PRECIS: THE SECOND RENAISSANCE
Deep History + Hard Sci-fi
I keep tweeting this idea.
At first, it felt like a clever, throw-away observation, but the more I explore it as a framework for navigating the present and ‘predicting’ the future, the more useful it becomes.
Here’s my take:
The future will likely resemble the Middle Ages more than any other period in history. Those operating at the cutting edge with a desire to build the future would benefit from studying this era closely while looking for parallels (and critiques) in sci-fi media.
A longer essay is coming, but for now, these are the parallels I see:
AI = The Printing Press
Online + IRL Communities = Guilds
Angel Investors = Wealthy Patrons
Space Exploration = Maritime Exploration
Crypto Currencies = New Currencies and tokens created to enable trade
Decentralized Power to Nation-Scale Tech Companies = Decentralized Power to Nation-Scale Trading Companies
Tokenization of Real Assets = Joint Stock Company Equity
History doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes. Understanding the rhyming structure provides alpha.
Act accordingly.
GSTK
