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 puzzl ...
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Supplementary Materials 13: Dead Bears, Biblical Stories, and Coffeezilla's Legal Battle
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We reflect on the meaning of some biblical scriptures to understand the gurus, alongside: Jonathan Pageau gets into the Olympics RFK Jnr. and the Dead Bear Guru Dystopia: Trump Meets Adin Ross Eric Weinstein enters the 2024 Campaign The penetrating insights of Joe Rogan Coffeezilla fights back against Logan Paul's defamation case Litigious Musk and…
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Bryan Johnson: Definitely not a vampire!
1:22:15
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In this life-enhancing episode, Matt and Chris venture into the futuristic world of tech entrepreneur and biohacker Bryan Johnson, clarifying along the way that he’s not the ACDC frontman. They examine Johnson's Project Blueprint and 'Don't Die' movement—a quest for indefinite lifespan extension through supplements and lifestyle changes—and conside…
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Supplementary Materials 12: Olympic Ceremonies and Presidential Candidates
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We tour the Guru-sphere's balanced and considered response to the Olympics Opening Ceremony and Kamala Harris replacing Biden as the Democratic presidential candidate. And oh boy are they on form! Addressing Petty Grievances: The Show's Format The Furor French Olympics Opening Ceremony Trump's Assassination Conspiracies The Great Flowering of Kamal…
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Gabor Maté: Achieving Authenticity, Tackling Trauma, and Minimizing Modern Malaise
2:48:55
2:48:55
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Join Matt and Chris as they hunker down with the dulcet reassuring tones of Gabor Maté, the Hungarian-Canadian physician renowned for his unconventional perspectives on trauma, stress, and addiction. Inspired by Maté they reflect on early childhood experiences, explore whether unprocessed trauma has steered them towards a life engulfed by modern gu…
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Supplementary Materials 11: Alex Jones is at it again
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We are a little behind the news cycle with this release, so we apologise for that. For context this episode was recorded after Trump's assassination attempt but before Biden announced he was stepping down. We will return with the Gurusphere's insane reaction to that event next time. Here we consider: Trump's leaked conversation with RFK Junior A ve…
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Decoding the Gurus is now a venerable institution and as such we have built up quite a menagerie of would-be gurus and even a handful of not-really gurus. So like all the hip kids today, we decided to look back at our previous gurus and arrange them on a tier list of Secular Guruosity. If you would like to play along we’ve made a version accessible…
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Supplementary Materials 10: Rigorous Conspiracy Hypothesising about the Trump Shooting
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A special Supplementary Material where we take a gander at some of the reactions to the recent assassination attempt on Trump and then dig deeper with some responsible model conspiracy hypothesizing with Bret and Heather. Also featuring: Our completely predictable response to the shooting John Cusack's Conspiracy Theory Tim Kennedy's Conspiracy Ven…
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Dr. K (Part 2): Rhetorical Judo Flips
3:58:10
3:58:10
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Join Matt and Chris for a trademark 'short' episode as they continue to navigate the complex, occasionally controversial world of Dr. K in this second multi-dimensional episode. This time they take a look at some more recent content and reflect on whether they were wrong to identify Dr. K as such a strong advocate of Ayurvedic medicine. In their in…
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Supplementary Materials 9: Galaxy Brains Collide
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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 Ru…
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Dr. K (Part 1): OPed Ayurvedic Medicine vs. Nerfed 'Western' Allopathy
3:14:58
3:14:58
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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 bi…
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Supplementary Materials 8: Lab Leak Discourse, Toxic YouTube Dynamics, and the Metaphysics of Peppa Pig
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42:49
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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 Alterna…
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Slavoj Žižek: When is a shark not a shark?
2:33:04
2:33:04
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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 fe…
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Supplementary Materials 7: Guru Oneupmanship, Hard Ad Pivots, MOOOINK, and Left Wing Populism
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37:04
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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 narrativ…
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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 parasoc…
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*Preview* Decoding Academia 27: Dark Triad Authenticity
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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 authe…
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Supplementary Materials 6: Christian Sensemaking, Hipster Race Realists, & Marijuana Pseudoscience
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49:34
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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 i…
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Interview with Flint Dibble on Pseudo Archaeology and Science Communication
1:11:03
1:11:03
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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 …
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Supplementary Material 5: Spiritual UFOs, Alternative Theories of Evolution, and Atlantean Grievances
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44:05
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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…
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Destiny: Debate King and/or Degenerate?
3:16:24
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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 prepar…
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Supplementary Material 4: Passive Aggressive Therapists, Shit-posting Monks, and Weaponised Naivety
36:23
36:23
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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 Mart…
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Yuval Noah Harari: Eat Bugs and Live Forever
2:17:27
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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 …
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Supplementary Material 3: Sand-worms, Anti-Capitalist Merch, and High Level Idea-Jacking
52:17
52:17
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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 P…
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Mini-Decoding: The Descent of Jordan B. Peterson
1:23:59
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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…
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Supplementary Material 2: Dissident Dialogues, Bloodbaths, & Genocidal Debates
36:42
36:42
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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 r…
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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 w…
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