The Bicameral World of the Zizians

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

1. 02:28 - Gimme Some Truth - Ziz LaSota, Effective Altruism, x-risk, MIRI, transhumanism and the Singularity, CFAR, LessWrong
2. 12:25 - Digital Witness - Roko's Basilisk, “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream”, utilitarianism, the many-worlds interpretation, online censorship
3. 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

1. 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
2. 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