Venture capitalist Marc Andreessen sparked controversy by claiming introspection is a 20th-century invention, blaming Freud and the Vienna Circle for manufacturing the practice around 1910-1920. His 'move forward, go' philosophy dismisses self-examination as unnecessary. Yet historical evidence contradicts this, showing figures like Socrates, the Stoics, and Augustine engaged in deep self-analysis centuries earlier.

Shakespeare's Hamlet even satirized the struggle with self-examination, indicating the concept was well-known to Elizabethan audiences. Andreessen's argument isn't ignorance but a calculated move to delegitimize inner life examination, clearing the table for his techno-optimist vision of human flourishing focused solely on external progress and abundance.