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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
  • Pro-Natalism, Anti-Natalism and Efilism with Briahna Joy Gray
    Jun 20 2025
    To join us on Patreon go here: https://www.patreon.com/c/DystopiaNow This week we were joined by Briahna Joy Gray to talk about natalism and Efilism. We also had a great discussion about the philosophy of human extinction. Bad Faith Podcast / Briahna Joy Gray Bad Faith Podcast: “Episode 479: Promo — Truth in Fiction w/ Cory Doctorow” https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-479-promo-truth-in-fiction-w-cory-doctorow/id1531192509?i=1000710888262 Bad Faith Podcast: “Episode 445: Promo — From Merit to Eugenics: Elon Musk’s…” https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/episode-445-promo-from-merit-to-eugenics-elon-musks/id1531192509?i=1000688606822 Pronatalism / Natalism Discourse Mother Jones — “This Is a War, and Natalism Is Our Sword and Shield” https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/03/this-is-a-war-and-natalism-is-our-sword-and-shield-my-weekend-with-the-pronatalists/ The Guardian — “Natal Conference in Austin, Texas, and Eugenics” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/03/natal-conference-austin-texas-eugenics The Guardian — “What Is Pronatalism? Right-Wing Republican Movement” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/11/what-is-pronatalism-right-wing-republican The Guardian — “Elon Musk, Pronatalism, and Motherhood on Social Media” https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/feb/25/elon-musk-pronatalism-mothers-social-media-parenting CNN — “Pronatalism, Elon Musk, and Birth Rates” https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/10/us/pronatalism-elon-musk-birth-rates-cec Vox — “JD Vance, Pronatalism, and Population Decline” https://www.vox.com/policy/363543/pronatalism-vance-birth-rates-population-decline-fertility New York Times — “Liberals and Falling Birth Rates: Anastasia Berg Op-Ed” https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/16/opinion/anastasia-berg-falling-birth-rates-liberals.html New York Times — “Natalism, Liberalism & Parenthood” https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/10/opinion/natalism-liberalism-parenthood.html The Atlantic — “Democrats and Pronatalism: Family Policy Debates” https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/02/democrats-pronatalism-family-policies/681827/ Liberal Currents — “Liberal Pro-Natalism” https://www.liberalcurrents.com/liberal-pro-natalism/ The New Yorker — “How Liberals Talk About Children” https://www.newyorker.com/news/fault-lines/how-liberals-talk-about-children Current Affairs — “We Should Be Neither Anti-Natalist Nor Pro-Natalist” https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/we-should-be-neither-anti-natalist-nor-pro-natalist The Guardian — “Birthstrikers and Climate Change” https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/mar/12/birthstrikers-meet-the-women-who-refuse-to-have-children-until-climate-change-ends People — “All About Elon Musk’s Children” https://people.com/all-about-elon-musk-children-11678749 New York Times — “Trump, Musk, and Birthrate Proposals” https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/21/us/politics/elon-musk-trump-birthrate.html New York Times — “Trump’s Birthrate Proposals” https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/21/us/politics/trump-birthrate-proposals.html Axios — “Elon Musk, Ashley St. Clair, and Baby Influencing” https://www.axios.com/2025/04/17/elon-musk-babies-ashley-st-clair Conversations with Tyler — Ezra Klein Interview https://conversationswithtyler.com/episodes/ezra-klein-3/ Efilism / Anti-Natalism Extremism The Intercept — “Efilism and the Palm Springs Bomber” https://theintercept.com/2025/05/19/efilism-palm-springs-bomber-fertility-clinic/ NBC News — “Reddit Bans Anti-Natalists After Explosion” https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/reddit-bans-anti-natalists-palm-springs-explosion-rcna207677 The Guardian — “Palm Springs IVF Clinic Bombing and Online Extremism” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/21/palm-springs-ivf-clinic-bombing-online-extremism Eugenics, Longtermism, Effective Altruism Truthdig — “Nick Bostrom, Longtermism, and Eugenics” https://www.truthdig.com/articles/nick-bostrom-longtermism-and-the-eternal-return-of-eugenics-2/ Truthdig — “A Short History of Eugenics” https://www.truthdig.com/articles/a-short-history-of-eugenics-from-plato-to-nick-bostrom/ The Guardian — “Pro-Extinctionists and Effective Altruism” https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/jul/22/pro-extinctionis-longtermim-effective-altruism-human-extinction-emile-torres Utilitarianism: For and Against (PDF) https://www.utilitarianism.com/utilitarianism-for-and-against.pdf LessWrong — Computronium Page https://www.lesswrong.com/w/computronium Political News / Commentary AP News — “Trump’s Army Parade and Protests” https://apnews.com/article/trump-army-parade-troops-tanks-birthday-protests-4cca4da0e89908d39c820240744375a1 New York Times — “Andrew Cuomo and Nursing Home Deaths During COVID” https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/09/nyregion/cuomo-pandemic-nursing-home-deaths.html Social Media & Commentary Instagram Reel https://...
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    1 hr and 30 mins
  • 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 mins
  • 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 hr and 36 mins
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