The Precariat: Difference between revisions

Eric Weinstein describes '''The Precariat''' as the class of scientists and intellects trapped in economic fragility. Once architects of prosperity, they no longer possess the security and [[Academic Freedom]] once associated with intellectual life, now living at the mercy of grants, bureaucracies, and "[[Peer Review]]" ([[Peer Injunction]]). Their work, a public good, creates wealth that never reaches them. Precarity silences dissent and breeds conformity; courage is unaffordable.  

Weinstein points out that the postwar understanding between society and its scientists has disappeared. Stability and prestige have been replaced by grant cycles and bureaucratic oversight. What had been a revered calling has become a desperate contest for survival, an Academic Hunger Games. Weinstein argues that restoring security and prosperity to scientists would reignite innovation, rebuild national strength, and renew civilization’s creative core. Wealth, he insists, is the antidote to corruption, fear, and decay in science.

Weinstein argues that scientific labor is structurally undervalued. Researchers produce ''public goods'' — discoveries that benefit everyone and cannot be restricted — but receive compensation inconsistent with their societal value. This is a form of "market failure," since the system rewards administration and extraction rather than creation.

Weinstein's concern applies not only to scientists but also the larger "expert class." Journalists, academics, and professionals (e.g., doctors) face the same conditions of dependence and instability.

Weinstein characterizes this as a structural process that turns independent expertise into [[Managed Reality TM|managed opinion]]. When professional survival depends on sponsorship or compliance, the public’s access to independent judgment erodes.