Douglas Rushkoff, a media theorist and author of "Survival of the Richest," delves into the unsettling world of billionaires prepping for an apocalypse. He explores the paradox of wealthy individuals investing in luxury survival strategies while neglecting the collective societal issues they contribute to. Rushkoff critiques their detachment from empathy, highlighting the absurdity of extreme wealth in times of crisis. He argues for the importance of community resilience and human connection over isolation and tech-driven solutions.
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Secret Meeting
Douglas Rushkoff was invited to a secret meeting with billionaires in the desert.
They offered him a large sum of money to discuss their doomsday prepping plans.
insights INSIGHT
Justification for Prepping
Billionaires seek philosophical justification for their doomsday prepping, not just practical advice.
They want to validate their mindset of self-sovereignty and insulation from the consequences of their actions.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Doomsday Scenarios
The billionaires listed various doomsday scenarios, from electromagnetic pulses to social unrest.
They see themselves as facing a 20% chance of a cataclysmic event in their lifetime.
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In 'Team Human,' Douglas Rushkoff delivers a call to arms, emphasizing that being human is a team sport. He argues that society is threatened by a vast antihuman infrastructure that undermines our ability to connect, citing examples such as money becoming a means of exploitation, education turning into an assembly line, and the internet further dividing us. Rushkoff uses wide-ranging research on human evolution, biology, and psychology to show that working together leads to greater happiness, productivity, and peace. The book invites readers to reassert their humanity and make the world a better place through collective action.
What We Owe the Future
William MacAskill
In this book, William MacAskill advocates for longtermism, the idea that positively influencing the long-term future is a key moral priority. He argues that future people count, there could be many of them, and we can make their lives better. MacAskill discusses various threats to humanity, including climate change, AI misalignment, and pandemics, and proposes strategies to ensure civilization's survival and improve its trajectory. The book explores moral and philosophical issues surrounding longtermism, including the risks of human extinction, civilizational collapse, and technological stagnation, while offering a measured optimism about the future's potential for human flourishing[1][5][4].
The God Delusion
Richard Dawkins
In 'The God Delusion', Richard Dawkins argues that the belief in a supernatural creator, God, is almost certainly false and qualifies as a delusion. He examines God in various forms, from the Old Testament to the Celestial Watchmaker, and critiques the major arguments for religion. Dawkins discusses how religion fuels war, fosters bigotry, and abuses children, and he advocates for atheism as a morally and intellectually fulfilling worldview. The book also explores the relationship between religion and morality, suggesting that morality can exist independently of religion, and argues against the teaching of religion in schools as a form of indoctrination[2][3][4].
Zero to One
Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future
Peter Thiel
In 'Zero to One,' Peter Thiel argues that true innovation comes from creating something entirely new, going from 'zero to one,' rather than incrementally improving existing ideas. He emphasizes the importance of vertical progress through technology and the benefits of monopoly in driving innovation. Thiel also discusses the need for long-term planning, the importance of finding the right co-founders, and the power law in startup success. The book challenges conventional wisdom and encourages readers to think critically and aim big to build the future[2][3][5].
Sean Illing talks with technologist, media theorist, and author Douglas Rushkoff, whose new book Survival of the Richest explains how the ultra-wealthy are obsessed with preparing for the end of the world — and the troubling mindset that leads many rich and powerful people down this road. They discuss the blend of tech utopianism and fatalism behind this doomsday prepping, how Silicon Valley and "tech bro" culture have incentivized a kind of misanthropy, and why the world's billionaire class can't see that the catastrophes they fear are of their own making.
Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), host, The Gray Area
Guest: Douglas Rushkoff (@rushkoff), author; professor, media studies, CUNY Queens College
The Selfish Gene (1976) and The God Delusion (2006) by Richard Dawkins
Francis Bacon, Redargutio Philosophiarum (1608), tr. by Benjamin Farrington in The Philosophy of Francis Bacon (1964): "Nature must be taken by the forelock . . . lay hold of her and capture her" (p. 130).
The Gray Area with Sean Illing 
