Godwin’s Engine: Muskism and the Automation of Consent, a talk by Quinn Slobodian

Event details Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2026 Time: 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM Campus: The City College of New York Type: Lectures About this event THE RIFKIND CENTER FOR THE HUMANITIES AND ARTS PRESENTS Godwin's Engine: Muskism and the Automation of Consent Wednesday, October 21, 2026, 5:00pm-6:30pm In Person (NAC 6/316, Rifkind Center) and via ZOOM Godwin’s law holds that as an online discussion grows longer, the chance of someone making a comparison to Adolf Hitler or the Nazis approaches 100%. Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, from his origins in South Africa to his position as owner of X, Tesla, and SpaceX, can be seen as the engineer of the machinery that helps this law of the internet age come true. To what extent may Musk be considered to have engendered a fully-fledged economic and social paradigm akin to that of Henry Ford in the early 20 th century, and what are its implications in the realm of consent? Join us for a talk by Quinn Slobodian, who will help us make sense of the phenomenon he calls “Muskism.” Quinn Slobodian is professor of international history at Boston University, and the author of several books including Globalists , Crack-Up Capitalism and Hayek’s Bastards . Most recent is Muskism: A Guide for the Perplexed, co-authored with Ben Tarnoff. In 2025, he received a Guggenheim Fellowship & the National Book Critics Circle Award for Criticism. FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC Date: October 21, 2026 Time: 5:00 PM — 6:30 PM College: The City College of New York Address: 160 Convent Avenue New York, NY 10031, Manhattan Building: The Rifkind Center, NA 6/316 and via Zoom Phone: 2126506301 Admission: Free Website: https://english.ccny.cuny.edu/ Official event details: https://events.cuny.edu/cec/godwins-engine-muskism-and-the-automation-of-consent-a-talk-by-quinn-slobodian/