Épisodes

  • The Crapture: Transhumanism and Christianity

    The Crapture: Transhumanism and Christianity
    Jun 12 2025
    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/
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    40 min
  • Transhumanism and Capitalism with Dr. Alexander Thomas

    Transhumanism and Capitalism with Dr. Alexander Thomas
    Jun 5 2025
    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
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    1 h et 36 min
  • The Tech Bro Zone with Quinn Slobodian

    The Tech Bro Zone with Quinn Slobodian
    May 28 2025

    To join our group chat or become a subscriber, go here: https://www.patreon.com/c/DystopiaNow

    This week we chatted with historian Quinn Slobodian, a professor of international history at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University.

    His books, which have been translated into ten languages, include, most recently, Hayek’s Bastards: Race, Gold, IQ and the Capitalism of the Far Right and Crack-Up Capitalism: Market Radicals and the Dream of a World without Democracy.

    Intro

    • Anthropic: AI deception risk
    • Patreon: Join Community Chats

    Quinn Slobodian

    • Tech bros, Trump, and the Silicon Valley nation-state – The Guardian
    • The Bastards of Neoliberalism – New Statesman
    • Elon Musk and the Demography Agenda – New Statesman
    • Crack-Up Capitalism Interview – Jacobin
    • The Bastards of Neoliberalism – New Statesman
    • The Inhuman Future of Intelligence – The Guardian

    Other

    • Balaji’s Private Island School – TechCrunch
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    1 h et 8 min
  • PATREON PREVIEW: The Zizians, A Cult Within A Cult

    PATREON PREVIEW: The Zizians, A Cult Within A Cult
    May 25 2025

    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
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    3 min
  • Dragging Matt Yglesias with Nathan Robinson

    Dragging Matt Yglesias with Nathan Robinson
    May 22 2025
    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 – NYTCharity 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 BoringReds 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 ShellenbergerTed 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
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    1 h et 13 min
  • TESCREAL Overview with Kath Barbadoro and Alex Ptak

    TESCREAL Overview with Kath Barbadoro and Alex Ptak
    May 15 2025

    To join us on Patreon:

    https://www.patreon.com/c/DystopiaNow

    This week we welcomed comedians Kath Barbadoro (What a Time to Be Alive podcast) and Alex Ptak (Quorators podcast) to go through each letter in the bundle of ideologies. Who invented them, who believes in them, and the impact they are having on our world today.

    Transhumanism

    Extropianism

    Singularitarianism

    Cosmism

    Rationalism

    Effective Altruism

    Longtermism

    Extra reading/watching:

    Intro clip: https://www.tiktok.com/@the.free.press/video/7457615074945944863

    The TESCREAL Bundle: https://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/13636/11599

    Adam Becker:

    https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/may/03/tech-oligarchs-musk

    The Politics and Ethics of Transhumanism by Alexander Thomas:

    https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/the-politics-and-ethics-of-transhumanism

    TESCREAL overview by Èmile:

    https://www.truthdig.com/articles/the-acronym-behind-our-wildest-ai-dreams-and-nightmares/
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    1 h et 4 min
  • The Dark Enlightenment (Nick Land and Curtis Yarvin)

    The Dark Enlightenment (Nick Land and Curtis Yarvin)
    May 8 2025

    Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/DystopiaNow

    This week we discussed Nick Land's series of essays "The Dark Enlightenment," considered a foundational document for right accelerationists (r/acc) and neoreactionary ideologies (NrX). Plus the Cybernetic Culture Research Unit, Mark Zuckerberg's AI friends, Bryan Johnson's penis de-aging, and AI spirituality.

    Additional Resources:

    Segment 1: Bryan Johnson

    • Vanity Fair: The bizarre journey of Bryan Johnson, his anti-aging endeavors, and his controversial experiment in penile rejuvenation.

      • Don't Die, Tech Mogul: Bryan Johnson's Quest

      • Bryan Johnson’s Blog on Penis De-Aging

    Segment 2: AI Is Stealing Your Boyfriend

    • Rolling Stone: How spiritual delusions about AI are fracturing human bonds.

      • AI and Human Relationships: A Cultural Shift

    Segment 3: Nick Land

    • Vox: Neoreaction as a segment of the alt-right

      • The Alt-Right Explained

    • Slate: John Derbyshire

      • Derbyshire's "Advice" and the Fallout

    • Nick Land's Foundational Text: A dense introduction to accelerationism, emphasizing the destructive potential of speeding up capitalist processes.

      • A Quick and Dirty Introduction to Accelerationism

    • Mark Fisher (Tumblr): A reflection on accelerationism from the left

      • Terminator vs. Avatar: Notes on Accelerationism

    • Viewpoint Magazine: Dark Enlightenment

      • The Darkness at the End of the Tunnel

    • The Guardian: How accelerationism predicted our modern world.

      • Fringe Philosophy that Predicted the Future

    • Financial Times: Dark Enlightenment

      • Archived Content
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    1 h et 2 min
  • UNLOCKED: Nuke Mars (Bezos vs. Musk)

    UNLOCKED: Nuke Mars (Bezos vs. Musk)
    May 4 2025

    If you'd like to become a subscriber to hear more bonus episodes you can do it here: https://www.patreon.com/c/DystopiaNow

    his Patreon bonus episode with Kenice Mobley about Bezos vs. Musk on space was so fun we decided to unlock it.

    Bezos wants us to live in cylinders, Musk wants us to nuke Mars, but both of them want a future where we're all digital beings maximizing value. Some of the wildest information we've talked about so far.

    Thanks for being one of our patreon subscribers!

    For further reading:

    Jason Hickel: https://www.jasonhickel.org/less-is-more

    Astrotopia: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/A/bo184287883.html

    https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2023/12/15/forget-musks-martian-ambition-jeff-bezos-thinks-humans-should-live-in-giant-cylindrical-space-stations/

    https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/nuke-mars-elon-musk-seems-serious-about-plan-terraform-red-ncna1045181

    https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/08/science/starship-spacex-explosion-elon-musk.html

    https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/11/technology/elon-musk-spacex-mars.html
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    49 min