And also, I didn’t think it had the sureness of aim this author displays in other articles. I kind of feel it’s a bit of work in progress, it could perhaps benefit from a rewrite or some in depth editing.
Particularly the first part, the historic context. I thought it could be leaner, more to the point, the prose not to the usual standard. I found it too prolix and lacking in engagement, like the writer felt he had to touch on it but didn’t relish the idea too much. I confess I skimmed it.
But all in all I enjoyed it, I’d like to read more about this idea, the eunuch caste and power.
Impressive and compelling interpretation of History.
A stimulating read.
However, the stretch is a bit too long between (a) explaining the eunuch in prior epochs, to (b) addressing the contemporary appearance of the eunuch.
That weakens the connection, and there’s still a question of why exactly the eunuch today would fit the same purpose, when elites now are not necessarily protecting their women or daughters from male servants.
I agree. I read the whole thing and found it fascinating, but I’d like to see the titular subject addressed earlier in the piece and in more breadth/depth. The premise is really interesting and it would be helpful if the premise were more accessible to readers.
Actually, your essay also spurred further thought about the subject as well as some research of my own. Between your essay and the recent WPATH guidelines shining a light on how relevant THEY see eunuchism, I want to unpack the historic roles of eunuchs throughout history to shed light on how this newly created class is functioning today. I find it especially relevant that perhaps the most common role of eunuchs historically is to "guard the harem," but there are other relevant roles as well to look at. For instance, Richard Rachel Levine and his powerful role as a eunuch in government definitely resonates historically. I also recently discovered that both Tranada and Taiwan also have top health officials that are eunuchs. Wondering if there are more!
The Pritzker family and Rothblatts as well; powerful bourgeois families in tech, medicine, and finance (and Levine in both medicine and now military affairs; that Sam weirdo in nuclear energy who steals women's luggages isn't a eunuch per se but is closely associated). Many eunuchs in computer science (which is a kind of "priestly" caste I would say since they create the software worlds/cultures we interact with daily) and in automated warfare capacities (drone development, smart bombs, etc.). Should have included all this in the original essay 😅
100%! Not a lot of info easily obtainable on the 'net about eunuchs in history, but just the Wikipedia entry is reflective of how those closely the men you've mentioned resonate with the role of eunuchs in history. It's creepy how well researched the Wikipedia entry is!
I wish I really knew how to do academic research, or had access to academic sources. Most of the topics I'm curious about have been washed from public access, such as the eugenics movement of the 20th century. There's barely anything. Looks like same root word, coincidentally.
Responding very late but eugenics and eunuch don't really have the same root. Eunuch is derived from the Greek for "bedroom guard" (eune- bedroom, -ekhein to hold) and eugenics is derived from "good heritage" (eu- good, -genos family or race). Google Scholar, CORE, and JStor have a lot of freely accessible academic sources, as well as a lot of subject-specific databases if you're interested!
Interesting that two words that begin with EU- would have such different history. Thanks for the correction. I had not heard of those sources, so thanks for that as well. I've made note.
For me, the general concept is bang on, how superorganisms breed the types they need, and how those needs arise in the course of their lifespans. What I'd like to see though is a lot more attention to the phenomenon of technologically-induced evolution-domestication, and to the struggle that's ensued between our hunter-gatherer social instincts, more like social primates, and our increasingly more social-insect behavioral instincts surely accruing, and at accelerating rate, via epigenetic evolution. The piece begins with technological determinism, in pointing-out how it was our transition to agriculture that created the conditions for superorganisms like states to develop. (James Scott would add that more specifically, it was grain agriculture).
I think too that, even though it may true that China is weaker now, and hence induced to appear more the hard-nose realist, the current trend and longer-term future is very clear: The society in which a collectivist ant-colony spirit is dominant is the one that will ultimately become the stronger under the modern agro-techno-industrial tech&resource paradigm. The US-West superorganism is now pressured more strongly than ever to fully domesticate its people, and maybe the appearance of the neo-eunuch class is a part of that process, or, all other factors, esp energy&earth resource supply, being equal, it will be eclipsed as the greatest superorganism on the planet. The Chinese had the headstart advantage on this long ago when they transitioned not just to grain agriculture but to irrigated grain (rice) agriculture. The US-West, in order to ensure its power position must be "Sino-fied". Besides making more money for themselves via IR4 tech investments, that is precisely the program of the WEF Great Reset, is it not?
Interesting device for a history lesson, but doesn’t feel terribly relevant. A better explanation for the last 50-100 years is Malthusianism (see Schellenberger), societal destruction by, among others, normalizing the abnormal.
The “performers” derive pleasure from destruction. Like taggers, that’s what they live for; if they can’t build, might as well destroy.
Malthusianism is little more than a modern iteration of the kind of mystical dynastic eugenics that was practiced before science as we now know it reared its head. It sought to explain, to naturalize, and to prescribe the booms and busts of empires past for use by the new bourgeois ruling class. It isn't just about "tearing everything down" for the sake of it. It advocates killing off surplus labor in some manner to prevent uprisings and systems collapse. For leaders of this system, it is relatively sound theory to build policy off of. For everyone else, it leads to things like this, but Malthusianism alone doesn't explain why trans is so presently revered among the ruling classes. Additionally, even though the numbers are alarming, medicalized transition is done to very few people out of the entire population. An explosive growth, yes, but relatively few in total. And upon doing it, one immediately ascends to a vaunted position, a priest-like or holy position granted by state ideology and law which transcends one's visible biological category. The Malthusian lens doesn't account for this. It accounts for sterilization efforts and subverting familial norms to prevent births, but it does not explain, on its own, why trans is given the treatment it's given.
The next morning when the doctor came in, David said, “I’d rather be dead than a eunuch. I have no reason to live now.”
“David, things aren’t as bad as they seem. In fact they’re better than you can imagine,” he emphatically replied.
“What the hell are you talking about!” David angrily yelled. “You cut everything off and tell me there is a bright side to it? I’ll bet you wouldn’t say that if I sliced your package off.”
“It was necessary to save your life, David, and you have a lot of options,” the doctor said with authority.
“What options! Jump off the hospital roof!” David exclaimed. “The best option would be me dying on the table. Sex was the best part of my life, now I’ll never feel good again.”
“You’re wrong, David. If you thought sex was good before, it will be ten times better now,” the doctor said with a stern look.
“How can nothing be better than something?” he asked, shaking his head in confusion.
“Pleasure isn’t caused by your organs, David, it’s from what they send to your brain. Those signals were carried by nerves from the organs to your spine, and I connected them to the interface I put
under your skin in the sunken region. And in a few weeks it’ll be ready to connect to a prosthetic that works better than you could imagine.”
“Really! That’s awesome! Why haven’t I heard about it before!” he exclaimed. A smile spread across his face, and his heart began to race just from thinking about it.
Wow. Just wow. So much of the "pushing to the extremes" of social norms by modern governments and corporations makes sense within the context of this discussion.
Late to the party, but thanks for this interesting exploration. Have you read David Graeber's Bullshit Jobs? It's also about the extension of feudalist practices post-feudalism, though not on the eunuch angle. I find both pretty convincing.
Perhaps you shall die tomorrow, or maybe you shall last to the age of 100, but die you will, for the flesh is only here a short time, and then fades away.
You are going to die, and no amount of based nietzschean will-doing shall be of any benefit to you on the other side of the grave.
Seek treasures not in the flesh, for the flesh is corruptible, but seek treasures in the spirit, for the spirit is incorruptible.
Whosoever lives as an animal denies that the spirit is in him, and woe unto him when he loses his body: for he returns to the spirit as a beast of the flesh, and in the spirit, the ways of a beast are of no profit.
A transsexual is a cat, you are a dog, but only the image of God shall return to the spirit unharmed.
Interesting topic, intriguing threads here. Worth pursuing.
And also, I didn’t think it had the sureness of aim this author displays in other articles. I kind of feel it’s a bit of work in progress, it could perhaps benefit from a rewrite or some in depth editing.
Particularly the first part, the historic context. I thought it could be leaner, more to the point, the prose not to the usual standard. I found it too prolix and lacking in engagement, like the writer felt he had to touch on it but didn’t relish the idea too much. I confess I skimmed it.
But all in all I enjoyed it, I’d like to read more about this idea, the eunuch caste and power.
Impressive and compelling interpretation of History.
A stimulating read.
However, the stretch is a bit too long between (a) explaining the eunuch in prior epochs, to (b) addressing the contemporary appearance of the eunuch.
That weakens the connection, and there’s still a question of why exactly the eunuch today would fit the same purpose, when elites now are not necessarily protecting their women or daughters from male servants.
Good points and thoughtful criticism! Will have to sit on this longer for a proper response.
I agree. I read the whole thing and found it fascinating, but I’d like to see the titular subject addressed earlier in the piece and in more breadth/depth. The premise is really interesting and it would be helpful if the premise were more accessible to readers.
I will take this into account when I address the subject again!
Your comment actually spurred a companion piece to this one that should be coming out end of April!
Actually, your essay also spurred further thought about the subject as well as some research of my own. Between your essay and the recent WPATH guidelines shining a light on how relevant THEY see eunuchism, I want to unpack the historic roles of eunuchs throughout history to shed light on how this newly created class is functioning today. I find it especially relevant that perhaps the most common role of eunuchs historically is to "guard the harem," but there are other relevant roles as well to look at. For instance, Richard Rachel Levine and his powerful role as a eunuch in government definitely resonates historically. I also recently discovered that both Tranada and Taiwan also have top health officials that are eunuchs. Wondering if there are more!
The Pritzker family and Rothblatts as well; powerful bourgeois families in tech, medicine, and finance (and Levine in both medicine and now military affairs; that Sam weirdo in nuclear energy who steals women's luggages isn't a eunuch per se but is closely associated). Many eunuchs in computer science (which is a kind of "priestly" caste I would say since they create the software worlds/cultures we interact with daily) and in automated warfare capacities (drone development, smart bombs, etc.). Should have included all this in the original essay 😅
100%! Not a lot of info easily obtainable on the 'net about eunuchs in history, but just the Wikipedia entry is reflective of how those closely the men you've mentioned resonate with the role of eunuchs in history. It's creepy how well researched the Wikipedia entry is!
I wish I really knew how to do academic research, or had access to academic sources. Most of the topics I'm curious about have been washed from public access, such as the eugenics movement of the 20th century. There's barely anything. Looks like same root word, coincidentally.
Responding very late but eugenics and eunuch don't really have the same root. Eunuch is derived from the Greek for "bedroom guard" (eune- bedroom, -ekhein to hold) and eugenics is derived from "good heritage" (eu- good, -genos family or race). Google Scholar, CORE, and JStor have a lot of freely accessible academic sources, as well as a lot of subject-specific databases if you're interested!
Interesting that two words that begin with EU- would have such different history. Thanks for the correction. I had not heard of those sources, so thanks for that as well. I've made note.
For me, the general concept is bang on, how superorganisms breed the types they need, and how those needs arise in the course of their lifespans. What I'd like to see though is a lot more attention to the phenomenon of technologically-induced evolution-domestication, and to the struggle that's ensued between our hunter-gatherer social instincts, more like social primates, and our increasingly more social-insect behavioral instincts surely accruing, and at accelerating rate, via epigenetic evolution. The piece begins with technological determinism, in pointing-out how it was our transition to agriculture that created the conditions for superorganisms like states to develop. (James Scott would add that more specifically, it was grain agriculture).
I think too that, even though it may true that China is weaker now, and hence induced to appear more the hard-nose realist, the current trend and longer-term future is very clear: The society in which a collectivist ant-colony spirit is dominant is the one that will ultimately become the stronger under the modern agro-techno-industrial tech&resource paradigm. The US-West superorganism is now pressured more strongly than ever to fully domesticate its people, and maybe the appearance of the neo-eunuch class is a part of that process, or, all other factors, esp energy&earth resource supply, being equal, it will be eclipsed as the greatest superorganism on the planet. The Chinese had the headstart advantage on this long ago when they transitioned not just to grain agriculture but to irrigated grain (rice) agriculture. The US-West, in order to ensure its power position must be "Sino-fied". Besides making more money for themselves via IR4 tech investments, that is precisely the program of the WEF Great Reset, is it not?
Interesting device for a history lesson, but doesn’t feel terribly relevant. A better explanation for the last 50-100 years is Malthusianism (see Schellenberger), societal destruction by, among others, normalizing the abnormal.
The “performers” derive pleasure from destruction. Like taggers, that’s what they live for; if they can’t build, might as well destroy.
Malthusianism is little more than a modern iteration of the kind of mystical dynastic eugenics that was practiced before science as we now know it reared its head. It sought to explain, to naturalize, and to prescribe the booms and busts of empires past for use by the new bourgeois ruling class. It isn't just about "tearing everything down" for the sake of it. It advocates killing off surplus labor in some manner to prevent uprisings and systems collapse. For leaders of this system, it is relatively sound theory to build policy off of. For everyone else, it leads to things like this, but Malthusianism alone doesn't explain why trans is so presently revered among the ruling classes. Additionally, even though the numbers are alarming, medicalized transition is done to very few people out of the entire population. An explosive growth, yes, but relatively few in total. And upon doing it, one immediately ascends to a vaunted position, a priest-like or holy position granted by state ideology and law which transcends one's visible biological category. The Malthusian lens doesn't account for this. It accounts for sterilization efforts and subverting familial norms to prevent births, but it does not explain, on its own, why trans is given the treatment it's given.
eUNUCHIVE, the Axis of Madness
From the Rise of the Hive, chapter6:
The next morning when the doctor came in, David said, “I’d rather be dead than a eunuch. I have no reason to live now.”
“David, things aren’t as bad as they seem. In fact they’re better than you can imagine,” he emphatically replied.
“What the hell are you talking about!” David angrily yelled. “You cut everything off and tell me there is a bright side to it? I’ll bet you wouldn’t say that if I sliced your package off.”
“It was necessary to save your life, David, and you have a lot of options,” the doctor said with authority.
“What options! Jump off the hospital roof!” David exclaimed. “The best option would be me dying on the table. Sex was the best part of my life, now I’ll never feel good again.”
“You’re wrong, David. If you thought sex was good before, it will be ten times better now,” the doctor said with a stern look.
“How can nothing be better than something?” he asked, shaking his head in confusion.
“Pleasure isn’t caused by your organs, David, it’s from what they send to your brain. Those signals were carried by nerves from the organs to your spine, and I connected them to the interface I put
under your skin in the sunken region. And in a few weeks it’ll be ready to connect to a prosthetic that works better than you could imagine.”
“Really! That’s awesome! Why haven’t I heard about it before!” he exclaimed. A smile spread across his face, and his heart began to race just from thinking about it.
Wow. Just wow. So much of the "pushing to the extremes" of social norms by modern governments and corporations makes sense within the context of this discussion.
Late to the party, but thanks for this interesting exploration. Have you read David Graeber's Bullshit Jobs? It's also about the extension of feudalist practices post-feudalism, though not on the eunuch angle. I find both pretty convincing.
Excellent article, breathtaking in scope and brilliant analysis, but u overestimate the strength of the status quo.
YOU ARE GOING TO DIE
Perhaps you shall die tomorrow, or maybe you shall last to the age of 100, but die you will, for the flesh is only here a short time, and then fades away.
You are going to die, and no amount of based nietzschean will-doing shall be of any benefit to you on the other side of the grave.
Seek treasures not in the flesh, for the flesh is corruptible, but seek treasures in the spirit, for the spirit is incorruptible.
Whosoever lives as an animal denies that the spirit is in him, and woe unto him when he loses his body: for he returns to the spirit as a beast of the flesh, and in the spirit, the ways of a beast are of no profit.
A transsexual is a cat, you are a dog, but only the image of God shall return to the spirit unharmed.
'Penultimate' - Next to last.