

Nihilism Now: Politics After Atheism
(AR+IO) Eisel Mazard
A podcast about the politics of atheism, about atheist perspectives on politics, and the nihilist critique of both, in the era following after the failure and dissolution of "New Atheism" as a movement.
AR+IO abbreviates the motto "Active Research and Informed Opinion", providing consistent numbering for all of the episodes (AR+IO-001, etc.) hosted by Eisel Mazard across many different podcasts, and united by one Patreon. Eisel is better known as Zel from Ashdod, and was formerly known as the voice (and author) behind the (banned) youtube channel à-bas-le-ciel.
AR+IO abbreviates the motto "Active Research and Informed Opinion", providing consistent numbering for all of the episodes (AR+IO-001, etc.) hosted by Eisel Mazard across many different podcasts, and united by one Patreon. Eisel is better known as Zel from Ashdod, and was formerly known as the voice (and author) behind the (banned) youtube channel à-bas-le-ciel.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 26, 2025 • 17min
Escaping the Cult of Happiness: who you are is what you make excuses for.
Nihilism doesn't just mean that you refuse to believe OTHER PEOPLE'S bullshit… but, also, your own.The excuses are harder to quit than the thing itself, bro.Find me on Instagram. Support me on Patreon. Both will provide notifications for new podcast episodes (not just "here", but under many different headings).https://www.instagram.com/a_bas_le_ciel/https://www.patreon.com/c/a_bas_le_ciel/postsAR+IO abbreviates the motto "Active Research and Informed Opinion", providing consistent numbering for all of the episodes (AR+IO-001, etc.) hosted by Eisel Mazard across many different podcasts, and united by one Patreon. Eisel is better known as Zel from Ashdod, and was formerly known as the voice (and author) behind the (banned) youtube channel à-bas-le-ciel.

Sep 26, 2025 • 13min
The Process of Learning is the Meaning of Life: Skepticism & Self-Doubt (vs. Cosmic Skeptic, Galileo, etc.)
Find me on Instagram. Support me on Patreon. Both will provide notifications for new podcast episodes (not just "here", but under many different headings).https://www.instagram.com/a_bas_le_ciel/https://www.patreon.com/c/a_bas_le_ciel/postsAR+IO abbreviates the motto "Active Research and Informed Opinion", providing consistent numbering for all of the episodes (AR+IO-001, etc.) hosted by Eisel Mazard across many different podcasts, and united by one Patreon. Eisel is better known as Zel from Ashdod, and was formerly known as the voice (and author) behind the (banned) youtube channel à-bas-le-ciel.

Aug 14, 2025 • 1h 23min
The Opposite of Islam: Genocide in Gaza, Genocide in Xinjiang, in Parallel.
Find me on Instagram. Support me on Patreon. Both will provide notifications for new podcast episodes (not just "here", but under many different headings).https://www.instagram.com/a_bas_le_ciel/https://www.patreon.com/c/a_bas_le_ciel/postsAR+IO abbreviates the motto "Active Research and Informed Opinion", providing consistent numbering for all of the episodes (AR+IO-001, etc.) hosted by Eisel Mazard across many different podcasts, and united by one Patreon. Eisel is better known as Zel from Ashdod, and was formerly known as the voice (and author) behind the (banned) youtube channel à-bas-le-ciel.

Jul 28, 2025 • 10min
The Necessity of Nihilism: Atheism is Not Enough.
Explained in ten minutes or less. ;-)Find me on Instagram. Support me on Patreon. Both will provide notifications for new podcast episodes (not just "here", but under many different headings).https://www.instagram.com/a_bas_le_ciel/https://www.patreon.com/c/a_bas_le_ciel/postsAR+IO abbreviates the motto "Active Research and Informed Opinion", providing consistent numbering for all of the episodes (AR+IO-001, etc.) hosted by Eisel Mazard across many different podcasts, and united by one Patreon. Eisel is better known as Zel from Ashdod, and was formerly known as the voice (and author) behind the (banned) youtube channel à-bas-le-ciel.

Jun 29, 2025 • 2h 44min
Multiculturalism means another dozen dark ages, all at the same time: ignorance and antisemitism instead of atheism.
"When you think about what culture is, it is the accumulation of past beliefs: it is the burden of ignorance we take on from our ancestors. It is a set of authoritarian attitudes that the past is trying to impose upon the present and the future. And we have to resist it all."Many minutes later: "What are we talking about, when we talk about culture, if not a way for the dead to impose their will upon the living?"This is PART TWO OF TWO. Atheism opposes a single belief only, whereas nihilism opposes them all, dealing with the root causes (and fundamental defects) of belief as such; therefore, a nihilistic critique of multiculturalism is inevitable, as a nihilist cannot see a plurality of false beliefs as an improvement on just one --for all the same reasons that we would not see a country divided between many warring forms and factions of islam as superior to a country unified by just one (although that one and the many would be equally false).Find me on Instagram. Support me on Patreon. Both will provide notifications for new podcast episodes (not just "here", but under many different headings).https://www.instagram.com/a_bas_le_ciel/https://www.patreon.com/c/a_bas_le_ciel/postsAR+IO abbreviates the motto "Active Research and Informed Opinion", providing consistent numbering for all of the episodes (AR+IO-001, etc.) hosted by Eisel Mazard across many different podcasts, and united by one Patreon. Eisel is better known as Zel from Ashdod, and was formerly known as the voice (and author) behind the (banned) youtube channel à-bas-le-ciel.

May 28, 2025 • 1h 44min
Against multiculturalism. Culture is tyranny. And a plurality of tyrannies never adds up to a democracy.
This is part one of two. Atheism opposes a single belief only, whereas nihilism opposes them all, dealing with the root causes (and fundamental defects) of belief as such; therefore, a nihilistic critique of multiculturalism is inevitable, as a nihilist cannot see a plurality of false beliefs as an improvement on just one --for all the same reasons that we would not see a country divided between many warring forms and factions of islam as superior to a country unified by just one (although that one and the many would be equally false).Find me on Instagram. Support me on Patreon. Both will provide notifications for new podcast episodes (not just "here", but under many different headings).https://www.instagram.com/a_bas_le_ciel/https://www.patreon.com/c/a_bas_le_ciel/postsAR+IO abbreviates the motto "Active Research and Informed Opinion", providing consistent numbering for all of the episodes (AR+IO-001, etc.) hosted by Eisel Mazard across many different podcasts, and united by one Patreon. Eisel is better known as Zel from Ashdod, and was formerly known as the voice (and author) behind the (banned) youtube channel à-bas-le-ciel.

Apr 17, 2025 • 53min
Who Killed MLK? The Assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Junior: How Not Why.
You know the difference between a police and an outlaw? If anyone ever asks, you just take off your shoe, hold it up, and reply, "ONE STEP".Find me on Instagram. Support me on Patreon. Both will provide notifications for new podcast episodes (not just "here", but under many different headings).https://www.instagram.com/a_bas_le_ciel/https://www.patreon.com/c/a_bas_le_ciel/postsAR+IO abbreviates the motto "Active Research and Informed Opinion", providing consistent numbering for all of the episodes (AR+IO-001, etc.) hosted by Eisel Mazard across many different podcasts, and united by one Patreon. Eisel is better known as Zel from Ashdod, and was formerly known as the voice (and author) behind the (banned) youtube channel à-bas-le-ciel.

Apr 6, 2025 • 49min
Nihilism vs BLM: the right wing is right about SOMETHING, SOMETIMES, okay?
Find me on Instagram. Support me on Patreon. Both will provide notifications for new podcast episodes (not just "here", but under many different headings).https://www.instagram.com/a_bas_le_ciel/https://www.patreon.com/c/a_bas_le_ciel/postsAR+IO abbreviates the motto "Active Research and Informed Opinion", providing consistent numbering for all of the episodes (AR+IO-001, etc.) hosted by Eisel Mazard across many different podcasts, and united by one Patreon. Eisel is better known as Zel from Ashdod, and was formerly known as the voice (and author) behind the (banned) youtube channel à-bas-le-ciel.

Apr 3, 2025 • 1h 1min
The idiocy of Ben Shapiro: a sequel on JFK's assassination and the conspiracy theory mentality.
Find me on Instagram. Support me on Patreon. Both will provide notifications for new podcast episodes (not just "here", but under many different headings).https://www.instagram.com/a_bas_le_ciel/https://www.patreon.com/c/a_bas_le_ciel/postsAR+IO abbreviates the motto "Active Research and Informed Opinion", providing consistent numbering for all of the episodes (AR+IO-001, etc.) hosted by Eisel Mazard across many different podcasts, and united by one Patreon. Eisel is better known as Zel from Ashdod, and was formerly known as the voice (and author) behind the (banned) youtube channel à-bas-le-ciel.

Apr 1, 2025 • 46min
Nihilism vs Nationalism: Donald Trump, Tariffs, and the Post-Neoliberal Consensus.
Ice bucket economics: recorded one day before Donald Trump's declared "Liberation Day", which could also be described as April Fool's Day, coincidentally, 2025.Find me on Instagram. Support me on Patreon. Both will provide notifications for new podcast episodes (not just "here", but under many different headings).https://www.instagram.com/a_bas_le_ciel/https://www.patreon.com/c/a_bas_le_ciel/postsAR+IO abbreviates the motto "Active Research and Informed Opinion", providing consistent numbering for all of the episodes (AR+IO-001, etc.) hosted by Eisel Mazard across many different podcasts, and united by one Patreon. Eisel is better known as Zel from Ashdod, and was formerly known as the voice (and author) behind the (banned) youtube channel à-bas-le-ciel.