In this episode, we analyze the sentence "Neo-China arrives from the future" from Nick Land's 1994 essay "Meltdown." For Land, Capital is an autonomous intelligence from the future and China is the privileged site of arrival due to its lack of Western moral constraints. We cover China's Special Economic Zones, Land's predictions of Western decline versus Eastern acceleration, and the concept of Sino-futurism. Looking at the data, we find that Land's concept here is surprisingly prescient and accurately predictive; given the mention of China in "The Dark Enlightenment" and his own move to to Shanghai, this idea is arguably one of his most serious, long-term, and high-conviction ideas. I offer one counter-hypothesis on why I think China might not remain the privileged site of technocapital acceleration in the medium-term.

00:00 Intro
01:45 "Arriving from the future"
04:02 Why China? Western Moral Drag
10:15 Why this sentence is underrated
14:08 China in "The Dark Enlightenment"
18:08 A closer look at Chinese Acceleration
22:15 Sinofuturism

• (00:00) - Intro
• (01:45) - "Arriving from the future"
• (04:02) - Why China? Western Moral Drag
• (10:15) - Why this sentence is underrated
• (14:08) - China in "The Dark Enlightenment"
• (18:08) - A closer look at Chinese Acceleration
• (22:15) - Sinofuturism

I jumped on the livestream for the first time in a while. I discuss the Montaigne chapter in The Independent Scholar, the current debate around IVF & Embryo Selection, and take some questions.

I wrote about IVF and Embryo Selection here: https://justinmurphy.studio/ivf/

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• (00:00) - Introduction and Welcome Back
• (02:18) - Life Updates and Current Work
• (06:44) - On Independent Scholarship
• (08:10) - Montaigne as an Independent Scholar
• (19:26) - On Embryo Selection and IVF
• (24:58) - Why Do Shrimp Matter More Than Embryos?
• (25:59) - Why Do Video Game Characters Matter More Than Embryos?
• (35:37) - Long-Term Consequences of Embryo Selection
• (43:58) - In-Utero Gene Editing is Approved by the Church
• (45:41) - Final Thoughts and Q&A

I can't deny it, so let's explore what it means, how it happens, what it feels like, and why it might be... great?

In this episode, I share my struggle over the past few years, after having kids and experiencing significant creative and professional challenges. I reflect on the challenges of consistent creative work, the mental and emotional toll having it derailed, and the blessed but weird fabric of life as a father and husband. Despite feeling despondent and losing momentum in my projects, I discuss how this period has given me a valuable reset, akin to a kind of 'ego death.' I explore the liberating and ultimately beneficial aspects of falling off, the importance of accepting defeat to start anew, and how this crisis clarified my true goals and motivations.

• (00:00) - Opening Up: I Fell Off
• (00:53) - The Pain of Falling Off
• (02:39) - Ego Death
• (05:59) - Parenthood
• (11:35) - Liberation Through Accepting Defeat
• (17:55) - Mental and Financial Issues
• (18:53) - What Writing the Book Has Taught me
• (20:06) - The Challenges of Restarting
• (22:59) - Confirmation of the True Calling
• (24:42) - The Indie Scholar Vocation
• (33:58) - The Importance of Quality Work
• (36:02) - Final Reflections