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Decoding the Gurus
PodcastFreizeitSozialwissenschaftenEnglisch

Decoding the Gurus

von Christopher Kavanagh and Matthew Browne

NeuSupplementary Material 58: AI Cloud Gods, Groundhog Day Podcasts, and the 4th Humiliation of Sam Harris08.11.2026 · 34 Min.
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8. Nov. 2026
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Über den Podcast

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!

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  1. Supplementary Material 58: AI Cloud Gods, Groundhog Day Podcasts, and the 4th Humiliation of Sam Harris

    34 Min.Folge 173

    We return to podcast groundhog day where Jimmy Carr is eternally discovering that the AI is an all-knowing being that lives in the cloud and Sam Harris is constantly finding new wannabe gurus to engage in …

    Shownotes

    We return to podcast groundhog day where Jimmy Carr is eternally discovering that the AI is an all-knowing being that lives in the cloud and Sam Harris is constantly finding new wannabe gurus to engage in dialogos with. We also catch up with Bret’s latest plan to save America, the midterm fallout, and what happens when an actual adult goes on Diary of a CEO.

    The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (2 hrs 3 mins).

    Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus

    Supplementary Material 58

    00:00 Introduction

    01:34 Matt Is Coming to Tokyo!

    08:40 Niche AI Usage: Pingu-Themed Slide Decks

    10:57 Custom P-Value Lessons

    14:05 Midterm Madness in the US

    15:40 Prepare for the Worst and Hope for the Best

    20:53 Russell Brand Found Guilty of Rape

    24:56 The Religious Shield

    27:05 Michael Tracey is Batman for Accused Rapists

    29:34 Jimmy Savile Parallels

    31:51 Jensen and NVIDIA Follow-Up

    38:36 CEOs vs Gurus

    44:51 Drew Pavlou and Other Right-Wing Reactions to the Election

    48:06 Bret Weinstein's Unity 2028

    57:25 The Childhood Delusions of Men

    01:02:03 More Drew Pavlou Schadenfreude

    01:05:29 Jimmy Carr Really Likes His Take on AI God

    01:10:25 The 4th Humiliation of Sam Harris

    01:11:56 The Horrific Smearing of Jimmy Carr as Right-Wing

    01:14:03 Making Sense Groundhog Day

    01:17:18 AI Is Left-Brain Activity: McGilchrist Enters!

    01:21:09 The asymmetrical threat from the far left

    01:28:16 History Podcasts and Tankie Selective Ignorance

    01:30:26 Communist Cosplay

    01:31:35 Lessons from the French Revolution?

    01:35:12 Twitch Politics, Ethan Klein, and Influencer Drama

    01:38:08 Learning About History Is Good, Actually!

    01:40:54 Sarah Paine on Diary of a CEO

    01:51:17 An Underserved Market in Podcastistan?

    01:52:12 Podcasters, Copyright Claims, and Removing Criticism

    01:57:35 Imperfect Systems

    01:58:49 Jordan Peterson's Halloween Surprise

    02:00:39 Outro

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  2. Jensen Huang, Part 2: We Have to Hurt You to Save You

    1 Std. 18 Min.Folge 172

    Part Two of our Jensen Huang decoding gets to AI safety, where Jensen gives the labs some simple advice: if your products aren’t safe, don’t release them! There we go. Glad we got that sorted.Luckily Jensen …

    Shownotes

    Part Two of our Jensen Huang decoding gets to AI safety, where Jensen gives the labs some simple advice: if your products aren’t safe, don’t release them! There we go. Glad we got that sorted.

    Luckily Jensen knows a lot of CEOs and he’s confident they want to do the right thing. Good CEOs and good engineers, doing good work. Reassuring stuff, although Volkswagen presumably had a few of those too when it was cheating on emissions tests. We’re slightly less inclined to treat Jensen’s confidence in his rich friends as a safety mechanism, particularly when he does rather well out of selling them chips.

    Though to be fair, he seems a little more open to independent auditors and new regulations than some accounts of the interview suggest. Matt also offers some qualified reasons for optimism about AI safety research. So there are some things to discuss beyond whether we should trust all the nice billionaires.

    We also cover his "interesting" environmental argument. To save the planet, Jensen explains, we’ll first have to do it quite a lot of damage. It’s like surgery: an ENORMOUS amount of pain now, with the promise that things might possibly get better afterwards. In this case, perhaps some more solar plants. For operations usually they give you anaesthetics, but a lovely new park next to the data centre will maybe do the same job.

    In short, there’s plenty of out-of-touch billionaire optimism here, and a convenient overlap between what’s good for the future/planet and what’s good for Nvidia sales. But even with all that, Jensen remains a bit short on the guru flair we usually encounter. C'est la vie!

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  3. Jensen Huang, Part 1: AI Will Fix Everything (Probably)

    2 Std. 3 Min.Folge 171

    Jensen Huang is so hot right now; not only did he make some statements that were widely derided, but he also featured in a glitzy "collab" episode with our favourite lone wolf, Lex Fridman. Sensing guru vibes …

    Shownotes

    Jensen Huang is so hot right now; not only did he make some statements that were widely derided, but he also featured in a glitzy "collab" episode with our favourite lone wolf, Lex Fridman. Sensing guru vibes, we turned to take a deep dive into his recent interview with Ezra Klein. Huang is the co-founder and CEO of Nvidia; he also really likes Lex Fridman and the All-In Besties. Trump even called him while he was on the All-In stage! So it's fair to say we went into this one expecting yet another bloviating tech CEO and were ready to join the dunking. We do not do guilt by association, of course, but bad vibes were in the air.

    Huang thinks AI will transform the economy, take over tedious tasks, and leave us free to do more interesting things. Some jobs will disappear, but new industries will emerge to replace them, like wellness spas... It's okay for those whose jobs are disappearing, though Jensen has a solution: they should become systems thinkers!

    Alongside such high-level insights, Matt and Chris do find some points of agreement, including his impatience with apocalyptic predictions being presented as scientific findings. The discussion also highlights a difference between our dear hosts: Huang's irritation with people talking about software like little human minds makes Chris increasingly sympathetic to him. Matt, as a committed pan-psychic, is less impressed by the reassurance that engineers understand what they are building, and thinks understanding the components is rather different from knowing what the whole system will do. Inevitably, this leads to a discussion of dogs, ants, and what "unpredictable" means, because apparently we are sensemakers now.

    We will get to the fuller discussion of AI safety in Part Two. Until then, listeners can enjoy the experience of us listening to one of the less terrible tech billionaires and disagreeing with each other over minor points!

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  4. Supplementary Material 57: p(doom) Updates, Nazi Apologist Imbeciles, and JAQs about False Flag Conspiracies

    40 Min.Bonus

    Matt updates his p(doom), Tucker Carlson does his best impression of Wormtongue, and the political horseshoe unites over Flydubai JAQs. Sometimes our future AI overlords do not look so bad.The full episode is …

    Shownotes

    Matt updates his p(doom), Tucker Carlson does his best impression of Wormtongue, and the political horseshoe unites over Flydubai JAQs. Sometimes our future AI overlords do not look so bad.

    The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (2 hrs 51 mins).

    Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus

    00:00:00 Introduction

    00:01:07 Dog Updates and Cultural Appropriation

    00:07:20 Annual Health Check Approval

    00:14:47 Matt’s p(doom) Update

    00:17:26 Matt’s Dragon

    00:21:34 Becoming Obsolete?

    00:26:27 P-Zombie Thoughts on AI

    00:33:03 Productivity Gains?

    00:36:22 Jacob Rees-Mogg Meets Tucker Carlson

    00:39:00 Tucker Carlson: Russian Apologist Extraordinaire

    00:48:14 Cognitive Empathy for Russia

    00:55:04 Who Cares About Treaties?

    00:58:45 Studied Ignorance and Russian Sycophancy

    01:05:50 The Isolationist Strain

    01:11:33 Wormtongue Carlson

    01:17:03 WHAT?!?

    01:23:02 Hitler Apologetics

    01:29:02 Bespoke Definitions of Sovereignty

    01:37:17 Mr Hitler and His Promises

    01:40:59 Great Fun with a Nazi Apologist Imbecile

    01:42:17 The Joyful League of Big Characters: George Galloway Enters

    01:46:20 Piers Morgan Is a Bad Guy

    01:49:17 Flydubai False-Flag Conspiracies

    01:56:35 The Young Turks Are Conspiracy Theorists

    02:02:54 Jimmy Dore Claims Bondi Beach Was a False Flag

    02:08:15 Cenk Explains False-Flag Psychology

    02:13:53 Ana Notices Some Anomalies

    02:18:25 Sneako Also Has Questions

    02:20:16 Hasan Has Noticed Some Red Flags

    02:35:00 Strategic Disclaimers Are Standard Practice

    02:40:06 The Hannibal Directive

    02:48:53 Dysphoric Bonding

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  5. Supplementary Material 56: 10% for AI Doom, Bespoke Debates, and Eurotrash DJs

    26 Min.Bonus

    Chris and Matt grapple with Face Huggers, ponder the mysteries of algebra, and have a heated exchange over the term "bespoke".*Sorry about some of Chris' audio: the microphone settings will be fixed next …

    Shownotes

    Chris and Matt grapple with Face Huggers, ponder the mysteries of algebra, and have a heated exchange over the term "bespoke".

    *Sorry about some of Chris' audio: the microphone settings will be fixed next episode!

    The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (2 hrs 12 mins).

    Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus

    Supplementary Material 56

    00:00 Introduction

    01:58 The Hugging Face incident

    08:46 AI risks and AI discourse

    22:29 OpenAI’s presentation and the incentives around AI safety

    29:51 How worried should we be?

    40:13 Disagreeing about AI

    46:15 Peter Boghossian’s AI-generated utopia and dystopia

    52:00 Matt’s favourite DJ meme

    53:32 Tucker Carlson meets algebra

    1:00:18 Andrew Callaghan and Channel 5

    1:02:07 Hunter Biden’s $LAPTOP meme coin

    1:06:08 A brief intervention on “paleocon”

    1:13:41 Andrew Callaghan explains the email-list mistake

    1:23:46 Andrew Callaghan on tech oligarchs

    1:36:28 Taylor Lorenz’s political independence

    1:42:35 The Great Bespoke Debate of 2026

    1:56:35 Hasan, Mearsheimer, and Russia

    2:07:16 Peace is restored

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  6. Candace Owens, Part 2: The Woman Who Noticed Everything

    2 Std. 28 Min.Folge 170

    Part Two of our Candace Owens decoding offers a generous case study in conspiratorial thinking. The necklace in the footage of Charlie Kirk’s murder may have moved before his jacket, a photograph of Tyler …

    Shownotes

    Part Two of our Candace Owens decoding offers a generous case study in conspiratorial thinking. The necklace in the footage of Charlie Kirk’s murder may have moved before his jacket, a photograph of Tyler Robinson in front of a Man of Steel poster also raises questions about why Erika Kirk used the phrase about Charlie’s neck, not to mention that one of the early suspects also lived in New York during 9/11... all of it just makes you think... who is actually running things?

    One possibility could be Erika Kirk. Not that she is the mastermind (that, as always, is occult Jewish satanists), but rather that she might be a sociopath that dark energy is being temporarily channelled into. Candace asks why Erika returned to work so quickly, muses over how Candace's connection to Charlie was deeper and more spiritually potent, and ponders if she was the only person who really truly cared about Charlie. But don’t worry, Shawn Ryan is there with his trademark scepticism to offer pushback, like “wow” and “holy shit, that’s incredible”. Trump, meanwhile, has apparently sold his soul to Israel, though JD Vance may still be redeemable. Then Freud turns up, accused of inventing modern gaslighting and covering for satanic murders.

    Candace, as you might imagine, has her own place in the story. Charlie apparently knew she would inherit the fight after his death (which he had psychically foreseen), and Candace has indeed felt a spiritual awakening since. It’s a good thing then that she is so sensitive to others engaged in religious/spiritual grifting.

    As per Part One, this is ultimately a tour de force in conspiracy theorising and guru dynamics. And yet, remarkably, Candace still manages to come across as interpersonally likeable and even endearing. Which perhaps explains part of her popularity. Even still, with this episode we are (hopefully) done with four-hour Candace interviews.

    Also be forewarned that this episode contains an extended shoutout section; the Candace decoding ends at 1:41:02. We work through a backlog of listener shoutouts that we have neglected for long enough to turn them into a second podcast. If you would rather skip that entirely, jump to 2:25:56 for the brief sign-off. Complaints about the length/shoutouts will be referred to this paragraph. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

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  7. Candace Owens, Part 1: Charlie Kirk and the Cosmic Conspiracy

    1 Std. 43 Min.Folge 169

    Candace Owens is just a Catholic, a mother, and a wife. She loves her husband, works hard, and tries not to let internet drama disturb her spiritual peace. She also has just a few questions about the …

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    Candace Owens is just a Catholic, a mother, and a wife. She loves her husband, works hard, and tries not to let internet drama disturb her spiritual peace. She also has just a few questions about the international satanic conspiracy behind Charlie Kirk’s ritual murder.

    We join Candace during her appearance on the Shawn Ryan Show, where an impressive amount of time is devoted to establishing how lovely they both find each other. There are the usual fond memories of dinner, a husband who is a James Bond lookalike, and a series of fascinating career adventures, including how Candace rose to be vice president of administration in just 4 years! She even got to experience the damaging effects of toxic mould before it was fashionable (and don't worry, it was cured with a restrictive diet!).

    Candace is like a one-woman crash course in conspiratorial ideation and how conspiracy theorists interact with other conspiracy theorists and conflicting evidence. But, to be fair, she is also very good at what she does! Coming across as a charismatic and composed speaker who makes very ugly claims sound like an entirely reasonable conversation.

    But then there are the questions... Why do witnesses remember different things? Why was ten inches of soil removed rather than eight? Did Charlie Kirk's necklace move before his jacket? But that's just the start; as is often the case we end up talking about Rothschilds, Freemasons, Denmons, and a public demonic ritual intended to channel spiritual energy into a surprising target. Shawn Ryan, who assures us repeatedly that he is an extremely sceptical person, is astonished at what he hears!

    And there's more to come too... in Part 2.

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  8. Gurometer Triple Threat: Professor Jiang, Mel Robbins & Jimmy Carr *Patreon Preview*

    60 Min.Bonus

    The rumours of the Gurometer's demise have been greatly exaggerated. We were simply collecting enough gurus to feed three into the sacred instrument at once. In this special Triple Threat edition, Professor …

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    The rumours of the Gurometer's demise have been greatly exaggerated. We were simply collecting enough gurus to feed three into the sacred instrument at once. In this special Triple Threat edition, Professor Jiang brings angel-informed psychohistory, Jimmy Carr brings a head full of dubious historical factoids, and Mel Robbins just desperately wants to help you (for a price). Three potential gurus, eleven characteristics, and a brief disagreement over the nature of data. Let the highly rigorous scoring commence!

    Also... think you can do better? Rate Jiang, Mel, Jimmy, or any of the other gurus on our online Gurometer and compare your scores with ours. Ideally, do it before listening, lest Matt declare your numbers inadmissible.

    https://decoding-the-gurus-gurometer.netlify.app/

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  9. Supplementary Material 55: Nature Debates, Murder Drone Conspiracies, and Podcast Vibes

    35 Min.Bonus

    Two academic windbags attempt brief discussions of the controversy at Nature, Bret’s newest conspiracy theory, and the latest vibe sessions in Podcastistan. It goes about as well as expected.The full episode is …

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    Two academic windbags attempt brief discussions of the controversy at Nature, Bret’s newest conspiracy theory, and the latest vibe sessions in Podcastistan. It goes about as well as expected.

    The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (1hr 18mins).

    Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus

    Supplementary Material 55

    00:00 Introduction: Science by Podcast

    04:04 Nature Joins the Arday Discourse Wave

    09:28 Activism and Science

    14:40 Academic Prestige Bias

    19:08 The Business of Academic Publishing

    23:43 Sasha Gusev Being Sensible and Culture War Brainrot

    29:04 Bret Weinstein and Jimmy Dore Investigate Charlie Kirk’s Death

    36:13 Anomaly Hunting

    42:27 Science Washing

    45:00 Conspiracy Discrimination and Reasoning Ability

    53:46 Academic Debate Norms

    59:16 Chris Williamson Promotes Professor Jiang

    01:01:01 Vibing Out in Podcast Panels: Hunter Biden x Nick Fuentes

    01:05:49 Dave Rubin and Andrew Gold Discuss Political Tribalism

    01:08:25 Heterodoxy in 2026: Zaid Jilani on Michael Tracey

    01:12:52 Hitler Was a Human and Had Motivations

    01:16:33 Outro

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  10. Mel Robbins, Part 2: Matt & Chris manifest their fully actualised future selves

    1 Std. 43 Min.Folge 168

    In Part Two of our decoding of Mel Robbins, things take a practical turn. But before we get to preoccupied with all that, why don't you pause, take a breath, and, in the context of your body, write down ten …

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    In Part Two of our decoding of Mel Robbins, things take a practical turn. But before we get to preoccupied with all that, why don't you pause, take a breath, and, in the context of your body, write down ten ways to make a bad situation worse. Your focus should then be on doing the exact opposite! For example, if one of your answers is to not listen to the podcast, then start listening, right now!

    Next, before hitting play, let's work on building a daily manifestation practice. Write down five things you want, then sit in your body, picture yourself doing all the annoying steps, and flood yourself with the feelings of future success. This needs to happen every day.

    One more thing: now imagine someone who is one million per cent behind you and ask them what is the best way for you to consume the podcast. They can be alive, dead, or fictional. Greek messenger Gods are permitted. You can even imagine your mother, if you like, but better. Alternatively, why not meet your future self at the front door and ask how listening to the podcast helped them to become so wise, slim, and successful?

    There are other options too. You can manifest a legion of ancestors, reconfigure a difficult afternoon by getting sushi, and even transcend the limits of possibility with an elephant murder themed visualization!

    You might think this sounds a bit like (too much) planning, mental rehearsal, and just trying to be a bit more positive. But it's much more than that. These mental activities are actually powered by very hard science. Ignore the tiny samples, one-tailed tests, and suspicious p-values... that all sounds like negative thinking.

    And now you are finally prepared so choose your technique, release the brake, and visualise the download button. Your future self is waiting. They have a cool scar and some bad news about your future children.

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  11. Supplementary Material 54: Solarpunk Pecan Pie, Northern Irish Sushi, & the Discourse Meat Grinder

    41 Min.Bonus

    We return from our holidays with an indulgent episode that starts light and ends up very dark as we turn to the unavoidable Jason Arday discourse.The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (Full …

    Shownotes

    We return from our holidays with an indulgent episode that starts light and ends up very dark as we turn to the unavoidable Jason Arday discourse.

    The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (Full Episode: 1hr 40 mins)

    Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus

    Supplementary Material 54

    00:00 Pecan Pie Introduction

    04:10 Solar Punk Matt

    08:17 Ireland Trip Report

    15:24 Australian Burger Culture

    17:32 Manga Cafe Experiments

    24:10 Joe Rogan on AI Remote Viewing

    29:14 Parapsychology as a Research Field

    34:07 A One Man University Level Course in Bad Thinking

    36:58 The Young Info Turks

    40:53 More Credulity with Ryan Grim over Fauci

    42:14 Richard Ebright, Warning Signs, and Radicalisation Spirals

    48:28 Vinay Prasad jumping on the Anti-Fauci wagon for the Free Press

    52:31 The Jason Arday Affair

    54:28 The Surrounding Context

    58:18 Polemical Discourse Waves

    01:05:22 The Guru Factor

    01:08:25 A Realistic View of Universities as Imperfect Institutions

    01:12:17 Elite Prestige Bias

    01:21:33 Culture War Distortions

    01:25:04 The Ethics of Critical Journalism

    01:29:50 Inconsistent Standards

    01:38:36 Outro

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  12. Mel Robbins, Part 1: The Hard Science of Manifestation

    2 Std. 5 Min.Folge 167

    Are you tired, stuck, or inconveniently constrained by reality? Good news: you may simply be imagining the wrong one.In Part One of our decoding of Mel Robbins, we explore the world of a self-help mogul who is …

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    Are you tired, stuck, or inconveniently constrained by reality? Good news: you may simply be imagining the wrong one.

    In Part One of our decoding of Mel Robbins, we explore the world of a self-help mogul who is also just a simple mother of three in Vermont hosting a little ol' podcast with a HUGE global impact. Together with Cassandra Vieten, a psychologist who is (apparently) one of the world's leading researchers on imagination and consciousness, Mel explains how to begin to stop reacting and start imagining, visualising, and manifesting the life you truly deserve. This will lead to self-actualised transcendence through a variety of simple-to-implement techniques. But don't worry, the universe has also put in safeguards: manifestation only works if you use it for good, such as empowering your authentic self. So please manifest enthusiastically without any concern.

    In the episode, you will learn about the delicate art of rebranding common sense into complex (proprietary) theories and be shocked to discover that mystical intuitions are a core component of any fully holistic scientific research. Mel's HUGE media business, meanwhile, manifests itself as an intimate personal friendship with each of her millions of listeners.

    Expect the usual decorative scholarship, a new Five Second Rule and insights into how to Let Them and Let You, reality tunnels, obstacle courses, a thousand supportive women, lighthouses, tapestries, and the therapeutic potential of fire-breathing dragons. All of it is very hard science, as they repeatedly remind us.

    Chris and Matt attempt throughout to give the self-help genre a fair-minded assessment. They even concede that wearing colourful socks and being a bit less miserable are probably harmless, but ultimately their dark reductionist souls are beyond salvation.

    Part Two is coming next week. In the meantime, try to visualise it clearly, align your energy, and not to put one foot on the brake as you hit the download button.

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  13. Jimmy Carr & Joe Rogan: The Jester & the Khan

    2 Std. 54 Min.Folge 166

    Joe Rogan, the Great Khan of podcasting, is once again receiving a travelling jester at court. This time it is Jimmy Carr who arrives bearing gifts: pop evolutionary psychology, dubious history factoids …

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    Joe Rogan, the Great Khan of podcasting, is once again receiving a travelling jester at court. This time it is Jimmy Carr who arrives bearing gifts: pop evolutionary psychology, dubious history factoids, conservative "common sense", and an apparently bottomless appetite for telling Joe just how important he is.

    After listening to their three-hour conversation(!), we conclude there is nothing much of note beyond serving as a nice demonstration of popular "alternative" podcasting in 2026. What you get is a medley of sycophantic praise; regurgitated pop science and historical factoids; right-wing political positions presented as basic common sense; and shocked reactions to pseudo profundity and mundane observations.

    Along the way, you will also thrill as you learn Rogan and Carr's takes on motherhood, feminism, work ethic, astrology, religion, taxation, vaccines, human evolution, the Black Death, and stand-up comedy.

    As for Jimmy Carr himself, well, according to us: he's a very much your standard middle-aged conservative British person who happens to be a comedian. Rogan's level of crankery makes Jimmy look moderate by comparison, but as we know that's a very low bar.

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  14. Lab Leak Groundhog Day: COVID Origins in 2026 with Worobey, Andersen, and Holmes

    1 Std. 45 Min.Folge 165

    With the Trump administration’s newest political persecution of Anthony Fauci and three years after our first lab-leak special, now seemed like a useful time to return to the topic. Fortunately, you do not have …

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    With the Trump administration’s newest political persecution of Anthony Fauci and three years after our first lab-leak special, now seemed like a useful time to return to the topic. Fortunately, you do not have to rely on our knowledge of viruses, as we have somehow managed to convince the same three esteemed virologists, Eddie Holmes, Kristian Andersen and Michael Worobey, to come back for an update.

    Mike, Kristian and Eddie return and offer us their read on where the scientific evidence on COVID’s origins stands in 2026. They take us through the main lines of evidence and the often overlooked role of the wildlife trade, explaining why the lab-leak story remains so appealing, and how their own assessments have shifted as more evidence has emerged. We also discuss the standard claim that the media suppressed the lab-leak narrative while noting that coverage across both alternative and mainstream outlets remains heavily skewed towards it (and almost entirely detached from the research literature).

    Finally, we end on a characteristically positive note by discussing the Trump administration’s attacks on science and the ongoing campaigns against high-profile scientists and public health figures. Our guests describe their experience of committing the heinous offence of following the scientific evidence and arriving at conclusions that contradict the preferred views of polemical politicians and prominent media pundits.

    In short, this episode is our modest attempt to drag the topic back towards the science, while also focusing on the price paid by the people who actually conduct the research and care about the evidence. We are not neutral when it comes to the ongoing attacks on science and scientists and do not pretend to be.

    Links
    Relevant research papers and reviews
    Broader assessments and context
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  15. Supplementary Material 53: Matthew the Succulent, Bin-faced Politicians, and Very Very Tired Economists

    31 Min.Bonus

    We endure the ravages of time to deliver you this exhausted Supplementary Material. Bowed but never broken, the decoders persist.The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (Full Episode: 2hr 20 …

    Shownotes

    We endure the ravages of time to deliver you this exhausted Supplementary Material. Bowed but never broken, the decoders persist.

    The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (Full Episode: 2hr 20 mins)

    Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus

    Supplementary Material 53

    00:23 Introduction: Matthew the Succulent's Post-Holiday Report

    02:15 Pickle Ball Injuries & Bouldering Curses

    07:40 They Won't Let You Talk about Middle-Aged Sports Injuries

    08:37 New AI Models

    09:31 Cory Doctorow, Trevor Noah, and Confirmation Bias

    23:45 The Glorious Past and the Terrible Present

    28:28 The Horror of Tinned Asparagus

    30:26 The Collapse of Industries & Stores

    36:16 Negativity Bias

    37:11 AI Prompting 101

    44:30 AI and Research Applications

    50:28 Nigel Farage vs Count Binface

    59:10 Nigel Farage Knighted on Russia Today

    01:02:53 Hasan's Advice for Ukrainians

    01:07:51 Russian Apologetics

    01:13:32 Vlad Vexler and soft Anti-Vaxx rhetoric

    01:19:35 Guru Red Flags

    01:23:48 Bret Weinstein in 2020 on Vaccines

    01:28:53 Gary vs Piers Morgan

    01:30:58 Piers Morgan being a blustering idiot about Elon Musk

    01:36:55 Gary's Pitch

    01:41:55 Alternative Tax Proposals

    01:46:18 Matt and Chris' Economics

    01:47:22 Gary's Wealth

    01:52:07 Piers the sleazy liar

    01:55:25 Gary is the best inequality economist in the UK

    01:57:08 Gary's Predictions

    02:00:40 Gary is Very Tired

    02:07:14 A message from anyone else to finish?

    02:14:25 Final Takeaways

    02:16:55 Matt attempts to wrangle another holiday

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  16. Supplementary Material 52: Under-Optimized Academics, Tired Economists, and Bailiwick Clarifications

    23 Min.Bonus

    Two absolutely shattered academic heroes heroically drag themselves through yet another supplementary episode to bring you the important guru news in between their restorative breaks.The full episode is …

    Shownotes

    Two absolutely shattered academic heroes heroically drag themselves through yet another supplementary episode to bring you the important guru news in between their restorative breaks.

    The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (Full Episode: 1hr 32 mins)

    Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus

    00:00 Introduction

    02:13 Eliot Paisley's Anatomy of an Optimiser

    08:52 Eric Weinstein wants a University Position and a Stipend

    16:09 The Failure of the Anti-Woke Quasi Universities

    19:19 Gary is Knackered Again

    20:45 Gary is the best inequality economist in the world

    24:36 How do I make a Documentary?

    33:04 The End of the Year Approaches

    37:44 Public Accountability

    40:13 The Neurodivergent Trump Card

    40:59 A clarification on bailiwicks

    42:43 Tucker Carlson & Chris Cuomo discuss Russian Apologetics

    48:53 Ukraine is selling weapons to Mexican Cartels

    54:54 Civility Porn Judo

    56:09 When Hasan met Prof. Jiang

    01:01:37 Conspiracy Theory Buffet

    01:07:24 Looking Good by Comparison

    01:11:21 Comparing Epstein Conspiracies

    01:24:03 Agreeable Conspiracism

    01:27:13 Outro and Piers Morgan Invite

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  17. Decoding Academia 36: Revenge of the Chimpanzees *Patreon Series*

    28 Min.Bonus

    In this Decoding Academia episode, we venture into comparative psychology, focusing on a fascinating line of work by Fumihiro Kano and colleagues on social intelligence and theory of mind in great apes. By …

    Shownotes

    In this Decoding Academia episode, we venture into comparative psychology, focusing on a fascinating line of work by Fumihiro Kano and colleagues on social intelligence and theory of mind in great apes. By showing apes short videos and tracking where they look, researchers examine whether they expect others to act based on what they have seen, what they know, or what they falsely believe. This approach offers a remarkable window into the evolutionary roots of human social cognition or, alternatively, the most elaborate way yet devised to explore what a chimp thinks of a man in a chimpanzee costume.

    We discuss what this kind of research might reveal about social intelligence across species: whether apes understand intentions, knowledge, and false beliefs; how their abilities compare with humans, dogs, and other animals; and why studying minds without language requires ingenuity, caution, and tolerance for participants who may simply decide the whole enterprise is beneath them.

    There is also some discussion of the usual complications: small samples, difficult data, flexible analyses, replication, and the gap between a beautifully designed experiment and a result we should treat as settled fact. But the main story is the genuinely intriguing attempt to study Theory of Mind beyond humans.

    Along the way, we discuss chimpanzee costumes, zoo life, dogs, and the disturbing possibility that crocodiles may be running more sophisticated cooperative hunting operations than most university committees.

    *The full episode is available on Patreon (57 mins)*

    00:00 Introduction

    03:57 Chimpanzee Theory of Mind & Eye Tracking

    13:03 Attention, Grabbing and Orientation

    24:03 The Role of Memory in Anticipation

    26:10 Revenge of the Researcher

    31:21 Statistical Concerns

    43:44 Comparative Psychology Thoughts

    49:13 Non-climbing Tigers and Cooperative Crocodiles

    51:20 Matt's New Friends and Outro

    Relevant papers for the episode:

    Kano, F., & Hirata, S. (2015). Great apes make anticipatory looks based on long-term memory of single events. Current Biology, 25(19), 2513-2517. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2015.08.004

    Kano, F., & Call, J. (2017). Great ape social attention. In Evolution of the brain, cognition, and emotion in vertebrates (pp. 187-206). Tokyo: Springer Japan.

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  18. Professor Jiang, Part 2: Cosmic Jiang's Jenga Tower of Bullshit

    1 Std. 32 Min.Folge 164

    We return for Part 2 of our coverage of “Professor” Jiang, the internet’s favourite new geopolitical prophet, secondary-school sage, and proud owner of an ever-expanding box of educational props. Having already …

    Shownotes

    We return for Part 2 of our coverage of “Professor” Jiang, the internet’s favourite new geopolitical prophet, secondary-school sage, and proud owner of an ever-expanding box of educational props. Having already treated us to multiple maps, chess pieces, and a sealed metal case of predictions, Jiang is back with more predictions, more props, and even higher-level insights.

    This time, we get the dramatic unveiling of a fresh batch of forecasts, including the forthcoming U.S. civil war, AI surveillance states, a grand bargain with China, the Greater Israel project, and the coming East Asian conflict. During all of this, we pause to consider Jiang’s status as a Beijing-based geopolitical commentator who manages to be just critical enough of Chinese surveillance to sound daring, but yet is most reliably focused on predictions of imminent Western collapse, American hubris, and the doom of the U.S. empire.

    But the real journey begins when Jiang sets the geopolitics aside and invites us into Plato’s Allegorical Cave, updating it for the modern era by linking it to Korean television melodramas. Out come ominous black blocks, stacked into a metaphorical tower of global control: the military-industrial complex, the financiers, the World Bank, the WTO, the media, Hollywood, schools, universities, and culture itself. What started as “predictive history” devolves into an Alex Jones-style conspiratorial rant about international financiers, globalist bankers, controlled media, and brave alternative truth-tellers seeing through the mainstream lies.

    The alternative media occupies a Schrödinger-like position in Jiang’s system: corrupted and controlled when it suits his narrative but also brave and rebellious when it is giving a platform to people like Jiang. Stephen Bartlett, meanwhile, fulfils his podcasting duty as a perfectly crafted avatar of the Diary of a CEO audience: curious, credulous and very receptive to the message that the system is rigged, the shadows are fake, and you, dear listener, are one of the brave truth-seekers with the courage to listen and look behind the curtain.

    Finally, we also reach Cosmic Jiang. The bankers are at war with the tech bros. Reality is consciousness. Matter is vibration. We are all fragments of God returning to Source. Hermetic philosophy explains Plato. Kabbalah explains the Middle East. Israel is trying to force the hand of God. The world will end; paradise will return. It turns out all of that geopolitical analysis was actually just a sideshow...

    So join us for the conclusion of Professor Jiang: a masterclass in massive domino-based reasoning, geopolitical dressing on bog-standard conspiracy theory, and the enduring appeal of intellectual junk food.

    Sources


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  19. Professor Jiang, Part 1: Geopolitical Pantomime

    2 Std. 33 Min.Folge 163

    On Decoding the Gurus, we regularly get to hear a lot of truly “high-level” ideas, but the much-requested subject of this episode’s decoding is up there with the best of them. We are talking, of course, about …

    Shownotes

    On Decoding the Gurus, we regularly get to hear a lot of truly “high-level” ideas, but the much-requested subject of this episode’s decoding is up there with the best of them. We are talking, of course, about “Professor” Jiang, the internet’s favourite new overly confident online guru, now that Jordan Peterson is indisposed. Jiang Xueqin is a secondary school teacher who has found an online audience thirsty for his particular style of confident bullshit, and he is more than ready to roll out his “predictive history” analyses on command.

    Be prepared for some serious professorial cosplay as Stephen Bartlett, from Diary of a CEO, spares no expense in his endless quest to indulge every modern online crank, offering a grab bag of props as well as his usual thoughtful pauses and awe-inspiring requests for definitions. Thrill as the honorary professor performs as a grand seer and geopolitical strategist, complete with a tabletop world map, wargame prop pieces, whiteboard flowcharts, coloured chess sets, and a dramatic metal briefcase full of sealed predictions.

    So get ready to experience his hit-parade of forecasts (Trump's 3rd term, endless war with Iran, eventual U.S. “loss”) along with his trademark conspiratorial mélange of real-ish facts, misstatements, and domino-chain inevitabilities. The end of Part 1 is a sign of things to come, featuring Jiang's post-apocalyptic advice on how the good people can rebuild society with the help of prophets and visionaries (AKA gurus) and soothe yourself with the knowledge that we are all ultimately just a God-derived fractal consciousness anyway.

    <And if you can't wait, Part 2 is already available on the Patreon!>

    Sources


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  20. Supplementary Material 51: Parasitic Palate Cleansers, Selective Understanding, and the "Context"

    32 Min.Bonus

    We exercise good faith and grapple with the ever-versatile context window in this unintentionally thematic episode.Supplementary Material 51 The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (Full Episode …

    Shownotes

    We exercise good faith and grapple with the ever-versatile context window in this unintentionally thematic episode.

    Supplementary Material 51

    The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (Full Episode: 1hr 18 mins)

    Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus

    00:00 Introduction

    01:40 Jordan Hall's Suspicious Semiotic Parasites

    08:52 A New Covenant for the American Republic

    14:33 Dave Rubin's support group after Jubilee

    14:52 Dr. K vs 20 Depressed People

    20:05 The Fifth Column Welcomes Batya Ungar Sargon (Again)

    21:18 Anti-Semitism isn't really an issue on the Right

    25:39 Moynihan agrees that Tucker Carlson is a Leftist

    30:40 I don't really know what he has said...

    37:38 When Taylor Lorenz met Brad Palumbo

    41:24 Taylor is a Good Faith Person who is often misrepresented

    44:32 Was Taylor cheering on the killing of healthcare CEOs?

    51:16 Suggesting Targets or Providing "Context"

    57:48 The Victimhood Pose

    01:01:01 Selective "Understanding"

    01:06:41 The Moral Grandstanding Escape Hatch

    01:12:10 Strategic Ambiguity across the Spectrum

    01:15:22 The Connecting Theme!

    Links


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  21. Gurometer: Iain McGilchrist *Patreon Preview*

    40 Min.Bonus

    In this Gurometer edition, Matt and Chris feed Iain McGilchrist into the sacred instrument to see where exactly refined country-parish-minister vibes land when combined with galaxy-brained hemispheres …

    Shownotes

    In this Gurometer edition, Matt and Chris feed Iain McGilchrist into the sacred instrument to see where exactly refined country-parish-minister vibes land when combined with galaxy-brained hemispheres, civilisational decline narratives, decorative scholarship, and the other features of guruosity.

    Iain McGilchrist Gurometer

    00:27 Introduction

    01:00 Iain McGilchrist Reactions

    04:40 Galaxy Brain-ness

    06:39 Cultishness

    08:28 Anti-Establishmentarianism

    11:39 Grievance Mongering

    14:30 Self-Aggrandizement and Narcissism

    17:21 Cassandra Complex

    19:54 Revolutionary Theories

    20:48 Pseudo-Profound Bullshit

    24:10 Conspiracy Mongering

    25:08 Excessive Profiteering

    26:10 Moral Grandstanding

    27:15 Overall Score

    28:47 Bonus Round

    33:04 Guru Binary Scores

    37:18 Outro

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  22. Supplementary Material 50: The String Theory Mafia, Shameless Propagandists, and The Topography of Semantic Space

    48 Min.Bonus

    We become highly effective at exploiting the gap between salience and relevance as we universalise semiotic capability and listen to more brave renegades talking about how amazing they are. Join us, won't …

    Shownotes

    We become highly effective at exploiting the gap between salience and relevance as we universalise semiotic capability and listen to more brave renegades talking about how amazing they are. Join us, won't you?

    Supplementary Material 50 (Full Episode: 2hrs 23 mins)

    00:24 Introduction

    02:07 British People Struggling with Compliments

    04:53 Matt loves SOME episode titles

    08:42 Nachos Pronunciation

    10:13 Brett Weinstein vs Michael Tracey

    29:08 Brett pivots to his Anti-Vaxx Hits

    42:32 The Hug Box World of Podcasting

    45:55 When Eric met Joe (again)

    47:29 Eric and Rogan re-litigate Sean Carroll's criticisms

    55:55 Eric's insatiable desire to be linked with Epstein

    01:14:36 Eric Weinstein is a Construct

    01:16:36 When Ana met Candace

    01:18:18 Useful Idiots and Shameless Propagandists

    01:19:59 Ryan Grim's reaction to being in Iranian Propaganda Videos

    01:26:22 Zeteo gets to the bottom of the Iranian Casualty Figures

    01:30:24 Ana and Candace's Hug Session

    01:36:31 A horse named shoe?

    01:47:26 The Holocaust Media Industry

    01:53:48 Jimmy Dore makes the Religious Pivot

    02:01:39 The Brave Renegade Narrative that Never Gets Old

    02:12:57 Horseshoe Populism

    02:16:23 Jordan Hall x AI Instructions

    02:21:46 Agent Hall infecting your Mattrix

    Links


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  23. L. Ron Hubbard: Sleeping with Bandits, Hunting with Pygmies And So On

    2 Std. 25 Min.Folge 162

    The Decoders wrap up cult season by dissecting a titan of the cult scene, the founder of Scientology, Lafayette Ronald Hubbard or L. Ron for short. A prolific science fiction author, L. Ron founded an …

    Shownotes

    The Decoders wrap up cult season by dissecting a titan of the cult scene, the founder of Scientology, Lafayette Ronald Hubbard or L. Ron for short. A prolific science fiction author, L. Ron founded an alternative self-help movement and then developed it into his cosmic self-help 'religion' of Scientology.

    Scientology has now been the subject of multiple documentaries and even a fairly detailed South Park parody episode, so it feels like many are aware of the general 'deal' of Scientology. But how about L. Rob Hubbard as a guru... how many people have actually taken the time to sit down and just hear the guy out? Here at DTG HQ, we are all about the good-faith deep dives, so we decided to devote some time to analysing a 1966 Rhodesian TV interview with L. Ron Hubbard, in which a friendly Scientologist interviewer (not identified as such) politely tees up Hubbard to explain Scientology.

    So join us to find out how L. Ron invented a “workable science,” a “religion of religions,” and a self-help machine that raises IQ, fixes life problems, and proves life after death. By modern standards L. Ron can seem a bit quaint, but because of that, he serves as a useful primer in the core techniques of Guru manipulation, including narcissistic invented biographies, disdain for materialism, a persecution complex, flattery of followers, and anti-establishment disparagement. All of the classics are on display!

    So get ready to wake up to your true potential, process your engrams, and so forth.

    Links


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  24. Supplementary Material 49: Calibrated Podcast Expectations, The Great Consciousness Debate of 2026, and Russell Brand is a Bad Guy

    45 Min.Bonus

    Matthew Browne, a high-profile advocate for pan-psychism, compels his reluctant co-host to endure a public struggle session on the topic of consciousness, hopefully for the last time.Supplementary Material …

    Shownotes

    Matthew Browne, a high-profile advocate for pan-psychism, compels his reluctant co-host to endure a public struggle session on the topic of consciousness, hopefully for the last time.

    Supplementary Material 49

    00:00 Introduction

    02:47 Returning to the Emerald Isle

    03:44 Irish History Segment: The Titanic & Potato Famines

    10:45 McGilchrist Reflections

    12:51 Knowledge Fight has ended

    26:23 Podcasting Motivations

    34:37 Calibrated Expectations

    41:03 The Problem with the Patreon Members

    42:51 Shermer's Activist Skeptic Research

    47:24 Research on Support for Political Violence in the US

    54:35 Rob Henderson and Decorative Scholarship

    58:11 Ryan Holiday Stoically Flames MAGA

    01:04:41 Zuby and Motivated Reasoning

    01:07:15 Monocausal Explanations for Declining Birth Rates

    01:08:51 More credulity from Shermer

    01:10:25 Bryan Johnson and Testicular Optimisation

    01:14:41 Testicle Fixation Gurus

    01:15:24 Professor Jiang thinks Trump is Immortal

    01:19:57 When Dawkins Met Claude

    01:30:00 The Great Consciousness Debate of 2026

    01:42:47 When Cladius met Claudia

    01:52:39 Chris's Concession

    01:54:23 Animal Minds and AI Consciousness

    01:56:31 Russell Brand vs Piers Morgan

    02:10:13 Thirsty Christian dunks on Dawkins

    02:13:18 Brand's Family's Response

    02:22:39 Hasan Piker is the one who knocks!

    02:27:44 Outro

    02:28:36 A final message of hope!

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  25. Iain McGilchrist, Part 2: Hemispheres, Culture, and Cosmic Consciousness

    3 Std. 10 Min.Folge 161

    In this episode, we return to Iain McGilchrist as he spirals upwards from his binary hemispheric model into full cosmic spirituality. The rule is simple: everything McGilchrist likes is due to the subtle …

    Shownotes

    In this episode, we return to Iain McGilchrist as he spirals upwards from his binary hemispheric model into full cosmic spirituality. The rule is simple: everything McGilchrist likes is due to the subtle, nuanced, and deeply sophisticated right brain, while the left brain (pffft) is responsible for reductionism, modernity, and most of the problems in your life.

    From this neuroscientific foundation, the theory expands with admirable ambition. Civilisations rise and fall depending on which hemisphere they inhabit. Ancient societies were properly attuned to the right brain, while the modern world has gone mechanical and spiritually bankrupt. The details are, of course, very complex, but the moral is clear.

    Scientific evidence features occasionally, mostly in a decorative capacity or as parables of scientists being baffled by mystical forces. Hence, we learn that decapitated worms retain perfect memories, Nobel Prizes have been awarded for demonstrating a mystical direction powering evolution, and near-death experiences establish that memories form when the brain isn't functioning.

    Alongside this hard science, McGilchrist also ventures into more spiritual realms, where we learn that artificial intelligence is likely to be channelling demons, schizophrenia might be caused by malign spiritual forces treating our brains as a luxury resort, and recently exorcised demons prefer to communicate via text message. No really...

    Ultimately, what matters is that McGilchrist's bespoke theology, bespoke metaphysics, bespoke biological teleology, and bespoke panentheist philosophy are really very impressive. And if you don't find any of it compelling, well, we are sad to inform you that this itself proves you are stuck in the wrong mode of thinking and failing to recognise true profundity.

    And if that doesn't work, then let's just say it was all a metaphor anyway!

    Links


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  26. Supplementary Material 48: Grey Beard's Council, Late-Stage Anti-Capitalism, and Demonic Mould Health Updates

    44 Min.Bonus

    The hour grows late, and Matt the Grey-Haired rides once more from his quiet study, summoned by whispers from the ever-churning gurusphere. And so he goes, to seek counsel with Chris the Grey-Bearded, keeper of …

    Shownotes

    The hour grows late, and Matt the Grey-Haired rides once more from his quiet study, summoned by whispers from the ever-churning gurusphere. And so he goes, to seek counsel with Chris the Grey-Bearded, keeper of receipts, watcher of long-form content, and wielder of the sacred Gurometer. For the gurus stir again… and their nonsense must be decoded.

    Supplementary Material 48: Grey Beard's Council, Late-Stage Anti-Capitalism, and Demonic Mould Health Updates

    00:00 Greetings Old Friend

    02:22 Decoding the Gamers

    04:16 A Reckoning with Old Grey Hair

    06:19 Joe Rogan determining US Medical Approvals

    12:15 The Fall of Orban and the Silence of the Heterodox World

    17:09 The Hypocrisy of Peter Boghossian

    19:52 Dave Rubin and other Tenet Media Stooges

    21:43 The Dugin, Jiang and Sneako Brain Trust discuss the ultra-hyper-globalists.

    28:58 Trump attacks Alex Jones, Tucker Carlson, & Megyn Kelly

    32:39 A Return to Weinstein World

    33:00 Bret's Moon Landing Conspiracies

    39:03 Eric and his Silicon Friend are still having problems

    42:47 Hasan Piker Discourse

    54:33 The Radicalisation Funnel?

    01:00:14 Hasan on Ukraine

    01:03:21 Hasan doing China apologetics

    01:14:03 More Apologetics

    01:16:37 Hasan on the Vietnamese MAGA supporter

    01:23:41 What about Destiny?

    01:26:58 Yale is full of Snakes and Badgers

    01:33:17 Micro Looting from the Corporations

    01:41:36 Cenk Uyghur's Rent Gouging Credentials

    01:44:47 Social Murder and Selective "Understanding"

    01:54:26 Late-Stage Capitalist Anti-Capitalism

    01:56:22 Tucker Carlson is Selling Russell Brand's Guide to Becoming a Christian

    02:00:33 Sean Hannity chooses Trump over his Catholicism

    02:04:18 Russell Brand and the spiritual marketplace

    02:05:48 Postmodern Conservatism

    02:07:28 Taking a Long View

    02:10:14 AI Bouldering Gym Cages

    02:11:30 Taylor Lorenz is making good points on Twitter!

    02:19:52 Taylor's controversial take: AI is useful

    02:21:36 Adam Conover engages in revisionist history on tech

    02:24:14 Rotary Telephones and Typewriter Experiences

    02:26:41 The Onion takeover of Infowars?

    02:31:28 Knowledge Fight's Concerns

    02:35:56 Jordan Peterson Health Update

    02:40:07 Endlessly Misdiagnosed by "Experts"

    02:44:32 The Dietary Cures

    02:47:20 Experimental Stem Cell Treatments

    02:50:04 Pageau blames Peterson's lack of faith

    03:00:14 Letting the Pressure Out

    03:01:07 Outro

    03:02:01 We Must Join with the Mould

    The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (3 hours, 3 minutes).

    Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus

    Links


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  27. Iain McGilchrist, Part 1: Right-Brain Thinking

    2 Std. 4 Min.Folge 160

    In this episode, we take a journey into the mind, traversing both the left and right hemispheres, but mostly the left, as we engage with the truly mind-bending insights of British …

    Shownotes

    In this episode, we take a journey into the mind, traversing both the left and right hemispheres, but mostly the left, as we engage with the truly mind-bending insights of British psychiatrist-philosopher-neuroscientist-theologian-author Iain McGilchrist. Best known for his 2009 book "The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World" but also a much lauded academic and sensemaker.

    We outline McGilchrist’s extremely complicated thesis that the two hemispheres of the brain reflect fundamentally different “ways of being” and that this is reflected in individuals and civilisations that rely more on one side than the other. This is, of course, not merely a crude binary. As McGilchrist repeatedly emphasises, it would be quite wrong to suggest he is simply valorising everything he likes (religion, poetry, classic literature, wood-panelled interiors, sense-making chats) and attributing them to the products of a profound and integrative right hemisphere. Similarly, he does not simply want to denigrate materialists as reductive left-brain thinkers who cannot appreciate art, beauty, or love because they are too busy thinking about atoms. There is definitely none of that in his chat with Alex O'Connor (AKA CosmicSkeptic).

    Expect neuroanatomy, metaphysics, and extended reflections on the nature of love. In other words, a completely standard Decoding the Gurus episode.

    Links


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  28. Mentalism and Meta-Deception with Stevie Baskin

    1 Std. 28 Min.Folge 159

    On this episode, we’re joined by Stevie Baskin, a skeptic and YouTuber who released a five-hour detailed critique of the “meta-deception” of Oz Pearlman. He argues that mentalism differs from traditional magic …

    Shownotes

    On this episode, we’re joined by Stevie Baskin, a skeptic and YouTuber who released a five-hour detailed critique of the “meta-deception” of Oz Pearlman. He argues that mentalism differs from traditional magic by introducing an additional meta-deception because, unlike magicians, mentalists often leave their audiences with inaccurate beliefs about body language reading, subliminal influence, NLP, and general psychology. In Stevie’s framework, this places mentalists closer to psychics and mediums than to magicians, because the deceptive element is not clearly acknowledged.

    We examine this position, unpack common mentalist techniques, consider the role of strategic disclaimers and TED-style “epistemic theatre,” and explore possible parallels with contemporary secular gurus.

    Sources


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  29. Supplementary Material 47: The DTG Conspiracy UNMASKED, Quantum Idiots, and Triggernometry Prophecies

    44 Min.Bonus

    Our cover is blown. Our secret funders unmasked. Code Red: Abort! Abort! This is not a drill.Supplementary Material 47: The DTG Conspiracy UNMASKED, Quantum Idiots, and Triggernometry Prophecies00:00 Glowing …

    Shownotes

    Our cover is blown. Our secret funders unmasked. Code Red: Abort! Abort! This is not a drill.

    Supplementary Material 47: The DTG Conspiracy UNMASKED, Quantum Idiots, and Triggernometry Prophecies

    00:00 Glowing Introduction

    03:14 The Secret Conspiracy at the Heart of the Podcast

    08:17 The Israel Connection

    19:09 Cenk Uygur's Pickleball Conspiracy

    23:25 Comment Section Conspiracies

    30:20 Pizzagate Conspiracies Revisited

    37:55 The Value of debating with ChadBigCum

    42:26 AI discourse reflections

    43:43 Ben Burgis's hyperbolic reaction to AI use

    44:53 The AI revolution and its potential impacts

    47:53 Social and Economic Disruption and Job Replacement

    51:33 The Dangers of Slopified Work and AI economies

    55:47 Statistical Analysis Software and the value of Friction

    57:36 The Perils of AI Usage outside of your Skillset

    58:59 The Solution is within yourself!

    01:04:22 The Hundred Schools of AI discourse

    01:05:58 Double Slit and Quantum Physics Insights from Warren Smith

    01:12:39 Schrodinger's poor, misinterpreted cat

    01:13:48 The Wonderful Benjamin Boyce

    01:14:41 Quantum Woo and Arrogant Sensemakers

    01:18:29 Young Matt and Aged Chris

    01:20:13 The Triggernometry Prophecy

    01:23:54 Quid Pro Quo in the Discourse Circuit

    01:28:25 The Anti-Institutional Horseshoe Theory of MEHDI HASAN

    01:37:18 So Long and Thanks for All the Fish!

    The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (1 hour, 40 minutes).

    Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus

    Links


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  30. The Moral Dilemmas of AI with Michael Inzlicht

    1 Std. 38 Min.Folge 158

    Mickey is BACK with two new papers he has co-authored, a bunch of opinions, and a very unwelcome idea: maybe the problem with AI isn't that it doesn't work but that it works too well!The first paper, Against …

    Shownotes

    Mickey is BACK with two new papers he has co-authored, a bunch of opinions, and a very unwelcome idea: maybe the problem with AI isn't that it doesn't work but that it works too well!

    The first paper, Against Frictionless AI, argues that AI assistance and its ability to take away the effort from thinking, writing, and smooth out social(like) interactions could be robbing those activities of the very thing that makes them worthwhile.

    The second paper is a more empirical investigation that presents a bunch of studies examining the topic of the (alleged) moralisation of AI. Some findings suggest that opposition to AI among some people isn't really about risks or trade-offs but rather about non-negotiable sacred moral values. Who knew?

    We also discuss effort justification, reproducible research, robosexual allyship, and just how much humanity remains within the cyborg Matthew Browne.

    And remember... It's just like our opinion, man!

    Links
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