Decoding The Gurus

Lex Fridman & Douglas Murray: The Wise Man from the Land of Peace

In this special episode, Matt and Chris revisit the wisdom of the internet’s favourite philosopher-warrior/political theorist, Lex Fridman, as he dives once again into the complex realities of the Ukraine war. Joining Lex is IDW hero and conservative commentator Douglas Murray, who actually offers some sensible insights on the specific topic of Ukraine. Fear not, though, Lex ensures his signature 'non-partisan' approach remains intact, framing Zelensky as a potentially corrupt lead...

Winner for next Book Review: Cod...

Dread it, run from it, Cod still arrives...

That's right. Matt has infected enough of the Patreons that they voted for their own mental destruction.

The winner, by a small margin, for the next Decoding Academia book review is Cod: A biography of the fish that changed the world.

We will post our review after I have suffered through it (in its entirety!) by the end of April and then schedule the Required Reading session in early May.

This is part o...

Source Material for Next Decoding: Michael Shellenberger

That's right. The next Decoding is Conspiracy Theorist/Alternative Media darling, Michael Shellenberger with some Jordan Peterson added in for good measure.

We thought it would be good to document some of the obsequious behaviour towards the Trump administration and this is a perfect example.

See how long you can endure the above discussion if you want to play along.

Also, if there are any notable segments, let us know for potential clippage!

Supplementary Materials 25: Ancient Pyramids, Sesame Street Monsters, & MORE Lab Leak Discourse

We embrace our hybridity, stare down Lovecraftian Donkey-Dragon hybrids, and enter into true Dialogos.

Sources 

• New York Times- Zeynep Tufekci: We Were Badly Misled About the Event That Changed Our Lives

• Kristian Andersen's B...

  2025-03-30 21:54:41 +0000 UTC View Post

Naomi Klein: It was Neoliberal Capitalism all along!

In this episode, your favourite neoliberal Decoder shills take a break from managing the decline of late-stage capitalism to examine the insights of famed writer and renegade activist Naomi Klein. The focus is her latest literary offering, Doppelganger, where Klein wrestles with the existential dread of being confused with Naomi Wolf and uses that mix-up as a gateway to explore the "Mirror World" of conspiracy theories and online gurus (a landscape our listeners know all too well). 2025-03-15 07:00:00 +0000 UTC View Post

Naomi Klein: It was Neoliberal Capitalism all along!

In this episode, your favourite neoliberal Decoder shills take a break from managing the decline of late-stage capitalism to examine the insights of famed writer and renegade activist Naomi Klein. The focus is her latest literary offering, Doppelganger, where Klein wrestles with the existential dread of being confused with Naomi Wolf and uses that mix-up as a gateway to explore the "Mirror World" of conspiracy theories and online gurus (a landscape our listeners know all too well). 2025-03-13 02:00:00 +0000 UTC View Post

Special Supplementary Material: Two Psychologists, One Anthropologist, Three Beers

In this special quasi-crossover episode, we stare deeply into the abyss while enjoying a beverage with renowned psychologist and occasional podcast co-host, Mickey Inzlicht.

Two Psychologists, One Anthropologist, Three Beers

00:27 Introduction

05:57 Mickey's Sabbatical in Japan

12:13 Sensemaking 3.0

25:25 Francis Foster's Bizarre Podcast Roast

34:38 Sabine Hossenfelder thinks Academia is Communism

36:11 The Irony of YouTube Incentives...

Supplementary Material 24: Dialogos with Greek Gods, the Metaphysics of Pepe, and Red-Pilled Embarrassment

Chris and Matt confront their inner demons, manifest their personal deities, and dive into the Onto-Logos.

Supplementary Material 24

00:00 Introduction

02:32 Matt's Surprise Shaming

06:39 Jordan Peterson's Inner Monologue Revealed

10:04 Trump on Ukraine

15:22 Sean Carroll explains US cuts to science funding

16:47 Bleak Prospects for the US

24:14 Aella vs. Arrogant Red Pill Man

37:22 Be wary of Overcorrecting

43:11 Jo...

Decoding Academia 32: Do Babies REALLY like good guys?

In this episode, Matt and Chris take a look at a recent developmental psychology paper on the social evaluation of young babies. Do they display a preference for agents who are nice to others or could they care less at the babbling age? This is a large-scale, multi-lab, preregistered replication effort of a rather influential paper so it ticks all of Chris' Open Science boxes, but how does Matt react? Is he stuck in his pre-replication crisis paradigms? Join us to find out and, along the way,...

The Wounded Bird and Ukrainian Bot Farms: Lex Fridman's Take on the Zelensky Interview

We look critically at Lex Fridman's recent reflections on his interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

We examine Lex’s self-presentation as a Christ-like figure—someone who is willing to suffer, feign naivety and ignorance, and even risk his life in the name of world peace—all while maintaining an eight-hour daily study regimen and enduring relentless, unfair attacks from Ukrainian bot farms and war-loving critics.

Like true sensemakers, we also entertain an o...

Supplementary Material 23: Content Shark Psychology, Rorshach Tweets, and the Art of Radicalisation

Chris and Matt have their models exploded, the maps ripped up, and their minds blown as the Gurusphere expands into exciting new territory.

Supplementary Material 23

02:47 Chris Williamson blows our minds!

08:57 Content Predator psychology and motivational posting

12:28 Balancing the Scales

14:07 Eric Weinstein the master of Rorschach Tweets

20:26 Modern Sages Reunited: Bret Weinstein and Joe Rogan

24:29 Open-Minded Joe Rogan

34...

Supplementary Material 22: Tim Tams, Nazi Salutes, and AI Demonology

We immerse ourselves in the Dark Side of the Gurusphere and come out forever altered by what we've seen and praying for an escape from this demon-haunted world.

00:00 Introduction

01:38 Reverse Culture Shock in Australia

11:01 Tim Tams and Food Progress

12:14 Russia Today endorses Lex's statements on Zelensky

19:20 Elon Musk's Controversial Gesture

38:31 Destiny's (Most Recent) Controversy

01:02:12 Bryan Johnson vs. Andrew Huberman: Civility Insights<...

Gurometer: Peter Thiel

Scrying through the portents Matt and Chris sit down to consider the apocalyptic insights of tech and finance titan Peter Thiel. We all know that Thiel is an urbane gentleman of great refinement with a collection of revolutionary ideas but does he make the Gurometer sing? Join us to find out and also learn more than you ever wanted to know about the intracies of academic grading systems.

January Galaxy Brain Live Hang Out

As mentioned in the Galaxy Brain Chat, Matt has a window and we are late with the January hang out! Come one, come all.

Click the link to see the time in local zone but it is 10AM JST Friday 7th Dec.

There will be another livestream later in the month with more warning too!

Peter Thiel: The Techno-Apocalypse is Nigh

In this episode, Matt and Chris tackle the big ideas—or at least the ones rattling around in Peter Thiel’s mind. Tech billionaire, venture capitalist, and political kingmaker, Thiel has long been a looming figure in Silicon Valley, known for his deep pockets, contrarian takes, and peculiar philosophical musings. But beneath the surface-level libertarian posturing, what does Thiel actually believe? And does it hold up to scrutiny?

The decoders dig into Thiel’s recent interview on U...

When the wounded bird Lex Fridman met President Zelensky

Lex Fridman received the rare opportunity to speak with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, while Russia continues to invade his country. We look at what Lex did with that opportunity, including discussions of his dreams for peace, what would happen if Russia and Ukraine joined NATO, and the most important topic- just how much Zelensky likes Joe Rogan and Elon Musk.

This was recorded while Matt travelled in the US, hence the audio quality and awkward camera positioning. He's...

Wounded Bird vs. Ukrainian Bot Farms

In this special episode, we look at a recently released segment by Lex Fridman, where he reflects on his interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

We examine Lex’s self-presentation as a Christ-like figure—someone who is willing to suffer, feign naivety and ignorance, and even risk his life in the name of world peace—all while maintaining an eight-hour daily study regimen and enduring relentless, unfair attacks from Ukrainian bot farms and war-loving critics.

...

A Fieldspotters Guide to Debate Pervertry and Guru Rhetoric w/ Destiny

Here is the video version of the recent episode prepared by editor Andy.

In the wake of Lex's recent interview with Zelensky, we thought it was the perfect moment to dedicate an episode to a Fieldspotter's Guide for the rhetorical and manipulative techniques that flourish in the Gurusphere. To help us navigate this terrain, we're joined by streamer and online debater Steven Bonnell—better known as Destiny—who was previously the subject of a Decoding episode and Right ...

The Algorithmic Demands of YouTube

Just a quick creation from Andy this time on Andrew Gold and his reflections on the demands of catering to the YouTube algorithm.

A Fieldspotters Guide to Debate Pervertry and Guru Rhetoric w/ Destiny

In the wake of Lex's recent interview with Zelensky, we thought it was the perfect moment to dedicate an episode to a Fieldspotter's Guide for the rhetorical and manipulative techniques that flourish in the Gurusphere. To help us navigate this terrain, we're joined by streamer and online debater Steven Bonnell—better known as Destiny—who was previously the subject of a Decoding episode and Right to Reply. Destiny has spent years cataloguing what he calls "Debate Pervertry" t...

Next Decoding Material: Peter Thiel

Next Decoding, we are diving into the depressing world of ghoulish billionaire / self-proclaimed intellectual contrarian, Peter Thiel. We are going to look at a two-part interview he did with Peter Robinson at the Hoover Institution’s Uncommon Knowledge, exploring the (supposed) intersection of "Ancient Prophecies and Modern Tech." The first part is linked above.

Join us if you dare. 

Richard Dawkins Meets Jordan Peterson: Debating Biological Dragons

Are Dragons Real? Is Fire a Predator? Richard Dawkins and Jordan Peterson get to the bottom of this and other pressing issues in their fiery debate.

Editor Andy's latest work.

Supplementary Material 21: The emergency snake, thought = secularised prayer, and Love and War

It's 2025 and the Gurusphere, sadly, will not stop so we are here to examine some depressing crossovers. Specifically, the bro-optimiser Andrew Huberman met the chaos dragon Jordan Peterson, while the love bomb Lex Fridman finally interviewed Zelensky. Bret meanwhile is worried about PsyOps...

Supplementary Material 21

00:00 Introduction and Farewell to America

01:43 Memorable Encounters and Experiences

03:48 Oldering & the Destruction of the Sel...

DTG Upcoming Releases

It's January and we have a lot of upcoming material planned, so we thought we might share it here to keep us on track and let you know about our short erm plans. Some things are subject to change but these will definitely be things that are coming soon.

Decoding Episodes
1. Peter Thiel: This one is long overdue.

2. Michael Hobbes: Also late and one we want to get off the list. Plus we have been in right-wing guru land for quite a while, so nice to get a change....

Gurometer: Curtis Yarvin

Back once again with the dark art of Gurometry, we turn our sights to the bad boy of Silicon Valley—the mulleted maestro, the edgy eejit, Curtis Yarvin. A legend in his own mind, but how does he rank on the Gurosity scale? Join us as we dissect his essence across 11 factors, from his revolutionarily mundane and incoherent ideas to his dazzling absence of charisma. Tune in as we feed this 'dark enlightenment' thinker into the Gurometer and reveal his true colors.

00:00 Introduction to ...

Gurometer: John Vervaeke & Sabine Hossenfelder

In this episode, Matt and Chris do speed data entry and high-level calibrations to get John Vervaeke and Sabine Hossenfelder entered into the Gurometer simultaneously. Can the Gurometer handle the combined power of a disgruntled physicist (Sabine) and an Analogic Dialogic Reasoner (Vervaeke)? Join us to find out.

Guru Predictions for 2025 with Helen Lewis

Joined by the esteemed Helen Lewis, we peer into the ever-shifting Gurusphere, analyzing its swirls and eddies to predict who will ascend the ranks in 2025.

Matt's NYC (Possible) Meetup!

Matt is in New York City for the next week (roughly). He is considering organising a meetup with Patreon folks, but he has no plan yet! (This is Matt's style...)

If you have suggestions or recommendations, post them below and he will check in.

UPDATE: HE HAS A PLAN!

Meetup at THE PETER MCMANUS CAFE, a spacious pub with food and good vibes at 6 PM WEDNESDAY (1st JAN 2025).

Come one, come all!

2024-12-29 00:07:22 +0000 UTC View Post

Supplementary Material 20: Stolen Valor, Based Murder, and Eric Weinstein's Phonecall Problem

In this end-of-year supplementary material, we unleash the hounds of war, battle through the discourse, and emerge alive but bloody and battered on the other side. Enlist now and join the fight.

Supplementary Material 20

00:00 Introduction and Ethnographic Insights

01:38 Matt's Observations from Washington DC

05:50 Smithsonian Museums and Star Wars Memorabilia

07:48 Lego Creations and Gacha Collectibles

12:13 Social Media and Blue Sky 'Cul...

Curtis Yarvin: The Edgelord's Guide to Monarchy 40K

In this long-anticipated episode, Matt and Chris dip into the peculiar world of Curtis Yarvin, the reactionary blogger, tech entrepreneur, and self-proclaimed monarchist. Known to his early followers by the pseudonym "Mencius Moldbug," Yarvin is a prominent figure in the "dark enlightenment" and neo-reactionary circles. Some have even heralded him as an "intellectual powerhouse" of the modern far-right, with influential figures like Peter Thiel and J.D. Vance singing his praises.

But, w...