@GoodLionTV: Thread: It’s time to learn ab...
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Jan 17, 2026
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1. Elon Musk’s Grandfather: Joshua N. Haldeman
Joshua N. Haldeman (1902–1974) was Elon Musk’s maternal grandfather, and he was anything but ordinary.
Who he was
•Canadian-born chiropractor and pilot
•Political activist with strong technocratic views
•Early adopter of anti-democratic, systems-based governance ideas
•Adventurous, restless, distrustful of centralized political authority
Joshua N. Haldeman (1902–1974) was Elon Musk’s maternal grandfather, and he was anything but ordinary.
Who he was
•Canadian-born chiropractor and pilot
•Political activist with strong technocratic views
•Early adopter of anti-democratic, systems-based governance ideas
•Adventurous, restless, distrustful of centralized political authority
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2. His worldview
Haldeman believed:
•Democracy was inefficient
•Politicians were incapable of managing complex modern systems
•Engineers, scientists, and technicians should govern society
•Social and economic systems should be measured, optimized, and centrally coordinated
This wasn’t fringe to him—it was a coherent philosophy he lived by.
Haldeman believed:
•Democracy was inefficient
•Politicians were incapable of managing complex modern systems
•Engineers, scientists, and technicians should govern society
•Social and economic systems should be measured, optimized, and centrally coordinated
This wasn’t fringe to him—it was a coherent philosophy he lived by.
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3. The Technocracy Movement
Origins
•Emerged in the 1930s during the Great Depression
•Led by Howard Scott
•Formal organization: Technocracy Inc
CORE IDEA:
Replace:
•Money
•Politicians
•Elections
With:
•Energy accounting
•Scientific management
•Technical experts running society
Origins
•Emerged in the 1930s during the Great Depression
•Led by Howard Scott
•Formal organization: Technocracy Inc
CORE IDEA:
Replace:
•Money
•Politicians
•Elections
With:
•Energy accounting
•Scientific management
•Technical experts running society
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4. More on the Technocracy Movement
The “Technate of America” Explained
The Technate of America was the proposed governing system.
What it proposed
•North America governed as one integrated system
•Economy measured in energy units, not dollars
•Citizens issued energy certificates instead of money
•Production and consumption optimized by data
•Central authority run by engineers, scientists, systems managers
This was not capitalism, not communism, and not democracy.
It was post-political governance.
The “Technate of America” Explained
The Technate of America was the proposed governing system.
What it proposed
•North America governed as one integrated system
•Economy measured in energy units, not dollars
•Citizens issued energy certificates instead of money
•Production and consumption optimized by data
•Central authority run by engineers, scientists, systems managers
This was not capitalism, not communism, and not democracy.
It was post-political governance.
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5. Where Elons Grandpa plays a role
Haldeman’s Role Specifically
Joshua Haldeman:
•Was a vocal supporter and organizer
•Wrote essays and spoke publicly on technocracy
•Supported authoritarian efficiency over democratic process
•Became increasingly radical as governments rejected technocracy
Why he left North America
Haldeman:
•Lost faith in Canadian and U.S. political systems
•Briefly flirted with extreme political movements (including far-right causes in Canada)
•Eventually moved his family to South Africa in the 1950s, partly to escape what he saw as societal decay
This move directly shaped Elon Musk’s upbringing and worldview.
Haldeman’s Role Specifically
Joshua Haldeman:
•Was a vocal supporter and organizer
•Wrote essays and spoke publicly on technocracy
•Supported authoritarian efficiency over democratic process
•Became increasingly radical as governments rejected technocracy
Why he left North America
Haldeman:
•Lost faith in Canadian and U.S. political systems
•Briefly flirted with extreme political movements (including far-right causes in Canada)
•Eventually moved his family to South Africa in the 1950s, partly to escape what he saw as societal decay
This move directly shaped Elon Musk’s upbringing and worldview.
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6. Elon Musk has never publicly endorsed technocracy, but he repeatedly expresses:
•Frustration with democratic inefficiency
•Preference for technical problem-solving over politics
•Belief that civilization survival requires elite technical competence
Those ideas didn’t appear out of nowhere.
•Frustration with democratic inefficiency
•Preference for technical problem-solving over politics
•Belief that civilization survival requires elite technical competence
Those ideas didn’t appear out of nowhere.
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7. I’m a filmmaker who runs GoodLion.tv