On Pseudo-Galileos and Selective ‘Free Thought’

Joan Westenberg

Nov 11, 2024 — 1 min read

Every tech visionary wants to be Galileo, you notice that? They want to be that lone genius standing up to the forces of ignorance, “questioning dogma” in the name of Science. They imagine themselves staring down the Catholic Church, the mob with their pitchforks, all because they’re too brave, too logical, too truthful for this world. They’re ready to risk it all just to tell you the sun doesn’t spin around the earth.

But half of these Galileos turn into righteous inquisitors the second anyone brings up trans rights. Suddenly, their “bold science” becomes a couple of Biology 101 slogans stapled to a tired, thousand-year-old, deeply religious Catholic ideology.

Their “critical thinking” snaps right into alignment with every crusty institution they swore they were too smart to follow. These are the people who wear “Question Everything” T-shirts but can’t fathom questioning their idea of gender because it’s “basic biology” or whatever flimsy excuse they found in a freshman textbook fifteen years ago.

We’re in this bizarre situation where the people actually challenging norms—trans people, queer folks, anyone even slightly outside the “normal” box—are the ones facing down all the backlash. They’re the ones putting themselves on the line to expand how we see each other, pushing for a future that doesn’t have a place in the tech intellectuals’ flowcharts.

They’re doing what Galileo actually did: they’re making everyone uncomfortable by suggesting, hey, maybe our understanding of reality isn’t complete yet, maybe there’s more to the universe than a rigid little belief system.

Meanwhile, tech’s rationalist LARPers just keep clutching their pearls, citing “immutable truths” like they’re reading off a papal decree. They claim to be free thinkers, but they’re really just defending the same boring old hierarchy in slightly shinier packaging.

If these folks had a time machine, they'd be right there with the church, slapping Galileo with a lawsuit for daring to look at the stars and say, hey, maybe there’s something more.

Want to Make It as a Creator? Be Famous, Go Viral or Go Fuck Yourself.

Here’s the brutal truth about mainstream success: You either need to be famous already, or you need to be willing to light yourself on fire for attention. That’s it. Those are your options. Yes, there are exceptions, but it largely comes down to those two. This isn’t

Everything Is Always Getting Worse (Until It Isn't)

A few months ago, I found myself doomscrolling through X (first mistake) when I found a thread about how “everything is getting worse.” The author had assembled an impressive collection of graphs showing declining trust in institutions, rising polarization, increasing mental health issues among teens, and various other metrics of

Meet the Conflict Entrepreneurs. They’re Fucking All of Us.

Social media runs on conflict. This isn’t exactly breaking news — but what’s worth thinking about is how this has spawned an entire class of what we might call “professional conflict entrepreneurs” and their cousins, the “trauma grifters.” These are the folks who have figured out how to monetize

You Got Dragged on the Internet. Stop Building a Shrine to It.

“Once the bear’s hug has got you, it is apt to be for keeps.” — Harold MacMillan A pattern, common to the internet in 2024. Someone has a conflict with a member of Group X. Let’s say they get called out, publicly shamed or — yes — cyberbullied, by right wing

Read more

Want to Make It as a Creator? Be Famous, Go Viral or Go Fuck Yourself.

Everything Is Always Getting Worse (Until It Isn't)

Meet the Conflict Entrepreneurs. They’re Fucking All of Us.

You Got Dragged on the Internet. Stop Building a Shrine to It.