Decoding the Gurus

Decoding the Gurus

Christopher Kavanagh and Matthew Browne

A psychologist and an anthropologist try to make sense of the world's greatest self-declared Gurus.

2 hours 41 minutes

Curtis Yarvin: The Edgelord's Guide to Monarchy 40K
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 is Curtis really all about? In this episode, the decoders revisit the Triggernometry swamp to examine the political insights unearthed by the hard-nosed journalists Konstantin and Francis during their ferocious intellectual exchange with Yarvin.
Prepare for thrilling revelations, including the historical figures and movements Yarvin has catalogued in his encyclopedic memory, his pick for the best Elizabethan monarch, and the surprising number of non-monarchs he believes are secretly running monarchical regimes. True to form, Yarvin’s rhetorical style is nothing if not meandering. So get ready for a whirlwind tour through his "mind palace," exploring topics like Soviet Russia, Elizabethan England, Shakespearean conspiracy theories, and a fantasy world of reactionary and techno-libertarian musings—not to mention the obligatory lab-leak narratives.
Is Yarvin an edgy intellectual, a provocative contrarian, or just a verbose windbag with run-of-the-mill conspiratorial takes and a moody teenager's perspective on history? Matt and Chris tackle these questions, striving to decode Yarvin’s vision for society—and hoping, against all odds, that he might in the end just answer a single question.
Links
25 December 2024, 10:30 pm
1 hour 33 minutes

DTG Christmas Quiz 2024 with Helen Lewis & Badstats
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!
Discourse/Discord creature and DTG Weinstein correspondent Dan Gilbert (Bad Stats online) also makes an appearance to enjoy another mystery quiz and a dystopian guru squad-building game. Play along at home and see if your chosen guru team can match the synergistic power of our curated champions.
Links
- Helen Lewis on Substack
- Dan Gilbert on Twitter and YouTube
13 December 2024, 10:55 pm
47 minutes 30 seconds

Supplementary Material 19: Critic-O-Rama with extra trans-dimensional alien demons
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 Rogan: Fuck Ukraine!
56:28 Peter Thiel has questions about Vaccines and Autism
01:03:20 Big Rogan's CENSORSHIP CAMPAIGN against Flint Dibble
01:09:07 Nassim Taleb vs. Colin Wright: Seed Oils
01:23:10 Taleb and Squid Ink Flounces
01:32:40 Conspirituality & the issues with extended analogies
01:50:27 Leftist Millenarianism?
01:56:06 Cultish Spectrums
02:02:34 Critical Feedback: Decoding the Decoders
02:08:30 You were not allowed to talk about this!
02:21:56 Signing Off
The full episode is available for Patreon subscribers (2hrs 24 mins).
Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus
Sources
29 November 2024, 9:45 pm
1 hour 38 minutes

Dawkins vs. Peterson: There Be Dragons
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 and the constant conflation of mythological and scientific truths.
Important insights from Matt on American public toilets, shower technology, and stories of Chris' previous life as a coal-shovelling street urchin are also included.
Links
24 November 2024, 3:00 am
38 minutes 15 seconds

Supplementary Material 18: The Clown Car Cometh
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 Elon Musk, Joe Rogan, and MAGA
32:05 The Fifth Column, The Free Press and World Weary Both Sides-ing
53:19 Election Reflections: Macro and Micro Causes
01:04:40 Longer Term Trends
01:10:08 Sarah Haider and the Hip Vibe of the New Right
01:24:00 Richard Dawkins Dual Nature
01:31:08 A Plea to Sean Carroll and our Listeners
01:33:06 An important note on Bouldering
The full episode is available for Patreon subscribers (1hr 36 mins).
Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus
Links
16 November 2024, 2:00 am
1 hour 50 minutes

Sabine Hossenfelder: Science is a Liar ... Sometimes
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 of science-denialist rhetoric.
We can already imagine Sabine’s response: tone policing from establishment scolds who are trying to silence a fearless truth-teller for exposing academia’s dark underbelly. Perhaps that’s all it is—maybe Matt and Chris are aligned with BIG PHYSICS, out to quash any dissent about supersymmetry, string theory, or the academic publishing machine.
Or… maybe it’s something else. Maybe Sabine has pivoted to pander to the (so-hot-right-now) anti-establishment YouTube crowd, declaring that modern science has achieved nothing of value in 50 years and claiming that scientists (especially climate scientists) are too scared to challenge ideological dogmas for fear of jeopardizing their careers or funding.
It’s certainly one of those things.
Whatever the case, join Matt and Chris as they tackle this perplexing case of rhetorical indeterminacy, unpack YouTube audience dynamics, and delve into Sabine's unexpected alignments with Eric Weinstein and her 'sharp' critiques of Tucker Carlson.
Links
12 November 2024, 1:15 am
1 hour 54 minutes

Guru US Election Special
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 Donald Trump and his cohort.
Join Chris and Matt as they navigate the election discourse swamp and the ever-unsettling convergence of internet personalities and political power, examining how these online figures function like the courtiers of old—gathering around their would-be kings, flattering them with pseudo-profound or sycophantic praise, and vying to secure their place in the new order.
All very cheerful stuff, we’re sure you’ll agree!
Links
4 November 2024, 3:00 am
31 minutes 31 seconds

Supplementary Material 17: American Dreams, YouTube Algorithms, and Poisonous Plastics
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 Capture with Andrew Gold
27:35 Justin Trudeau accuses Jordan Peterson of being Russian Funded
34:29 Bernie Sanders & Lex Fridman: What's the point?
47:24 Huberman's Latest PSA
52:20 Environmental Toxins and Modern Health Concerns
58:58 Outro
The full episode is available for Patreon subscribers (1hr 3 mins).
Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus
Links
- Express article on Hancock's work being used by racists
- National Post article on Peterson's response to Trudeau's accusations
- Huberman's Twitter PSA on microplastics
- Bernie Sanders Interview | Lex Fridman Podcast #450
1 November 2024, 8:00 am
1 hour 16 minutes

Book Review: The Selfish Gene
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 it sparked, and Dawkins' broader contributions to science communication and... the culture war. Consideration is given to the criticisms raised by figures like Stephen Jay Gould and Mary Midgley, the implications of seeing humans as meat machines constructed by genes, and what should be understood as the book's core message.
So join Chris and Matt as they confront their true nature as gene propagators but also argue that it is possible to simultaneously recognise the importance of human cultural & social development and our genetic & biological legacies.
Links
- Dawkins, R. (2016) The Selfish Gene (40th Anniversary edition)
28 October 2024, 3:45 am
1 hour 55 minutes

Interview with Flint Dibble (Round 2): Battling Pseudo Archaeology & Sharing Science
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 others, and the broader challenges of communicating good science online.
The discussion covers whether debunking false narratives is effective, Flint's experiences post-Rogan with public engagement and social media harassment, and the importance of academics actively participating in public discourse to counter culture-war-fueled stereotypes.
Finally, in a crushing blow, Chris also gets Flint to acknowledge that BIG ARCHAEOLOGY can't disprove his stunning new theory about ancient seaweed submarines.
Links
- Our first interview with Flint from just after his appearance on Rogan.
- Archaeology with Flint Dibble: The Aftermath of Talking to Graham Hancock on Joe Rogan: A Reply to the Haters
- Archaeology with Flint Dibble: The Top 6 Penis Bones in Archaeology
- New Scientist article on Flint: The archaeologist fighting claims about an advanced lost civilisation
- Real-Archaeology Event!
- Graham Hancock's Response Video to Flint: Fact-checking science communicator Flint Dibble on Joe Rogan Experience episode 2136
- Bridges Podcast: Uniting YouTube Against Fake History Frauds | MILO ROSSI & FLINT DIBBLE | Bridges #21
- The Skeptic: Dr Flint Dibble wins 2024 Skeptical Activism Ockham award
- Halmhofer, S. (2024) Manufacturing History: Atlantis, Aryans, and the use of Pseudoarchaeology by the Far-Right. Conspiracy Theories and Extremism in New Times (pp.53-81) Chapter: 3. Lexington Books.
20 October 2024, 8:45 pm
3 hours 5 minutes

John Vervaeke and Jordan Peterson: Word Worshipers
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 probe the limits of complex wordplay and autodidactic insights, consider the ancient art of delegation, and ponder how the religious-shaped void might just be filled with engagement in Dialogos.
On the more mundane level, we'll also explore the inner workings of Jordisan Academy, the logistics of the 'We Who Wrestle with God' tour, upcoming Sensemaking cruises, and the vital multivitamins every Responsible Man should be taking.
So come along as Matt and Chris grapple with the Omega Rule, cast aside their reductive materialism, and bow down in horror and awe to worship the words that the eternal Logos issues forth.
Links
15 October 2024, 8:15 am
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