Chief Philosophy Officer Versus Moloch

I briefly served as a “Philosopher-in-Residence” at Daylight Computers this summer. In that position, we envisioned what a “Chief Philosophy Officer” (CPO) could look like. I initially proposed the following three duties:

• Holding space for the CEO by engaging in weekly philosophical inquiries about what is most bothersome to them, whether professionally or personally. Unexamined personal issues can bleed into the professional realm and vice versa, so restricting discussions to only business-related topics is shortsighted.

• Ensuring corporate materials are propositionally coherent, as many internal and external documents often use muddled language and are not always definitionally consistent or logically sound.

• Stewarding the collective wisdom of the team by leveraging various intersubjective conversational practices, and implementing Stoa-like sessions in place of unproductive meetings that people begrudgingly attend.

During the residency, it became clear to me that the CPO should not report to the CEO and must remain outside of the executive function, operating instead in an in-house counsel capacity. The other theoretical developments related to the CPO involved the concepts of “Source” and “Moloch.”

• Source: The deepest place of creative knowing that inspires an initiative. Swiss economist Peter Koenig uses the term to describe the individual responsible for the creative spirit behind an initiative, which could include a business.¹

• Moloch: The Canaanite god of child sacrifice. Rationalist Scott Alexander uses the term "Moloch" as a metaphor to describe how the choices made by rational individuals, when influenced by systemic incentives, lead to suboptimal results and the sacrifice of collective well-being.²

The first term is used in “spiritual” circles, and the latter one in business circles, particularly in Silicon Valley. As

Tom Morgan

from The Leading Edge—a group of high-agency individuals responding to the metacrisis—recently told me, being spiritual and doing business will become inseparable. These two worlds have been at odds, and I see the CPO role as someone who bridges the gap between them.

The idea is that the founder starts off connected to Source, with creativity flowing, but eventually faces the risk of being captured by the profit motive, competitive pressures, and perverse incentives that will bend them out of integrity. In essence, where Source enlivens, Moloch is near.

A threshold is reached when the founder starts “winning,” loses connection to Source, and fully becomes subservient to Moloch.

The role of the CPO is to prevent this capture from occurring or to liberate the founder when it does, and help keep them connected to Source.

The CPO provides spiritual protection from Moloch, aligning the founder with the good, the true, and the beautiful. It’s essential that the CPO doesn’t function solely within the executive function but maintains a strong relationship with it. The CPO cannot report to the CEO, because if they do, they’ll eventually report to Moloch. Instead, the CPO reports directly to Source, while staying connected to the executive function through the CEO.

Much of this remains theoretical, with some practical experience on my end through Daylight Computers. I believe we need to continue theorizing about this in a way that leads to more practice. If Jonas Salk’s mantra of “survival of the wisest” holds true—which I believe it will—then those who take the risk of being wise will be the ones who survive, and “win,” in the most meaningful way.

Regarding today’s entry, we have two related Stoa events coming up, which you can RSVP to behind the paywall.

Moloch Fuckery w/ John Mauriello and Raffi Minasian. September 9th @ 12 PM ET.

Join John Mauriello and Raffi Minasian for a deep dive into Moloch fuckery, where they unpack the destructive forces and perverse incentives that undermine collective well-being in modern society. Inspired by Scott Alexander’s definition of Moloch, this session explores how conflicting incentives lead to detrimental outcomes in various domains, from industrial design to corporate practices. Through real-world examples, they will illustrate how well-intentioned projects can result in harmful consequences due to mismatched priorities. Discover how these dynamics manifest in everyday products and learn strategies to recognize and mitigate Moloch’s pervasive influence.

Accelerating Wisdom: At the Leading Edge of the Metacrisis. October 2nd @ 1 PM ET.

In this Stoa session, Tom Morgan, founder of The Leading Edge, will offer a summary of his Accelerating Wisdom Series, a decade-long exploration into the synthesis of transformational ideas and practices. As the metacrisis unfolds, how can we cultivate wisdom to navigate the increasing complexity of our times? Tom will address this pressing question, highlighting how wisdom can serve as our greatest human advantage amidst the rapid evolution of AI and global challenges. Join us for an insightful discussion on how to accelerate the development of wisdom and apply it to lead in these unprecedented times.