Episode 2307: Ece Temelkuran on why she still retains faith in the future

Keen On

One person I didn’t expect to see at DLD is the feted Turkish writer Ece Temelkuran. Not exactly a regular on the tech circuit, Temelkuran is best known as a critic of the Erdogan regime and author of the influential 2019 book How to Lose a Country: The 7 Steps from Democracy to Dictatorship. In our conversation at DLD, Temelkuran argued that the world is experiencing a profound transformation comparable to the Industrial Revolution, where neoliberalism is eroding both democracy and basic human morals. She sees modern fascism operating through entertainment and spectacle rather than traditional military aesthetics, and emphasizes the importance of friendship as both a personal anchor and political concept in resisting authoritarian forces. Currently living in Berlin, she expressed concern about rising far-right movements across Europe. She critiques Silicon Valley and social media, arguing that questions of ownership and profit motives are often obscured by technological utopianism. Despite the challenges, she finds hope in humanity's persistent moral compass and resistance to cynicism, though she prefers the term "faith" over "hope" as it implies a more active engagement with political change.

Ece Temelkuran is a prominent Turkish journalist, author, and political commentator born in 1973 in Izmir, Turkey. She began her journalism career in the 1990s and became one of Turkey's most well-known political columnists, writing for major newspapers including Milliyet and Habertürk. Her writings often focus on Turkish politics, women's rights, and global political movements. She has been particularly critical of authoritarianism and populism, drawing from her experiences in Turkey. After facing political pressure, she left Turkey and has lived in various countries including Croatia and the UK. Some of her notable books include: "Turkey: The Insane and the Melancholy" (2016), "How to Lose a Country: The 7 Steps from Democracy to Dictatorship" (2019) and "Together: 10 Choices for a Better Now" (2021) She writes in both Turkish and English, and her work has been translated into multiple languages. Her books often combine personal narrative with political analysis, examining themes of democracy, resistance, and social justice.

Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.

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