Decoding the Gurus
Christopher Kavanagh and Matthew Browne
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!
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
Mentioned books
21 snips
Mar 26, 2024 • 1h 24min
Mini-Decoding: The Descent of Jordan B. Peterson
Jordan B. Peterson and Steven Bonnell discuss Jordan's evolving views, from COVID vaccine skepticism to climate change denial. They tackle the question of Nazis being right-wing and explore challenges in public health policies. The conversation delves into the complexities of addressing climate change and political ideologies, critiquing Jordan's viewpoints on historical political context.
Mar 22, 2024 • 37min
Supplementary Material 2: Dissident Dialogues, Bloodbaths, & Genocidal Debates
Exploring dissident dialogues, bloodbaths, and genocidal debates with Sam Harris devotees. Trumpian media criticism, Lex Fridman's Israel-Palestine debate, and Finkelstein vs. Destiny. Dive into dangerous ideas and the dynamics of guru idolization.
Mar 15, 2024 • 24min
Gurometer: Hasan Piker *PREVIEW*
Exploring biases and prejudices post-interview with online leader Hassan Haikou. Evaluating Neoliberal Agenda and Galaxy Brainness. Analyzing personality traits and cult-like behavior. Scrutinizing political figures and their stances. Political ideological evolution and Patreon episode preview.
14 snips
Mar 13, 2024 • 1h 56min
Hasan Piker: A swashbuckling Bromance
The podcast explores Hasan Piker's left-wing commentary and complex geopolitical topics, including Yemeni hostage situations and controversial slogans. It delves into Hasan's insights on political issues, drawing parallels to anime and challenging mainstream narratives. The conversation covers revenue sources for streamers, contrasting perspectives on global conflicts, and the importance of acknowledging patrons. The hosts navigate lighthearted exchanges amidst tense discussions, showcasing a mix of political analysis and personal anecdotes.
Mar 7, 2024 • 30min
Supplementary Material 1: Cringe Immunity & Supplemental Ethics
In this episode, they discuss a mysterious clip, Lex Fridman on Navalny, Jordan Peterson's fury, Cringe Immunity as a superpower, ethics of sponsorship, and more. The hosts analyze political figures' admiration, critique Jordan Peterson's views, and explore Brett Weinstein's behavior and fan reactions.
19 snips
Mar 6, 2024 • 2h 10min
Interview with Kevin Mitchell on Agency and Evolution
In this podcast, Kevin Mitchell discusses free will, determinism, consciousness, and agency from a scientific perspective. The conversation dives into evolutionary perspectives on behavior, consciousness, quantum uncertainty, decision-making processes, meaningful information in neural processes, emotions' influence on decision-making, AI creativity, theories of human intelligence evolution, and more.
Mar 2, 2024 • 2h 40min
Sean Carroll: The Worst Guru Yet?!?
This podcast discusses controversial physics figure Sean Carroll, his popular Mindscape podcast, challenges to orthodox beliefs, cultural topics, and the impact of large language models and AI advancements on society and ethics. The chapters cover unconventional desires, Western Buddhism, cognitive biases, AI evolution, and the divide between human and artificial intelligence.
Feb 28, 2024 • 51min
Mini-Decoding: Indulgent Monologuing
In this podcast, the hosts dissect a philosopher's meandering monologue, connecting it to historical events, conflicts, and enlightenment values. They explore atheism, religion, and human needs, delving into the criticisms of new atheism and the role of religion in society. The conversation also touches on historical wars, the evolution of toleration, and the challenges of managing long-winded monologues in conversations.
4 snips
Feb 17, 2024 • 2h 14min
Sam Harris: Right to Reply
Sam Harris, an author and podcaster, discusses the lab leak, introspection and the nature of self, motivations for extremism, coverage of the conflict in Gaza, and selective application of criticism. Other topics include Andrew Huberman's dog, Joe Rogan's conspiracism, and the value of AI protocol searches.
4 snips
Feb 9, 2024 • 1h 31min
The Passion of the Jordan and the Wisdom of the Bret
Checking in on old pals Bret Weinstein and Jordan Peterson, we find Jordan facing challenges with his clinical license while Bret cracks the code behind the Chinese evolutionary lineage. Topics discussed include contradictions in guru behavior, the impact of China's one-child policy on gender ratios, the discrepancy between ideas and delivery, internal struggle and resistance, creating opportunities in problems, and reflections on controversial traits of the guests.
