Decoding the Gurus
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!
Episodes
In this festive descent into methodological despair, Chris and Matt convene a secret cabal of elite psychology podcasters within the Decoding Cloister, operating under the distant yet reassuring gaze of Arch-Wizard Paul Bloom, whose role is largely ceremonial but nonetheless morally binding.
Joining them are Dave Pizarro (Very Bad Wizards) and Michael Inzlicht (Two Psychologists Four Beers, emeritus), for what can only be described ...
In this special Christmas episode, Helen’s annual Guru Quiz returns, lightly dusted with Trump, podcast tours, and the unsettling realisation that the Guru-sphere and the MAGA-sphere have quietly fused into a single, monetised, vibes-based organism.
That's right, the regular decoding team are joined by renowned journalist, author, podcaster... and occasional DTG quiz master, Helen Lewis, who once again brings her festive cheer, an ...
In this tragic episode, we pay tribute to a fallen comrade and honour his memory with a Supplementary Material 41
00:00 Introduction and Swimming Update
02:34 The Tragic Tale of Old Squeaky
09:01 Sam Harris interpersonal bias & Megyn Kelly
26:05 Gary Stevenson vs Rory Stewart
36:26 Master Certificates and Jaffa Cakes
41:59 Dasha's Nick Fuentes Problem
50:08 Nick Fuentes' Racist Remarks
54:29 Piers Morgan vs. Nick Fuentes
59:08 The Two N...
In this unlocked bonus episode, Chris and Matt complete their forensic/esoteric/scientific assessment of the charming Stefan Molyneux, consigning him (sadly) to the eternal archives of the Gurometer.
Cult Season continues, and much like Stefan himself, you may have hoped this would go away after Part 1. Unfortunately, like all persistent internet hauntings, Molyneux has returned. And this time, Chris and Matt venture even deeper into the Moly-Hole, a place where truth is redefined, callers are slowly gaslit into existential confusion, and every philosophical insight is served with the overwhelming scent of narcissism and emotio...
We set down the Chardonnay at the latest heterodox dinner party and lean in for some hearty ‘civil discourse’ to once again defend the trembling pillars of Western civilization.
The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (2 hours, 13 minutes).
Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus
Supplementary Material 40: YouTube Builders, the Discourse Grind, and Sam Harris' Dinner Parties
00:00 Introduction
01:15 Feedback on...
Welcome back to Cult Season, where we continue our sincere attempt to make you feel a little bit worse about the world and everything in it.
This week, we turn to Stefan Molyneux, online pioneer, prolific content creator, and self-proclaimed most popular philosopher in the world. Alternatively his wikipedia entry describes him as "an Irish-born Canadian white nationalist podcaster and proponent of conspiracy theories, white supremac...
This week, we are joined by Kevin Mitchell, Associate Professor of Genetics and Neuroscience at Trinity College Dublin, who has committed the unforgivable sin of pointing out that an entire academic and media hype cycle might be built on… well, very little actually. His new co-authored paper in Neuron politely dismantles the highly promoted link between the gut microbiome and autism, which turns out to rest on flawed studies, contr...
We are joined by Alexander Beiner, current founder of Kainos and former co-founder of Rebel Wisdom, to grapple with that eternally slippery concept: sensemaking. Naturally, this leads us through interdisciplinary adventurism, reflections on the (il)legitimacy of academia, and the recurring “meaning crisis” that haunts our times. Sense will be made, unmade, and possibly reinvented along the way.
Links
Chris and Matt walk into a bar with an atheist sensemaker, an Ayurvedic Guru, and a Christian Apologist, and predictable frivolities ensue. Featuring not one but two good-natured, robust exchanges of opinion between our two hosts.
The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (1 hour, 42 minutes).
Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus
Supplementary Material 39: Panpsychics, Sensemakers, and Bad Guys
00:00 Introduc...
In another exciting Required Reading episode, Chris and Matt offer their penetrating, high IQ thoughts on the latest book by journalist and podcast quizmaster, Helen Lewis. Titled 'The Genius Myth: The Dangerous Allure of Rebels, Monsters, and Rule Breakers', the book tears into some of the long-enduring myths surrounding historical and contemporary geniuses from Picasso to Elon Musk. It's a critical dissection of gurus and devoted...
We welcome Al Murray, the comedian who might just be your new favourite historian, to Decoding the Gurus. In a crossover you probably didn’t expect, we discuss World War II, Wehraboos, gurus, and the contemporary comedy scene... something for all the family.
Along the way, we touch on British nostalgia, military fetishism, and self-styled “truth tellers”. A chat about history, humour, and hubris, not necessarily in that order.
Links
<...Kicking off cult season, Chris and Matt take a dip into the manipulative world of NXIVM founder and self-proclaimed 200-IQ “Vanguard,” Keith Raniere, as he talks with his then-disciple and ex-Hollywood actress, Allison Mack. Through a haze of pseudo-profound musings and decorative scholarship, Raniere sermonises on creativity, authenticity, and the human spirit, all while orchestrating a coercive sex cult built on obedience, sleep ...
Join Matt and Chris as they dive into the controversy-ridden world of the lab leak theory, accompanied by biochemist-turned-author Philipp Markolin. Philipp details his journey into the abyss of lab leak lore and sensationalist media, documenting how thorough research was pushed aside in favour of conspiratorial discourse. For those who dream of a world where science triumphs over sensationalism, this episode is your bittersweet sy...
We end the futile struggle, embrace the toxins, and become one with our mould brethren.
The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (2 hours, 38 minutes).
Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus
Supplementary Material 38
00:00 Intro
02:54 Boomer Matt reacts to Twitter videos
07:31 Shellenberger and Tucker discuss the 9/11 Files
12:42 Eric's Google Ngram Investigations
17:08 Vindication on the Elephant Graveyard
22:00 E...
Matt and Chris once again take up their oars and plunge deeper into the recursive whirlpools of contemporary sensemaking. Picking up where Part 1 left off, having grappled with conscience, touchstones, hierarchies, and normativity, we return to the sensemaking labyrinth to see just how many more words and concepts the combined powers of Peterson, Vervaeke, and Hall can stretch to breaking point.
This second leg of the voyage allows ...
Why are we never invited to these dinners? We wonder if it was something we said or if our invitation just got lost in the mail, as we endure the inevitable discourse wave that followed in the wake of Charlie Kirk's murder.
The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (2 hours, 21 minutes).
Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus
Supplementary Material 37
00:00 Introduction
01:10 Cooking Gurus?
05:39 S...
Join Matt and Chris as they enter an intellectual labyrinth of recursive sensemaking featuring the combined insights of Jordan Peterson, John Vervaeke, and Jordan Hall. You will learn about many, many deep and complex concepts and puzzle over definitions of conscience, the vertical hierarchy, value, normativity, goals & ideals, quests, the ultimate unifying meta-narrative, self-sacrifice, and touchstones.
With frequent excursion...
We risk contamination with toxic mould, endure distressing initiation rituals to a comedy cult, and ponder if the narratives we have received about the Nazis have enough nuance.
The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (2 hours, 21 minutes).
Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus
Supplementary Material 36
00:00 Introduction and an Intervention
01:59 Tomatoes, Holidays, and Hollywood Remakes
06:15 AI x Indulgent ...
We face a disciplinary crisis as the twin pillars of Game Theory and Gurometry are called into question.
The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (1 hour, 35 minutes).
Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus
Supplementary Material 35
00:05 Introduction
01:52 Matt's Apology
06:55 Just Life...
12:34 Matt's Foodie Corner
14:01 Dedunking Dan Richards finds Sabine
16:37 Sabine cultivates parasocial defenders
...
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