Elon Musk is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating characters of our time. Sometimes adored, sometimes reviled, he stands out as a demiurgic and controversial figure, both modern-day Prometheus and unpredictable spark-maker. Even today, the explosion of a SpaceX Starship rocket, a few minutes after takeoff, reveals the greatness and the flaws of a man who intends to defy the laws of gravitation. The video of the debris plunging into the Gulf of Mexico is, in its way, the perfect symbol of his ambition: “Success is uncertain, but the show is guaranteed! » he says, imperturbably.
This failure, far from tarnishing its image, undeniably anchors it in historical and scientific tradition: the great inventors have always failed before triumphing. The history of the conquest of space is full of similar anecdotes. We think of the Apollo 1 disaster or the initial failures of the Sputnik program. Failure is the faithful companion of innovation. Without it, definitive successes – the moon landings, telescopes peering into the unknown – would be impossible. Musk doesn’t fear failure, and that’s perhaps one of the things Europeans have difficulty understanding.
Today, it is on another ground that Musk attracts wrath. Not content with revolutionizing the automobile and space industries, he has established himself as guardian of a new digital agora: X, formerly Twitter. In this electronic arena, freedom of expression is established as an absolute dogma, often at the cost of intense controversy. Many left-wing personalities are leaving or threatening to leave the platform, deeming the lack of moderation intolerable.
Freedom of expression, to be defended coherently, cannot suffer from approximations
However, their current indignation raises the question: where were they when Twitter censored, sometimes arbitrarily, speech deemed deviant? Didn’t they overwhelmingly approve of Trump’s ban from Twitter after the assault on the Capitol? Freedom of expression, to be defended coherently, cannot tolerate approximations. Censoring it yesterday was a mistake; wanting to flee the agora today, a desertion.
Servant of American interests
Through X, Musk reinvents a libertarian utopia where all words, from the noblest to the most abject, are equal. This reflects a radical conception of freedom, not without recalling a part of the Enlightenment ideal: “I disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it,” the owner of For my part, I prefer to accept the risk of an imperfect or excessive space of freedom rather than suffer its sterilization. The solution does not lie in flight or censorship, but in popular education and the intellectual rigor of those who intend to influence public opinion (politicians, media, thinkers, etc.).
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-Leaving X is not a solution, but neither is throwing yourself into the arms of the Musk-Trump tandem.
However, it would be naive to see Musk as a selfless champion of freedom. Like Trump, he is first and foremost the servant of American interests. Their iconoclastic duo worries European elites, and rightly so: their hegemonic ambitions have nothing to do with any philanthropy. It is also surprising, in recent weeks, to hear a good number of conservatives in Europe praising this tandem as the new saviors of European freedom in decline. The same people forget that patriotism and the defense of national sovereignty reside much more in our ability to take care of our debate of ideas ourselves and to defend our freedom of expression. Putting yourself in the digital hands of the American giants, even if they are Trumpist, is a big mistake.
Musk and Trump are betting on America first, before betting on Europe. It is up to us, French, to build our own digital and intellectual sovereignty. In other words: leaving X is not a solution, but throwing yourself into the arms of the Musk-Trump tandem is neither.
Ultimately, Rather than deploring this new space, let us invest it with intelligence and rigor, but without illusions. And above all, let us not forget that true freedom of expression is only earned by confronting ideas that disturb us. This is also valid for traditional public debate…!
In the age of Elon Musk, it is time to rediscover the strength of our independence of mind and to bet on intelligence. The cozy retreat of intellectual intimacy is now obsolete, we must accept to throw ourselves into the cauldron of digital debate. With its vices and its virtues…
