Beliefs in mind uploading and mechanical immortality are very common within the American tech bro scene. But these are absurd delusions that are not at all supported by biology. We just published a comprehensive rebuttal of this fantasy by biologist and philosopher Johannes Jaeger:

This Independence Day, let's remember that separation of church and state is an all-American idea Freedom of conscience works for everyone—religious as well as non-religious

Welcome swag for white South African ‘refugees’ reveals blatant racism of Trump’s asylum policy Via @jtccarroll.flux.community:

A politics of powerful love is the only one that can defeat fascism w/o violence. The real divide now is between those who will fight for democracy, and those who will twiddle their thumbs. Voters do not choose based on obscure policy debates, so we must shelve them until the fascists are crushed.

My latest: Thousands of people think their favorite chatbot has a soul, but why does no one ever say the same about Midjourney? Finally finished my essay debunking false beliefs in chatbot consciousness. Please share if you could: plus.flux.community/p/large-lang...

Large language models and the textual nude Thousands of people think their favorite chatbot has a soul, but why does no one ever say the same about Midjourney? New via @matthew.flux.community:

Juneteenth and the failure of Reconstruction are stories we must never forget. Learning about past American injustice is an inspiration to do better. Students everywhere deserve to know the stories of people like Joshua Houston and Samuel Walker Houston.

“'Pluralism is the idea that mutual worldviews and life systems can exists side by side,' Simmons writes, calling it 'the root of an unrighteous society.'” The title flags the project. Again, Americans aren't so much divided as they are *being* divided. plus.flux.community/p/the-radica...

Juneteenth and the failure of Reconstruction are stories we must never forget. Learning about past American injustice is an inspiration to do better. Students everywhere deserve to know the stories of people like Joshua Houston and Samuel Walker Houston.

New research suggests how brains help us decide who to trust and why A rare genetic disorder that damages the amygdala is helping neuroscientists rethink the origins of trust and fear

The radical Christian nationalist plan to colonize rural America and establish sharia-style governance through decades of effort Yes, this is a real thing. Via @petemontdc.com

Many men are struggling economically and socially, but too often, it's only reactionaries like Jordan Peterson or Andrew Tate who blame women and democracy who are speaking to men. That needs to change, @etvpod.bsky.social argues:

My latest at @flux.community: The race for a Senate seat in Texas highlights how MAGA's authoritarian governance is deeply intertwined with its celebration of a predatory, backwards maculinity. 1/x plus.flux.community/p/in-texas-s...

Vaccines are one of humanity's greatest inventions ever, but despite 300 years of success, antivax people are still using the same debunked arguments. @tomlevenson.bsky.social joined @matthew.flux.community to discuss the political history of vaccines:

Delighted to join @matthew.flux.community again at Theory of Change to chat about US politics and liberal fantasies of governance!

In Texas senate showdown, Ken Paxton’s rhetoric about masculinity could backfire for Ken Paxton, @jtccarroll.flux.community writes:

Delighted to join @matthew.flux.community again at Theory of Change to chat about US politics and liberal fantasies of governance!

The U.S. is inexperienced as a democracy, and it’s showing @drlisacorrigan.bsky.social joins @matthew.flux.community for a discussion of how America's inexperience with democracy is why it is endangered today

Donald Trump has never been more unpopular than now. And yet the Democratic Party is even more disliked. @rickperlstein.bsky.social joined @matthew.flux.community for a discussion on where former Trump supporters might go now, and Democrats' refusal to listen to their own voters:

New research suggests how brains help us decide who to trust and why A rare genetic disorder that damages the amygdala is helping neuroscientists rethink the origins of trust and fear

I'm running a fundraiser to help me keep doing high-quality news and analysis about politics, technology, philosophy, and religion. We need a lot more original analysis that is more than just "Trump did a bad thing." I cannot do this without your help. Thanks so much!

In an age of shallow and reactive content, the need for in-depth reporting and analysis has never been greater given what's at stake. Please chip in to our fundraiser. We need your help to keep going! Thank you! gofund.me/77c21221e

Pope Leo, Opus Dei, and the battle for the soul of Catholicism @garethgore.bsky.social joins @matthew.flux.community for an hour-long discussion on Opus Dei, reactionary Catholicism, and how American converts are trying to Protestantize the pope Video and transcript included:

Chatbots aren’t conscious, but the specific details as to why are important @virginiaheffernan.bsky.social joined @matthew.flux.community for a wide-ranging discussion about minds, meaning, and artificial intelligence which introduces his new Epistemic Flux Theory:

With Callais decision, the right-wing Supreme Court majority has unveiled the inescapable reality of Republican white supremacism Democrats need to find a way to rally a majority against the dire threat of GOP racism and its threat to modern America Via @jtccarroll.flux.community:

MAGA is not a monolith, and that’s why Trump’s poll numbers have fallen Pollster Stephen Hawkins joined @matthew.flux.community on "Theory of Change" to discuss his 11,000 person survey of Trump voters that reveals many internal divisions, including some younger men being much more extreme.

I spoke with the great @matthew.flux.community about why a classic liberal arts education is actually a safer-than-ever bet in an age of machine-augmented intelligence plus.flux.community/p/in-the-ai-...

Love or hate LLMs, there will be plenty of jobs in the future because of their limitations. People who can think broadly and clearly will have the advantage.

In the AI-powered job market, knowing what truth looks like will matter most @nilsgilman.bsky.social on why a classic liberal arts education is a safer bet in an age of machine-augmented intelligence

In the latest Theory of Change, @ajbauer.bsky.social joins @matthew.flux.community to discuss his new book about how the myth of "liberal media bias" has warped American politics. Even Democrats and the mainstream media have been badly damaged by this manipulation:

To achieve a beautiful future, we must never stop imagining @monikabielskyte.bsky.social joins @matthew.flux.community to discuss how to rescue the future from Big Tech dystopianism

Donald Trump’s belligerent attacks on the Pope are backfiring badly Picking a fight with a peace-mongering pontiff may well pay massive future dividends — for opponents of the president and MAGA. Via @jtccarroll.flux.community:

My latest: Historians are now saying the Trump era is a Second Gilded Age. If that's true, Democrats must realize that fake populism can only be defeated by real populism

New from @matthew.flux.community: Barack Obama reading books to preschoolers with Zohran Mamdani is a very big deal. The former president seems to have realized that Democrats cannot defeat Trumpism unless they include all of the party’s voters.

🧵Trump's war against Pope Leo is about something far larger than his foreign wars, it's actually a struggle for control of American Christianity. This thread will summarize the main points of my latest essay about how Trumpism is a replacement Christianity. Continue or click through:

Trump hates Pope Leo because he sees himself as the real vicar of Christ, @matthew.flux.community writes. The president is trying to rebuild Christianity in his own image, but the first American pope is standing in the way.

Young men are being drawn to the beauty industry through toxic ‘looksmaxxing’ trends Ideas that first began among incel communities are spreading far beyond

Military officials warned not to obey illegal orders as Trump’s Iran ‘deadline’ looms Laws against war crimes will still exist, even after Trump is not president

To derail and defeat Trumpism, we need a broader public awareness of how the president's sociopathy merges with longstanding American pathologies.

James Talarico is setting an example of a liberal Christianity that is unapologetically both things--while also being inclusive of non-religious and non-Christian people. @aselrod.bsky.social and @matthew.flux.community discuss why this is the way:

Pam Bondi’s DOJ abandoned 23,000 criminal investigations in shift to immigration Even investigations into fraud and abuse were dropped

Eddie Dalton isn’t real, but what does that mean? Computer-generated soul music is taking over the internet, raising questions about where humans think art lives

Christian nationalists promote praying to ‘kill’ political opponents and stop them ‘by any means necessary’ ‘We want him crucified—with Christ,’ former Pete Hegseth pastor says of Texas Democrat James Talarico

Thinking about space aliens can be fun and exciting, but it can also teach us about human science and communication. Particle physicist @danielwhiteson.bsky.social joins @matthew.flux.community to discuss his new book, ‘Do Aliens Speak Physics?’ Perfect for your weekend queue:

Many people are aware of Republican efforts to restrict reproductive healthcare, but it's crucially important to realize that these proposals are part of a much larger right-wing project of removing women from American public life. @susanrinkunas.com and I put the pieces together here:

Dobbs v. Jackson was just the beginning of the reactionary assault on women @susanrinkunas.com joins "Theory of Change" to discuss the right's sprawling effort to eliminate birth control, abortion pills, and women’s rights as a whole:

As Trump's illegal attack on Iran goes sideways, Democrats must fight further war funding The case for Democrats opposing budgetary support for more mayhem in the Middle East (and very possibly beyond) is overwhelming

Culture, dating, and politics still haven’t adjusted to women’s economic independence Siri Dahl on how women remade the economy and adult media, and why that’s also good for men

This was a great conversation between myself and Matt Sheffield on why the Democratic Party has low approval ratings despite trouncing the GOP in special elections all year.

Caving to the radical right's cultural power never works, but the libertarians who call themselves centrists keep suggesting it anyway. @parkermolloy.com and @matthew.flux.community discuss how the right polices language rather than make arguments, and why the issue is never the issue.