Timesuck with Dan Cummins

458 - WTFF? The Madness of the Zizian Cult

Jun 9, 2025
Dive into the bizarre world of the Zizian cult, where extreme rationalism takes a dark turn. Discover how seemingly harmless ideas morphed into radical beliefs that endorse violence and absolute veganism. Explore the unsettling connections between online rationalist communities and real-world actions, including protests and assaults. Unpack chilling stories of murder, psychological harm, and the dangerous intersection of AI fears with extremist ideology. It’s a wild ride through the madness of belief and the human psyche!
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
INSIGHT

When Rationalism Becomes Mythic

  • Rationalist communities pushed extreme technocratic solutions that blurred fiction and reality for some members.
  • That fusion made apocalyptic AI narratives emotionally convincing and actionable to vulnerable people.
INSIGHT

Fanfiction As Rationalist Text

  • Eliezer Yudkowsky and HPMOR catalyzed rationalist thinking by turning fiction into reasoning practice.
  • That pedagogical fiction normalized treating thought experiments as operational directives.
INSIGHT

Info Hazards Create Real Harms

  • Info hazards like Roko's Basilisk spread intense existential pressure through internet communities.
  • That pressure fractured mental health and made some take extreme precautionary and immoral steps.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app