To hear the full ep sign up here: https://www.patreon.com/c/DystopiaNow

In the 1990s, at the height of the Grunge Era, a small but ambitious group calling themselves the Extropians dreamed of transcending the limits of the human body and mind, through technology, radical life extension, and an unapologetically libertarian vision of the future. In this episode, we trace their journey from obscure online mailing lists to their outsized influence on today’s transhumanist movement, Silicon Valley techno-utopianism, and AI ideology. We’ll unpack their proactionary principle, ties to effective altruism and longtermism, and the Network State movement.

This is the final installment of our series on the Rationalist Death Cult, the Zizians. This three part series unpacks the twisted story of the Zizians, a fringe group born out of the Bay Area rationalist and effective altruism subcultures that descended into violence and murder. Blending a belief in utilitarianism with extreme accelerationist ideology, the Zizians started with an AI Doom fixation and ended up justifying a string of brutal killings in the name of a supposed greater good.

To hear the series, become a member here: https://www.patreon.com/c/DystopiaNow

In Part 1 "A Cult Within a Cult" We discuss the origins of the Zizian ideology in the Rationalism community, MIRI, CFAR, Roko's Basilisk and Effective Altruism Doom Circles. How did TESCREALism, Bay Area housing costs, and the Human Potential Movement set the stage for a series of horrors?

In part 2 "The Murders Begin," we look at how a group of rationalists becomes a murder cult. This episode takes us from the MIRI/CFAR protest aftermath to the first attack on Curtis Lind and Ziz's faked death.

We also cover Timeless Decision Theory, Expected Value Calculations, and Pascal's Mugging.

Finally, in Part 3 "The Murder Spree" we discuss how a fringe subculture became a national news story through the killing of a Border Patrol Agent.

To become a supporter and keep the show going, visit us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/DystopiaNow

This week we were joined by Keira Havens of Citizen’s Impeachment and Nicholas Rodelo, a staff researcher at Dropsite News to discuss how tech has assisted propaganda campaigns to further the genocide in Gaza.

Articles and Media Mentioned:

https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/google-acquisition-tech-wiz-israel-gaza-8200

https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/18/politics/cnn-poll-israel-support

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/22/opinion/no-israel-is-not-committing-genocide-in-gaza.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/23/opinion/israel-gaza-genocide-scholar-response.html

https://www.dropsitenews.com/p/leaked-data-israeli-censorship-meta

https://medium.com/@Keira_Havens/box-of-rocks-b8aec0c8710e

Become a subscriber and join our listener chat: https://www.patreon.com/c/DystopiaNow

This week, we explored the tech billionaire fixation with cryonics, mind uploading and life extension. We’re just a couple of decel deathists! (You’ll see what we mean)

In the intro this week, we talked about Superman’s critique of tech billionaires, Mountainhead, and we read a very special poem.

Plus, a Meta AI data center in Georgia leads to rationing of water for local residents. Who needs a shower when you can have a bad search engine?

FURTHER READING:

Billionaire Immortality and Cryonics
How Billionaires Are Freezing Themselves to Cheat Death
https://www.theguardian.com/science/article/2024/jul/10/billionaires-freezing-cryopreservation-riches-lawyers-life

The Quest to Reverse Aging Among the Ultra-Rich
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/feb/17/if-they-could-turn-back-time-how-tech-billionaires-are-trying-to-reverse-the-ageing-process

Inside the Billionaire-Led Race for Immortality
https://theweek.com/science/the-billionaire-led-quest-for-immortality

Deathism

https://transhumanism.fandom.com/wiki/Deathism

Wikipedia: Alcor Life Extension Foundation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcor_Life_Extension_Foundation

AI and Tech Power
Jaron Lanier on the Cult-Like Belief in AI
https://www.vox.com/the-gray-area/407154/jaron-lanier-ai-religion-progress-criticism

Let’s Think About Slowing Down AI by Katja Grace

https://worldspiritsockpuppet.substack.com/p/lets-think-about-slowing-down-ai

AI Hallucinations and the Fragility of Tech Trust
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/05/technology/ai-hallucinations-chatgpt-google.html

Chat GPT is Bullshit
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10676-024-09775-5

Elon Musk's Grok AI and U.S. Defense Links
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2025/07/14/elon-musk-grok-defense-department/

Climate and Water
The AI Boom's Growing Carbon Footprint
https://www.npr.org/2024/07/12/g-s1-9545/ai-brings-soaring-emissions-for-google-and-microsoft-a-major-contributor-to-climate-change

Meta’s AI and the Fight Over Water
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/14/technology/meta-data-center-water.html

Poetry
https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/04/world/middleeast/04stext.html

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