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Dystopia Now

Dystopia Now

By: Kate Willett and Emile Torres
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 Dystopia Now is a show where a comedian (Kate Willett) and an academic (Emile Torres) explore the philosophies and religions of Silicon Valley and tech billionaires shaping our country, our world, and our future.2025 Politics & Government Social Sciences
Episodes
  • PATREON PREVIEW: The Zizians, A Cult Within A Cult

    PATREON PREVIEW: The Zizians, A Cult Within A Cult
    May 24 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 hear the rest of the episode, please consider becoming a Patreon supporter at https://www.patreon.com/c/DystopiaNow

    We really appreciate your consideration! We're an entirely independent show with no advertisers only possible because of listeners like you.

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    49 mins
  • 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 hr and 13 mins
  • 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 hr and 4 mins

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