Decoding the Gurus

Christopher Kavanagh and Matthew Browne
  • 4,2 (934)
  • XÃ HỘI & VĂN HÓA
  • MỘT TUẦN HAI LẦN

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!

  1. 2 GIỜ TRƯỚC · NỘI DUNG TẶNG THÊM

    Supplementary Material 45: Mick Drops, The Weinstein Conspiracy Hour, and Lessons from History

    We return to some old friends, and almost immediately, we regret the decision. Also, get ready for some heady insights from history, a new conspiracy hypothesis, and Game Theory based insights. The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (1 hour, 37 minutes). Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus Supplementary Material 45 00:00 Introduction 01:15 Mick Drop 04:44 Scott Galloway's Favourite Conservative 06:37 Konstantin Kisin: Neither Right Nor Left 11:51 Insane Ad Reads in Podcastistan 17:08 Aella's insights on history 20:30 Bret's New Conspiracy Episode 22:10 Bret on Epstein, Pizzagate, and Ritual Murder 30:58 Heather, the personification of strategic disclaimers 31:49 Bret's New Conspiracy: Epstein is Alive 36:31 The Real Culprit is Game Theory 44:25 Bret is a Force of Nature who is always vindicated 46:36 The Grand Unification of Conspiracy Theories 48:25 Cenk Uygur promotes 9/11 Conspiracies 51:42 Peter Thiel in Ghoulish Pro-Nazi Form 55:15 The Descent of the Discourse 57:47 Eric visits Triggernometry (Again): Russian Woes 01:05:20 The Eric Squid Ink Manoeuvre 01:14:49 Eric is pro-Nuclear weapons tests 01:19:27 Weinstein drives can take us multiplanetary 01:28:28 The Weinstein Function: Justifying Enlightened Centrists Everywhere 01:30:37 Drew Pavlou's latest stunt backfires SourcesIs Epstein Alive? The 313th Evolutionary Lens (Bret Weinstein & Heather Heying podcast episode)DarkHorse clip discussing the Epstein theory (YouTube)Aella’s history insights threadAella’s large thread about homeschoolingInterview where Aella discusses the perceived benefits of homeschoolingBret Weinstein responding to critics saying he has lost his mindBret Weinstein linking Epstein and COVID conspiraciesCenk Uygur promoting 9/11 conspiracy claimsCenk Uygur criticising media responses to his conspiracy theoriesPeter Thiel comments invoking Weimar-era parallelsDrew Pavlou’s stunt backfires

    34 phút

  2. 3 NGÀY TRƯỚC · NỘI DUNG TẶNG THÊM

    Decoding Academia 35: When Prophecy Fails Debunked? (Patreon Series)

    Ever heard of cognitive dissonance? That thing a psychology lecturer might have explained to you once upon a time, likely using the same UFO cult example everyone else uses. Well, a new paper by Thomas Kelly suggests that the UFO cult example might have been ever so slightly oversold. Kelly's archival work suggests that the researchers didn't just observe the cult as reported. Instead, they infiltrated it, faked supernatural experiences, assumed quasi-leadership roles, and then wrote up the results as if the group had spontaneously doubled down on their failed prophecy, which they had not. Because the leader recanted, and the group fell apart shortly after the failed prophecy. Minor details. Matt and Chris discuss this paper, a 2024 multilab replication, and some other papers by Kelly, considering the ever-reliable tendency of researchers to find exactly what they are looking for. It's cognitive dissonance all the way down, folks. The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (1 hour, 10 minutes). Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus Decoding Academia 34: When Prophecy Fails Debunked? 00:00 Introduction 02:04 Cognitive Dissonance Theory 06:41 Classic lab evidence: effort justification & the ‘severe initiation’ study 08:33 When Prophecy Fails: The Original Account 10:54 The debunking: archival evidence, misconduct claims, and ethical red flags 20:22 Replication reality check: multi-lab results and ‘strong vs weak’ dissonance 31:40 Beyond one case: survivorship bias, failed prophecies, and early Christianity parallels 35:51 Christianity as Historical Anomaly or Cognitive Dissonance Exemplar? 41:48 Thomas Kelly: Interesting biosafety takes and a possible Christian lens 45:43 The importance of seeking for disconfirming evidence 50:23 Conspiracy-theory dynamics & narrative elaboration 56:30 Classical Psychological Theories and Personal Motivations 01:03:07 Steps that can be taken to reduce biases 01:05:01 Stay tentative, check evidence, and don’t pick sides too fast 01:06:30 A lesson from Scott Alexander! SourcesAcademic Papers and BooksFestinger, L. (1957). A theory of cognitive dissonance. Stanford University Press.Festinger, L., Riecken, H. W., & Schachter, S. (1956). When prophecy fails. University of Minnesota Press.Festinger, L., & Carlsmith, J. M. (1959). Cognitive consequences of forced compliance. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 58(2), 203–210. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0041593 (The original induced-compliance/$1/$20 study)Kelly, T. (2026). Debunking "When Prophecy Fails." Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences, 62(1), e70043. https://doi.org/10.1002/jhbs.70043Kelly, T. (2025). Failed prophecies are fatal. International Journal for the Study of New Religions, 14(1), 48–71. https://doi.org/10.1558/ijsnr.33085Aronson, E., & Mills, J. (1959). The effect of severity of initiation on...

    37 phút

  3. 6 NGÀY TRƯỚC

    Teal Swan: All Hail Source

    Cult Season rumbles on as Chris and Matt expand their minds in an attempt to absorb the cosmic insights of spiritual influencer and alleged cult leader Teal Swan (born Mary Teal Bosworth, 1984). Our intrepid hosts explore her recent appearance on the Just Tap In podcast with Emilio “starchild” Ortiz — a beanie-wearing vessel of pure credulity, lobbing softball metaphysical questions gently into the astral winds. The topic covered is ostensibly “Major 2026 Predictions” but this is really just an entry point for discussion of the ancient origins of AI, multiversal astral contract negotiations, and, of course, the urgent need to discuss masculinity before we spiritually implode. You will learn insights, such as: how AI will eliminate ageing, guide us to SOURCE, amplify our shadow, and corrupt and deceive us ... all at once. Aliens and other cosmic beings are deeply concerned with and also not really all that bothered with humanity. Also, pop stars are apparently set to receive divine instructions to stabilise the collective psyche in 2026. And how we are all trapped in a planetary pressure cooker that will run at least until 2030. Teal is trying not to scare us, but it doesn’t look great (though it might also be great and lead to utopia). Expect astral board meetings, sensemaking redefinitions of “power” and “love”, warnings about the painful sacrifices required to join Teal’s “conscious community”, and some distinctly uncomfortable talk about opening gates and reframing mother–son dynamics. As ever, Matt and Chris attempt to decode the elevated vagueness, semantic gliding, and cosmic scaling of very earthly anxieties. All hail SOURCE! Decoding Content Just Tap In Podcast #260: "Teal Swan – Why 2026 Is a Psychological & Relational Tipping Point for Humanity" Links The Gateway (Gizmodo Podcast, 2018) - Six-part investigative series by Jennings BrownThe Deep End (Freeform/Hulu, 2022) - Four-part docuseries by Jon KasbeMormon Stories #1607: Growing Up with Teal Swan - Diana Hansen Ribera - Interview with Teal's childhood best friendMormon Stories #1328-1331: Leaving Mormonism to Join Teal Swan's Cult - Jared DobsonBBC- Teal Swan: The woman encouraging her followers to visualise deathScam Goddess: The Culty Con of Teal Swan w/ Sarah Marshalla href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/111-whos-afraid-of-teal-swan-pt-2-w-jennings-brown/id1515827446?i=1000569128178" rel="noopener noreferrer"...

    2 giờ 59 phút

  4. 12 THG 2 · NỘI DUNG TẶNG THÊM

    Decoding Academia 34: Empathetic AIs? (Patreon Series)

    In this Decoding Academia episode, we take a look at a 2025 paper by Daria Ovsyannikova, Victoria Olden, and Mickey Inzlicht, asking a question that might make some people uncomfortable/angry, specifically, are AI-generated responses perceived as more empathetic than those written by actual humans? We walk through the design in detail (including why this is a genuinely severe test), hand out deserved open-science brownie points, and discuss why AI seems to excel particularly when responding to negative or distress-laden prompts. Along the way, Chris reflects on his unsettlingly intense relationship with Google’s semi-sentient customer-service agent “Bubbles,” and we ask whether infinite patience, maximal effort, and zero social awkwardness might be doing most of the work here. This is not a paper about replacing therapists, outsourcing friendship, or mass-producing compassion at scale. It is a careful demonstration that fluent, effortful, emotionally calibrated text is often enough to convince people they are being understood, which might explain some of the appeal of the Gurus. Source Ovsyannikova, D., de Mello, V. O., & Inzlicht, M. (2025). Third-party evaluators perceive AI as more compassionate than expert humans. Communications Psychology, 3(1), 4. Decoding Academia 34: Empathetic AIs? 01:40 Introducing the Paper 10:29 Study Methodology 14:21 Chris's meaningful relationship with YouTube AI agent Bubbles 16:23 Open Science Brownie Points 17:50 Empathetic Prompt Engineering: Humans and AIs 21:17 Study 1 and 2 31:35 Study 3 and 4 37:00 Study Conclusions 42:27 Severe Hypothesis Testing 45:11 Seeking out Disconfirming Evidence 47:06 Why do AIs do better on negative prompts? 54:48 Final Thoughts

    23 phút

  5. 9 THG 2

    The Rise of the Science Populists with Sam Gregson and Tim Henke

    In this interview episode, we are joined by physicists Sam Gregson (Bad Boy of Science YouTube channel) and Tim Henke to examine the rise of science populism: a style of science communication that borrows the tactics of political populism, including grievance narratives, institutional distrust, and conspiratorial framing, while presenting its advocates as lone truth-tellers battling a corrupt academic elite. We discuss how DTG favourites like Sabine Hossenfelder and Eric Weinstein, as well as fresh new faces Brian Keating and Avi Loeb, deploy selective truths about physics to fuel self-aggrandising, anti-expert narratives. Along the way, we also cover stuff like why “physics hasn’t progressed in 50 years”, cranks are useful props for populist arguments, and the strange obsession with Nobel Prizes. If you are interested in guru dynamics, science communication, and physics crankery, this might be an episode for you. Links Bad Boy of Science (Sam Gregson)Tim's Profile WebsiteBad Boy of Science – The Rise of Physics PopulisersTheories of Everything (Kurt Jaimungal)Losing the Nobel Prize – Brian KeatingInto the Impossible (Brian Keating)Sabine Hossenfelder’s YouTube ChannelThe Portal (Eric Weinstein)The Galileo Project (Avi Loeb)Sean Carroll – Mindscape / Preposterous UniverseNot Even Wrong (Peter Woit)

    1 giờ 35 phút

  6. 7 THG 2 · NỘI DUNG TẶNG THÊM

    Supplementary Material 44: Peasant Archmages, Moral Panics, and LOTR Parenting Tips

    We descend once more into the Gurusphere, encountering secret peasant archmages, decline narratives, Epstein emails, and endless moral panics. The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (1 hour, 37 minutes). Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus 00:00 SM 44 PF 00:23 Introduction 01:30 Konstantin Kisin: Not Left Or Right, Just Right 05:20 Boghossian is shocked by pessimistic French people 08:50 Konstantin and Warren Smith as relics of the anti-SJW era 12:45 A PSA! Hyper Capitalism Tier Update! 18:36 Matt's AV Setup 20:01 Recommendation: Successville (British version) 21:40 My peasant farmer dad is secretly an Archmage! 28:14 Scott Galloway talks with Gwyneth Paltrow 40:18 American Capitalist Culture and the Gurus 48:54 Bryan Johnson vs AG1 51:45 Bryan Johnson & Epstein Schmoozing 58:09 Bari Weiss's Peter Attia Woes 59:14 Epstein and QAnon Conspiracies 01:03:23 Overinterpreting Epstein emails 01:09:04 Shermer promotes Dave Rubin to hawk his book on Truth 01:10:37 Conspiracy Theory prevalence on left and riht 01:17:44 Jonathan Haidt and his anti-social media crusade 01:23:15 Plato on the Corruption of the Youth 01:24:30 The Eternal Appeal of Decline Narratives 01:26:22 They won't let you enjoy things anymore... 01:30:24 Matt's laissez-faire parenting tips 01:31:45 Life lessons from Lord of the Rings 01:34:17 The Witch King of Angmar defeated by a Woke White Women Sources Konstantin Kisin on not being left or rightBoghossian and Kisin bemoan civilisational decline narrativesThe Guardian on Bari Weiss’s new CBS “Podcastistan” hiresNiall Ferguson on how Trump “won Davos”The Guardian: Elon Musk had more extensive ties to Epstein than previously knownMy Farmer Dad Is Secretly an Archmage – viral short-form fantasy dramaBehind the Scenes of My Farmer Dad Is Secretly an ArchmageOriginal Chinese version of a...

    33 phút

  7. 30 THG 1

    Open Science, Psychology, and the Art of Not Quite Claiming Causality with Julia Rohrer

    In a rare departure from our usual diet of online weirdos, this episode features an academic who is very much not a guru. We’re joined by Julia Rohrer, a psychologist at Leipzig University whose work straddles the disciplinary boundaries of open science, research transparency, and causal inference. Julia is also an editor at Psychological Science and has spent much of the last decade politely pointing out that psychologists often don’t quite know what they’re estimating, why, or under which assumptions. We talk about the state of psychology after the replication crisis, whether open science reforms have genuinely improved research practice (or just added new boxes to tick), and why causal thinking is unavoidable even when researchers insist they are “only describing associations.” Julia explains why the standard dance of imply causality → deny causality → add boilerplate disclaimer is unhelpful, and argues instead for being explicit about the causal questions researchers actually care about and the assumptions required to answer them. Along the way we discuss images of scientists in the public and amongst the gurus, how post-treatment bias sneaks into even well-intentioned experimental designs, why specifying the estimand matters more than running ever-fancier models, and how psychology’s current norms can potentially punish honesty about uncertainty. We also touch on her work on birth-order effects and offer some possible reasons for optimism. With all the guru talk, people sometimes ask us to recommend things that we like, and Julia's work is one such example! Links Julia Rohrer’s websiteThe 100% CI blogRohrer, J. M. (2024). Causal inference for psychologists who think that causal inference is not for them. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 18(3), e12948.Rohrer, J. M., Tierney, W., Uhlmann, E. L., DeBruine, L. M., Heyman, T., Jones, B., ... & Yarkoni, T. (2021). Putting the self in self-correction: Findings from the loss-of-confidence project. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 16(6), 1255-1269.Rohrer, J. M., Egloff, B., & Schmukle, S. C. (2015). Examining the effects of birth order on personality. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112(46), 14224-14229.BEMC MAY 2024 - Julia Rohrer - "Causal confusions correlate with casual conclusions"Dr. Tobias Dienlin - Less casual causal inference for experiments and longitudinal data: Research talk by Julia Rohrer

    1 giờ 32 phút

  8. 24 THG 1 · NỘI DUNG TẶNG THÊM

    Supplementary Material 43: Red-Blooded Americans, Real Life Alan Partridge, and Rationalist Eulogies

    We crawl around the dark crevices of the internet so you don't have to. And what wonders we have to show you... The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (1 hour, 34 minutes). Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus Supplementary Material 43 00:00 Introduction and Banter Allotment 01:23 The Hypocrisy of the Defenders of Western Civilisation 10:07 An Optimistic Take? 17:02 Scott Adams' Controversial Legacy 18:43 Scott Alexander's Rationalist Eulogy for Scott Adams 32:31 A Final Tribute to Scott Adams 33:43 Andrew Gold's Interview with a Racist 39:02 Fair Play for being a Racist 41:17 Comparing Follower Counts and Audience Makeup 44:40 Racism and Xenophobia Discussion 49:07 Securing the Future of Our People... 01:00:01 LawTubers and Grifting 01:00:48 Legal Mindset 01:06:02 Antifa Woke Women are Hunting Legal Mindset 01:07:41 A man of Christ 01:09:16 A Red-Blooded American 01:12:35 Woke White Women and Antifa Paranoia 01:13:55 Electro Gym Work and Pygmy Hippo Love 01:18:47 Antifa Paranoia 01:26:36 The True Masculine Renegade YouTuber 01:32:32 Concluding Thoughts and Farewell Links Peter Boghossian complaining about public attention to the Greenland situationMike Cernovich’s tribute: “Scott is loved because he’s devoted his life to service to humanity”In full: Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s speech at the World Economic Forum (Davos)Scott Alexander’s eulogy to Scott AdamsColeman Hughes on Scott Adams at The Free PressAndrew Gold – Heretics: “I Confront Britain’s Biggest Racist”Liam Tufts: “Would You Let Your Kid Date a Black Person?” | Steve Laws sparks a heated debateLegal Mindset: “Free Kaya, Punish Hasan” (Fast Facts)Rob’s Media: Idiot Influencers – Legal Mindset (Go East channel background)

    22 phút
Xem tất cả (234)

Người Dẫn & Khách Mời

4,2
/5
934 Xếp hạng

Giới Thiệu

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!

Thông Tin

  • Nhà sáng tạo
    Christopher Kavanagh and Matthew Browne
  • Năm hoạt động
    2020 - 2026
  • Tập
    234
  • Xếp hạng
    Thô tục
  • Bản quyền
    © Copyright 2026 Christopher Kavanagh and Matthew Browne
  • Trang web chương trình
    Decoding the Gurus

Có Thể Bạn Cũng Thích