September 24, 2025

The Bicameral World of the Zizians

57 minutes

EPISODE 146 | The Bicameral World of the Zizians

One striking thing about the many stories that have appeared about the Zizians and the crimes they are accused of committing, is that each one starts at a different place. Some start with the attack on a Vallejo landlord that resulted in his being run through with a samurai sword and then work backwards and then forwards. Others begin their tale with the shooting of an older couple in Pennsylvania. Still others kick things off with the shooting death of a Border Patrol agent up near the Canadian border.

As a result, it can be a bit difficult to get a handle on exactly what happened when and what the several people currently in police custody are accused of.

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SECTIONS

LEFT BRAIN

02:28 - Gimme Some Truth - Ziz LaSota, Effective Altruism, x-risk, MIRI, transhumanism and the Singularity, CFAR, LessWrong

12:25 - Digital Witness - Roko's Basilisk, “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream”, utilitarianism, the many-worlds interpretation, online censorship

22:58 - Adrift in Sleepwakefulness - The Zizians start as vegan anarchotranshumanists, unbucketing, the bicameral mind, unihemispheric sleep (UHS), sleep deprivation, Ziz Theory, the Rationalist Fleet, Curtis Lind offers a place to stay, the first suicide, self-blackmail

RIGHT BRAIN

35:02 - Friendship Train - The Westminster Woods protest, arrests and a lack of cooperation, Ziz dies, Curtis Lind is stabbed repeatedly, Ziz is alive, Richard and Rita Zajko are killed; Michelle Zajko, Daniel Blank and Ziz arrested; Michelle blames LessWrong, Ziz is released and vanishes, more legal issues

50:19 - Lose Control - Ophelia Bauckholt and Teresa Youngblut wander around Vermont, a firefight with the Border Patrol, Curtis Lind is killed, Maxmilian Snyder dictates a letter; Zajko, Blank and Ziz arrested (again); trials are set

Music by Fanette Ronjat

More Info

LessWrong on RationalWIki

Roko's Basilisk on RationalWiki

Zizian Murdercult summary, for those out of the loop on X by @Aella_Girl - January 29, 2025

Who is ‘Ziz’? How a mysterious group with roots in the Bay Area is linked to six deaths in the San Francisco Chronicle

‘Death upon death’: Defendant in killing tied to cult-like ‘Zizian’ group dictates 1,500-word letter over jail phone in the San Francisco Chronicle

How a Vermont border agent's death exposed violence linked to the cultlike Zizian group on CBS News

A Vermont border agent’s death was the latest violence linked to the cultlike Zizian group on AP

Alleged leader of cultlike ‘Zizian’ group to be held without bail after arrest in The Guardian

Zizians: What we know about the 'cult' linked to six deaths on the BBC

The Delirious, Violent, Impossible True Story of the Zizians by Evan Ratliff in Wired

Alleged Leader of Roko’s Basilisk Murder Cult Says She Did Nothing Wrong, and Would Appreciate Some Vegan Food in Jail on Futurism

Who Are the Zizians: Why 6 Killings Are Linked to Alleged Vegan Techie "Cult" on E! News

What to Know About the Alleged Zizian "Cult" Linked to 6 Killings on E! News

Possible Suicide Cluster Linked to Zizian Group, on Top of Killings on SFist

Judge confirms trial date for ‘Zizian cult’ murder case on Courthouse News Service

Grand jury indicts accused leader of cultlike 'Zizian' group on USA Today

She Wanted to Save the World From A.I. Then the Killings Started in the New York Times

Three Zizians face trial together in Maryland amid sprawling federal investigation on AP

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