In this special quasi-crossover episode, we stare deeply into the abyss while enjoying a beverage with renowned psychologist and occasional podcast co-host, Mickey Inzlicht. P.S. The Decoding of Naomi Klein is coming next week! Two Psychologists, One Anthropologist, Three Beers 00:27 Introduction 05:57 Mickey's Sabbatical in Japan 12:13 Sensemaking 3.0 25:25 Francis Foster's Bizarre Podcast Roast 34:38 Sabine Hossenfelder thinks Academia is Communism 36:11 The Irony of YouTube Incentives 39:34 P...
Mar 08, 2025•51 min•Ep 121•Transcript available on Metacast Chris and Matt confront their inner demons, manifest their personal deities, and dive into the Onto-Logos. Supplementary Material 24 00:00 Introduction 02:32 Matt's Surprise Shaming 06:39 Jordan Peterson's Inner Monologue Revealed 10:04 Trump on Ukraine 15:22 Sean Carroll explains US cuts to science funding 16:47 Bleak Prospects for the US 24:14 Aella vs. Arrogant Red Pill Man 37:22 Be wary of Overcorrecting 43:11 John Vervaeke meets Hermes 52:59 False Dichotomies of the Spirit 01:03:38 Entering...
Feb 28, 2025•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast Chris and Matt have their models exploded, the maps ripped up, and their minds blown as the Gurusphere expands into exciting new territory. Supplementary Material 23 02:47 Chris Williamson blows our minds! 08:57 Content Predator psychology and motivational posting 12:28 Balancing the Scales 14:07 Eric Weinstein the master of Rorschach Tweets 20:26 Modern Sages Reunited: Bret Weinstein and Joe Rogan 24:29 Open-Minded Joe Rogan 34:26 Maybe prescriptions are actually bad! 37:38 Andrew Gold expands ...
Feb 22, 2025•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Matt finally gets his revenge on Chris by dragging him deep into the eccentric world of Chris Langan—the self-proclaimed possessor of a 200 IQ and creator of The Cognitive Theoretic Model of the Universe , yet another grand unifying theory of everything. Langan presents himself as an intellectual titan, offering mathematical, social, religious, and philosophical insights so profound that mere mortals can barely grasp them. Prepare to have the mysteries of the universe, God, anti...
Feb 21, 2025•3 hr 58 min•Ep 120•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Matt and Chris take a look at a recent developmental psychology paper on the social evaluation of young babies. Do they display a preference for agents who are nice to others or could they care less at the babbling age? This is a large-scale, multi-lab, preregistered replication effort of a rather influential paper so it ticks all of Chris' Open Science boxes, but how does Matt react? Is he stuck in his pre-replication crisis paradigms? Join us to find out and along the way find...
Feb 20, 2025•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast We immerse ourselves in the Dark Side of the Gurusphere and come out forever altered by what we've seen and praying for an escape from this demon-haunted world. 00:00 Introduction 01:38 Reverse Culture Shock in Australia 11:01 Tim Tams and Food Progress 12:14 Russia Today endorses Lex's statements on Zelensky 19:20 Elon Musk's Controversial Gesture 38:31 Destiny's (Most Recent) Controversy 01:02:12 Bryan Johnson vs. Andrew Huberman: Civility Insights 01:14:21 Sacriligeous Sycophancy: Bill Ackman...
Feb 12, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Transcript available on Metacast 'Tis a New Year (sort of), and amidst all the chaos in the world, we thought we'd offer a small glimmer of light by making this Patreon episode available to everyone! If you enjoy it, consider joining us on Patreon—or not, it's your call! In this episode, Matt and Chris scry through the portents and ponder the apocalyptic insights of the tech and finance titan Peter Thiel. We all know that Thiel is an urbane gentleman of great refinement with a collection of revolutionary ideas but does he make ...
Feb 11, 2025•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Matt and Chris tackle the big ideas—or at least the ones rattling around in Peter Thiel’s mind. Tech billionaire, venture capitalist, and political kingmaker, Thiel has long been a looming figure in Silicon Valley, known for his deep pockets, contrarian takes, and peculiar philosophical musings. But beneath the surface-level libertarian posturing, what does Thiel actually believe? And does it hold up to scrutiny? The decoders dig into Thiel’s recent interview on Uncommon Knowled...
Feb 04, 2025•3 hr 8 min•Ep 119•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, we look at a recently released segment by Lex Fridman, where he reflects on his interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. We examine Lex’s self-presentation as a Christ-like figure—someone who is willing to suffer, feign naivety and ignorance, and even risk his life in the name of world peace—all while maintaining an eight-hour daily study regimen and enduring relentless, unfair attacks from Ukrainian bot farms and war-loving critics. Like true sensemakers, we also ...
Jan 22, 2025•1 hr 20 min•Ep 118•Transcript available on Metacast It's 2025, and the Gurusphere shows no signs of slowing down—so here we are, diving into some grim crossovers. This time, the bro-optimiser Andrew Huberman has teamed up with the chaos dragon himself, Jordan Peterson. Meanwhile, the ever-affectionate Lex Fridman finally scored an interview with Zelensky. Bret, however, remains preoccupied with Goliath's ongoing PsyOps. P.S. Matt broke his dongle so he's on the AirPods, we will be back to proper audio setup next episode. Supplementary Material 21...
Jan 10, 2025•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Back once again with the dark art of Gurometry, we turn our sights to the bad boy of Silicon Valley—the mulleted maestro, the edgy eejit, Curtis Yarvin. A legend in his own mind, but how does he rank on the Gurosity scale? Join us as we dissect his essence across 11 factors, from his revolutionarily mundane and incoherent ideas to his dazzling absence of charisma. Tune in as we feed this 'dark enlightenment' thinker into the Gurometer and reveal his true colours. The full episode is available fo...
Jan 02, 2025•17 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this end-of-year supplementary material, we unleash the hounds of war, battle through the discourse, and emerge alive but bloody and battered on the other side. Enlist now and join the fight. Supplementary Material 20 00:00 Introduction and Ethnographic Insights 01:38 Matt's Observations from Washington DC 05:50 Smithsonian Museums and Star Wars Memorabilia 07:48 Lego Creations and Gacha Collectibles 12:13 Social Media and Blue Sky 'Culture' 13:29 Matt's Contribution: Eric Weinstein's UFO Spe...
Dec 27, 2024•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this long-anticipated episode, Matt and Chris venture into the peculiar world of Curtis Yarvin—a reactionary blogger, tech entrepreneur, and self-proclaimed monarchist. Known to his early followers by the pseudonym "Mencius Moldbug," Yarvin has become a prominent figure in the "dark enlightenment" and neo-reactionary circles. Some have even hailed him as an "intellectual powerhouse" of the modern far-right, with endorsements from influential figures like Peter Thiel and J.D. Vance. But what i...
Dec 25, 2024•3 hr 42 min•Ep 117•Transcript available on Metacast In this special festive episode, Chris and Matt are joined by seasoned decoder and quiz master Helen Lewis to discuss the myths around genius, extract her 2025 Guru predictions, and, of course, participate in that most sacred of DTG traditions: Helen's annual Guru Quiz. Once again, the decoders must prove their mastery of the gurusphere’s esoteric knowledge, and once again, one decoder will come up short. Who will it be? You already know... but do your best to feign surprise! But that’s not all!...
Dec 13, 2024•2 hr 33 min•Ep 116•Transcript available on Metacast In this truly epic-length supplementary material, we spin 70 critical paradigms simultaneously while trying to avoid the wily tricks of some hostile transdimensional forces. Do we succeed? Join us to find out! Supplementary Material 19 00:24 Introduction: More American Insights(!) 13:12 Peterson Orbiters: The Pageau Brothers 17:41 Pageau & Rod Dreher: Aliens are transdimensional spirits 25:56 Pageau: Alex Jones was Right! 27:01 Peterson & Pageau's Lazy Christian Apologetics 44:17 Joe Rog...
Nov 29, 2024•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this special episode, we return to the forboding Dragon's Den of the Peterson-verse and enjoy a rather punchy conversation between Jordan Peterson and Richard Dawkins, facilitated by Alex O'Connor. As always, the discussion is dense with abstract symbolic interpretations, evasive answers to direct questions about biblical events, and highly speculative claims. So Matt and Chris don their best decoding armour, steel their resolve, and prepare to face down endless waves of indulgent analogies a...
Nov 24, 2024•2 hr 38 min•Ep 116•Transcript available on Metacast Still in the land of the free and restocked with important new insights from his US travels, Matt is confronted with the Gurusphere's predictably depressing reaction to the election. And what's that we hear in the distance... is it a honking car? Supplementary Material 18 00:00 Matt's American Ethnography 10:59 Eric Weinstein is waiting for the call 14:32 Huberman, Krauss, and MAGA Sycophancy 18:39 Boghossian and other would-be Intellectual Clerics of the MAGA regime 22:52 Sam Harris criticises ...
Nov 16, 2024•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this highly non-topical episode, Matt and Chris dive into the entertainingly gruff world of Sabine Hossenfelder, the German theoretical physicist and popular YouTube science communicator. Known as a joyful science curmudgeon, Sabine excels at making complex science accessible to a wide audience. Yet, there's another side to her content: one that's increasingly steeped in the YouTube algorithm’s culture-war-fueled clickbait, complete with prolific both-sidesing and even hints of her own brand ...
Nov 12, 2024•2 hr 51 min•Ep 115•Transcript available on Metacast Matt and Chris dip their toes into the fetid, guru-infested swamp surrounding the 2024 U.S. election. Straining to see what lurks in the murky depths, they encounter dark shapes, including Eric Weinstein pledging his services to whoever wins (or will give him a call), Joe Rogan conspiracy hypothesizing with Donald Trump, the Free Press hosting a truly heterodox election party, Michael Moynihan pulling no punches, and finally, Jordan Peterson’s shockingly sycophantic psychological assessment of D...
Nov 04, 2024•2 hr 54 min•Ep 114•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Chris and Matt open the lid on Matt's adventures in America. Basking in the land of the free, Matt is forced to consider YouTube dynamics, indulgent podcast conversations, potential Russian influence campaigns, and the environmental toxins that sound him. We will return soon with another SM election special and a better mic for Matt! Content 00:00 Introduction 03:20 Matt's American Insights 10:41 Flint Dibble, Graham Hancock & a silly racist 19:21 YouTube & Audience Capt...
Nov 01, 2024•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this special international episode of Decoding the Gurus, Chris and Matt jump on the hottest online topic and devote an hour to reviewing Richard Dawkins' influential work from the 1970s, The Selfish Gene. This book influenced Matt and Chris when they were teenage decoders, but how does it hold up now that they have evolved into (quasi)adult forms? Based on their rereading of the book they discuss its contribution to the public understanding of evolution, the academic and public controversies...
Oct 28, 2024•1 hr 16 min•Transcript available on Metacast We return to the world of lost civilizations, pseudo-archaeology, and real archaeology with Cardiff University archaeologist Flint Dibble. Sadly the senior member of the Decoding team was absent for the interview but junior decoder Chris struggled on as best he could. This episode, recorded just before the release of Ancient Apocalypse Season 2 on Netflix and Graham Hancock's associated podcast PR tour, examines the appeal of myths like Atlantis, criticisms Flint has faced from Hancock and...
Oct 20, 2024•2 hr 55 min•Ep 113•Transcript available on Metacast That's right—we’re back in the heady world of sense-making, but don't worry, we're just in time to witness the final resolution of the ever-looming 'Meaning Crisis.' Join Matt and Chris as they embark on an epic journey with the cognitively inclined philosopher John Vervaeke and none other than the uber-guru, Jordan Peterson, himself. Together, they navigate a vast semantic web of meaning that spans discussions of Power, Beauty, Love, Religion, and, of course... the Logos! Along the way, we'll p...
Oct 15, 2024•3 hr 5 min•Ep 112•Transcript available on Metacast We plunge ever deeper into the convoluted world of guru punditry and are dazzled at the theatrics at the 'Rescue the Republic' event, inspired by the profound insights of Eric Weinstein on political speeches, and thrilled at Michael Moynihan's hard knock interview with the moderate heterodox thinker Megyn Kelly. Join us won't you? 00:00 Introduction and Health Check Adventures 04:15 Exploring the GuruSphere and GuruCon 08:57 Matt and Chris Debate Round 1: The Unholy Alliance 16:35 Russell Brand ...
Oct 08, 2024•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast There are many different systems for quantifying a person's essential essence. You could use an Ayurvedic questionnaire to determine your doshic levels, you could consult an astrologer to identify your most auspicious dates and the origins of your personality quirks, or you could even ask a psychologist to take a personality inventory and discover your OCEAN traits. But if you want pure insight, crystallised through something that is BEYOND science, you must find yourself that very rare and extr...
Oct 05, 2024•53 min•Ep 111•Transcript available on Metacast This is a preview episode to remind those who might be interested that we have a bonus Decoding Academia series, available at the Patreon at the Revolutionary Genius tier and above, which is now up to episode 30! On Decoding Academia we usually focus on specific papers and indulge our more nerdy and academic tendencies. It is almost like a journal club of two! In this episode, we take a look at a study exploring the connections between Dark Humour, online trolling, and Dark personality tendencie...
Oct 02, 2024•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Join Matt and Chris for a deep dive into the discourse created by Darryl Cooper’s controversial interview with Tucker Carlson. The decoders tackle Cooper’s revisionist takes on Winston Churchill, Hitler, and WWII, asking whether throwing in strategic disclaimers really makes it all okay. They also explore reactions from the wider comment-o-sphere, including the musings of libertarian firebrand/idiot Dave Smith, mainstream historians and history YouTubers, and the hosts of Triggernometry, Konstan...
Sep 24, 2024•2 hr 24 min•Ep 110•Transcript available on Metacast We rip off the unconvincing plastic mask to reveal the true gurus lurking underneath and discuss: Russian Propaganda and Influencer Scandal Profit Incentives in Alternative Media and the Need for Disclosure Excessive Profiteering and Advertising Lex Fridman interviews Trump (with love) Trump and Anti-Vaxx Conspiracy Theories Trump and Kamala Debate Reactions and Heterodox Takes Destiny vs. the Low Bar of the Alternative Media When Joe met Bret Rogan & Bret's Massive Projection and Hypocrisy ...
Sep 16, 2024•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast Join Matt and Chris as they conclude their deep dive into the content of Dr. K, the streaming psychiatrist behind Healthy Gamer GG. In previous episodes, they explored his promotion of Ayurvedic medicine and his use of the rhetorical strategies often seen in Complementary and Alternative Medicine spaces. This time, they tackle his more controversial work: the (non)therapy sessions with influencers, focusing particularly on his challenging and controversial conversation with the late streamer Rec...
Sep 13, 2024•4 hr 29 min•Ep 109•Transcript available on Metacast World travels complete the Guru Decoders reconvene to examine how the Gurusphere has been behaving in their absence. Bad news abounds. Featuring: Introduction and Hosts' Reunion Chris's Travel Tales Cultural Observations and Comparisons Health Concerns and Anti-Vax Movement RFK Jr. and Political Endorsements Quarantine Measures in History Bret Weinstein endorses Trump Eric Weinstein's quasi-endorsement Stephen Bartlett promotes Bret and gets in trouble for ads Plagiarism Allegations against Robi...
Aug 31, 2024•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast