Formulas Against the False Self: Mitch Horowitz on Left-Hand Path Magic
Ep. 376
Mitch Horowitz returns to Team Human for a fiery, provocative exploration of his new book, Esoterika: Formulas Against the False Self.
The Shoggoth in the Machine: AI, ARGs, and the Future of Play (w/ Reed Berkowitz)
Ep. 375
How do we keep the machine from pulling us into another world, or escaping into ours?
Rushkoff is joined by OG game designer, hacker, and Director of Curiouser Institute Reed Berkowitz to explore the liminal space between reality, fiction, and artificial intelligence.
The Trap of Living Forever (And the Bliss of Letting Go)
Ep. 374
Rushkoff contrasts the blissful, terrifying reality of voluntary dissolution with our pyramid-building civilization. From the ancient pyramids of Egypt to tech billionaires injecting themselves with young blood, humanity has built a world based on accumulation, extraction, and freezing time.
Stop Chasing the Matrix: How to Live Fully in a Collapsing World (w/ Sarah Wilson)
Ep. 373
If building a better future looks like a miserable exercise in self-denial, nobody is going to join. Rushkoff sits down with author and activist Sarah Wilson to discuss her new book, 'I Eat the Stars"
Spidey Sense in the Age of AI
Ep. 372
Following a recent New York Times expose on a high-profile AI book scandal, Rushkoff takes us behind the scenes of the modern grift factory.
Alan Moore on Reclaiming Our Imagination from the Authoritarian Overlords
Ep. 371
Legendary writer, magician, and shaman Alan Moore (Watchmen, V for Vendetta, Jerusalem, The Great When) joins Rushkoff on for a transcendent exploration of idea space, the power of linguistic maximalism, and how we can reclaim our imaginative sovereignty.
How to Survive The Swirl of Grief and Modern Chaos
Ep. 370
Rushkoff shares a story he has never told publicly: The tragic car accident 40 years ago that claimed the life of his best friend and college partner-in-justice, Steven Ratushewitz.
Gamifying the Apocalypse: Climate Prep, Zombie Games, and Mutual Aid (w/Charlotte Binns)
Ep. 369
Charlotte Binns, Director of Sustainability for the Village of Irvington and a dedicated community organizer, explores why the most effective response to global crises, from climate change to social isolation, starts right on your own block.
The Magic of the Broken: David J (Bauhaus / Love and Rockets)
Ep. 367
Join Rushkoff for a deep dive into the noir consciousness with legendary musician and writer David J (Bauhaus, Love and Rockets). Together, they explore the liminal spaces between music, magic, and the human heart.
AI Angels, Demons, and the Fight for the Future (w/ Philip Rosedale)
Ep. 366
Philip Rosedale argues the AI monsters currently being developed are limited by the tech bro survival of the fittest values they are trained on.
"What If" Is the Enemy of Fascism (w/Brian Eno)
Ep. 365
What is art for? Rushkoff is joined by legendary musician and producer Brian Eno to explore the necessity of moving away from the certainty of victory and into the delight of surrender.
Exposing the Billionaire Funding Behind AI Safety Movements (w/ Kat Tenbarge)
Ep. 364
Rushkoff sits down with Kat Tenbarage, (Founder, Spitfire News) to pull back the curtain on the intersection of AI, digital harassment, and political maneuvering. Together, they discuss Humans First: Is it a true bipartisan coalition or a strategic funnel for right-wing legislation?
The Internet Felt Like This in 1994. AI Might Be Our Last Chance.
Ep. 363
Rushkoff shares his first real foray into the world of Artificial Intelligence. After years of avoiding the technology, Douglas takes us through a vibe coding journey using Claude to rebuild his personal website in five hours.
The Holy War Delusion: Is It Time to Retire Our Religions?
Ep. 361
Rushkoff explores the heartbreaking crisis of modern faith. As religious identities are weaponized by nationalism, literalism, and holy war narratives, from Christian Zionism to the defense of the nation-state, we find ourselves trapped in a linear, Axial Age story that may no longer serve a digital, all-at-once humanity.
Grant Morrison: The Enemies of Humanity Are Wielding Occult Power
Ep. 360
The tech elite are wielding occult power, but we have the imagination.
Douglas Rushkoff sits down with legendary comic writer and chaos magician Grant Morrison for a deeply urgent conversation about reclaiming reality.
Will AI Eat the Earth?
Ep. 359
The digital world promises a frictionless existence of infinite growth, convenience, and total scale. But what happens when that virtual map starts consuming the real territory? Rushkoff reflects on his recent appointment to the Club of Rome and their legendary 1972 warning: The Limits to Growth.
The Internet is an Occult Machine (w/ Shira Chess)
Ep. 358
Has the internet always been a magical space?
Shira Chess, a Professor of Entertainment and Media Studies at the University of Georgia and a leading scholar of digital folklore, dive into her new book, The Unseen Internet: Conjuring the Occult in Digital Discourse, to explore the hidden spiritual architecture of our digital lives.
My Dinner With Jeffrey: What the Epstein Files Tell Us About All of Us
Ep. 355
"Why are you in the Epstein files?"
It is a question Rushkoff received from his own daughter, and in this raw monologue, he gives the full answer.
Do Tech Billionaires Want Us Dead? (w/ Taylor Lorenz)
Ep. 354
Is the online safety legislation moving through Congress actually a Trojan horse for mass surveillance? And do the tech billionaires building our future actually care if the rest of us survive it?
Rushkoff sits down with Taylor Lorenz, the internet’s premier culture reporter and founder of User Mag, to discuss her departure from legacy media (The New York Times, The Washington Post) and the dangerous reality of the new tech authoritarianism.
The Esoteric State of the Union: Magic, Will, and the New Neighborhood with Mitch Horowitz
Ep. 353
Is magic just "positive thinking," or is it a causative force that can reshape reality? Rushkoff sits down with occult historian and author Mitch Horowitz (Occult America, Daydream Believer) to explore the boundaries of will, belief, and the material world.