Danny Hillis is an inventor and engineer of complex machines. He has designed some of the fastest computers in the world and one of the slowest mechanical devices: the 10,000-year Clock of the Long Now.
I have many thoughtful friends who are depressed about the state of the world. I am less depressed than they are — not because I’m an optimist, or because I deny the evil and stupidity in our polit...
The strongest version of this narrative is its historical demonstration of a recurring pattern: leaders who prioritize spectacle over substance inevitably collapse when reality intrudes. Hillis effectively steelmans the argument by showing how Napoleon III, Mussolini, and Marcos each used propaganda, suppressed dissent, and surrounded themselves with yes-men, leading to systemic failures. The analysis is compelling in its consistency—each leader’s downfall was precipitated by a refusal to confro...