Content Warning: This episode discusses murder, suicide, and other sensitive or controversial topics.
Ooof. This one is a full-blown inferno, and it is STILL DEVELOPING.
Meet the Zizians—who refer to themselves as—wait for it—the Vegan Siths. *Cue "The Imperial March"* This case unravels the shocking layers of a radical faction of rationalists who, despite preaching altruism, have left a trail of brutality in their wake. With at least four brutal ...
Content Warning: This episode discusses murder, suicide, and other sensitive or controversial topics.
Ooof. This one is a full-blown inferno, and it is STILL DEVELOPING.
Meet the Zizians—who refer to themselves as—wait for it—the Vegan Siths. *Cue "The Imperial March"* This case unravels the shocking layers of a radical faction of rationalists who, despite preaching altruism, have left a trail of brutality in their wake. With at least four brutal murders and two additional deaths linked to the group, their ideology has mutated from intellectual posturing into a twisted labyrinth of suicide, faked deaths, crime, deception, and murder.
This culty group, led by the enigmatic Jack Amadeus “Ziz” LaSota, the Zizians believe they are the masterminds of a better world—until their so-called rationalism turned into something totally irrational, super warped, and very, very dangerous. Murders, fugitives, and a tangled mess of legal chaos later, the question remains: Were these people already broken before they found rationalism, or did rationalism break them? And with some members still at large, is the story really over?
Buckle up—because this isn’t just another cult story. This is a real-time unraveling of a belief system gone deadly.
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More Rationalist Insights: LessWrong
References:
Associated Press. (2025, February 18). A timeline of cultlike 'Zizian' group tied to killing of a Border Patrol agent in Vermont. PBS NewsHour. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/a-timeline-of-cultlike-zizian-group-tied-to-killing-of-a-border-patrol-agent-in-vermont
Ratliff, E. (2025, February 21). The delirious, violent, impossible true story of the Zizians. WIRED. https://www.wired.com/story/delirious-violent-impossible-true-story-zizians/
LessWrong. (n.d.). J. LaSota (Ziz). https://www.lesswrong.com/w/j-lasota-ziz
Romano, A. (2025, February 25). The post-rationalist murder spree’s so-called “cult” leader has finally been arrested. What? Vox. https://www.vox.com/culture/400722/zizians-ziz-murders-cult-what-happened
Cavallier, A. (2025, February 23). Zizians crime rampage: How six deaths in three states came to be linked to a cult-like group. The Independent. https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/crime/zizian-cult-murders-jack-lasota-b2701886.html
USA Today. (2025, February 19). Inside the Zizian movement: A cult-like group’s rise and unraveling. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/02/19/zizian-cult-like-group-details/79108035007/
Chamings, A., & Dowd, K. (2025, February 27). 'Show her the body': Alleged kill orders, cult behavior inside the Bay Area Zizians. SFGate. https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/alleged-kill-orders-cult-zizians-bay-area-20184964.php
Associated Press. (2025, February 17). Cult leader arrest | Cultlike 'Zizian' group leader linked to multiple killings in the US arrested, police say. ABC11 Raleigh-Durham. Police say they've arrested apparent Zizian group leader | AP News
Start Insight. (n.d.). Zizians: The rise of the vegan cult – From philosophy to violence. https://www.startinsight.eu/en/zizians-the-rise-of-the-vegan-cult-from-philosophy-to-violence/
