Author Spotlight – JP Thor
In today’s Author spotlight, I want to introduce you to JP, and tell you a bit about his book, Accelerate or Die.
JP, born on Bathurst Island, North of Darwin, was homeschooled in rural Northern Territory, finishing Top 6 for the state in his final year.
He then joined the Air Force and studied Aeronautical Engineering, graduating at the top of his year in 2009 with First Class Honours.
After completing his pilot training, and earning top course awards, he began Fighter Training in 2012. He ended up accumulating 2000+ flight hours and flew all over the world.
In 2013, he transitioned to crypto, initially building various decentralized applications. In 2018, along with a team of 5 engineers, he began building a decentralized platform called THORChain under the pseudonym “Leena”.
In 2024, JP turned over THORChain to the community and revealed himself. Currently, it is the largest decentralized liquidity protocol in the world.
Now, JP is working on several other projects and a movement, “ACEL”, in an attempt to save humanity from stagnation and accelerate technological advancements.
You can follow JP on Twitter (X) @jpthor
Accelerate or Die
In ACEL, the stakes are nothing less than the future of humanity. The book offers a transformative vision of a world where human intelligence and agency are maximized, propelling society beyond its current limits. The philosophy driving this movement is rooted in the belief that accelerating our progress—whether through technology, biology, or social structures—is essential for our survival and evolution.
The book begins by exploring the origins of human intelligence, tracing its evolutionary pathway and the memetic forces that have shaped its development. From early biological machines to the rise of silicon-based intelligence, it challenges traditional perspectives and suggests that humanity is at a critical juncture—where we must choose between slowing down out of fear or accelerating our progress toward a future filled with potential.
Divided into five major parts, ACEL dives into themes such as:
- Intelligence and its Evolution: How human intelligence has evolved and how we can take control of its future development by adopting new paradigms that merge biological and technological advances.
- Machinae and The Role of AI: The evolution of machines—biological, silicon, and energy-driven—and their integration into society. The text critiques the fear-driven AI safetyism movement and proposes a path forward where AI becomes a tool for human evolution rather than a threat.
- The Struggle for Survival: Explores the psychological and societal forces holding back human progress, termed “decelerants,” and juxtaposes them with the accelerant forces that could propel humanity forward, including the ACEL philosophy.
- The Future of Governance and Society: Imagines a world led by accelerant systems where human agency and intelligence are optimized. Governance systems, societal structures, and even education are rethought to focus on human potential, not preservation of outdated models.
- Humanity’s Final Leap: In a powerful conclusion, the book addresses the existential risks humanity faces if we do not accelerate our evolution. It presents the ACEL movement as the necessary antidote to stagnation, pushing humanity toward its ultimate potential—a society built on intelligence, agency, and an unrelenting drive for progress.
At its core, ACEL is a call to action. It speaks to those who believe in the power of human potential and are ready to challenge the limits imposed by fear and outdated systems. Through a combination of philosophical inquiry, technological optimism, and a vision for societal reform, ACEL presents a roadmap for the future—one that promises to unlock humanity’s true capabilities, ensuring our continued evolution.
The book is available on Amazon in Kindle and Kindle Unlimited.