Description
An unlikely gospel has surfaced in the political, military and technological discourse of recent years: J.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. Traditionally drawn upon in music, literature, and art, this fantasy classic today inspires military technology moguls and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs alike, imbuing their secular endeavors with a spiritual hue. From naming new military technology companies after Tolkien artefacts – Palantir and Anduril – to co-opting the good/evil binaries of men vs orcs in security analysis, Lord of the Rings increasingly serves as both explainer and blueprint for the self-appointed technological guardians of the West. What are we to make of this influence? What happens when fantasy escapism is forcibly remade into philosophical and geopolitical canon? In this article, we argue that Lord of the Rings constitutes an ideational scaffold for much of Silicon Valley, buttressing and sanctifying a political, ethical, and financial worldview.
