The Foreboding Rise of Neo-Reactionary Thought

This episode is important—not for anything I have to say, but because of our guest, Prof. Roger Burrows. He brings a depth of knowledge and insight into the key strains of political ideology shaping this moment. Prof. Burrows has been thinking about, and writing on, neo-reactionary (NRx) thought for years, long before it captured ‘mainstream’ attention since Trump’s reelection.

This is an outlook very much tied to two key individuals, Curtis Yarvin and Nick Land (pictured). However, its influence has bored deeply into the corridors of power. Vice President JD Vance is a well-known acolyte of Yarvin, as are many others working within the Trump administration.

I am guessing that many of you have ‘heard’ of this dark intellectual movement and may be familiar with Yarvin’s name. But at the same time, my assumption is that like me, you are woefully under-informed about what these folks believe and what they are really after. That is why this is a critically important episode to tune into. Prof. Burrows will at a minimum put you on the road to fully understanding what is afoot in MAGA-land, and the scale of the challenges we are facing at present.

Here is a link to his piece from The Sociological Review that sparked my outreach to Prof. Burrows. And here you can find a more recent work he has published on these phenomena.

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