Jacobin Radio Behind the News: The Best of 2025
Jan 2, 2026
Emile Torres, a moral philosopher, delves into the unsettling connections between transhumanism and eugenics, questioning the ethics of tech elites. Quinn Slobodian critiques neoliberalism's roots in race science and how its ideologies persist in modern discussions. Femi Taiwo dissects the backlash against DEI initiatives, linking it to broader class dynamics and revealing its superficiality. Kristin Du Mez explores the rise of Christian nationalism and its alarming political implications, while Susannah Glickman examines the defense industry's role in shaping Silicon Valley, uncovering troubling narratives behind high-tech development.
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Transhumanism Sees Humans As Value Containers
- Transhumanist 'Tesquil' thought treats humans as containers of value to be maximized by engineering a post-human future.
- Emile Torres warns this outlook turns utilitarian value into a cosmic goal that sidelines human intrinsic worth.
Superintelligence As Engineer And Replacement
- Tech leaders imagine superintelligence as both an engineer of paradise and a potential replacement population.
- Torres links this to a revival of eugenic thinking aiming to create a superior post-human species.
Neoliberalism Married Race Science
- Quinn Slobodian shows eugenic and race-science ideas fused with neoliberal critique of the welfare state.
- He argues revived 'scientific' claims about heritable IQ became a hammer against egalitarian politics since the 1970s.