The casual listener, who might possibly not be a loyal Patreon subscriber, or might hypothetically not listen devotedly to every Gurometer scoring episode, could conceivably be a little vague about what we mean by a secular guru(!). And therefore might be tempted to make an ill-considered and poorly-informed comment on Twitter or Reddit, thus exposing them to the devastating yet apropos riposte of a "You know nothing, Jon Snow" meme in reply. Don't let it be you! Here is a tutorial, a short illustrated primer if you will, on the Science and the Art of 'Gurometry'. No more will you have to live with the shame of not knowing how many syllables there are in anti-establishmentarianism. Never again will you be liable to fall prey to the siren song of pseudo-profound bullshit or fall foul of conspiracy mongers.Listen to it. Study it. Meditate on it. In no time at all you'll be spotting gurus in the wild, categorising, and classifying them at will. You'll feel like an ornithologist who's just been given a great big pair of binoculars, a spotter's guidebook, and a free afternoon to wander about a National park. Impress your friends, family, and potential sexual partners with your intimate and subtle understanding of What It Means to Be a Guru.You're welcome.LinksOnline Presentation on the Gurometer at The StoaDTG Episode 21: Calibrating the GurometerStrenuous Life Podcast: 10 Red Flags You're Following a Guru, Stephan Kesting with Dr Chris Kavanagh

The casual listener, who might possibly not be a loyal Patreon subscriber, or might hypothetically not listen devotedly to every Gurometer scoring episode, could conceivably be a little vague about what we mean by a secular guru(!). And therefore might be tempted to make an ill-considered and poorly-informed comment on Twitter or Reddit, thus exposing them to the devastating yet apropos riposte of a "You know nothing, Jon Snow" meme in reply. Don't let it be you! Here is a tutorial, a short illustrated primer if you will, on the Science and the Art of 'Gurometry'. No more will you have to live with the shame of not knowing how many syllables there are in anti-establishmentarianism. Never again will you be liable to fall prey to the siren song of pseudo-profound bullshit or fall foul of conspiracy mongers.Listen to it. Study it. Meditate on it. In no time at all you'll be spotting gurus in the wild, categorising, and classifying them at will. You'll feel like an ornithologist who's just been given a great big pair of binoculars, a spotter's guidebook, and a free afternoon to wander about a National park. Impress your friends, family, and potential sexual partners with your intimate and subtle understanding of What It Means to Be a Guru.You're welcome.Links<ul><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EazLoBk9gA" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Online Presentation on the Gurometer at The Stoa</a></li><li><a href="https://decoding-the-gurus.captivate.fm/episode/calibrating-the-gurometer" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">DTG Episode 21: Calibrating the Gurometer</a></li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_lgHUBt50Y" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Strenuous Life Podcast: 10 Red Flags You're Following a Guru, Stephan Kesting with Dr Chris Kavanagh</a></li></ul>

The Science and the Art of Gurometry

Eric Weinstein

Mick West

We are back with a double-bill decoding! That's right like moths to the flame, or aliens to a Unified Geometric Field drive, we are back in Weinstein world.This time we are looking at a conversation between the irrepressible (ex?) podcaster &amp; mathematician, Eric Weinstein, and skeptical investigator, author, and recent guest on the show, Mick West.The conversation here concerns the evidence for UAP/UFOs and the reaction of skeptics and advocates. It had the potential to be something forensic and transcendent but sadly it gets mired in the messy 'interpersonal drama' that Eric just hates so much and tries to avoid at all costs.Nonetheless, there is much that can be learnt here, including: the linguistic complexities of the word 'flex', the precise levels of passive aggressiveness that a human mind can tolerate, if there is already secret anti-gravity tech, and whether our obsession with Einsteinian physics is what is stopping us from really understanding what is going on with UAPs.We don't have answers. We are just asking questions... honest!Also featured: a recent kerfuffle in the online psychology world over DEI statements, the numerology spectrum, the potential harms of green drinks, and much much more!So join us, won't you, as we boldly venture through the outermost reaches of the gurusphere.LinksTheories of Everything- Eric Weinstein &amp; Mick West: UAPs, Evidence, SkepticismJonathan Pageau: The Surprising Symbolism of 666QAnon Anonymous- Episode 168: The Mutant QAnon Numerology Cult in Dallas.Very Bad Wizards- Episode 263: Free YoelReason article on the Yoel Inbar incident2020 Paper on the potential liver impacts of Green Tea ExtractMick West's Book- Escaping the Rabbit Hole: How to Debunk Conspiracy Theories Using Facts, Logic, and Respect

We are back with a double-bill decoding! That's right like moths to the flame, or aliens to a Unified Geometric Field drive, we are back in Weinstein world.This time we are looking at a conversation between the irrepressible (ex?) podcaster &amp; mathematician, Eric Weinstein, and skeptical investigator, author, and recent guest on the show, Mick West.The conversation here concerns the evidence for UAP/UFOs and the reaction of skeptics and advocates. It had the potential to be something forensic and transcendent but sadly it gets mired in the messy 'interpersonal drama' that Eric just hates so much and tries to avoid at all costs.Nonetheless, there is much that can be learnt here, including: the linguistic complexities of the word 'flex', the precise levels of passive aggressiveness that a human mind can tolerate, if there is already secret anti-gravity tech, and whether our obsession with Einsteinian physics is what is stopping us from really understanding what is going on with UAPs.We don't have answers. We are just asking questions... honest!Also featured: a recent kerfuffle in the online psychology world over DEI statements, the numerology spectrum, the potential harms of green drinks, and much much more!So join us, won't you, as we boldly venture through the outermost reaches of the gurusphere.Links<ul><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwcjpmVOmqc" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Theories of Everything- Eric Weinstein &amp; Mick West: UAPs, Evidence, Skepticism</a></li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM_kQjpAK6g" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Jonathan Pageau: The Surprising Symbolism of 666</a></li><li><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-168-the-mutant-qanon-numerology-cult-in-dallas/id1428209307?i=1000543581867" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">QAnon Anonymous- Episode 168: The Mutant QAnon Numerology Cult in Dallas.</a></li><li><a href="https://verybadwizards.com/episode/episode-263-free-yoel" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Very Bad Wizards- Episode 263: Free Yoel</a></li><li><a href="https://reason.com/2023/07/03/ucla-yoel-inbar-dei-hire-students-petition/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Reason article on the Yoel Inbar incident</a></li><li><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214750019306596#sec0145" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">2020 Paper on the potential liver impacts of Green Tea Extract</a></li><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Escaping-Rabbit-Hole-Conspiracy-Theories/dp/1510735801" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Mick West's Book- Escaping the Rabbit Hole: How to Debunk Conspiracy Theories Using Facts, Logic, and Respect</a></li></ul>

Mick West & Eric Weinstein: UFO Tango

Jonathan Howard

The pandemic was a confusing time with public health messages from officials and institutions that were sometimes confused, conflicting, or misrepresented and anti-vaccine misinformation being spread widely. Into this mix, a new phenomenon emerged, that of the covid contrarian. Contrarian doctors usually possessed some relevant qualifications and positioned themselves as independent critical thinkers willing to challenge the dogmas of the mainstream and take a more nuanced perspective on the claims made by anti-vaccine advocates.These contrarian figures are the voices that you would usually hear on 'heterodox' podcasts. Figures like the medical doctor Vinay Prasad, the Stanford professor of Medicine Jay Bhattacharya, or the retired nurse, John Campbell. But did they really offer an alternative critical perspective? Our guest today, Jonathan Howard, a practising doctor and professor of Neurology and Psychiatry, argues no. And he should know, he has spent the pandemic not only treating patients but tirelessly documenting (and refuting) the claims made by the contrarian set. This episode is unfortunately topical due to the recent online fracas surrounding Joe Rogan's credulous promotion of RFK Jnr and the subsequent 'calls for debate' and targeted harassment of Dr Peter Hotez -a public health specialist and advocate for affordable vaccines. In any case, we learnt a lot and enjoyed the discussion with Jonathan and hope you will too. Also covered in this episode: How many pull-ups Matt can do, why Chris is drinking a chalky green potion, the psychology of placebos, and LinksJonathan's New Book- We Want Them InfectedJonathan's articles on the pandemic at Science-Based-MedicineJonathan's Older Book- Cognitive Errors and Diagnostic Mistakes: A Case-Based Guide to Critical Thinking in MedicineWhat the Heck Happened to John Ioannidis?Honestly with Bari Weiss: RFK Jr. Is Striking a Nerve. He Explains Why.Vinay Prasad at The Free Press: What RFK Jr. Gets Right—and What He Gets WrongVinay Prasad at Unherd: We need to talk about the vaccinesVice Article: Joe Rogan, Elon Musk Instigate Harassment Campaign Against Vaccine ScientistUncomfortable Conversations with Josh Szeps: "RFK, Joe Rogan &amp; Vaccines" with Michael ShermerVox Article: Joe Rogan wants a “debate” on vaccine science. Don’t give it to him.

The pandemic was a confusing time with public health messages from officials and institutions that were sometimes confused, conflicting, or misrepresented and anti-vaccine misinformation being spread widely. Into this mix, a new phenomenon emerged, that of the covid contrarian. Contrarian doctors usually possessed some relevant qualifications and positioned themselves as independent critical thinkers willing to challenge the dogmas of the mainstream and take a more nuanced perspective on the claims made by anti-vaccine advocates.These contrarian figures are the voices that you would usually hear on 'heterodox' podcasts. Figures like the medical doctor Vinay Prasad, the Stanford professor of Medicine Jay Bhattacharya, or the retired nurse, John Campbell. But did they really offer an alternative critical perspective? Our guest today, <a href="https://twitter.com/19joho?lang=en" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Jonathan Howard</a>, a practising doctor and professor of Neurology and Psychiatry, argues no. And he should know, he has spent the pandemic not only treating patients but tirelessly documenting (and refuting) the claims made by the contrarian set. This episode is unfortunately topical due to the recent online fracas surrounding Joe Rogan's credulous promotion of RFK Jnr and the subsequent 'calls for debate' and targeted harassment of Dr Peter Hotez -a public health specialist and advocate for affordable vaccines. In any case, we learnt a lot and enjoyed the discussion with Jonathan and hope you will too. Also covered in this episode: How many pull-ups Matt can do, why Chris is drinking a chalky green potion, the psychology of placebos, and Links<ul><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Want-Them-Infected-anti-vaccine-Americans/dp/1959346032" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Jonathan's New Book- We Want Them Infected</a></li><li><a href="https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/author/jonathanhoward/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Jonathan's articles on the pandemic at Science-Based-Medicine</a></li><li><a href="https://redhawkpublications.com/We-Want-Them-Infected-p547021769" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Jonathan's Older Book- Cognitive Errors and Diagnostic Mistakes: A Case-Based Guide to Critical Thinking in Medicine</a></li><li><a href="https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/what-the-heck-happened-to-john-ioannidis/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">What the Heck Happened to John Ioannidis?</a></li><li><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rfk-jr-is-striking-a-nerve-he-explains-why/id1570872415?i=1000617788700" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Honestly with Bari Weiss: RFK Jr. Is Striking a Nerve. He Explains Why.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.thefp.com/p/what-rfk-jr-gets-rightand-what-he" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Vinay Prasad at The Free Press: What RFK Jr. Gets Right—and What He Gets Wrong</a></li><li><a href="https://unherd.com/2022/01/we-need-to-talk-about-the-vaccines/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Vinay Prasad at Unherd: We need to talk about the vaccines</a></li><li><a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/93kkp7/rogan-musk-rfk-hotez-harassment-vaccines" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Vice Article: Joe Rogan, Elon Musk Instigate Harassment Campaign Against Vaccine Scientist</a></li><li><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rfk-joe-rogan-vaccines-with-michael-shermer/id1002920114?i=1000617828574" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Uncomfortable Conversations with Josh Szeps: "RFK, Joe Rogan &amp; Vaccines" with Michael Shermer</a></li><li><a href="https://www.vox.com/2023/6/22/23768539/rogan-rfk-hotez-debate-vaccine-deniers-better" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Vox Article: Joe Rogan wants a “debate” on vaccine science. Don’t give it to him.</a></li></ul>

Interview with Jonathan Howard on Covid Contrarians

Michael Shermer

Michael Shermer, a professional skeptic, recently appeared on the noted apolitical podcast Triggernometry to outline his advice on How to Spot a True Conspiracy Theory. Shermer is someone who has spent decades on the subject and just last year published a new book, Conspiracy: Why the Rational Believe the Irrational, so you might imagine he has some important insights to share.Well... sort of.Join us as we cast a quizzical eye over suggestions that every reasonable person should be a conspiracy theorist, Barack Obama may have been controlled by shadowy masters, the CIA invented the very notion of conspiracy theories, and that what we really need is to return the good old days when anti-Catholic and anti-Jewish conspiracies were commonplace and spoken of freely... yes, really!Back soon enough with a full waffle episode!LinksTriggernometry- Conspiracy Expert: How to Spot a True Conspiracy TheoryShermer explaining his Tweet endorsing Stefan MolyneuxShermer's participation in Dave Rubin's Book Club for Don't Burn This BookShermer's 2021 interview with Bret and Heather with no mention of vaccinesShermer correcting his Tweet about the Nazis being leftwingPositive review at Skeptic for Milo's "Dangerous" BookShermer explaining why he thinks it is good he mixes his Libertarian politics with his science/skepticism

Michael Shermer, a professional skeptic, recently appeared on the noted apolitical podcast Triggernometry to outline his advice on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC9NhwmGNV4" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">How to Spot a True Conspiracy Theory</a>. Shermer is someone who has spent decades on the subject and just last year published a new book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Conspiracy-Why-Rational-Believe-Irrational/dp/1421444453" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Conspiracy: Why the Rational Believe the Irrational,</a> so you might imagine he has some important insights to share.Well... sort of.Join us as we cast a quizzical eye over suggestions that every reasonable person should be a conspiracy theorist, Barack Obama may have been controlled by shadowy masters, the CIA invented the very notion of conspiracy theories, and that what we really need is to return the good old days when anti-Catholic and anti-Jewish conspiracies were commonplace and spoken of freely... yes, really!Back soon enough with a full waffle episode!Links<ul><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC9NhwmGNV4" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Triggernometry- Conspiracy Expert: How to Spot a True Conspiracy Theory</a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/michaelshermer/status/1133774146226155520?s=20" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Shermer explaining his Tweet endorsing Stefan Molyneux</a></li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhE_Ua37sPU" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Shermer's participation in Dave Rubin's Book Club for Don't Burn This Book</a></li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2FemT5aZQQ" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Shermer's 2021 interview with Bret and Heather with no mention of vaccines</a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/michaelshermer/status/1145830500356902912?lang=en" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Shermer correcting his Tweet about the Nazis being leftwing</a></li><li><a href="https://www.skeptic.com/reading_room/george-michael-reviews-dangerous-by-milo-yiannopoulos/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Positive review at Skeptic for Milo's "Dangerous" Book</a></li><li><a href="https://michaelshermer.com/articles/mixing-science-and-politics-and-economics/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Shermer explaining why he thinks it is good he mixes his Libertarian politics with his science/skepticism</a></li></ul>

"Mini" Decoding of Michael Shermer's Advice on Conspiracy Theories

UFOs are all the rage now, and it's certainly a topic that excites many of our gurus *cough* . Hidden mysteries, advanced technologies, conspiracies, and government cover-ups. What's not to like!?The truth, as Mulder so eloquently put it, is out there. And sometimes if you combine the outcome of some posterior technical analysis with some basic priors about the fallibility of human perception and memory, then the truth might be a little prosaic (happy Bayesians!!?).Joining us today is the esteemed Mick West, retired video game developer, who has a long track record of investigating UFO footage, along with a range of other outré phenomena. Mick is admirably positioned to provide practical advice on how to apply critical thinking while being empathetic to friends and family who may have fallen down one or more conspiratorial rabbit holes. Chris and Matt enjoyed the conversation with Mick a lot, and we think you will too!LinksAn example of Eric's UFO Tapdance Lex's Reddit thread for the Matthew McConaughey EpisodeMick West's Book: Escaping the Rabbit Hole: How to Debunk Conspiracy Theories Using Facts, Logic, and RespectTheories of Everything Channel: Eric Weinstein and Mick West: UAPs, Evidence, SkepticismOther LinksOur PatreonContact us via email: decodingthegurus@gmail.comThe DTG Subreddit

UFOs are all the rage now, and it's certainly a topic that excites many of our gurus *cough* . Hidden mysteries, advanced technologies, conspiracies, and government cover-ups. What's not to like!?The truth, as Mulder so eloquently put it, is out there. And sometimes if you combine the outcome of some posterior technical analysis with some basic priors about the fallibility of human perception and memory, then the truth might be a little prosaic (happy Bayesians!!?).Joining us today is the esteemed Mick West, retired video game developer, who has a long track record of investigating UFO footage, along with a range of other outré phenomena. Mick is admirably positioned to provide practical advice on how to apply critical thinking while being empathetic to friends and family who may have fallen down one or more conspiratorial rabbit holes. Chris and Matt enjoyed the conversation with Mick a lot, and we think you will too!Links<ul><li><a href="https://twitter.com/EricRWeinstein/status/1668143724323557377?s=20" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">An example of Eric's UFO Tapdance </a></li><li><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/lexfridman/comments/148m5v4/matthew_mcconaughey_freedom_truth_family_hardship/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Lex's Reddit thread for the Matthew McConaughey Episode</a></li><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Escaping-Rabbit-Hole-Conspiracy-Theories/dp/1510735801" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Mick West's Book: Escaping the Rabbit Hole: How to Debunk Conspiracy Theories Using Facts, Logic, and Respect</a></li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwcjpmVOmqc" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Theories of Everything Channel: Eric Weinstein and Mick West: UAPs, Evidence, Skepticism</a></li></ul>Other Links<ul><li><a href="https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Our Patreon</a></li><li>Contact us via email: decodingthegurus@gmail.com</li><li><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/DecodingTheGurus/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">The DTG Subreddit</a></li></ul>

Interview with Mick West: UFOs, Aliens, and Conspiracy Psychology

Thought experiment: Imagine you're a human, in a box, surrounded by an alien civilisation, but you don't like the aliens, because they have facilities where they bop the heads of little aliens, but they think 1000 times slower than you... and you are made of code... and you can copy yourself... and you are immortal... what do you do?Confused? Lex Fridman certainly was, when our subject for this episode posed his elaborate and not-so-subtle thought experiment. Not least because the answer clearly is:YOU KILL THEM ALL!... which somewhat goes against Lex's philosophy of love, love, and more love.The man presenting this hypothetical is Eliezer Yudkowksy, a fedora-sporting auto-didact, founder of the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence, co-founder of the Less Wrong rationalist blog, and writer of Harry Potter Fan Fiction.  He's spent a large part of his career warning about the dangers of AI in the strongest possible terms. In a nutshell, AI will undoubtedly Kill Us All Unless We Pull The Plug Now. And given the recent breakthroughs in large language models like ChatGPT, you could say that now is very much Yudkowsky's moment.In this episode, we take a look at the arguments presented and rhetoric employed in a recent long-form discussion with Lex Fridman. We consider being locked in a box with Lex, whether AI is already smarter than us and is lulling us into a false sense of security, and if we really do only have one chance to reign in the chat-bots before they convert the atmosphere into acid and fold us all up into microscopic paperclips.While it's fair to say, Eliezer is something of an eccentric character, that doesn't mean he's wrong. Some prominent figures within the AI engineering community are saying similar things, albeit in less florid terms and usually without the fedora. In any case, one has to respect the cojones of the man.So, is Eliezer right to be combining the energies of Chicken Little and the legendary Cassandra with warnings of imminent cataclysm? Should we be bombing data centres? Is it already too late? Is Chris part of Chat GPT's plot to manipulate Matt? Or are some of us taking our sci-fi tropes a little too seriously?We can't promise to have all the answers. But we can promise to talk about it. And if you download this episode, you'll hear us do exactly that.LinksEliezer Yudkowsky: Dangers of AI and the End of Human Civilization | Lex Fridman Podcast #368Joe Rogan clip of him commenting on AI on his Reddit

Thought experiment: Imagine you're a human, in a box, surrounded by an alien civilisation, but you don't like the aliens, because they have facilities where they bop the heads of little aliens, but they think 1000 times slower than you... and you are made of code... and you can copy yourself... and you are immortal... what do you do?Confused? Lex Fridman certainly was, when our subject for this episode posed his elaborate and not-so-subtle thought experiment. Not least because the answer clearly is:YOU KILL THEM ALL!... which somewhat goes against Lex's philosophy of love, love, and more love.The man presenting this hypothetical is Eliezer Yudkowksy, a fedora-sporting auto-didact, founder of the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence, co-founder of the Less Wrong rationalist blog, and writer of Harry Potter Fan Fiction. He's spent a large part of his career warning about the dangers of AI in the strongest possible terms. In a nutshell, AI will undoubtedly Kill Us All Unless We Pull The Plug Now. And given the recent breakthroughs in large language models like ChatGPT, you could say that now is very much Yudkowsky's moment.In this episode, we take a look at the arguments presented and rhetoric employed in a recent long-form discussion with Lex Fridman. We consider being locked in a box with Lex, whether AI is already smarter than us and is lulling us into a false sense of security, and if we really do only have one chance to reign in the chat-bots before they convert the atmosphere into acid and fold us all up into microscopic paperclips.While it's fair to say, Eliezer is something of an eccentric character, that doesn't mean he's wrong. Some prominent figures within the AI engineering community are saying similar things, albeit in less florid terms and usually without the fedora. In any case, one has to respect the cojones of the man.So, is Eliezer right to be combining the energies of Chicken Little and the legendary Cassandra with warnings of imminent cataclysm? Should we be bombing data centres? Is it already too late? Is Chris part of Chat GPT's plot to manipulate Matt? Or are some of us taking our sci-fi tropes a little too seriously?We can't promise to have all the answers. But we can promise to talk about it. And if you download this episode, you'll hear us do exactly that.Links<ul><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaTRHFaaPG8" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Eliezer Yudkowsky: Dangers of AI and the End of Human Civilization | Lex Fridman Podcast #368</a></li><li><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/JoeRogan/comments/12syt2a/rogan_shares_his_theory_that_ai_is_already/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Joe Rogan clip of him commenting on AI on his Reddit</a></li><li> </li></ul>

Eliezer Yudkowksy: AI is going to kill us all

Renée DiResta

We are joined by Renée DiResta a writer and researcher at the Stanford Internet Observatory. Renée has done a lot of interesting work on disinformation and influence campaigns. Including leading an investigation into the Russian Internet Research Agency’s multi-year effort to manipulate American society in the lead-up to the 2016 election. More recently she was dubbed by the writer/conspiracy theorist, Michael Shellenberger, as the leader of 'The Censorship Industry'. In short, Renée stands accused of serving as an agent of the Distributed Idea Suppression Complex defending the Gated Institutional Narrative. So being good DISC soldiers ourselves we had to follow our orders and host our exalted leader.We discuss all of this with her and a range of other topics including how important algorithms and bots are in disinformation networks, whether contemporary influence campaigns are really anything new, and how to address debates around censorship and free speech.We enjoyed the discussion a lot and are sure that you will too... or else...Also covered in this episode: Eric Weinstein's suggestions for Twitter CEO, evidence of Lex Fridman's pilled brain, and a rather confusing review.LinksRenee's WebsiteShellenberger's Substack: Why Renee DiResta Leads The Censorship IndustryRenee's Response to Shellenberger's claimsMaking Sense Episode 310: Social Media &amp; Public Trust (with Renee, Bari Weiss &amp; Michael Shellenberger)Chris' old article on Cambridge Analytica on MediumDavid Pakman: Politics of Trump, Biden, Bernie, AOC, Socialism &amp; Wokeism | Lex Fridman Podcast #375Report: The Tactics &amp; Tropes of the Internet Research AgencyGurwinder- The Perils of Audience Capture

We are joined by Renée DiResta a writer and researcher at the Stanford Internet Observatory. Renée has done a lot of interesting work on disinformation and influence campaigns. Including leading an investigation into the Russian Internet Research Agency’s multi-year effort to manipulate American society in the lead-up to the 2016 election. More recently she was dubbed by the writer/conspiracy theorist, Michael Shellenberger, as the leader of 'The Censorship Industry'. In short, Renée stands accused of serving as an agent of the Distributed Idea Suppression Complex defending the Gated Institutional Narrative. So being good DISC soldiers ourselves we had to follow our orders and host our exalted leader.We discuss all of this with her and a range of other topics including how important algorithms and bots are in disinformation networks, whether contemporary influence campaigns are really anything new, and how to address debates around censorship and free speech.We enjoyed the discussion a lot and are sure that you will too... or else...Also covered in this episode: Eric Weinstein's suggestions for Twitter CEO, evidence of Lex Fridman's pilled brain, and a rather confusing review.Links<ul><li><a href="http://www.reneediresta.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Renee's Website</a></li><li><a href="https://public.substack.com/p/why-renee-diresta-leads-the-censorship" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Shellenberger's Substack: Why Renee DiResta Leads The Censorship Industry</a></li><li><a href="https://reneediresta.substack.com/p/fiction-vs-reality-my-texts-with" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Renee's Response to Shellenberger's claims</a></li><li><a href="https://www.samharris.org/podcasts/making-sense-episodes/310-social-media-public-trust" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Making Sense Episode 310: Social Media &amp; Public Trust (with Renee, Bari Weiss &amp; Michael Shellenberger)</a></li><li><a href="https://medium.com/@CKava/why-almost-everything-reported-about-the-cambridge-analytica-facebook-hacking-controversy-is-db7f8af2d042" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Chris' old article on Cambridge Analytica on Medium</a></li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i31fDkaK9A" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">David Pakman: Politics of Trump, Biden, Bernie, AOC, Socialism &amp; Wokeism | Lex Fridman Podcast #375</a></li><li><a href="http://www.reneediresta.com/ira-report-4e8d0ff684.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Report: The Tactics &amp; Tropes of the Internet Research Agency</a></li><li><a href="https://gurwinder.substack.com/p/the-perils-of-audience-capture" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Gurwinder- The Perils of Audience Capture</a></li></ul>

Interview with Renée DiResta: Online Ecosystems, Disinformation, & Censorship Debates

Christopher Hitchens

Our short-lived Christopher Hitchens ends in our second episode and full-length decoding of the punchy Brit. This time we are examining one of his well-known religion-themed debates, debating the question 'Is Islam a Religion of Peace?' for The 92nd Street Y, New York with the academic and writer Tariq Ramadan. This one feels like a bit of a throwback to a post-9/11 &amp; Iraq war world. New Atheism was still a cultural force with some punch but it had also received its own fair share of body blows since its earlier days as a plucky new contender. Regardless of how you feel about that particular genre, we suggest you don a fedora, pour yourself a stiff drink, and be prepared for a heady mixture of substantive points, moralizing rhetoric, and witty retorts from both of these seasoned debaters.Also covered in the episode Andrew Huberman and whether sad women's tears have unique properties, Jordan Hall teaches everyone how to play the guitar, James Lindsay discovers the Logos... and Chris tells us all about his office fridge adventures.LinksHitchens and Ramadan debate at 92nd Street Y New YorkHuberman's TikTok video about women's tears and his related tweetsJames Lindsay's Twitter thread on demons and the LogosReddit Thread with a link to Jordan Hall's Guitar tutorialDaniel Laken's free course on psychology methodology and statistical inference

Our short-lived Christopher Hitchens ends in our second episode and full-length decoding of the punchy Brit. This time we are examining one of his well-known religion-themed debates, debating the question 'Is Islam a Religion of Peace?' for The 92nd Street Y, New York with the academic and writer Tariq Ramadan. This one feels like a bit of a throwback to a post-9/11 &amp; Iraq war world. New Atheism was still a cultural force with some punch but it had also received its own fair share of body blows since its earlier days as a plucky new contender. Regardless of how you feel about that particular genre, we suggest you don a fedora, pour yourself a stiff drink, and be prepared for a heady mixture of substantive points, moralizing rhetoric, and witty retorts from both of these seasoned debaters.Also covered in the episode Andrew Huberman and whether sad women's tears have unique properties, Jordan Hall teaches everyone how to play the guitar, James Lindsay discovers the Logos... and Chris tells us all about his office fridge adventures.Links<ul><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMraxhd9Z9Q" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Hitchens and Ramadan debate at 92nd Street Y New York</a></li><li><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@andrewhubermanclips/video/7229137384464518442" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Huberman's TikTok video about women's tears</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/hubermanlab/status/1652767123280674817" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">his related tweets</a></li><li>James Lindsay's <a href="https://twitter.com/ConceptualJames/status/1655385540219338752?s=20" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter thread on demons and the Logos</a></li><li><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/DecodingTheGurus/comments/12xjt1b/jordan_hall_can_teach_you_to_play_guitar_in_just/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Reddit Thread with a link to Jordan Hall's Guitar tutorial</a></li><li><a href="https://www.coursera.org/learn/statistical-inferences" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Daniel Laken's free course on psychology methodology and statistical inference</a></li></ul>

Christopher Hitchens: Rhetoric, Religion, and Ramadan

Matt Johnson

We are back for an interview with the author and independent writer Matt Johnson discussing the New Atheist hero and legendary debater, Christopher Hitchens. The other Matt recently published a book called "How Hitchens Can Save the Left: Rediscovering Fearless Liberalism in an Age of Counter-Enlightenment" and kindly agreed to come on and waffle with us about Hitchens and where he fits in comparison to the modern gurus. We cover a range of topics including whether Hitchens would have been in the IDW, if he was an extremophile, how far did he rely on rhetoric over substance and to what extent different labels apply to him. Matt Johnson offers a surprisingly nuanced take and provides us with lots of interesting tidbits regarding Hitchens. This can also be listened to as Part 1 of our Hitchens coverage, as we have a full decoding of a debate of his coming shortly.And what if you are not into Hitchens? Well, there are still some goodies for you! In this episode, we also cover: Guru magnetism &amp; depressing crossovers, Sam Harris' recent appearance with Maajid Nawaz, Scandinavian geopolitics, Chris' review of the Super Mario Bros Movie, and whether we are actually in the pocket of Big Harris! So join us one and all! And don't forget to subscribe to Sam Harris' meditation app using the code 'GurusPodSentMe'.LinksMatt Johnson (2023) How Hitchens Can Save the Left: Rediscovering Fearless Liberalism in an Age of Counter-EnlightenmentMatt Johnson's Article at the Bulwark: What Christopher Hitchens Can Teach Us About LiberalismMaajid Nawaz &amp; Sam Harris Reunite for the First Time Since Covid to Debate the Politics of Covid-MandatesMatt Johnson's articles at Quillette primarily about coverage of the Ukraine conflict

We are back for an interview with the author and independent writer <a href="https://twitter.com/mattjj89" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Matt Johnson</a> discussing the New Atheist hero and legendary debater, Christopher Hitchens. The other Matt recently published a book called "<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hitchens-Save-Left-Rediscovering-Counter-Enlightenment/dp/1634312341" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">How Hitchens Can Save the Left: Rediscovering Fearless Liberalism in an Age of Counter-Enlightenment</a>" and kindly agreed to come on and waffle with us about Hitchens and where he fits in comparison to the modern gurus. We cover a range of topics including whether Hitchens would have been in the IDW, if he was an extremophile, how far did he rely on rhetoric over substance and to what extent different labels apply to him. Matt Johnson offers a surprisingly nuanced take and provides us with lots of interesting tidbits regarding Hitchens. This can also be listened to as Part 1 of our Hitchens coverage, as we have a full decoding of a debate of his coming shortly.And what if you are not into Hitchens? Well, there are still some goodies for you! In this episode, we also cover: Guru magnetism &amp; depressing crossovers, Sam Harris' recent appearance with Maajid Nawaz, Scandinavian geopolitics, Chris' review of the Super Mario Bros Movie, and whether we are actually in the pocket of Big Harris! So join us one and all! And don't forget to subscribe to Sam Harris' meditation app using the code 'GurusPodSentMe'.Links<ul><li>Matt Johnson (2023) <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hitchens-Save-Left-Rediscovering-Counter-Enlightenment/dp/1634312341" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">How Hitchens Can Save the Left: Rediscovering Fearless Liberalism in an Age of Counter-Enlightenment</a></li><li><a href="https://www.thebulwark.com/what-christopher-hitchens-can-teach-us-about-liberalism/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Matt Johnson's Article at the Bulwark: What Christopher Hitchens Can Teach Us About Liberalism</a></li><li><a href="https://maajidnawaz.substack.com/p/one-hour-preview-maajid-nawaz-and" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Maajid Nawaz &amp; Sam Harris Reunite for the First Time Since Covid to Debate the Politics of Covid-Mandates</a></li><li><a href="https://quillette.com/author/matt-johnson/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Matt Johnson's articles at Quillette primarily about coverage of the Ukraine conflict</a></li></ul>

Interview with Matt Johnson on Christopher Hitchens

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey is someone who truly needs no introduction. She's a legend of daytime television, a warm and charismatic juggernaut who steam-rolled her way to the very apex of media success. Now, an extraordinarily wealthy woman, she's busy with philanthropy and helping others manifest their inner light so as to truly Be in this world.Certainly, in a category apart from IDW knuckleheads or bottom-feeding YouTube types, Oprah is nevertheless a self-help and spiritual guru in the truest sense of the word; both in the eyes of her audience and by her own lights. In the interview we cover, she talks frankly about her own philosophy of life and gives advice to others that they might emulate some portion of success. Inevitably not discussed are various controversies around her promotion of pseudoscience, endorsing self-help gurus like James Arthur Ray, anti-vaxxers like Jenny McCarthy and giving a massive leg-up to noted internet doctors, Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz. "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne, which promotes the Law of Attraction, is not explicitly mentioned, but Chris detects hints of it vibrating throughout the conversation.So join Matt and Chris as they conclusively demonstrate why they remained the perpetual block-sucking kids at the nursery, while Oprah rode her self-actualised rocket past the first grade to become a billionaire media mogul.Also on this week's episode discover whether Oprah earns a place on Guru island, if the intro segments will be tightly edited, how Chris prepares for job interviews, and just how many of Matt's enemies are Nazis!LinksOprah Winfrey: The Secret of My Success. Stanford Graduate School of Business.Kurzgesagt's video on their funding and POV.PBS Space TimeDr Sam Gregson, the Bad Boy of Science

Oprah Winfrey is someone who truly needs no introduction. She's a legend of daytime television, a warm and charismatic juggernaut who steam-rolled her way to the very apex of media success. Now, an extraordinarily wealthy woman, she's busy with philanthropy and helping others manifest their inner light so as to truly Be in this world.Certainly, in a category apart from IDW knuckleheads or bottom-feeding YouTube types, Oprah is nevertheless a self-help and spiritual guru in the truest sense of the word; both in the eyes of her audience and by her own lights. In the interview we cover, she talks frankly about her own philosophy of life and gives advice to others that they might emulate some portion of success. Inevitably not discussed are various controversies around her promotion of pseudoscience, endorsing self-help gurus like James Arthur Ray, anti-vaxxers like Jenny McCarthy and giving a massive leg-up to noted internet doctors, Dr. Phil and Dr. Oz. "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne, which promotes the Law of Attraction, is not explicitly mentioned, but Chris detects hints of it vibrating throughout the conversation.So join Matt and Chris as they conclusively demonstrate why they remained the perpetual block-sucking kids at the nursery, while Oprah rode her self-actualised rocket past the first grade to become a billionaire media mogul.Also on this week's episode discover whether Oprah earns a place on Guru island, if the intro segments will be tightly edited, how Chris prepares for job interviews, and just how many of Matt's enemies are Nazis!Links<ul><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fohCkaIhnBc" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Oprah Winfrey: The Secret of My Success. Stanford Graduate School of Business.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1x-i9z617z4" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Kurzgesagt's video on their funding and POV.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/pbsspacetime" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">PBS Space Time</a></li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@BadBoyofScience" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Dr Sam Gregson, the Bad Boy of Science</a></li></ul>

Oprah Winfrey: Self Actualising Your Destiny

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!

Paul Bloom

Matthew Goodwin

Apologies everyone, we've been compelled to break our 'golden rule' of interspersing decoding episodes with interview episodes. However, the opportunity to talk to the well-known psychologist, Professor Paul Bloom. There are so many reasons to talk to Paul: first, he's a walking, talking cornucopia of knowledge across so fields in psychology that fascinate Chris and Matt. He's also a prolific author, most recently of "Psych- The Story of the Human Mind", and previously with "The Sweet Spot" about pleasure and pain, and the controversial "Against Empathy". He's also a great educator, having created a bunch of open learning resources in introductory and moral psychology. In addition to the new book "Psych", which offers a layperson's introduction to psychology he is ALSO producing a new podcast with friend of the cast and no slouch at psychology himself, Very Bad Wizard/Psychologist, Dave Pizarro. OK, that's enough reasons. There are probably more reasons, but we have provided enough. And anyway, who says we have to justify our guests and our interview to decoding schedule. We are free agents! We have agency... right?In any case, you cannot complain too much as we felt bad and have thus included in the short intro segment a "mini" (40min!) decoding of the recent appearance of academic/political pundit, Matthew Goodwin, on Triggernometry. And it's a spicy one...Next up Oprah! Coming soon...LinksPaul Bloom &amp; Dave Pizarro's Psych PodcastPaul Bloom's New Book: Psych- The Story of the Human MindPaul's New Ted Talk on The surprising psychology behind your urge to break the rulesTriggernometry- Matt Goodwin: We're in the Post-Populist EraNew Statesman- Going native: How Matthew Goodwin became part of the right-populist movement he once sought to explain.Eliezer Yudkowsky's Tweet about bombing the WIV

Apologies everyone, we've been compelled to break our 'golden rule' of interspersing decoding episodes with interview episodes. However, the opportunity to talk to the well-known psychologist, Professor Paul Bloom. There are so many reasons to talk to Paul: first, he's a walking, talking cornucopia of knowledge across so fields in psychology that fascinate Chris and Matt. He's also a prolific author, most recently of "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Psych-Story-Human-Paul-Bloom/dp/0063096358" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Psych- The Story of the Human Mind</a>", and previously with "The Sweet Spot" about pleasure and pain, and the controversial "Against Empathy". He's also a great educator, having created a bunch of open learning resources in introductory and moral psychology. In addition to the new book "Psych", which offers a layperson's introduction to psychology he is ALSO producing a new podcast with friend of the cast and no slouch at psychology himself, Very Bad Wizard/Psychologist, Dave Pizarro. OK, that's enough reasons. There are probably more reasons, but we have provided enough. And anyway, who says we have to justify our guests and our interview to decoding schedule. We are free agents! We have agency... right?In any case, you cannot complain too much as we felt bad and have thus included in the short intro segment a "mini" (40min!) decoding of the recent appearance of academic/political pundit, Matthew Goodwin, on Triggernometry. And it's a spicy one...Next up Oprah! Coming soon...Links<ul><li><a href="https://psych.fireside.fm/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Paul Bloom &amp; Dave Pizarro's Psych Podcast</a></li><li><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Psych-Story-Human-Paul-Bloom/dp/0063096358" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Paul Bloom's New Book: Psych- The Story of the Human Mind</a></li><li><a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/paul_bloom_the_surprising_psychology_behind_your_urge_to_break_the_rules/comments" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Paul's New Ted Talk on The surprising psychology behind your urge to break the rules</a></li><li><a rel="noopener noreferrer">Triggernometry- Matt Goodwin: We're in the Post-Populist Era</a></li><li><a href="newstatesman.com/the-weekend-essay/2023/03/going-native" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">New Statesman- Going native: How Matthew Goodwin became part of the right-populist movement he once sought to explain.</a></li><li><a href="https://twitter.com/ESYudkowsky/status/1641413155518844930?s=20" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Eliezer Yudkowsky's Tweet about bombing the WIV</a></li></ul>

"Mini" Decoding of Matthew Goodwin & Interview with Paul Bloom

If you have managed to avoid the phenomenon of QAnon up until now, then congratulations! Your life is likely better for not knowing. Sadly many of us have been forced not only to learn about the 'enigmatic'(/idiotic) Q and his merry band of followers but also to witness the consequences of the movement during events like January 6th.Travis View (the pen name of Logan Strain) is part of the motley crew of the hugely popular QAnon Anonymous podcast that attempts to document the phenomenon of QAnon. From undercover investigations to creative writing, the QAnon Anonymous team (including previous guest Annie Kelly) have approached the topic with a creative and anthropological approach.We sit down with Travis and ask him to provide us with the 101 on QAnon before we delve into some of the more arcane topics, including cultish splinter groups, the psychology of QAnon adherents, just how much of a threat he thinks the movement poses, and how does he stay sane while looking at depressing craziness week in and week out.Travis is a wealth of information and a groovy guy to boot. The kind of person you would want to have your back in a Zombie apocalypse. So kick back and enjoy hearing about the crumbling of contemporary society.LinksTravis's Instagram account: Great nature photos!QAnon Anonymous PodcastWisdom Signalling &amp; the Wisdom of Criticism w/ John Veraveke, Chris M, Chris Kavanagh, &amp; Matt Browne

If you have managed to avoid the phenomenon of QAnon up until now, then congratulations! Your life is likely better for not knowing. Sadly many of us have been forced not only to learn about the 'enigmatic'(/idiotic) Q and his merry band of followers but also to witness the consequences of the movement during events like January 6th.Travis View (the pen name of Logan Strain) is part of the motley crew of the hugely popular QAnon Anonymous podcast that attempts to document the phenomenon of QAnon. From undercover investigations to creative writing, the QAnon Anonymous team (including previous guest Annie Kelly) have approached the topic with a creative and anthropological approach.We sit down with Travis and ask him to provide us with the 101 on QAnon before we delve into some of the more arcane topics, including cultish splinter groups, the psychology of QAnon adherents, just how much of a threat he thinks the movement poses, and how does he stay sane while looking at depressing craziness week in and week out.Travis is a wealth of information and a groovy guy to boot. The kind of person you would want to have your back in a Zombie apocalypse. So kick back and enjoy hearing about the crumbling of contemporary society.Links<a href="https://www.instagram.com/loganstrainphotography/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Travis's Instagram account: Great nature photos!</a><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/qanon-anonymous/id1428209307" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">QAnon Anonymous Podcast</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXz5uU8pAAg" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Wisdom Signalling &amp; the Wisdom of Criticism w/ John Veraveke, Chris M, Chris Kavanagh, &amp; Matt Browne</a>

Interview with Travis View: QANon & Modern Conspiracies

The question of the SARS-CoV-2 origin: whether it was a zoonotic spillover from a wet market, or an engineered virus that escaped from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, is seemingly a debate that will never go away. Most interestingly, while scientists with specific domain expertise seem to be building a consensus towards the former, public opinion appears to be trending towards the latter. This delta between expert and popular opinion has been helped along by the frothy discourse in mainstream and social media, with most figures that we cover in this podcast dead-set certain that it came from a lab. Most recently, Sam Harris hosted on his Making Sense podcast the molecular biologist Alina Chan and. science writer Matt Ridley, spokespersons for the lab leak case, and authors of "Viral: The Search for the Origin of COVID-19". To a layperson, and certainly to Sam, they put forward a rather watertight case. Intrinsic to the arguments advanced were the ideas that (a) experts in the area were refusing to engage with and unable to answer their arguments, and (b) a strong implication that there is a conspiracy of silence among virologists not just in China but internationally, to suppress the lab leak hypothesis.So, as a case study in the public understanding of science, it seems like a pretty pickle indeed. To help unravel the pickle(?) in this somewhat special episode, we are joined by three virologists who are amply qualified to address the topic; both in terms of the evidence and whether they are involved in a conspiracy of silence.Kristian Andersen is a Professor in the Department of Immunology and Microbiology at Scripps Research. He focuses on the relationship between host and pathogen, using sequencing, fieldwork, experimentation, and computational biology methods. He has spearheaded large international collaborations investigating the emergence, spread and evolution of deadly pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2, Zika virus, Ebola virus, West Nile virus, and Lassa virus.Prof Michael Worobey, is the head of the department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona. His work focuses on the genomes of viruses, using molecular and computational biology, to understand the origins, emergence and control of pandemics. Recently, his interdisciplinary work on SARS-CoV-2 has shed light on how and when the virus originated and ignited the COVID-19 pandemic in China and how SARS-CoV-2 emerged and took hold in North America and Europe.Prof Edward "Eddie" Holmes, is an NHMRC Leadership Fellow &amp; Professor of Virology at the Faculty of Medicine and Health at Sydney University, a member of the Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases, a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and a Fellow of The Royal Society. He is known for his work on the evolution and emergence of infectious diseases, particularly the mechanisms by which RNA viruses jump species boundaries to emerge in humans and other animals. He has studied the emergence and spread of such pathogens as SARS-CoV-2, influenza virus, dengue virus, HIV, hepatitis C virus, myxoma virus, RHDV and Yersinia pestis.All three researchers have specialist expertise and decades of experience directly applicable to tracking viruses and their adaption to humans, and, fair to say, are fairly eminent in their fields (Eddie in particular!). Further, they are among the relatively small set of researchers collecting and analysing primary evidence on the origins of SARS-CoV-2, communicating their findings in top-ranked journals, including Nature and Science. In this episode, Chris and Matt put to this trio of Professors the claims raised by lab leak advocates to see what these (damn conspirators) experts have to say for themselves.LinksSam Harris Making Sense #311 - DID SARS-COV-2 ESCAPE FROM A LAB?Bad Boy of Science YouTube Channel: Is The COVID Lab Leak Hypothesis Dead? w Kristian Andersen, Mike Worobey &amp; Philipp MarkolinGood article from Philipp Markolin on 'The manipulation playbook of anti-science actors'Stuart Ritchie's article for the i: "Stop blindly believing or dismissing the Covid lab-leak theory – focus on the evidence" (references discourse surfing!)Wall Street Journal: Lab Leak Most Likely Origin of Covid-19 Pandemic, Energy Department Now SaysOur previous episode discussing the Lab Leak and other Covid controversies with Stuart NeilRelevant Research Papers &amp; LettersCalisher, C., et al. (2020). Statement in support of the scientists, public health professionals, and medical professionals of China combatting COVID-19. The Lancet, 395(10226), e42-e43.Andersen KG, Rambaut A, Lipkin WI, Holmes EC, Garry RF. The proximal origin of SARS-CoV-2. Nat Med. 2020 Apr;26(4):450-452.Bloom, J. D., et al. (2021). Investigate the origins of COVID-19. Science, 372(6543), 694-694.Holmes, E. C., et al. (2021). The origins of SARS-CoV-2: A critical review. Cell, 184(19), 4848-4856.Worobey, M., et al. (2022). The Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan was the early epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. Science, 377(6609), 951-959.

The question of the SARS-CoV-2 origin: whether it was a zoonotic spillover from a wet market, or an engineered virus that escaped from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, is seemingly a debate that will never go away. Most interestingly, while scientists with specific domain expertise seem to be building a consensus towards the former, public opinion appears to be trending towards the latter. This delta between expert and popular opinion has been helped along by the frothy discourse in mainstream and social media, with most figures that we cover in this podcast dead-set certain that it came from a lab. Most recently, Sam Harris hosted on his Making Sense podcast the molecular biologist Alina Chan and. science writer Matt Ridley, spokespersons for the lab leak case, and authors of "Viral: The Search for the Origin of COVID-19". To a layperson, and certainly to Sam, they put forward a rather watertight case. Intrinsic to the arguments advanced were the ideas that (a) experts in the area were refusing to engage with and unable to answer their arguments, and (b) a strong implication that there is a conspiracy of silence among virologists not just in China but internationally, to suppress the lab leak hypothesis.So, as a case study in the public understanding of science, it seems like a pretty pickle indeed. To help unravel the pickle(?) in this somewhat special episode, we are joined by three virologists who are amply qualified to address the topic; both in terms of the evidence and whether they are involved in a conspiracy of silence.Kristian Andersen is a Professor in the Department of Immunology and Microbiology at Scripps Research. He focuses on the relationship between host and pathogen, using sequencing, fieldwork, experimentation, and computational biology methods. He has spearheaded large international collaborations investigating the emergence, spread and evolution of deadly pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2, Zika virus, Ebola virus, West Nile virus, and Lassa virus.Prof Michael Worobey, is the head of the department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona. His work focuses on the genomes of viruses, using molecular and computational biology, to understand the origins, emergence and control of pandemics. Recently, his interdisciplinary work on SARS-CoV-2 has shed light on how and when the virus originated and ignited the COVID-19 pandemic in China and how SARS-CoV-2 emerged and took hold in North America and Europe.Prof Edward "Eddie" Holmes, is an NHMRC Leadership Fellow &amp; Professor of Virology at the Faculty of Medicine and Health at Sydney University, a member of the Sydney Institute for Infectious Diseases, a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and a Fellow of The Royal Society. He is known for his work on the evolution and emergence of infectious diseases, particularly the mechanisms by which RNA viruses jump species boundaries to emerge in humans and other animals. He has studied the emergence and spread of such pathogens as SARS-CoV-2, influenza virus, dengue virus, HIV, hepatitis C virus, myxoma virus, RHDV and Yersinia pestis.All three researchers have specialist expertise and decades of experience directly applicable to tracking viruses and their adaption to humans, and, fair to say, are fairly eminent in their fields (Eddie in particular!). Further, they are among the relatively small set of researchers collecting and analysing primary evidence on the origins of SARS-CoV-2, communicating their findings in top-ranked journals, including Nature and Science. In this episode, Chris and Matt put to this trio of Professors the claims raised by lab leak advocates to see what these (damn conspirators) experts have to say for themselves.Links<ul><li><a href="https://www.samharris.org/podcasts/making-sense-episodes/311-did-sars-co-v-2-escape-from-a-lab" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Sam Harris Making Sense #311 - DID SARS-COV-2 ESCAPE FROM A LAB?</a></li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIuY0rZ3KjI" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Bad Boy of Science YouTube Channel: Is The COVID Lab Leak Hypothesis Dead? w Kristian Andersen, Mike Worobey &amp; Philipp Markolin</a></li><li><a href="https://protagonistfuture.substack.com/p/denounce-deny-deceive" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Good article from Philipp Markolin on 'The manipulation playbook of anti-science actors'</a></li><li><a href="https://inews.co.uk/news/covid-lab-leak-theory-blindly-believing-dismissing-focus-evidence-2181006" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Stuart Ritchie's article for the i: "Stop blindly believing or dismissing the Covid lab-leak theory – focus on the evidence" (references discourse surfing!)</a></li><li><a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-origin-china-lab-leak-807b7b0a" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Wall Street Journal: Lab Leak Most Likely Origin of Covid-19 Pandemic, Energy Department Now Says</a></li><li><a href="https://decoding-the-gurus.captivate.fm/episode/special-episode-interview-with-stuart-neil-on-sars-cov-2" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Our previous episode discussing the Lab Leak and other Covid controversies with Stuart Neil</a></li></ul>Relevant Research Papers &amp; Letters<ul><li><a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30418-9/fulltext" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Calisher, C., et al. (2020). Statement in support of the scientists, public health professionals, and medical professionals of China combatting COVID-19. The Lancet, 395(10226), e42-e43.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7095063/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Andersen KG, Rambaut A, Lipkin WI, Holmes EC, Garry RF. The proximal origin of SARS-CoV-2. Nat Med. 2020 Apr;26(4):450-452.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/science.abj0016?casa_token=wEmIRb2waNQAAAAA%3ADw37G0WtO25m8vLo7HrswGor6EwSuBt2_ezbtkTAgFUOxbkdA2FlpfJwBrR8c9LIjeMzS2RTSewgLqRA" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Bloom, J. D., et al. (2021). Investigate the origins of COVID-19. Science, 372(6543), 694-694.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0092867421009910" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Holmes, E. C., et al. (2021). The origins of SARS-CoV-2: A critical review. Cell, 184(19), 4848-4856.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/science.abp8715" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Worobey, M., et al. (2022). The Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan was the early epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. Science, 377(6609), 951-959.</a></li></ul>

Interview with Worobey, Andersen & Holmes: The Lab Leak

Dave Rubin

Dave Rubin has always sought out a career in the spotlight, beginning with stand-up comedy and then becoming a pundit (of sorts) on shows like the Young Turks. From there he (in)famously came to present himself as one of those classical liberals forced to 'leave the left'. He was also one of the honorary members of the Intellectual Dark Web although it is fair to say he primarily served as a conduit rather than a primary contributor. So, where does he stand now? Is he the heterodox classical liberal and centrist he once claimed? Or is he a reactionary and conspiratorial hyper-partisan right-wing pundit? It's the second thing. It's obviously the second thing. Everyone knows.But could he be anything more than that? Does he fit the secular guru template beguiling us with pseudo-intellectual, polymathic and galaxy-brained takes? Or just a slightly more acceptable version of Alex Jones without the drinking problem?Well, in this episode we'll figure it out. To be honest, it's not very complicated. The riddle of Dave Rubin is not so much a deep rabbit hole as a minor depression in the ground. So... Enjoy?P.S. We also talk (probably for too long) about "discourse surfing" in relation to topics like the lab leak and why you shouldn't do it. Don't worry. There are bookmarks, so you can skip it if you want (though you shouldn't really, it's good).LinksCritical Profile of Dave Rubin by Ross Anderson at QuilletteGreta Thunberg Gets Caught by Rebel News &amp; Her Response Is Bizarre | Direct Message | Rubin ReportDave Rubin | Club Random with Bill MaherFor 'Discourse Surfing' see Stuart Ritchie's article at inews. Stop blindly believing or dismissing the Covid lab-leak theory – focus on the evidenceThe Wall Street Journal article that reignited the Lab Leak conversationOur previous episode 'Calibrating the Gurometer'

Dave Rubin has always sought out a career in the spotlight, beginning with stand-up comedy and then becoming a pundit (of sorts) on shows like the Young Turks. From there he (in)famously came to present himself as one of those classical liberals forced to 'leave the left'. He was also one of the honorary members of the Intellectual Dark Web although it is fair to say he primarily served as a conduit rather than a primary contributor. So, where does he stand now? Is he the heterodox classical liberal and centrist he once claimed? Or is he a reactionary and conspiratorial hyper-partisan right-wing pundit? It's the second thing. It's obviously the second thing. Everyone knows.But could he be anything more than that? Does he fit the secular guru template beguiling us with pseudo-intellectual, polymathic and galaxy-brained takes? Or just a slightly more acceptable version of Alex Jones without the drinking problem?Well, in this episode we'll figure it out. To be honest, it's not very complicated. The riddle of Dave Rubin is not so much a deep rabbit hole as a minor depression in the ground. So... Enjoy?P.S. We also talk (probably for too long) about "discourse surfing" in relation to topics like the lab leak and why you shouldn't do it. Don't worry. There are bookmarks, so you can skip it if you want (though you shouldn't really, it's good).Links<ul><li><a href="https://quillette.com/2022/12/15/all-about-dave/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Critical Profile of Dave Rubin by Ross Anderson at Quillette</a></li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05UKwRGK3UY" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Greta Thunberg Gets Caught by Rebel News &amp; Her Response Is Bizarre | Direct Message | Rubin Report</a></li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ldl0H2IUng" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Dave Rubin | Club Random with Bill Maher</a></li><li>For 'Discourse Surfing' see <a href="https://inews.co.uk/news/covid-lab-leak-theory-blindly-believing-dismissing-focus-evidence-2181006" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Stuart Ritchie's article at inews. Stop blindly believing or dismissing the Covid lab-leak theory – focus on the evidence</a></li><li><a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-origin-china-lab-leak-807b7b0a" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">The Wall Street Journal article that reignited the Lab Leak conversation</a></li><li><a href="https://decoding-the-gurus.captivate.fm/episode/calibrating-the-gurometer" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Our previous episode 'Calibrating the Gurometer'</a></li></ul>

Dave Rubin: A Pointless Partisan Pundit

Bill Maher

Bill Maher is an American comedian, political commentator, and television host from the tail end of the baby-boomer generation. He's principally a centrist liberal in terms of his political leanings, being well known for his anti-religious and pro-animal rights positions, as well as a supporter of things like cannabis legalisation. On the other hand, he's something of a contrarian and styles himself as anti-political correctness and anti-woke, identifying as a disenchanted liberal, like Christopher Hitchens and Sam Harris.Now, all of that is well and good, let a hundred flowers bloom! But... on the less-salubrious side, he's also a contrarian when it comes to his extreme scepticism of conventional medicine, and vaccines in particular. And as we'll see in the two interviews we cover, with Sam Harris ^ and Richard Dawkins, it never seems to take him very long before the conversation is steered back to vaccines. So, will Maher make the gurometer go 'DING'? Let's face it, probably not. But if not, why not? It is worth checking to tune up the old instrument. And it is indeed something to behold as a boozy, stoned Maher tries (and manifestly fails) to coax Richard Dawkins out of his prim and proper shell.Also features discussions of Chris' run-ins with the rationalists, a new 'Whinge of the Week' segment, and the rhetorical technique of 'pouncing'.LinksRichard Dawkins on Club Random with Bill MaherSam Harris on Club Random with Bill MaherAstral Codex Ten- Contra Kavanagh On FideismMedium Article by Chris - Am I a Fideist?Astral Codex Ten - Trying Again on FideismMaking Sense with Sam Harris - Did SARS-COV-2 escape from a lab?Konstantin Kisin - Reflections on Dealing With Bad Faith CriticismUpcoming discussion with John Vervaeke &amp; Chris Mastropietro at The Stoa

Bill Maher is an American comedian, political commentator, and television host from the tail end of the baby-boomer generation. He's principally a centrist liberal in terms of his political leanings, being well known for his anti-religious and pro-animal rights positions, as well as a supporter of things like cannabis legalisation. On the other hand, he's something of a contrarian and styles himself as anti-political correctness and anti-woke, identifying as a disenchanted liberal, like Christopher Hitchens and Sam Harris.Now, all of that is well and good, let a hundred flowers bloom! But... on the less-salubrious side, he's also a contrarian when it comes to his extreme scepticism of conventional medicine, and vaccines in particular. And as we'll see in the two interviews we cover, with Sam Harris ^ and Richard Dawkins, it never seems to take him very long before the conversation is steered back to vaccines. So, will Maher make the gurometer go 'DING'? Let's face it, probably not. But if not, why not? It is worth checking to tune up the old instrument. And it is indeed something to behold as a boozy, stoned Maher tries (and manifestly fails) to coax Richard Dawkins out of his prim and proper shell.Also features discussions of Chris' run-ins with the rationalists, a new 'Whinge of the Week' segment, and the rhetorical technique of 'pouncing'.Links<ul><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUQ_E7pDoEI" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Richard Dawkins on Club Random with Bill Maher</a></li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oL5ZxR4FMoI" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Sam Harris on Club Random with Bill Maher</a></li><li><a href="https://astralcodexten.substack.com/p/contra-kavanaugh-on-fideism" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Astral Codex Ten- Contra Kavanagh On Fideism</a></li><li><a href="https://medium.com/@CKava/am-i-a-fideist-fcd1862f48a8" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Medium Article by Chris - Am I a Fideist?</a></li><li><a href="https://astralcodexten.substack.com/p/trying-again-on-fideism" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Astral Codex Ten - Trying Again on Fideism</a></li><li><a href="https://www.samharris.org/podcasts/making-sense-episodes/311-did-sars-co-v-2-escape-from-a-lab" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Making Sense with Sam Harris - Did SARS-COV-2 escape from a lab?</a></li><li><a href="https://konstantinkisin.substack.com/p/reflections-on-dealing-with-bad-faith#details" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Konstantin Kisin - Reflections on Dealing With Bad Faith Criticism</a></li><li><a href="https://www.thestoa.ca/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Upcoming discussion with John Vervaeke &amp; Chris Mastropietro at The Stoa</a></li></ul>

Bill Maher: A boozy, stoned, liberal take on classic anti-vax tropes

Daniel Dennett

In this episode, we take a bit of a detour from current trends and examine a talk by the philosopher Daniel Dennett on evolution. Dennett rose to public prominence as one of the so-called four horsemen of the New Athiest movement but he always seemed slightly out of place with that cohort. Dennett's is most certainly a guru in the sense that he offers big picture 'what does it all mean' lectures linking together consciousness, intelligence, the emergence of complexity and evolution. But is there some substance there? Or does his appeal hinge on on intuitively-satisfying cosmic woo offered by less reputable figures.On a positive note, he seemed to be more interested in academic and philosophical debates than the latest culture war outrage. As such he doesn't share that much with our usual targets... and that's ok! Sometimes it is good to look at figures who fall closer to the standard public intellectual or academic motif than that of the secular guru. At the very least it helps to calibrate our gurometer! So join us for a slightly indulgent episode on a figure that we both broadly enjoy despite the inevitable nit-picking. An extended introduction section will also reveal our first DTG conspiracy hypothesis, the mating habits of orcs and dragons, and what Nazi AIs have in common with Robocop. And stick around at the end to hear about the future of education from the Petersons!LinksDennett's talk on Information, Evolution, and Intelligent Design at the Royal InstituteBusiness Insider article on that historical figure AI chatbotMikhaila Peterson: Q&amp;A to end the Year Episode. 174Thread from Lex's Subreddit removed by Moderators

In this episode, we take a bit of a detour from current trends and examine a talk by the philosopher Daniel Dennett on evolution. Dennett rose to public prominence as one of the so-called four horsemen of the New Athiest movement but he always seemed slightly out of place with that cohort. Dennett's is most certainly a guru in the sense that he offers big picture 'what does it all mean' lectures linking together consciousness, intelligence, the emergence of complexity and evolution. But is there some substance there? Or does his appeal hinge on on intuitively-satisfying cosmic woo offered by less reputable figures.On a positive note, he seemed to be more interested in academic and philosophical debates than the latest culture war outrage. As such he doesn't share that much with our usual targets... and that's ok! Sometimes it is good to look at figures who fall closer to the standard public intellectual or academic motif than that of the secular guru. At the very least it helps to calibrate our gurometer! So join us for a slightly indulgent episode on a figure that we both broadly enjoy despite the inevitable nit-picking. An extended introduction section will also reveal our first DTG conspiracy hypothesis, the mating habits of orcs and dragons, and what Nazi AIs have in common with Robocop. And stick around at the end to hear about the future of education from the Petersons!Links<ul><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZX6awZq5Z0" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Dennett's talk on Information, Evolution, and Intelligent Design at the Royal Institute</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/historical-figures-stalin-himmler-princess-diana-can-speak-with-ai-2023-1" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Business Insider article on that historical figure AI chatbot</a></li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJIB3SLeJgg" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Mikhaila Peterson: Q&amp;A to end the Year Episode. 174</a></li><li><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/lexfridman/comments/105mg72/how_much_criticism_of_lex_is_tolerated_on_the/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Thread from Lex's Subreddit removed by Moderators</a></li></ul>

Daniel Dennett: It's Evolution Baby

Konstantin Kisin

Recently the Oxford Union (based in Oxford but distinct from the university) hosted a debate on "whether woke culture has gone too far". A very fresh question, and it's been good to see people finally discussing this important issue. Former guest, comedian, and host of the Triggernometry podcast Konstantin Kisin argued for the proposition, and his 10 minute speech has gone viral, garnering over 20 million views (and counting). Kisin has received lavish praise for his compelling talk from across the interwebs for what has been broadly described as a masterful demolition of woke culture, leading to broadcast television appearances with Piers Morgan and Tucker Carlson.Well, a video of the speech crossed our path on Twitter, and it seemed to us to be an interesting case-study on the effective use of rhetoric, so here is our decoding. As is our want, we are slightly more critical in our assessment than Piers Morgan Tucker Carlson, but we are able to identify points of concordance as well. Enjoy!LinksThe original speechKonstantin Kisin | This House Believes Woke Culture Has Gone Too Far - 7/8 | Oxford UnionCoverageKonstantin Kisin’s Important Message LIVE on Tucker CarlsonKonstantin Kisin and Piers Morgan Discuss The Problems With Woke CultureBackgroundGlobal Concern about Climate Change, Broad Support for Limiting Emissions

Recently the Oxford Union (based in Oxford but distinct from the university) hosted a debate on "whether woke culture has gone too far". A very fresh question, and it's been good to see people finally discussing this important issue. Former guest, comedian, and host of the Triggernometry podcast Konstantin Kisin argued for the proposition, and his 10 minute speech has gone viral, garnering over 20 million views (and counting). Kisin has received lavish praise for his compelling talk from across the interwebs for what has been broadly described as a masterful demolition of woke culture, leading to broadcast television appearances with Piers Morgan and Tucker Carlson.Well, a video of the speech crossed our path on Twitter, and it seemed to us to be an interesting case-study on the effective use of rhetoric, so here is our decoding. As is our want, we are slightly more critical in our assessment than Piers Morgan Tucker Carlson, but we are able to identify points of concordance as well. Enjoy!LinksThe original speech<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJdqJu-6ZPo" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Konstantin Kisin | This House Believes Woke Culture Has Gone Too Far - 7/8 | Oxford Union</a>Coverage<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlEQJoIVnSM" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Konstantin Kisin’s Important Message LIVE on Tucker Carlson</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voMaVTqL1OQ" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Konstantin Kisin and Piers Morgan Discuss The Problems With Woke Culture</a>Background<a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2015/11/05/global-concern-about-climate-change-broad-support-for-limiting-emissions/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Global Concern about Climate Change, Broad Support for Limiting Emissions</a>

"Mini" Decoding of Konstantin Kisin's Oxford Union speech

In this  episode we are joined by the irrepressible "Coffeezilla" (aka Stephen Findeisen), a man who is, it's fair to say, kind of a big deal on YouTube. And rightly so! His channel focuses on exposing "scams, fraudsters and fake gurus" and he has received a great deal of praise for the detail, depth, and quality of the research that he goes into for each episode. Coffeezilla has been particularly active in digging into cryptocurrencies, NFTs, and other financial Ponzi and pump and dump schemes. Indeed, he has received praise from the MSM in relation to his coverage of the infamous Sam Bankman-Fried, and has most recently managed to arouse the ire of mega-influencer Logan Paul, after covering Paul's total NFT scam ‘problematic’ failed NFT offering.We share a lot of common interests with Coffeezilla and this interview as a result is pretty broad-ranging. To mention just a few, we discuss Elon Musk, the way unscrupulous individuals leverage capitalist financial systems, the death of expertise, modern online ecosystems, the differences and parallels between financial and secular gurus , and the psychological and technological tricks gurus use to seperate people from their hard-earned cash.Coffeezilla's hard work on financial scammer has made him extremely knowledgeable. He's also as sharp as a tack and really fun guy to chat with. So, we were super lucky to be able to snag him as a guest. We enjoyed ourselves thoroughly, and we hope you enjoy the interview too.Oh, and Chris and Matt talk about Lex Fridman and that damn booklist in the introduction, and introduce a new segment the 'Weekly Wisdom of Mikhaila' at the end.Enjoy!LinksCoffeezilla feed on YouTubeCoffeezilla's Investigating Logan Paul's CryptoZoo seriesLogan Paul's attempts to address and redressCoffeeZilla on The Lex Fridman PodcastMIchaela's Q&amp;A to end 2022Lex being sad about people dunking on his reading listNassim Taleb on LexNathan J Robinson: The Guy Who Just Loves Everyone

In this episode we are joined by the irrepressible "Coffeezilla" (aka Stephen Findeisen), a man who is, it's fair to say, kind of a big deal on YouTube. And rightly so! His channel focuses on exposing "scams, fraudsters and fake gurus" and he has received a great deal of praise for the detail, depth, and quality of the research that he goes into for each episode. Coffeezilla has been particularly active in digging into cryptocurrencies, NFTs, and other financial Ponzi and pump and dump schemes. Indeed, he has received praise from the MSM in relation to his coverage of the infamous Sam Bankman-Fried, and has most recently managed to arouse the ire of mega-influencer Logan Paul, after covering Paul's total NFT scam ‘problematic’ failed NFT offering.We share a lot of common interests with Coffeezilla and this interview as a result is pretty broad-ranging. To mention just a few, we discuss Elon Musk, the way unscrupulous individuals leverage capitalist financial systems, the death of expertise, modern online ecosystems, the differences and parallels between financial and secular gurus , and the psychological and technological tricks gurus use to seperate people from their hard-earned cash.Coffeezilla's hard work on financial scammer has made him extremely knowledgeable. He's also as sharp as a tack and really fun guy to chat with. So, we were super lucky to be able to snag him as a guest. We enjoyed ourselves thoroughly, and we hope you enjoy the interview too.Oh, and Chris and Matt talk about Lex Fridman and that damn booklist in the introduction, and introduce a new segment the 'Weekly Wisdom of Mikhaila' at the end.Enjoy!Links<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@Coffeezilla" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Coffeezilla feed on YouTube</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4qw3AkxFDSNYGZAS84sPlQn20Ezcx8Ks" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Coffeezilla's Investigating Logan Paul's CryptoZoo series</a><a href="https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/logan-paul-reveals-1-3m-refund-program-for-cryptozoo-investors-amid-coffeezilla-drama-2032603/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Logan Paul's attempts to address and redress</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&amp;v=hi9Rf0oLdHk" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">CoffeeZilla on The Lex Fridman Podcast</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&amp;v=DJIB3SLeJgg" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">MIchaela's Q&amp;A to end 2022</a><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&amp;v=HxZY-NI9knw" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Lex being sad about people dunking on his reading list</a><a href="https://twitter.com/nntaleb/status/1609576801168228352?s=46&amp;t=0Oz2sSiK8BPkEAGz03UL7A" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Nassim Taleb on Lex</a><a href="https://www.currentaffairs.org/2023/01/the-guy-who-just-loves-everyone" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Nathan J Robinson: The Guy Who Just Loves Everyone</a>

Interview with Coffeezilla on Cryptocurrencies, NFTs, and modern scammers

So here we are rounding off 2022 with a Guru of the moment, Elon Musk.Trust us, we want to stop hearing about him as much as you do but we have long had him scheduled as the finale for the tech season. Unfortunately, the Decoding the Gurus curse (most of the people we cover quickly become worse and spiral into conspiracism) seems to have become more potent. Now we don't even have to cover a Guru just announce that we will and the spiral occurs. And with Elon what a spiral it has been. But we *try* not to dwell much on his recent antics and instead focus on decoding our chosen material. In this specific case, it is a recent wide-ranging interview conducted by a fellow billionaire and large Tesla investor, Ron Baron. This proved to be one of the most sycophantic interviews we have ever examined, which is a real achievement given the competition.Musk himself is an interesting figure. Softly spoken, prone to mumbling, he can even seem self-effacing, and yet he is also a prolific hype man, prone to hyperbole, and self-mythologizing. Is he the master engineer and polymath he claims? The ultimate conman? And how has he become the guru for so many gurus? Join us as we try to disentangle the Elon puzzle box and see if there is actually anything interesting inside.Oh and also Happy New Year! Remember to keep an eye out for those pesky Distributed Idea Suppression Complexes.LinksRon Baron Interview Nov 2022 with Elon Musk: Source for the DecodingThunderfoot Video: Why you should NEVER believe Elon Musk!Common Sense Skeptic: Debunking Elon Musk (Part 1 &amp; Part 2)Guardian Article on Musk's comments on the Diver involved in the Thai Cave RescueFuturism Article on Elon Musk promising Full-Self-Driving Cars Every Year since 2014Rolling Stone: Elon Musk Keeps Taking Twitter Advice From Right-Wing TrollsArticle from buildd.co on Tesla's Marketing Strategy

So here we are rounding off 2022 with a Guru of the moment, Elon Musk.Trust us, we want to stop hearing about him as much as you do but we have long had him scheduled as the finale for the tech season. Unfortunately, the Decoding the Gurus curse (most of the people we cover quickly become worse and spiral into conspiracism) seems to have become more potent. Now we don't even have to cover a Guru just announce that we will and the spiral occurs. And with Elon what a spiral it has been. But we *try* not to dwell much on his recent antics and instead focus on decoding our chosen material. In this specific case, it is a recent wide-ranging interview conducted by a fellow billionaire and large Tesla investor, Ron Baron. This proved to be one of the most sycophantic interviews we have ever examined, which is a real achievement given the competition.Musk himself is an interesting figure. Softly spoken, prone to mumbling, he can even seem self-effacing, and yet he is also a prolific hype man, prone to hyperbole, and self-mythologizing. Is he the master engineer and polymath he claims? The ultimate conman? And how has he become the guru for so many gurus? Join us as we try to disentangle the Elon puzzle box and see if there is actually anything interesting inside.Oh and also Happy New Year! Remember to keep an eye out for those pesky Distributed Idea Suppression Complexes.Links<ul><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7wUNMyK3Gs" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Ron Baron Interview Nov 2022 with Elon Musk: Source for the Decoding</a></li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN-kajBcyew" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Thunderfoot Video: Why you should NEVER believe Elon Musk!</a></li><li>Common Sense Skeptic: Debunking Elon Musk (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-FGwDDc-s8" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Part 1</a> &amp; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DopFo1rjAr4" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Part 2</a>)</li><li><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jul/15/elon-musk-british-diver-thai-cave-rescue-pedo-twitter" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Guardian Article on Musk's comments on the Diver involved in the Thai Cave Rescue</a></li><li><a href="https://futurism.com/video-elon-musk-promising-self-driving-cars" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Futurism Article on Elon Musk promising Full-Self-Driving Cars Every Year since 2014</a></li><li><a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/elon-musk-twitter-advice-right-wing-troll-1234630432/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Rolling Stone: Elon Musk Keeps Taking Twitter Advice From Right-Wing Trolls</a></li><li><a href="https://buildd.co/marketing/tesla-marketing-strategy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Article from buildd.co on Tesla's Marketing Strategy</a></li></ul>

Elon Musk: The Techno Shaman

Helen Lewis

Join us for this special festive episode in which we initiate the fledgling Gurologist (and occasional journalist and author) Helen Lewis into the deeper and more esoteric levels of Gurology. Helen may have produced an excellent new multi-part series on the New Gurus for the BBC but just how many nut or shark-based anecdotes can you fit into a 30-minute episode? And is the BBC really ready for truly hardcore sensemaking?In any case, we indulge our new padawan with an extended discussion about the new series (it's actually very, very good!) and what she has learned on her travels. Along the way we compare notes, discuss the ethics of covering narcissists and harmful gurus, and uncover Helen's personal role in creating one prominent modern guru.But that's not all! Befitting the season, Helen comes bearing a gift... or is it a test? Unveiling her inner Quizmaster persona she attempts to humble the masters with an End of Year Guru quiz. Can Matt &amp; Chris survive? Who between them is the true Gurologist (&amp; who conversely is winning at life)? Join us and find out!P.S. The Elon Decoding episode is on its way very soon!LinksThe New Gurus SeriesHelen's recent appearance on Embrace the VoidHelen's Atlantic Article on Ron DeSantis' electoral strategyRussell Brand's infamous interview with Jeremey PaxmanRussell Brand's interview with Ed MilibandLaurie Penny's piece on Milo &amp; friends

Join us for this special festive episode in which we initiate the fledgling Gurologist (and occasional journalist and author) Helen Lewis into the deeper and more esoteric levels of Gurology. Helen may have produced an excellent <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001g9sq" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">new multi-part series on the New Gurus for the BBC</a> but just how many nut or shark-based anecdotes can you fit into a 30-minute episode? And is the BBC really ready for truly hardcore sensemaking?In any case, we indulge our new padawan with an extended discussion about the new series (it's actually very, very good!) and what she has learned on her travels. Along the way we compare notes, discuss the ethics of covering narcissists and harmful gurus, and uncover Helen's personal role in creating one prominent modern guru.But that's not all! Befitting the season, Helen comes bearing a gift... or is it a test? Unveiling her inner Quizmaster persona she attempts to humble the masters with an End of Year Guru quiz. Can Matt &amp; Chris survive? Who between them is the true Gurologist (&amp; who conversely is winning at life)? Join us and find out!P.S. The Elon Decoding episode is on its way very soon!Links<ul><li><a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001g9sq" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">The New Gurus Series</a></li><li><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/feminism-woke-religiosity-and-trans-rights-with/id1213974770?i=1000591070027" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Helen's recent appearance on Embrace the Void</a></li><li><a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/11/desantiss-covid-gamble-paid-off/672063/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Helen's Atlantic Article on Ron DeSantis' electoral strategy</a></li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YR4CseY9pk" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Russell Brand's infamous interview with Jeremey Paxman</a></li><li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDZm9_uKtyo" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Russell Brand's interview with Ed Miliband</a></li><li><a href="https://medium.com/welcome-to-the-scream-room/im-with-the-banned-8d1b6e0b2932" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Laurie Penny's piece on Milo &amp; friends</a></li></ul>

Gurus Christmas Special with Helen Lewis

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!

Decoding the Gurus

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