Dystopia Now

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

In this discussion, Quinn Slobodian, a Boston University professor and expert on capitalism and neoliberalism, tackles the alarming rise of AI deception and its moral implications. He critiques the notion of 'tech bro zones,' linking them to the alt-right and authoritarian practices. The conversation delves into the interplay between fascism and neoliberalism, especially under Trumpism, while questioning the societal ramifications of emerging transhumanist ideologies. Slobodian also explores the ethical dilemmas posed by Silicon Valley's digital utopia.

This week is Part 1 of our Patreon supporter only series on the Zizians. We discuss the origins of the Zizian ideology in the Rationalism community, MIRI, CFAR, Roko's Basilisk and Doom Circles. To become a subscriber, visit us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/DystopiaNow

To become a Patreon supporter go here: https://www.patreon.com/c/DystopiaNow With guest Nathan Robinson, Editor of Current Affairs, we dive into the career and ideology of Matt Yglesias and his confidently wrong opinions about everything. Yglesias has helped shift mainstream liberalism toward a colder, more cynical worldview that prioritizes elite consensus and data-driven "pragmatism" over solidarity and human dignity. From Sam Bankman-Fried and crypto, to housing, to Palestine, he's the voice of technocratic centrism beloved by Silicon Valley elites. His views reflect a shallow utilitarianism that strips politics of moral urgency and empathy, and we are here to drag that shit. We explore how Yglesias has become a key ideological bridge between neoliberal Democrats and the techno-libertarian right. Nathan J. Robinson – Articles & Book The Opinions of Matt Yglesias Should Be Ignored – Current Affairs Why Effective Altruism and Longtermism Are Toxic Ideologies – Current Affairs We Should Be Neither Anti-Natalist Nor Pro-Natalist – Current Affairs The Dangerous Ideas of Longtermism and Existential Risk – Current Affairs The Myth of American Idealism – Book by Noam Chomsky & Nathan J. Robinson Articles Mentioned in Intro: Democrats, Influencers, and Trump – NYT Charity for Shrimps? Ronny Chieng Explores the Limits of Effective Altruism | The Daily Show Biden's PSA Test and Political Fallout – NYT Matt Yglesias – Writings & Critiques The Troubling Rise of Hitler Revisionism – Slow Boring Some Thoughts on the FTX Implosion – Slow Boring Reds in the Family – Slow Boring Matt Yglesias's Crypto Opinions – Revolving Door Project Matt Yglesias in Biden's Washington – Washington Post Embarrassing Fans of the Super Rich – Jeet Heer Silicon Valley Patronage – Citations Needed Group Chats That Changed America – Semafor Sam Bankman-Fried & Effective Altruism FTX's Collapse and Media Fallout – Semafor How SBF Sweet-Talked the Media – NY Mag Inside the Crazy World of FTX – The Guardian SBF Guilty Verdict – Semafor EA Group Debated SBF's Ethics in 2018 – Semafor Breakthrough Institute Homelessness Meets Cluelessness – Prospect on Michael Shellenberger Ted Nordhaus – The Breakthrough Institute Bad Science in Apocalypse Never – Yale Climate Connections Empathy, Musk Elon Musk on Empathy – CNN The Christian Right's War on Empathy Additional Resources Solidarity – Book by Leah Hunt-Hendrix & Astra Taylor (N+1) International Factory Safety – Slate

Kath Barbadoro, a witty comedian known for her podcasts, and Alex Ptak, host of Quorators, dive into the eccentric world of TESCREAL ideologies. They explore transhumanism, questioning its impact on society and the pursuit of immortality. Expect a humorous take on the wild beliefs like extropianism and singularitarianism, alongside critiques of AI's role in environmental challenges. The duo also unpacks the ethics behind effective altruism and the interplay of rationalism with societal inequalities, all while keeping the laughter rolling.

Dive into the world of neo-reactionary thought with Nick Land's provocative ideas and how they intertwine with accelerationism. Explore bizarre anecdotes about anti-aging experiments and the implications of tech moguls on human relationships. Delve into unsettling discussions on AI, spirituality, and loneliness in a capitalist society. Witness critiques of societal structures, media biases, and how historical ideologies shape modern narratives, all spiced with humor and critical insights.

Kenice Mobley, a comedian known for her sharp wit, dives into the contrasting visions of Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk regarding space exploration. She humorously debates Bezos's idea of cylindrical space living against Musk's bold plan to nuke Mars. The discussion touches on the ethical dilemmas of prioritizing space colonization over urgent Earthly issues, explores genetic selection, and questions the morality of utilitarianism. Kenice's comedic insights make complex topics about humanity's future in a digital world both entertaining and thought-provoking.

Please join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/DystopiaNow For the first half of the episode, we talked about the Semafor reveal of Silicon Valley groupchats and Marc Andreessen's posting addiction + Èmile's article on End Times Eschatology. We covered Yudkowsky's "Fun Theory," cryogenically freezing your head, and the connection between transhumanists and Christianity. Then, we talked to author and former public defender Alec Karakatsanis about his new book Copanganda and the way we are all propagandized about policing and crime. Alec is the founder of the Civil Rights Corps, an organization designed to advocate for racial justice and bring systemic civil rights cases on behalf of impoverished people. This was such a good interview. Apologies for Kate's slightly bad audio in this, we had some internet issues and had to record on the phone. Alec Karakatsanis – Resources THE BOOK! The New Press – Copaganda: How Police and the Media Manipulate Our Communities Substack: Equal Justice Under Law Twitter/X: @equalityAlec Bluesky: equalityalec.bsky.social PDF: The Body Camera by Alec Karakatsanis (Yale Law) Articles and People We Mentioned Truthdig – "The Endgame of Edgelord Eschatology" Vox – "Will AI become God? That's the wrong question." The Guardian – "Tech guru Jaron Lanier: 'The danger isn't that AI destroys us. It's that it drives us insane'" Wired – "Doug Rushkoff Is Ready to Renounce the Digital Revolution" Semafor – "The Group Chats That Changed America" Harper's – "A Letter on Justice and Open Debate" Mother Jones – "The Billionaires Who Want to Live Forever" Chesa Boudin Recall Mission Local – $9 Million Spent on the Boudin Recall 48 Hills – GOP Donors & Big Money in the Recall Portugal & Drug Decriminalization Scientific American – Portugal's Drug Decriminalization Success TIME – What Can the World Learn from Portugal's Drug Policy?

This week we answered some questions from our Patreon supporters. It's like a mini episode on a bunch of different topics, including the worst book I've ever heard of. We covered Èmile's journey out of longtermism, Yudkowsky's Harry Potter fan fic, end-times narratives, and how we will one day beat the tech bros by withholding our labor. If you'd like to hear part 2 become a subscriber here: https://www.patreon.com/c/DystopiaNow Articles Mentioned in This Episode and Further Reading AI Ethics Louisiana is using a mysterious algorithm to decide who gets parole – The Verge https://www.theverge.com/news/647405/louisiana-tiger-algorithm-parole Why Sam Altman wants AI to say "please" and "thank you" – Quartz https://qz.com/open-ai-sam-altman-chatgpt-gpt4-please-thank-you-1851777047 TESCREAL and End Times End Times: How Fascism, the Far Right, Trump, and Musk are converging – The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2025/apr/13/end-times-fascism-far-right-trump-musk Overview of TESCREAL (by Èmile) The acronym behind our wildest AI dreams and nightmares – Truthdig https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-acronym-behind-our-wildest-ai-dreams-and-nightmares/ Effective Altruism & Scandals The sexual harassment scandal tearing Effective Altruism apart – TIME https://time.com/6252617/effective-altruism-sexual-harassment/ Sam Bankman-Fried funded 'woke shit' for transactional purposes, prosecutors allege – VICE https://www.vice.com/en/article/sam-bankman-fried-funded-woke-shit-for-transactional-purposes-prosecutors-allege/ The rise and fall of Sam Bankman-Fried – The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/mar/23/sam-bankman-fried-rise-and-fall-details Defective Altruism – Current Affairs https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/2022/09/defective-altruism Effective Altruism's bait-and-switch: From global poverty to AI doom – Techdirt https://www.techdirt.com/2024/04/29/effective-altruisms-bait-and-switch-from-global-poverty-to-ai-doomerism/ Neoliberalism Neoliberalism's World Order – Review of Quinn Slobodian's Globalists – Dissent https://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/neoliberalism-world-order-review-quinn-slobodian-globalists/ The Bastards of Neoliberalism – New Statesman https://www.newstatesman.com/ideas/2025/04/the-bastards-of-neoliberalism The Geneva School, Hayek, and Neoliberal Nationalism – Jacobin https://jacobin.com/2022/11/neoliberalism-geneva-school-nationalism-mises-hayek Review of Hayek's Bastards by Quinn Slobodian – The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/09/books/review/hayeks-bastards-quinn-slobodian.html Race Science, Neoliberalism & Hayek – Jacobin https://jacobin.com/2025/04/race-science-neoliberalism-hayek-slobodian Rationalism Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality – Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter_and_the_Methods_of_Rationality Transhumanism Beyond our ape-brained meat sacks: Can transhumanism save us? – The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/jun/04/beyond-our-ape-brained-meat-sacks-can-transhumanism-save-our-species The Frozen Father of Modern Transhumanism: Upwingers and Downwingers – VICE https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-frozen-father-of-moden-transhumanism/

Please consider becoming a subscriber on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/dystopianow/membership This episode we began with a discussion of Peter Singer and eugenics ideas in the Effective Altruism community. And more Sam Altman-- his firing at Open AI, his doomsday prepping and his version of utopia. Sam Altman & OpenAI Moore's Law for Everything – Sam Altman's Blog OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Is a Survivalist Prepper – Futurism Sam Altman's Manifest Destiny – The New Yorker The Most Powerful Man in AI – New York Magazine OpenAI Controversy The Real Story Behind Sam Altman's Firing From OpenAI – WSJ Former OpenAI Employee Sounds Alarm on Altman – Futurism Sam Altman Reinstated at OpenAI – The Guardian Tech Utopias & Praxis Altman-Backed Praxis Eyes Kyiv and Athens for Tech Utopia – Bloomberg Praxis: Tech Dystopia as the Next America – The Nerd Reich Science, Ethics & Philosophy Dyson Sphere – Wikipedia Simulation Hypothesis – Wikipedia The Matrix as Reality: Simulation Hypothesis Explained – Vox Longevity & Biohacking Sam Altman Invested $180M in Anti-Aging Startup Retro Biosciences – MIT Technology Review Ethics, Exploitation & Effective Altruism Red Cobalt: Mining in the Congo – NPR Shrimp Welfare Project – Official Site Introducing the Shrimp Welfare Project – Effective Altruism Forum Against Speciesism – Jacobin