Field Note #49. On "Cypherpunk Hero"

Source: Enrico Beltramini, "Against Technocratic Authoritarianism. A Short Intellectual History of the Cypherpunk Movement" in "Internet Histories (2020)

The Main Idea.

The strict linkage between "the cypherpunk" and "the libertarian" – which linkage can, in part, be traced to a 1993 Wired cover story by Steven Levy ("Crypto Rebels") – is misleading, betraying nuance and depth of the movement.

The deep philosophical underpinnings of the cypherpunk, echoing ideas of critical theory giants from the Frankfurt School, Michel Foucaut, et al., seemingly have been lost; or worse, coopted by the "crypto poseur."

The Details.