Jeffrey Epstein's Science Philanthropy Empire

A discussion of my article, "Jeffrey Epstein and the Cult of Scientism," on the What's Left? podcast

Jeffrey Epstein in the 1975 yearbook of the Dalton School, a prestigious New York City prep school where he taught from 1974 to 1976. Image.

I recently appeared on the What’s Left? podcast for an interview and discussion of my my research and writing on Jeffery Epstein’s science philanthropy. What’s Left? is a “weekly political discussion challenging the mainstream left” that has been going strong since 2018. I was previously a guest on What’s Left? in 2023 and 2024 for episodes entitled “Blinded by Science” and “The Left’s Love Affair with Tech,” respectively.

This new episode uses my article, “Jeffrey Epstein and the Cult of Scientism,” as a jumping off point to discuss the causes and consequences of Jeffery Epstein’s science philanthropy empire. In the podcast, we delve into the following topics, among others:

• The details of Epstein’s science philanthropy

• How and why much of the information on Epstein’s science funding was erased from the internet

• Epstein’s interest in and approach to AI

• The relationship between observation and philosophy

• Scientism as a core ideological component of capitalism

• Whether or not science can become a tool of the working class

• The distinction between science and reality

• Science as a religion in the contemporary world

• The connection between scientism and Epstein’s sex crimes

I appreciated the opportunity to discuss this important topic at length on the What’s Left? podcast. Thanks to Andy, Eduardo, and Michael for the thought-provoking conversation! I hope you find it as interesting as I did.

Here’s the YouTube video of the episode: