Modern technological ambitions, such as colonizing Mars or developing advanced AI, often lack the civilizational greatness found in the works of Goethe or Beethoven because they prioritize mere species survival and "wretched contentment" over existential meaning. These projects reflect a low-minded, technocratic faith in rationalization that fails to provide a sustainable purpose for humanity. Friedrich Nietzsche’s critique of the "Englishman" highlights a bourgeois obsession with utilitarian calculation that ultimately leads to a loss of meaning. This vacuum of purpose is illustrated by the example of a successful fund manager who desires a catastrophic war simply to test his courage and find an existential "why" worth risking his life for. True commitment requires more than self-deceit or material prosperity; it demands a project that transcends security and comfort to challenge the human spirit.
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