We get put in our place by an old champion, who reminds us why they are the king. Also this episode: Chris' post-conference thoughts on the UK Matt's Great American Burger Giveaway Non-Tribal Joe Rogan meets Jimmy Dore Lex Fridman meets Ivanka Trump The UK election and the heterodox response Jordan Peterson and the spiritual kingdom of Farageism Russell Brand and Alex Jones pray together Galaxy Brains Collide: Eric Weinstein meets Terrence Howard Still wearing a jacket to save the world Eric is ...
Jul 06, 2024•38 min
Alok Kanojia, better known as Dr. K, is a charismatic psychiatrist and online streamer who offers a unique blend of psychological, self-help, and spiritual advice to guide individuals through the complexities of modern life, aiming to help them become Healthy Gamers™. Join Matt and Chris as they embark on a multi-part journey through the diverse biomes of Dr. K's content and try to ascertain the meta. In this first episode, Matt and Chris take a critical look at a 2019 video in which Dr. K discu...
Jun 23, 2024•3 hr 15 min•Ep. 104
We stare into the abyss and welcome darkness into our souls as we discuss: Feedback on the Žižek episode Middle Aged Men's Health Update Alina Chan and the newest round of Lab Leak Discourse Discourse Surfing Pundits Alex O'Connor cornering Jordan Peterson on the resurrection The philosophical and Marxist implications of Peppa Pig Potential Alternatives to Hipster Christianity and New Atheism Andrew Gold's Heretics Channel and Toxic YouTube Dynamics Editorializing and Responsible Criticism Balaj...
Jun 07, 2024•43 min
Join Matt and Chris as they plunge into the heady mental universe of Slavoj Žižek, the Slovenian philosopher known for his eclectic and provocative ideas. The duo parses Žižek's 'unconventional' takes on ideology, consumerism, and revolutionary theory, peppered with his playful movie criticism of films like Jaws and a Clockwork Orange and even a few that he hasn't even watched. We delve into snuffle-laced discussions of transgressive acts, revolutionary politics, moderate conservative communism,...
Jun 02, 2024•2 hr 33 min•Ep. 103
We curse the dark omens emerging from the Gurusphere as we consider: The Illusion of Disciplinary Boundaries Flint Dibble Feedback and Rays of Hope Russell Brand and Bret Weinstein: Guru One-upmanship Bret Weinstein loves MOINNNNK Hard Ad Pivots and Peasants Popping out of Wells Ken Klippenstein and Populist Rhetoric Questioning mainstream narratives and their so-called 'experts' QAnon Anonymous missing Left Wing Populism? Alex O'Connor, Jordan Peterson and the costs of indulgent podcasting Chri...
May 27, 2024•37 min
Matt and Chris jump into the world of debates, dramas, and online personas with the ever-controversial streamer, Destiny (Steven Bonnell). We discuss our Decoding episode a little bit but mostly broader issues including the value of 'debate porn', edginess & Twitter bomb-throwing, reality TV orbiter drama, and the perils of hero worship and parasocial relationships. As you might anticipate, we also cover various 'hot-button' issues including Destiny's involvement in Israel-Palestine discours...
May 24, 2024•2 hr 4 min•Ep. 102
We do bonus episodes every month that are focused on analysing academic content or discussing research and we thought it might be useful to let new listeners know! So find attached a preview... In this episode of Decoding Academia, Matt and Chris delve into a paper that explores the complex world of dark personality traits and their impact on authenticity. They examine how traits like narcissism and psychopathy might intersect with the concept of the true self, and consider whether cultural diff...
May 16, 2024•30 min
We shake our heads in despair at some truly terrible Guru crossovers: Old Man Health Routines: Jogging, Diets, and the Pursuit of 'Wellness' Jordan Peterson and Russell Brand offer the apotheosis of indulgent Christian-themed sensemaking Taylor Lorenz and activist journalism Are Twitch Streamers the Future of Journalism? No. Huberman gets himself in hot water over Marijuana episode The Value of Debating Pseudoscience with Huberman Casey Means: Cramming all the pseudoscience red flags into a sing...
May 10, 2024•50 min
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. We talk to Flint about his experience on the show, the extensive...
May 02, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 101
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 Great Archaeology Debate: Dibble vs. Hancock Graham Hancock- A Grievan...
Apr 26, 2024•44 min
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. Having previously dipped their toes...
Apr 22, 2024•3 hr 16 min•Ep. 100
We ponder whether, due to our naivety, do 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. Religious Gurus Shit-posting Missives Orthodoxic Atheism and Orthopraxic Religion Lex Fridman's Reflections on Intellectual Hum...
Apr 13, 2024•36 min
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). In general, Harari is a go-to public intellectual for pe...
Apr 05, 2024•2 hr 17 min•Ep. 99
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 Instructions Links Hasan Piker's Ideologie Store New York Magazine: Andrew Huberman's Mechanisms of Co...
Mar 31, 2024•52 min
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. Along the way, we look at his demon-infested understanding of the COVID-19 vaccines, his climate change denialism, and address the unresolved questi...
Mar 26, 2024•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 98
The adventure in formatting continues with the second Supplementary Material episode, in which we: lament we don't command the same level of loyalty as Sam's fans commend a noted sycophant for warning about idolising heros assess the degree to which the "Dissident Dialogues" conference is anything other than bog-standard right-wing orthodoxy; and reveal the TRUTH about Norman Finkelstein's angry ranting as well as so many more opinionated meanderings , for those decent citizens who are willing t...
Mar 22, 2024•37 min
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. The full episode is availa...
Mar 15, 2024•24 min
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. He is sometimes described as representing a new wave of political communicators who leverage social media and live streaming to reach new audiences, particularly disengaged younger vi...
Mar 13, 2024•1 hr 56 min•Ep. 97
An adventure in formatting, welcome to the inaugural Supplementary Material episode. Here we are trying to save you all from the ever-expanding intro segments. On this episode: Announcement of the New Format Who Decodes the Decoders? A Mystery Sense-Making clip Lex Fridman on Navalany Jordan Peterson's fury at the Associated Press Bre Weinstein's superpower: Cringe Immunity Anti-Capitalists for AG1 and the ethics of sponsorship The full episode is available for Patreon subscribers (54 mins). Joi...
Mar 07, 2024•30 min
In this episode, Matt and Chris converse with Kevin Mitchell, an Associate Professor of Genetics and Neuroscience at Trinity College Dublin, and author of 'Free Agents: How Evolution Gave Us Free Will'. We regret to inform you that the discussion does involve in-depth discussions of philosophy-adjacent topics such as free will, determinism, consciousness, the nature of self, and agency. But do not let that put you off! Kevin is a scientist and approaches them all through a sensible scientific pe...
Mar 06, 2024•2 hr 10 min•Ep. 96
Controversial physics firebrand Sean Carroll has cut a swathe through the otherwise meek and mild podcasting industry over the last few years. Known in the biz as the "bad boy" of science communication, he offends as much as he educ.... << Record scratch >> No, we can't back any of that up obviously, those are all actually lies. Let's start again. Sean Carroll has worked as a research professor in theoretical physics and philosophy of science at Caltech and is presently an external p...
Mar 02, 2024•2 hr 40 min•Ep. 95
Sometimes our intrepid Decoders like to focus on a specific rhetorical technique or recurrent pattern that can be observed across the Gurusphere. Here, Matt and Chris take a look at a bite-size portion of the philosopher John Gray's recent appearance on Sam Harris' Making Sense podcast. Gray was invited to outline his critique of New Atheism, and his response is a remarkable monologue that encompasses a vast range of intellectual topics, philosophical thinkers, and historical periods. We travel ...
Feb 28, 2024•51 min•Ep. 94
Sam Harris is an author, podcaster, public intellectual, ex-New Atheist, card-returning IDWer, and someone who likely needs no introduction. This is especially the case if you are a DTG listener as we recently released a full-length decoding episode on Sam. Following that episode, Sam generously agreed to come on to address some of the points we raised in the Decoding and a few other select topics. As you will hear we get into some discussions of the lab leak, what you can establish from introsp...
Feb 17, 2024•2 hr 14 min•Ep. 93
Sometimes it's important to check in on old friends, just to make sure they're doing okay. That's the theme for today's episode. We felt it was necessary to pay an unannounced house call to our old pals Bret Weinstein and Jordan Peterson. Rumor had it that Jordan was facing some challenges with his clinical license, while Bret had been brewing up revolutionary evolutionary theories that weren't getting the recognition they deserved. Knowing Jordan's stoic nature and aversion to publicity, we ant...
Feb 09, 2024•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 92
Join us for a mini decoding to get us back into the swing of things as we examine a viral clip that had religious reactionaries, sensemakers, and academic philosophers in a bit of a tizzy. Specifically, we are covering reactions to a clip from a 2014 TEDx talk by Yuval Noah Harari, the well-known author and academic, in which he discussed how human rights (and really all of human culture) are a kind of 'fiction'. Get ready for a thrilling ride as your intrepid duo plunges into a beguiling world ...
Jan 30, 2024•41 min•Ep. 91
In this episode, our intrepid hosts embrace a rare opportunity for sincere self-reflection, spurred by a face-to-face meeting in an inspiring ryokan in a Japanese mountain setting. The discussion delves into the nature of the podcast, audience capture, underlying motivations, and their thoughts on the journey so far and the path ahead. In an act of pure parasocial manipulation, listeners are invited to imagine the snowy ryokan landscape and 'taste' the amber liquid savoured during the conversati...
Jan 19, 2024•32 min
Andrew Huberman, Stanford academic and host of a science-themed podcast, recently released an episode on Autism with guest Dr. Karen Parker. Considering the prevalence of misinformation about vaccines and autism and this episode being promoted as providing an overview of the topic, we were interested to see how the topic would be covered. In part, this interest was because of Huberman's strategic choice to avoid any discussion, let alone any recommendation, of COVID vaccines during the pandemic....
Dec 28, 2023•49 min•Ep. 90
Sam Harris is the subject today and a man who needs no introduction. Although he's come up and he's come on, we've never actually (technically) decoded him. There is no Gurometer score! A glaring omission and one that needs correcting. It would have been easy for us to cherry-pick Sam being extremely good on conspiracy theories, or extremely controversial on politics, but we felt that neither would be fair. So we opted for a general and broad-ranging recent interview he did with Chris Williamson...
Dec 23, 2023•3 hr 20 min•Ep. 89
Seasons greetings from Decoding the Gurus! Time to grab a hot chocolate, cosy up to the fire, and wrack your brain to see how much attention you've been paying to all those gurus... that's right it is time for the annual Guru quiz! Luckily for us, the esteemed journalist and author, Helen Lewis, is back as a combined special guest and quiz master. Prepare for stunning revelations, scintillating dystopic erotic fiction, and more nootropic stimulation than you can shake a stick at. So who will tri...
Dec 22, 2023•1 hr 42 min•Ep. 88
In today's joyous episode, we saunter into the loft apartment, take a draw on our gauloise, and glance icily into a world of bohemian hipsters living their best postmodern tradcath lives. Welcome to the irony-drenched world of 'Red Scare', a popular podcast hosted (sardonically) by Anna Khachiyan and Dasha Nekrasova. Also joining them in the episode we cover is hip writer and artist, Tao Lin, a pioneer in the alt-lit world. Get ready for hours of 'transgressive' insights, independent research, d...
Dec 08, 2023•2 hr 39 min•Ep. 87
