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The Rise of Technofascists

The Rise of Technofascists

The David Frum Show vor 1 Jahr

Sam Harris on Silicon Valley’s turn toward authoritarian politics and the collapse of the information commons. Plus: Donald Trump’s politicization of prosecutions and Robert Proctor’s The Nazi War on Cancer.

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On this episode of The David Frum Show, The Atlantic’s David Frum
opens with reflections on the malicious prosecution of James Comey
and what it reveals about Donald Trump’s growing power over the
justice system. He explains how the United States, unlike other
advanced democracies, has allowed prosecutions to become
instruments of presidential will, why Watergate-era norms of
independence have eroded, and how the Supreme Court’s recent
rulings have accelerated the drift toward one-man rule. Then Frum
is joined by Sam Harris—author, podcaster, and creator of the
Waking Up app—for a conversation about Silicon Valley’s dark
political evolution toward authoritarianism. They discuss how the
emancipatory optimism of the early internet gave way to
surveillance, manipulation, and the shattering of shared reality;
why prominent tech figures are embracing authoritarian politics;
and how conspiracy, anti-vaccine movements, and the pursuit of
profit have corroded the culture of innovation. Finally, David
closes with a discussion of Robert Proctor’s The Nazi War on
Cancer. He notes how the Nazi regime advanced anti-smoking and
cancer-prevention campaigns even as it committed atrocities,
tracing the deeper links between politics and health. Drawing a
parallel to today, David connects that history to the rise of the
MAHA movement: where anti-vaccine ideology and wellness grifts
overlap with MAGA politics, fueled by distrust of experts and a
refusal of solidarity and empathy with the sick and suffering. He
argues that the Trump administration is recasting health as a test
of personal virtue to reinforce its authoritarian project. Get more
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