An exiled Northern Irish anthropologist and a hitchhiking Australian psychologist take a close look at the contemporary crop of 'secular gurus', iconoclasts, and other exiles from the mainstream, offering their own brands of unique takes and special insights. Leveraging two of the most diverse accents in modern podcasting, Chris and Matt dig deep into the claims, peek behind the psychological curtains, and try to figure out once and for all... What's it all About? Join us, as we try to puzzle our way through and talk some smart-sounding smack about the intellectual giants of our age, from Jordan Peterson to Robin DiAngelo. Are they revolutionary thinkers or just grifters with delusions of grandeur? Join us and let's find out!
https://decoding-the-gurus.captivate.fm
Gesamtlänge aller Episoden: 10 days 11 hours 45 minutes
episode 101: Interview with Flint Dibble on Pseudo Archaeology and Science Communication
In this episode, join Matt and Chris as they enjoy a stimulating discussion with the archaeologist Flint Dibble. Flint recently appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience to discuss the evidence (or lack thereof) of advanced ancient civilizations facing off against the famed pseudoarchaeologist Graham Hancock. The episode was a four-and-a-half-hour tour de force in science communication and effective debunking, thanks to Flint's efforts...
Supplementary Material 5: Spiritual UFOs, Alternative Theories of Evolution, and Atlantean Grievances
We watch in awe as the guru-sphere grapples with a host of 'alternative' theories:
- Bret promotes pseudoscience on Polio and alternative theories on evolution
- The Gurusphere collides with Tucker's takes on evolution
- Rogan and Tucker praise Alex Jones' prophetic abilities
- Tucker's views on spiritual UFOs
- Hasan endorses Lex Fridman as the most genuine centrist
- Contrasting Destiny and Hasan's transparency
- World War 3 Warnings
- The...
episode 100: Destiny: Debate King and/or Degenerate?
In this episode, Matt and Chris dive deep into the world of online streamers, focusing on the pioneering and controversial figure Steven Bonell II, better known as Destiny (AKA Mr Borelli). As seasoned explorers of sense-making jungles, Petersonian crystalline structures, and mind-bending labyrinths in Weinstein World, they thought they were prepared for anything. However, the drama-infused degeneracy of the streamer swamps proves to offer some new challenges...
Supplementary Material 4: Passive Aggressive Therapists, Shit-posting Monks, and Weaponised Naivety
We ponder whether, due to our naivety, we actually deserve the gurus and other topics, including:
- Is Hasan Piker even better than we said?
- The ethical quandaries of online therapy with Dr. K
- The False Halos of Status and Success
- The Rest is History Luther series and parallels with Secular Gurus
- The Power of Polemicists: Peterson, Trump, and Martin Luther?
- Secular vs...
episode 99: Yuval Noah Harari: Eat Bugs and Live Forever
Yuval Noah Harari is a historian, a writer, and a popular 'public intellectual'. He rose to fame with Sapiens (2014), his popular science book that sought to outline a 'History of Humankind' and followed this up with a more future-focused sequel, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow (2016). More recently, he's been converting his insights into a format targeted at younger people with Unstoppable Us: How Humans Took Over the World (2022)...
Supplementary Material 3: Sand-worms, Anti-Capitalist Merch, and High Level Idea-Jacking
We test the boundaries of the Supplementary format with a stacked third edition containing:
- Matt's Review of Dune 2 and the Three-Body Problem
- Hasan Piker's Anti-Capitalist Merch
- The Controversy Surrounding Andrew Huberman
- Differential Charity and Selective Decoupling
- Grace before meals at Triggernometry and Christian Hipsterism
- Jordan and Bret's Pseudoacademic-ese
- High-Level Idea Jacking
- Dream...
episode 98: Mini-Decoding: The Descent of Jordan B. Peterson
We take a look at a recent conversation between Jordan Peterson and the streamer Steven Bonnell (AKA Destiny) and use the opportunity to reflect on Jordan's journey as a public intellectual and guru.
We consider how his stances have changed, whether he is more extreme now than when he emerged or if it is just his presentation style that has shifted...
Supplementary Material 2: Dissident Dialogues, Bloodbaths, & Genocidal Debates
The adventure in formatting continues with the second Supplementary Material episode.
On this episode:
- Sam Harris Devotees
- Dissident Dialogues
- Lex's important message about idolism
- Trumpian Bloodbath & Media Criticism
- Lex Fridman's Israel-Palestine Debate
- Finkelstein vs. Destiny
- Genocidal Debates
The full episode is available for Patreon subscribers (1hr 14mins).
Join us at: https://www.patreon...
Gurometer: Hasan Piker *PREVIEW*
What happens when you try to squeeze a muscle-bound Twitch streamer into a precise measurement instrument like the Gurometer? And can it even function when it encounters this level of left-wing nodulation? It's an empirical question and since the Gurometer recently had all its oil replaced, we decided to give it a go.
This is also a reminder that we do Gurometer episodes for ALL the Gurus we cover and you can find the back catalogue over on the Patreon, if so inclined...
episode 97: Hasan Piker: A swashbuckling Bromance
Avast Ye Harties!
Yar! This week be the inaugural episode of a New Streamer/Academic Guru season. Join us as we set sail with a bang and embark on an adventure with the famous and controversial Twitch streamer Hasan Piker. Formerly of the Young Turks, Hasan has carved out a niche as a popular left-wing commentator...