Max Read

In late January, Vermont Border Patrol agent David Mayland pulled over a car near the Canadian border. While trading fire, Mayland was killed, as was one of the car's occupants. The other was injured. As the days passed, authorities realized that the people in that car had links to what's been described as a cult called the Zizians. Most of the Zizians are now dead or in jail.

In late January, Vermont Border Patrol agent David Mayland pulled over a car near the Canadian border. While trading fire, Mayland was killed, as was one of the car's occupants. The other was injured. As the days passed, authorities realized that the people in that car had links to what's been described as a cult called the Zizians. Most of the Zizians are now dead or in jail.

In late January, Vermont Border Patrol agent David Mayland pulled over a car near the Canadian border. While trading fire, Mayland was killed, as was one of the car's occupants. The other was injured. As the days passed, authorities realized that the people in that car had links to what's been described as a cult called the Zizians. Most of the Zizians are now dead or in jail.

But do their ideas still have purchase?

But do their ideas still have purchase?

But do their ideas still have purchase?

This isn't like the Manson family driving around every night looking for people to murder. But I do think, you know, it's possible that there are people out there who are influenced by Ziz or who were in fact fellow travelers, so to speak, who are, you know, still waiting for the final confrontation that they're going to have.

This isn't like the Manson family driving around every night looking for people to murder. But I do think, you know, it's possible that there are people out there who are influenced by Ziz or who were in fact fellow travelers, so to speak, who are, you know, still waiting for the final confrontation that they're going to have.

This isn't like the Manson family driving around every night looking for people to murder. But I do think, you know, it's possible that there are people out there who are influenced by Ziz or who were in fact fellow travelers, so to speak, who are, you know, still waiting for the final confrontation that they're going to have.

That's coming up on Today Explained.

That's coming up on Today Explained.

That's coming up on Today Explained.

It's Today Explained. I'm Noelle King. The Zizians emerged out of a movement called the Rationalists. Max Reed has been following this story. He's the owner-operator of the Read Max newsletter on Substack. And so I asked Max to start by telling us what the Rationalists are.

It's Today Explained. I'm Noelle King. The Zizians emerged out of a movement called the Rationalists. Max Reed has been following this story. He's the owner-operator of the Read Max newsletter on Substack. And so I asked Max to start by telling us what the Rationalists are.

It's Today Explained. I'm Noelle King. The Zizians emerged out of a movement called the Rationalists. Max Reed has been following this story. He's the owner-operator of the Read Max newsletter on Substack. And so I asked Max to start by telling us what the Rationalists are.

So rationalism is a kind of community or movement of people largely based in Silicon Valley, though there's certainly people who would call themselves rationalists all over the world. You know, this is a big group of people with a lot of different politics and many different sort of attitudes and ideas about what rationalism entails.

So rationalism is a kind of community or movement of people largely based in Silicon Valley, though there's certainly people who would call themselves rationalists all over the world. You know, this is a big group of people with a lot of different politics and many different sort of attitudes and ideas about what rationalism entails.

So rationalism is a kind of community or movement of people largely based in Silicon Valley, though there's certainly people who would call themselves rationalists all over the world. You know, this is a big group of people with a lot of different politics and many different sort of attitudes and ideas about what rationalism entails.

But I think it's fair to say the sort of main idea is that human beings can and in fact should develop their reasoning skills to better approach the world, to better pursue good political outcomes, economic outcomes, philanthropic outcomes, personal outcomes.

But I think it's fair to say the sort of main idea is that human beings can and in fact should develop their reasoning skills to better approach the world, to better pursue good political outcomes, economic outcomes, philanthropic outcomes, personal outcomes.