Supplementary Material 34: Giants, Grifters, and Google Eyed Loons
We drown in waves of ideological fluidity as the gurusphere continues to crash all around us.
Sources
Decoding The Gurus posts
DTG 'July' Live Hang Out
It comes but once a month: the Galaxy Brain Live Hang Out.
Join us one and all for a truly special waffle!
Time is set for 4pm JST on Aug 6th, to find out what time and date that is in your neck of the woods, just click the link above.
The recording will be available for anyone who cannot attend at that time afterwards.
2025-08-04 11:35:36 +0000 UTC View PostThe Epstein Discourse: Conspiracy Olympics
We examine the commentary and conspiracy chatter around Jeffrey Epstein’s death, featuring takes from MAGA influencers and Red Scare to Coffeezilla, QAnon Anonymous, and beyond.
Sources
Contrapoints: CONSPIRACY (YouTube...
2025-07-31 01:00:13 +0000 UTC View Post
A Return to Gary World - Director's Cut
In this exhausting deep dive, Matt and Chris take a break from counting their billionaire stipends to devote (what some might call) an inordinate amount of time to Gary Stevenson’s recent appearance with a challenging interviewer: Tomás from Despolariza. They grapple with the indeterminacy of Schrödinger’s Gary, who oscillates between being a misunderstood economic and mathematical genius revealing what THEY don’t want you to know on YouTube, and a pragmatic, selfless political activi...
2025-07-30 03:06:48 +0000 UTC View PostUpdate on Upcoming DTG Episodes
I thought you all might be interested in an update on forthcoming content and that it would be good for us too to remind ourselves of what is on the docket.
So, upcoming we have:
A Return to Gary: This is a full-length decoding of a recent interview with Gary. There will probably be a reduced-length version on the public feed and the full-fat director's cut on Patreon....
2025-07-25 23:11:32 +0000 UTC View Post
Sabine's Contrarian Outrage: How Dare You Criticise Eric!
In this mini-decoding, we examine Sabine Hossenfelder's recent fervent defence of Eric Weinstein and her sharp rebuke of his critics. Sabine suggests that Eric poses a genuine threat to the physics establishment, claiming he terrifies them by exposing its weak points with his homegrown Theory of Everything, which she implies is on par with String Theory. This episode takes a critical look at Sabine's own heated rhetoric and performative outrage, exploring how her defence of Weinstein aligns w...
2025-07-25 21:56:27 +0000 UTC View PostShout Out Amnesty 2025
As you may have noticed, our shoutout system is a little haphazard. In part, this is because we simply did not anticipate that we would ever have enough supporters, where shoutout tracking would be an issue. And this was exacerbated by us making it a default request for ALL new members.
We are considering revising the default, but in the meantime, we want to at least try and get things a little bit m...
2025-07-19 08:51:27 +0000 UTC View PostMind, Culture & Visual Illusions: Dorsa Amir and Chaz Firestone on Visual Illusions
Matt and Chris sit down to chat with Dorsa Amir and Chaz Firestone (@chazfirestone) about their recent paper 'Is Visual Perception WEIRD? The Müller-Lyer Illusion and the Cultural Byproduct Hypothesis.'
In a conversation that serves as a welcome tonic to the endless lamentations of the gurus about academic groupthink and closed-minded silos, Dorsa and Chaz discuss the interdisciplinary nature of their work, debates around universal vs. culturally specific psychology, and the strength o...
2025-07-19 08:41:52 +0000 UTC View PostSupplementary Material 33: Weinstein Enigmas, The Epstein Conspiracies, and Dwarves punching ducks
In this packed supplementary episode, we tackle all of the urgent global issues, ranging from Epstein file conspiracies to Matt’s immense love of a fantasy game where dwarves punch ducks for fun. Along the way, we’re joined by a stellar cast of commentators, including some old favourites. Strap in… it’s a long one.
NOTE: The original upload had an audio error. This is the fixed version.
Sources
Matt and Chris' Economics...
In case you did not know, Matt and Chris grew up in hard-knock working-class circumstances. Chris was often forced to shovel coal in the winter months, ate a diet that consisted mostly of potatoes, and barely survived an oppressive sectarian conflict. Matt, while enjoying more hospitable weather and less paramilitary strife, was forced into young adult labour by a tyrannical father obsessed with sta...
2025-07-09 06:48:59 +0000 UTC View PostSource Material for Next Decoding: Naval Ravikant
Hello there,
Just a quick update to let you know that the next main decoding will be focused on none other than Naval Ravikant, tech entrepreneur, investor, and philosopher-king of Twitter, known for dispensing bite-sized wisdom on everything from wealth and happiness to… well, mostly wealth and happiness.
For this episode, we’ll be using his long-form interview with Chris Williamson as our primary source material. Yes, it’s nearly three and a half hours of Naval mu...
2025-07-09 04:10:46 +0000 UTC View PostDTG 'June' Live Hangout
The monthly live hangout is scheduled!
Mon 11am July 14th JST... for the Galaxy Brain tier. If you want to find out what that is in your local time just click the link above.
Recording will be available afterwards if you can't attend.
Hope to see some of you next week!
2025-07-09 04:03:34 +0000 UTC View PostSam Harris' Manager is Just Asking Questions
Join us as we explore how Sam and his ever-questioning manager tackle everything from social media's impact on modern loneliness to Jordan Peterson’s religious revival and Ezra Klein’s attempted 'reputational murder.'
00:00 Introduction to Sam Harris' Recent Content
00:34 Debate on Biden's Mental Health and Trump's Actions
05:58 Sam Harris' Stance on Israel and Gaza
07:07 Understanding Disagreements and Different Beliefs
18:33 Sam Harris' Controversy with Ez...
2025-07-04 08:51:41 +0000 UTC View PostGurometer: All In Podcast
Join us as we endure the consequences of our samsaric sins and painstakingly rate the insufferable hosts of the All In podcast through an in-depth analysis of 11 factors! Watch as we valiantly struggle to score the billionaire tech bros while Matt succumbs to lumping them together like an undistinguished blob. Thrill as we navigate scores of narcissism, grievance-mongering, and anti-establishment sentiments, all while wallowing in the sheer excitement of rich venture capitalists who think the...
2025-07-03 08:02:46 +0000 UTC View PostExploring Mind, Culture & Visual Illusion Controversies with Dorsa Amir and Chaz Firestone
In this academic-themed interview episode of Decoding the Gurus, Matt and Chris sit down to chat with the cross-disciplinary academics Dorsa Amir and Chaz Firestone about their recent paper 'Is Visual Perception WEIRD? The Müller-Lyer Illusion and the Cultural Byproduct Hypothesis.'
In a conversation that serves as a welcome tonic to the endless lamentations of the gurus about academic group-think and closed-minded silos, Dorsa and Chaz discuss the value of interdisciplinary work and e...
2025-07-01 11:00:14 +0000 UTC View PostRequired Readings: Buddhism- A Journey Through History
Having survived Cod... we move on to Buddhism.
Our review will be available shortly. So this is the hangout for the INTERACTIVE AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION event, during which Matt and I will take a backseat and listen to others' hot takes for a change.
The requirements to join are to be in the Revolutionary Genius or above AND to have at least read some of the book.
We look forward to seeing some of you on Friday morning 8AM (Japan time). Click the link above to view the specifi...
2025-06-30 03:19:55 +0000 UTC View PostSteven Pinker's Heterodox Standards: When Open Inquiry Meets Race Realism
We discuss the curious lineup at a recent 'heterodox' conference and the differing standards demonstrated by academics when it comes to more questionable outlets.
2025-06-28 22:59:13 +0000 UTC View PostSupplementary Material 32: A Shower of Bastards
We wallow in the mud with some of the worst gurus of the gurusphere. Join us and lament the guru paradise that we all live in.
Sources
2Lazy2Try: The Liver King Gets Arrested For Trying To Hunt Down Joe Rogan
...
2025-06-28 21:40:17 +0000 UTC View Post
Matthew McConaughey: Selling is Love!
In this stunning episode, Matt and Chris grapple with their trauma and learn to accept their hidden strengths as they submerge their egos into the wild world of Matthew McConaughey's burgeoning self-help empire to explore The Art of Livin’. Join them as they uncover how an Academy Award-winning Hollywood star finds himself sharing life advice alongside the likes of Tony Robbins and Dean Graziosi.
With bongos, heartfelt confessions, and a sales pitch that'll make your wallet quiver, ...
Oldering Volume 2
It’s been just over a year since I started bouldering so I thought I’d share another little highlight reel. Yes it is self indulgent but if we can’t indulge ourselves on the Patreon where can we indulge! ‘They’ won’t let us talk about bouldering anywhere else…
For those who don’t know the rules you have a starting hold marked by tape and an end point also marked by tape. You have set holds that you can use to climb a route and in the gyms I use this is mostly marked by t...
2025-06-15 21:22:20 +0000 UTC View PostJordan Peterson's Sensemaking Extravaganza
Join us for a delightful compilation of Jordan B. Peterson’s greatest recent hits. Watch in awe as he performs his signature semantic acrobatics, dodges simple hypotheticals, and battles with basic definitions, all while dishing out profound insights such as the surprising connection between Lucifer and Wokism. Featuring special guest appearances by James Lindsay and Jordan Hall!
00:00 Introduction: Peterson and Lindsay's Meeting
01:34 Lucifer, the Morning Star, and Wokeism
<... 2025-06-14 23:31:18 +0000 UTC View PostInterview with Chris on 'Breaking Beliefism'
Short and sweet and maybe of interest to some. I can't remember what I said, but this is the blurb:
"In this episode, Professor Paul Dolan talks to anthropologist Dr. Chris Kavanagh about secular gurus, how online platforms have amplified their influence, and how easily confidence can be mistaken for knowledge."
2025-06-13 12:07:39 +0000 UTC View PostSupplementary Material 31: Aquatic Nightmares, Strategic Obliviousness, & Race Realists
We head into the darker corners of the gurusphere and marvel at some very, very brave people and their valiant efforts to play devil's advocate. Join us, won't you?
Sources
BBC- RFK Jr appoints new US vaccine advisers after sacking committee
Flint Dibble’s New Video: Joe Roga...
2025-06-13 08:58:51 +0000 UTC View Post
Decoding Venture Capitalism and the Besties with Adam Sher
In this special Patreon interview edition of Decoding the Gurus, the hosts descend into the world of venture capitalism by speaking with Adam Sher, a kind Patreon member and an expert in private equity!
This is a follow-up of sorts to the All-In episode and may be a bit technical at times, as Adam covers the fundamentals of private equity versus public markets, the complexities of venture capital, the distinctions between traditional and tech-focused venture capital, and offers insight...
Decoding Venture Capitalism and the Besties with Adam Sher
In this special Patreon interview edition of Decoding the Gurus, the hosts descend into the world of venture capitalism by speaking with Adam Sher, a kind Patreon member and an expert in private equity!
This is a follow-up of sorts to the All-In episode and might be a bit technical at times as Adam covers the fundamentals of private equity versus public markets, the complexities of venture capital, distinctions between traditional and tech-focused venture capital, and insights into th...
Source Material for Next Decoding: Matthew McConaughey
We have promised this for a long time, and we want a bit of a break from the incessant culture war content, so we are diving into the self-help world with Matthew McConaughey!
The above video will give you a taste but actually Chris downloaded the full 5 hour 'Art of Livin' event from 3 years ago, which is no longer available online but features Tony Robbins and a host of other self-help celebrities.
So saddle up because this is a doozy...
2025-06-07 05:57:08 +0000 UTC View PostShamanism and the Art of Charismatic Otherness with Manvir Singh
The Decoders welcome back cognitive anthropologist Manvir Singh for a continued exploration into the social and cognitive dimensions of shamanism. Building upon their earlier conversation, this episode involves further discussion of the psychological mechanisms and cultural patterns that make shamanic practices a recurring feature across human societies. Drawing from Singh's latest book, Shamanism: The Timeless Religion (2025), the discussion addresses how these ancient practices per...
2025-06-07 05:42:33 +0000 UTC View PostTrump vs. Elon: The Gurusphere Reacts
There’s been a disturbance in the Gurusphere. Two of its central objects of worship are feuding. The guru’s guru, Elon Musk, and the MAGA God-King, Donald Trump, have finally turned on each other, trading blows on social media. In this mini supplementary episode, Matt and Chris survey the shockwaves rippling through the Gurusphere as these titanic egos collide.
It’s more slapfight than substance, but that hasn’t stopped gurus and sycophants from picking sides or admiring the she...
2025-06-07 00:36:37 +0000 UTC View PostEric Weinstein vs Sean Carroll: Pomp & Fury
Eric Weinstein enters the Piers Morgan arena to spar with actual physicist Sean Carroll, and it goes about as well as you'd expect. Matt and Chris decode the clash between Eric’s grandiose, conspiracy-laced revisionism and Sean’s patient attempts at scientific clarity. From hijacked physics lectures to uncredited genius claims, this one has it all... plus Piers Morgan’s surprise argument for God. Welcome to the guru multiverse.
2025-06-04 00:01:59 +0000 UTC View PostDTG 'May' Live Hang Out
We may be in June, but that does not mean we have quite finished with May yet...
The Galaxy Brain tier hangout will be happening on Friday, 9am JST on the 6th June. If you want that date and time converted to your timezone, just click the link above and wait for the magic.
2025-06-02 05:24:15 +0000 UTC View Post