That's an interesting starting point. Who is made out of meat?
The article explores the philosophical and scientific implications of the famous "They're Made Out of Meat" short story by Terry Bisson, using it as a lens to examine human exceptionalism, consciousness, and how we define life and intelligence in the universe.
Background
- The article is from *The Long Goodbye*, a Substack by Taylor Lorenz, a journalist covering internet culture and the creator economy (formerly at *The Washington Post* and *The Atlantic*). Lorenz is a polarizing figure — celebrated for breaking platform stories and frequently targeted by online harassment campaigns.
- The title riffs on **"They're Made Out of Meat"** (Terry Bisson), a short story where aliens are baffled by sentient beings made of flesh. Lorenz applies this lens to **Elon Musk**, using absurdist sci-fi framing to examine his worldview.
- Key context: Musk has long promoted Neuralink, warned about AI extinction risks, built xAI, and described humanity as a "bootloader for AI." The piece likely critiques his embrace of transhumanist/AI fantasies and disconnection from the messy human reality of social platforms and content moderation.