Bronze Age Mindset, a political manifesto combining Nietzschean-Schopenhauerian philosophy with 4chan messageboard argot, has received widespread interest. The pseudonymous author known only as BAP is an Ivy League-educated political philosopher trained in Straussian traditions.
He sees modern society as an oppressive framework that limits human vitality, particularly among young men. It’s an appeal to unleash their animal spirits.
A Provocative Manifesto
Bronze Age Pervert’s book Bronze Age Mindset has made waves on the internet and is making headlines around the globe. He describes it as an “esoteric manual” and a “man’s guide to power.” BAM presents a vision of an alternate reality where most people live today: higher, purer, and more powerful than most. BAM draws back the curtain to reveal our modern lives as an ant farm ruled by Lords of Lies while ancients had confidence in themselves, strength in their bones, and knowledge in their blood; therefore breaking free from this Iron Prison will allow one step along their journey of power!
Bronze Age Mindset, an innovative polemical work, criticizes modern society as an oppressive framework that muzzles humanity by encouraging conformity, materialism, and weakness. The author points to Ancient Greek civilization as the antidote – its warrior ethic valued physical prowess and an insatiable thirst for triumph; therefore it should serve as an antidote. He advocates fostering bodily vigor among men while rejecting moral constraints as ways of breaking away from modern oppression; believing societal chaos necessary to form virile brotherhoods capable of toppling bureaucracies that imprison mankind.
Bronze Age Mindset can be criticized on several fronts: the author’s nihilism and relativism, attitude toward manliness, and tendency toward violence promotion. At the same time, however, there are also many things worth appreciating: as Claremont Institute Fellow Michael Anton observes, much in this book represents more than mere exhortation – including many quotes that go beyond mere exhortations!
Hunter S. Thompson’s Thus Spake Zarathustra and William S. Burroughs’ The Decline of the West could easily have taken this form, and that’s no bad thing; once you read past its superficially nihilistic tone and Internet-age neologisms, you’ll discover this is an inspiring book full of practical wisdom and masculine vitality buried under layers of disinformation.
The Decline of Western Civilization
The “decline of Western civilization” has long been an issue in public discourse. No matter your political persuasion or outlook on life, people of all stripes seem fascinated with the notion that our current global system is under strain – this interest not solely stems from the actual state of democracies and economies across the world, but more from an interest that these issues might indicate larger problems affecting human progress or possibly an acceleration thereof.
The book makes the case that modern society has become corrupted and that traditional values need to be reinstated in society. Liberal politics, media, and science seem to have rendered modernity toxic; to combat this trend, this book suggests establishing a new order based on strength, courage, and loyalty – virtues that were found among ancient civilizations.
No one knows for certain what this new order would entail; however, BAP’s broad vision of simpler and uncorrupted living appeals to many readers – particularly young men – who feel marginalized by the political establishment. Nietzschean and Heideggerian references heighten this appeal and BAP acts like a bulldozer when critiquing modernity before trying to rebuild.
Understanding the context in which a book was written is vital if one wishes to effectively analyze or criticize it. Many books and movements claiming to belong to the Right are often defined inexactly. Words such as ‘conservative,” “traditionalist,” ‘alt-right,” and ‘civic nationalist” get bandied about by mainstream media without providing much insight as to what these terms mean. However, the concept of Western Civilization can be relatively easily defined. It encompasses various cultural and economic systems like capitalism, liberal democracy, and individualism as well as various traditions like classical culture, Eastern Orthodoxy, and traditional religious practice.
The Emergence of the “Bugman”
Some on the right have fallen prey to or taken too seriously the writings of someone known by his online pseudonym Bronze Age Pervert, author of Bronze Age Mindset: a Nietzschean-Schopenhauerian political manifesto written specifically for 4chan messageboard users and defying academic, stylistic, and moral conventions – leading it to become a hit among certain segments of online right, prompting Claremont Institute columnist Michael Anton to respond strongly in the New York Review of Books before other writers followed suit here and then.
What makes this book dangerous isn’t its support of piracy or attitude toward “manliness.” These aren’t its most insidious elements; its greatest danger lies in its rejection of human meaning and purpose – this rejection has produced what this book labels “bugmen.”
Bugmen are individuals who live lives completely removed from their natural environments, rejecting traditions, religion, family ties, gender roles, and any expectations from society for what their contributions might be. Without any sense of purpose, they live lifeless existences in overcrowded, consumerist dystopias.
He exists in a world of “zombified consumers.” He’s constantly craving dopamine-fuelled highs and is constantly searching out fads he hopes will give him some sense of purpose; yet all along remaining an anonymous, shallow figure desperately clinging onto any shred of respectability in an atmosphere that frowns upon dissidence and PC culture.
His only sense of identity comes from engaging in hedonistic activities hedonism with women, in a culture that has reduced masculinity to an obsession for gadgets or fashion accessories. Like a bug, his outer shell may appear tough but beneath it lurks a fragile spirit who struggles for survival. Unfortunately, like other bugs, he is vulnerable and vulnerable. Trusting faceless corporations with his money and data keeps him chained by their will; one day it may explode outward and bring destruction wherever it goes.
The Return to Ancient Virtues
A life of virtue involves developing non-rational parts of one’s soul by instilling reliable habits that direct these non-rational aspects toward following what reason knows is right. This requires striking an intricate balance between courage and cowardice, confidence and foolishness, self-deprecation and conceit – not an easy feat when living life by faith alone; Bronze Age Mindset provides vitalist philosophy as an avenue towards this end.
This outrageous manifesto, written under the pseudonymous authorship of “Bronze Age Pervert,” offers a Nietzschean-Schopenhauerian worldview with 4chan message board argot as its framework. It has gained wide support among those frustrated with modern culture and politics.
This book seeks to revive ancient faith in power and strength. While its success remains uncertain, its impact has certainly made an impression – in years gone by such a philosophy would have been quickly dismissed as incoherent or even offensive; today, however, its appeal to young men feeling disillusioned with modern life makes its message resonate powerfully.
Many will recognize in it an idea of their true nature as men. Ancient civilizations focused on four cardinal virtues – prudence, fortitude, justice, and temperance. A recent study conducted by Katherine Dahlsgaard and her colleagues confirmed this conclusion by finding they are nearly universal across human cultures.
BAP goes far beyond ancient conceptions of human nature when discussing our true selves. He suggests that humans are born with animal spirits which our modern minds suppress, so by reconnecting with this aspect of ourselves we may escape the Iron Prison that imprisons us and find fulfillment.
He asserts that ancient virtues such as strength, heroism, and individual freedom are being lost due to the erosion of traditional hero systems and modern education’s failure to teach civic virtues. He advocates returning to ancient values of valor, honor, and integrity.
No matter your opinion on BAP’s ideas, his work has made an objective contribution to the discussion about what constitutes a good life and it has alerted people that we may be sleepingwalking towards civilization’s demise.
