scene and you find your focus fixed on a cursor trailing the tricks and soon the sun shines through the half-closed slats of your blinds.
But tonight is a night of focus and I'm steady. Everything is steady. Except that this thread suddenly splices two days of manic dreams into a single incoherent thought that’s sprouted and growing on my screen like a volcanic island from the sea; it fills my dark room with silver light and a wolf howls through the speakers of the laptop on my knees. I hear hoof beats and see a pale horse and rider approaching in 3D.
The rider nears. He’s wearing wolf furs and a wolf-head hood and his horse looks much like a mustang. He has a black beard and flowing mane and he’s now prominent on the screen, regarding me directly. His eyes take in sights with uncivilized vigilance, with a precision fine-tuned in some wilderness spread across steppes. His left hand loosely grips the handle of his war hammer; the muscles, the sinews – the skeletal frame itself – are fearfully thick, of a stock not yet domesticated. He regards me with all the contempt of nobility. He bears danger, savage and royal, like a lion ready to spring. The warrior speaks:
On your second sleepless modafinil night you can watch each object move and melt like stained glass panes into shadows. In certain states you are compelled by addict receptors to make cocktails, nicotine mints between gums and lips as you swallow an extra deprenyl pill with dribbling lukewarm coffee.
Then sometimes the steady monitor screen starts to make the same silly scene and you find your focus fixed on a cursor trailing the tricks and soon the sun shines through the half-closed slats of your blinds.
But tonight is a night of focus and I'm steady. Everything is steady. Except that this thread suddenly splices two days of manic dreams into a single incoherent thought that’s sprouted and growing on my screen like a volcanic island from the sea; it fills my dark room with silver light and a wolf howls through the speakers of the laptop on my knees. I hear hoof beats and see a pale horse and rider approaching in 3D.
The rider nears. He’s wearing wolf furs and a wolf-head hood and his horse looks much like a mustang. He has a black beard and flowing mane and he’s now prominent on the screen, regarding me directly. His eyes take in sights with uncivilized vigilance, with a precision fine-tuned in some wilderness spread across steppes. His left hand loosely grips the handle of his war hammer; the muscles, the sinews – the skeletal frame itself – are fearfully thick, of a stock not yet domesticated. He regards me with all the contempt of nobility. He bears danger, savage and royal, like a lion ready to spring. The warrior speaks:
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