Dystopia Now

Dive into the unconventional world of pro-natalist parenting with Simone and Malcolm Collins, who raise their kids on an AI diet. They discuss controversial topics like AI resurrection ethics, including an AI version of Parkland victim Joaquin Oliver. The couple shares insights on declining birth rates and the push for larger families, while also critiquing tech's influence on parenting. Expect thought-provoking debates on AI's role, dystopian ideologies, and the necessity of human interaction alongside cutting-edge technology.

Dive into the disturbing world of the Zizians, a fringe group that spiraled into violence from the rationalist community. Discover how a blend of utilitarianism and accelerationist ideology led them to justify brutal acts in pursuit of a supposed greater good. Hear about their unsettling fixation on AI doom and the bizarre tactics employed to evade justice, including one individual's attempt to feign unconsciousness. This chilling tale unveils how a cult within a cult turned into a national news sensation.

Dive into the curious world of Mark Zuckerberg and the bizarre phenomenon of billionaire bunkers. Explore the ethical quandaries of AI in healthcare and its impact on vulnerable communities. Discover the shifting dynamics between Silicon Valley elites and urban planning, alongside Zuckerberg's controversial past. Delve into the tech titans' ideologies, revealing a fascination with transhumanism and their preparation for societal breakdown. It's a wild ride through tech ethics, philanthropy as PR, and the echoes of history in modern governance.

Kiera Havens, the executive director of Citizens' Impeachment and a writer focused on race science, joins Nicholas Rodelo, a senior researcher at Dropsite News, to discuss the intersection of tech and propaganda. They explore how technological advancements have fueled narratives in the Gaza conflict, emphasizing the ethical dilemmas involved. The duo debates the implications of misinformation in shaping public perception and critiques media's role in accountability issues surrounding alleged genocide. Their insights challenge listeners to reflect on the deeper ramifications of technology in global conflicts.

This discussion dives into the obsession of tech billionaires with cryonics and mind uploading. The hosts critique moral dilemmas, like the emotional fallout of seeking immortality. They also explore the absurdities of life extension practices, including an olive oil craze that raises eyebrows. Alongside critiques of the tech industry's environmental impacts, they tackle the intersection of AI and our longing for longevity. Expect humor and deep questions about existence as they navigate the complexities of life, death, and everything in between.

Join environmental science professors Kyle Keeler and Nathaniel Otjen as they tackle the controversial intersection of ecomodernism, nuclear energy, and artificial intelligence. They delve into the nuances of nuclear power, discussing its drawbacks and the ongoing debate about its safety and longevity. The conversation also explores the historical injustices linked to energy production, especially concerning marginalized communities. With a critical eye, they challenge the simplistic belief in tech solutions for climate change and highlight the urgent need for accountability in environmental justice.

To become a supporter and help keep our show going: https://www.patreon.com/c/DystopiaNow (An earlier version of this show was posted, we fixed a sound problem with the file and reposted) Back from our short break. This week we analyzed Peter Thiel's interview with Ross Douthat and then sat down with Will Menaker from Chapo Trap House to talk about Zohran and fighting the tech billionaires. Further Reading: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/30/us/politics/democrats-project-2029.html https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/28/europe/jeff-bezos-wedding-protest-venice-latam-intl https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/26/opinion/peter-thiel-antichrist-ross-douthat.html https://www.truthdig.com/articles/machine-learning-maga-rise-of-the-christian-cyborg/ https://www.uvm.edu/~gflomenh/courses/ENV-NGO-PA395/articles/Lynn-White.pdf https://www.thenation.com/article/economy/abolish-venture-capitalism/ https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/11/30/how-venture-capitalists-are-deforming-capitalism https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/01/nyregion/mamdani-wins-mayor-primary-nyc.html https://www.thenerdreich.com/is-peter-thiel-the-antichrist-nyt-didnt-think-to-ask/ https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/01/kirsten-gillibrand-zohran-mamdani-00436031 https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/welcomefest-dispatch-centrism-abundance/ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/919-abruendance-agenda-feat-madinah-wilson-anton-matt/id1097417804?i=1000700707105&l=ru

To join us on Patreon go here: https://www.patreon.com/c/DystopiaNow This week we were joined by Briahna Joy Gray to talk about natalism and Efilism. We also had a great discussion about the philosophy of human extinction. Bad Faith Podcast / Briahna Joy Gray Bad Faith Podcast: “Episode 479: Promo — Truth in Fiction w/ Cory Doctorow” https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-479-promo-truth-in-fiction-w-cory-doctorow/id1531192509?i=1000710888262 Bad Faith Podcast: “Episode 445: Promo — From Merit to Eugenics: Elon Musk’s…” https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/episode-445-promo-from-merit-to-eugenics-elon-musks/id1531192509?i=1000688606822 Pronatalism / Natalism Discourse Mother Jones — “This Is a War, and Natalism Is Our Sword and Shield” https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/03/this-is-a-war-and-natalism-is-our-sword-and-shield-my-weekend-with-the-pronatalists/ The Guardian — “Natal Conference in Austin, Texas, and Eugenics” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/03/natal-conference-austin-texas-eugenics The Guardian — “What Is Pronatalism? Right-Wing Republican Movement” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/11/what-is-pronatalism-right-wing-republican The Guardian — “Elon Musk, Pronatalism, and Motherhood on Social Media” https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/feb/25/elon-musk-pronatalism-mothers-social-media-parenting CNN — “Pronatalism, Elon Musk, and Birth Rates” https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/10/us/pronatalism-elon-musk-birth-rates-cec Vox — “JD Vance, Pronatalism, and Population Decline” https://www.vox.com/policy/363543/pronatalism-vance-birth-rates-population-decline-fertility New York Times — “Liberals and Falling Birth Rates: Anastasia Berg Op-Ed” https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/16/opinion/anastasia-berg-falling-birth-rates-liberals.html New York Times — “Natalism, Liberalism & Parenthood” https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/10/opinion/natalism-liberalism-parenthood.html The Atlantic — “Democrats and Pronatalism: Family Policy Debates” https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/02/democrats-pronatalism-family-policies/681827/ Liberal Currents — “Liberal Pro-Natalism” https://www.liberalcurrents.com/liberal-pro-natalism/ The New Yorker — “How Liberals Talk About Children” https://www.newyorker.com/news/fault-lines/how-liberals-talk-about-children Current Affairs — “We Should Be Neither Anti-Natalist Nor Pro-Natalist” https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/we-should-be-neither-anti-natalist-nor-pro-natalist The Guardian — “Birthstrikers and Climate Change” https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/mar/12/birthstrikers-meet-the-women-who-refuse-to-have-children-until-climate-change-ends People — “All About Elon Musk’s Children” https://people.com/all-about-elon-musk-children-11678749 New York Times — “Trump, Musk, and Birthrate Proposals” https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/21/us/politics/elon-musk-trump-birthrate.html New York Times — “Trump’s Birthrate Proposals” https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/21/us/politics/trump-birthrate-proposals.html Axios — “Elon Musk, Ashley St. Clair, and Baby Influencing” https://www.axios.com/2025/04/17/elon-musk-babies-ashley-st-clair Conversations with Tyler — Ezra Klein Interview https://conversationswithtyler.com/episodes/ezra-klein-3/ Efilism / Anti-Natalism Extremism The Intercept — “Efilism and the Palm Springs Bomber” https://theintercept.com/2025/05/19/efilism-palm-springs-bomber-fertility-clinic/ NBC News — “Reddit Bans Anti-Natalists After Explosion” https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/reddit-bans-anti-natalists-palm-springs-explosion-rcna207677 The Guardian — “Palm Springs IVF Clinic Bombing and Online Extremism” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/21/palm-springs-ivf-clinic-bombing-online-extremism Eugenics, Longtermism, Effective Altruism Truthdig — “Nick Bostrom, Longtermism, and Eugenics” https://www.truthdig.com/articles/nick-bostrom-longtermism-and-the-eternal-return-of-eugenics-2/ Truthdig — “A Short History of Eugenics” https://www.truthdig.com/articles/a-short-history-of-eugenics-from-plato-to-nick-bostrom/ The Guardian — “Pro-Extinctionists and Effective Altruism” https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/jul/22/pro-extinctionis-longtermim-effective-altruism-human-extinction-emile-torres Utilitarianism: For and Against (PDF) https://www.utilitarianism.com/utilitarianism-for-and-against.pdf LessWrong — Computronium Page https://www.lesswrong.com/w/computronium Political News / Commentary AP News — “Trump’s Army Parade and Protests” https://apnews.com/article/trump-army-parade-troops-tanks-birthday-protests-4cca4da0e89908d39c820240744375a1 New York Times — “Andrew Cuomo and Nursing Home Deaths During COVID” https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/09/nyregion/cuomo-pandemic-nursing-home-deaths.html Social Media & Commentary Instagram Reel https://www.instagram.com/reel/DK-VjqwxisA/ Twitter — Nathan J. Robinson https://x.com/NathanJRobinson/status/1890845684061847836 Twitter — David Sirota https://x.com/davidsirota/status/1921259098516918382 Miscellaneous Zohran Mamdani Campaign Site https://www.zohranfornyc.com/ Hacker News Thread https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10812804

Please support our show at patreon.com/dystopianow This week, we explore the growing relationship between Christianity and transhumanism and how they may be merging in the MAGA movement into an end-times fantasy that can satisfy everyone! Surveillance, Policing, and Immigration Tech Waymo Faces Data Privacy Protests in Los Angeles https://www.wired.com/story/waymo-data-privacy-protests-los-angeles/ Waymo's Driverless Cars Revealed to Be Narcs as Cops Use Them to Probe Crimes https://gizmodo.com/waymos-driverless-cars-revealed-to-be-narcs-as-cops-use-them-to-probe-crimes-2000590426 Los Angeles ICE Raids Spark Concerns Over Immigration Conditions https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/11/la-ice-raids-immigration-conditions Democrats Face Backlash Over Resolution Thanking ICE https://www.newsweek.com/democrats-ice-gratitude-resolution-backlash-2084004 Trump Leans on Palantir to Build Massive Database of Americans https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/30/technology/trump-palantir-data-americans.html Greta Thunberg https://x.com/GozukaraFurkan/status/1932462605928464469 AI, Religion, and the Tech-Spiritual Convergence Machine Learning MAGA: Rise of the Christian Cyborg https://www.truthdig.com/articles/machine-learning-maga-rise-of-the-christian-cyborg/ Silicon Valley’s Obsession with AI Looks a Lot Like Religion https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/silicon-valleys-obsession-with-ai-looks-a-lot-like-religion/ AI’s Spiritual Delusions Are Destroying Human Relationships https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/ai-spiritual-delusions-destroying-human-relationships-1235330175/ Excerpt from The Rapture of the Nerds https://www.npr.org/2012/08/24/159996462/excerpt-the-rapture-of-the-nerds Three Out of Four Pastors Believe God Can Work Through AI https://relevantmagazine.com/culture/tech-gaming/three-out-of-four-pastors-believe-god-can-work-through-ai/ Faith Sermon AI Generator https://www.verble.app/faith-sermon/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22426629834&gbraid=0AAAAAp5jAe4rAOh1sg8xXRKGQlFjiGUdB&gclid=Cj0KCQjw0qTCBhCmARIsAAj8C4bpBxsXcD1_Ks4M9IFWA0FpEcdv1YbwNoHYFx6YojGR8dga7TQk-gEaArfQEALw_wcB Free AI-Powered Sermon Generator https://speechgenerator.co/free-sermon-generator/ AI Sermon Generator Tool by Vondy https://www.vondy.com/ai-sermon-generator--sAqpPa5L Christianity and the Tech Elite Are Merging in San Francisco https://sfstandard.com/2024/11/09/christians-tech-religion-sf/ In Silicon Valley, Christianity Finds a New Following https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/11/business/silicon-valley-christianity.html Joe Rogan, Tech Bros, and the Rise of Austin Church Culture https://www.chron.com/culture/religion/article/joe-rogan-austin-church-bros-20349767.php Why Elon Musk and Other Tech Leaders Are Embracing Christianity https://theconversation.com/elon-musk-says-hes-a-cultural-christian-why-some-leading-thinkers-are-embracing-christianity-233601 The Real Origins of the Religious Right https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/05/religious-right-real-origins-107133/ Julian Huxley: The Man Who Put Eugenics Into UNESCO https://aeon.co/essays/julian-s-huxley-the-man-who-put-eugenics-into-unesco Centrism, Tech Politics, and Abundance Ideology Dispatch from Welcomefest: Centrism, Abundance, and the New Tech Politics https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/welcomefest-dispatch-centrism-abundance/ Nuclear Armageddon and Christianity Castle Bravo: The Largest U.S. Nuclear Explosion https://www.brookings.edu/articles/castle-bravo-the-largest-u-s-nuclear-explosion/ ‘Armageddon View’ Prompts a Debate Among Evangelicals and Policy Experts https://www.nytimes.com/1984/10/24/us/armageddon-view-prompts-a-debate.html Armageddon: Reagan-Era Beliefs and Political Impact https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1984/10/24/armageddon/8b364a1c-fadc-41e1-b2d1-b262aa08eb46/

To become a supporter and join our group chat, visit us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/DystopiaNow This week we chatted with Dr. Alexander Thomas, author of The Politics and Ethics of Transhumanism: Techno-Human Evolution and Advanced Capitalism. Dr Alexander Thomas is a multi-award-winning film director and screenwriter. His academic research questions what it means to be human when cultural, cybernetic and biotechnological developments undermine the notion of the human as a cogent and eternal category. This episode is a great pairing to last week's episode with Quinn Slobodian.  We mentioned a lot of texts and authors in this episode that we've included below. Inclusion does not mean agreement in all instances.  Critical Analyses of Transhumanism & Longtermism University of East London: A Critical Look at the Rise and Risks of Transhumanism Emile Torres in The Guardian: Pro-Extinctionists and the Longtermist Threat Torres in Aeon: Why Longtermism Is the World’s Most Dangerous Secular Credo Boston Review: The New Moral Mathematics New Statesman: The Longtermist Threat to Humanity Slate: Existential Risk vs Human Apathy Economics Papers: Is Longtermism Dangerous? Tyler Austin Harper thread on X: Post Books & Research on Transhumanism Posthuman Bliss? by Susan B. Levin: Oxford University Press The Proactionary Imperative by Steve Fuller: Palgrave Macmillan Citizen Cyborg by James Hughes: Westview Press James Hughes lecture: What Is Transhumanism? (PDF) Nietzschean Meditations by Stefan Lorenz Sorgner: Amazon Future Superhuman by Elise Bohan: Amazon Mind Children by Hans Moravec: CUNY Commentary Research paper: Transhumanism: A Progressive Vision or Capitalism's Last Ideological Resort? Transhumanism: The Future of Humanity (book): Hudson Booksellers IAI Essay: The Irrationality of Transhumanists Literal Magazine: Transhumanism: Bostrom and Pearce Interview Futurism, Accelerationism & Up-Wingers Wired (1994): The Extropians The Breakthrough Institute: Rise of the Up-Wingers AEI: Up-Wing America Slate: Reframing Environmental Policy Aeon: Up vs Down Politics F. M. Esfandiary’s Manifesto: Up-Wingers (Book) The Guardian: Accelerationism Explained Philosophy, Politics & Theory Achille Mbembe: Necropolitics (PDF) MIT Press: Cybernetics by Norbert Wiener Mark Fisher’s Capitalist Realism: Book New Statesman: On K-Punk and Fisher Dan Paul Zimmer website: Main | Research Billionaires NYT: Elon Musk, Trump, Drugs, and Children Sam Altman: Moore’s Law for Everything