#90 - Rebecca Lemov: We're All Being Programmed

Nov 19, 2025

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Watch on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZH9_XbfB-g8

What if the choices you make every day aren't really yours? Harvard historian Rebecca Lemov has spent decades uncovering the uncomfortable truth about free will, manipulation, and the invisible forces that shape human behavior, from Cold War brainwashing experiments to the AI companions whispering in our ears today.

In this eye-opening conversation, Rebecca reveals how modern technology has turned us all into subjects of the largest behavioral experiment in human history. She discusses the shocking rise of AI-induced delusion, why Silicon Valley executives send their kids to tech-free schools, and the personal breaking point that taught her no one is immune to influence.

This isn't just academic theory. Rebecca shares her own story of escaping a controlling relationship and addiction, the 10-day meditation retreat that felt like torture, and why she believes the nightmare of mass manipulation "isn't in the future, it's already here." But she also offers hope: practical strategies for protecting your mind, raising resilient children, and reclaiming the freedom we thought we had.

ABOUT THE GUEST

Rebecca Lemov is a historian of science at Harvard University and author of The Instability of Truth: How Brainwashing Shaped America. Her research explores the hidden history of behavioral control, from Cold War experiments to modern algorithmic manipulation. She's been featured on Joe Rogan and numerous podcasts examining the intersection of technology, psychology, and human autonomy.

Follow her work on behavioral control, AI ethics, and the history of mind manipulation: https://rebeccalemov.com

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