Dr. Gad Saad joins the J100 Podcast for a wide-ranging conversation centered on his new book, Suicidal Empathy.
From growing up Jewish in Beirut during the Lebanese Civil War to becoming one of the most recognizable public intellectuals in the world today, Saad reflects on the experiences and ideas that shaped his worldview.
The conversation explores:
the psychological roots of ideological possession
why people become detached from survival instincts
the relationship between emotion and reason
academia and intellectual conformity
social media and modern persuasion
anti-Semitism and the psychology of scapegoating
Canada’s cultural decline
Elon Musk, authenticity, and freedom
Israel, October 7th, and the West’s moral confusion
Saad also explains the evolutionary logic behind concepts like “suicidal empathy,” “wood cricket Jews,” and “parasitic ideas,” while offering a broader framework for understanding the current cultural moment.
This is a conversation about human nature, civilization, freedom, and what happens when societies lose the ability to distinguish compassion from self-destruction.
Condensed Transcript
David M. Cohen:
You tweeted recently about a publicist who reached out to you asking for help booking her client, only to later say the client was “too busy.” You ended the post saying, “The more I know people, the more I love dogs.” What does that say about human nature?
Dr. Gad Saad:
I abide by a very exacting code of personal conduct. I try to treat people with respect and expect reciprocity. Regrettably, many people are very self-absorbed. One of the best ways to have someone walk away from a conversation loving you is to simply let them speak about themselves the entire time.
Cohen:
Let’s go way back. You grew up Jewish in Beirut, Lebanon. What was that experience like?
Saad:
I was born in Beirut in the mid-60s when the Jewish community there was already vanishingly small. Most of our extended family had already left. We stayed until the Lebanese Civil War broke out in 1975. It was not easy to be Jewish in Lebanon at that time, so we eventually fled to Montreal when I was 11.
Cohen:
Did growing up in Lebanon shape how you see the world today?
Saad:
Absolutely. I’ve experienced instability, civilizational collapse, sectarianism, and persecution firsthand. Those things shape you permanently.
Cohen:
Your father later regretted not sending you to Jewish school.
Saad:
Yes, but ironically, that decision may have made me more open-minded. I grew up around people from many different cultures and backgrounds. That broadened me tremendously.
Cohen:
Did you always know you wanted to become a professor?
Saad:
Very early on. I knew I wanted to become two things: a professional soccer player and a professor. I was fortunate enough to be very strong academically while also being a serious athlete.
Cohen:
You studied mathematics and computer science initially. Did you ever care much about money?
Saad:
Never. My mother worried I’d become the stereotypical poor professor with long hair and sandals. I’ve always cared more about intellectual freedom than financial success.
Cohen:
Your new book is called Suicidal Empathy. How does it connect to The Parasitic Mind?
Saad:
The Parasitic Mind dealt with how ideological parasites hijack our cognitive systems. Suicidal Empathy deals with how they hijack our emotional systems. If I can parasitize both your thinking and your emotions, I’ve completely zombified you.
Cohen:
Explain the “wood cricket” metaphor you use.
Saad:
A wood cricket naturally avoids water. But when it becomes parasitized by a hairworm, the parasite manipulates its brain and drives it to jump into water and die because that’s what the parasite needs to reproduce.
That’s exactly what happens with things like Queers for Palestine or Jews for Hamas. You are defending movements that, if given the chance, would destroy you.
Cohen:
You call that “suicidal empathy.”
Saad:
Exactly. A society dies when it cares more about exhibiting infinite tolerance and empathy than invoking its survival instinct.
Cohen:
But humans are generally self-interested. How does suicidal empathy emerge evolutionarily?
Saad:
There’s a difference between adaptive sacrifice and suicidal empathy. Jumping into a river to save your children makes evolutionary sense because you’re preserving your genes. But sacrificing your civilization, your culture, your future generations, purely to signal moral virtue — that’s evolutionarily irrational.
Cohen:
You’ve become one of the most influential public intellectuals online. How do you view social media?
Saad:
It allowed me to bypass academic gatekeepers. I realized I didn’t only want academics reading my work. I wanted truck drivers, rabbis, police officers, and ordinary people consuming these ideas too.
Cohen:
You’ve also developed a friendship with Elon Musk.
Saad:
Yes. Elon is extraordinarily curious and surprisingly humble. There’s no pomposity with him at all. He consumes knowledge constantly.
Cohen:
You avoid debates pretty frequently. Why?
Saad:
Because most debates have zero epistemological value. If someone is ideologically anchored, the probability of moving them even one millimeter is effectively zero.
Cohen:
You’ve spoken extensively about anti-Semitism. Psychologically speaking, why does hatred of Jews persist across history?
Saad:
There’s something in psychology called the self-serving bias. People attribute success internally and failures externally. Jews become the perfect external culprit.
Cohen:
And that connects to the idea of Jews as a “market dominant minority.”
Saad:
Exactly. Jews are a tiny group that disproportionately succeeds across many fields. That visibility creates resentment in psychologically vulnerable people and societies.
Cohen:
Thomas Sowell was once asked what it would take for people to stop hating Jews. Do you remember his answer?
Saad:
Failure.
Cohen:
You’ve also been outspoken about Canada.
Saad:
Canada has become a leading example of what I call Stage Five Suicidal Empathy. Justin Trudeau embodied nearly every parasitic idea I discuss in my books.
Cohen:
Final question. What’s something people don’t know about you?
Saad:
I’m absolutely terrified of mosquitoes. Completely irrationally terrified.
Cohen:
And who should my next guest be?
Saad:
Lionel Messi.
