Today's podcast features the conclusion of the Introduction to his August 1998 Staff Lecture Series at the Esalen Institute. And while he talks about a wide range of topics, including psychedelics, robots, and virtual reality, what was most striking was when he spoke about the then-current state of world affairs and said, "So it's going to be technology, or catastrophe, or fascism. These are the choices, because, of course, because fascism, you know, can just order the liquidation of everybody under five feet, or everybody with brown eyes, or whatever. But the consequences of fascism are the complete distortion and subjugation of the human spirit. When we talk about survival of the human species we're not talking about at-any-cost or under any circumstances. If humanness does not survive with the human species then we're no more than another cannibal ape with a bigger club in the hand."
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