
Dystopia Now Fan Fic at the End of the World
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Nov 1, 2025 Dive into the unsettling world of Eliezer Yudkowsky, where fan fiction collides with existential dread. Discover his grandiose claims, alarming views on morality, and philosophical contradictions. The hosts discuss his influence on AI culture, his bizarre online persona, and the unsettling moral calculations he champions. Yudkowsky advocates for extreme measures against AGI, all while shaping the industry’s future and warning against the very technology he helped ignite. A controversial figure, his story is both captivating and chilling.
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Claimed Genius, Limited Academic Credibility
- Eliezer Yudkowsky claims expertise across fields but lacks academic influence and peer-reviewed work.
- Emile Torres argues his decision-theoretic ideas are dismissed by academics as sophomoric and non-starters.
Existential Risk Trumps Everyday Harms
- Rationalists like Yudkowsky prioritize existential risk above near-term harms and social justice.
- Emile Torres says that cosmic-scale visions obscure issues like bias, exploitation, and worker harm.
Messianic Self-Importance Persists
- Yudkowsky exhibits a messianic, self-important tone, citing youthful autobiographical claims of being uniquely able to save humanity.
- Emile Torres and Kate Willett highlight his grandiose early writings and later repudiation attempts.







