An exiled Northern Irish anthropologist and a hitchhiking Australian psychologist take a close look at the contemporary crop of 'secular gurus', iconoclasts, an...
'Tis a New Year (sort of), and amidst all the chaos in the world, we thought we'd offer a small glimmer of light by making this Patreon episode available to everyone! If you enjoy it, consider joining us on Patreon—or not, it's your call!In this episode, Matt and Chris scry through the portents and ponder the apocalyptic insights of the tech and finance titan Peter Thiel. We all know that Thiel is an urbane gentleman of great refinement with a collection of revolutionary ideas but does he make the Gurometer sing? Tune in to find out—and, as a bonus, learn more than you ever wanted to know about the intricacies of academic grading systems.
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51:40
Peter Thiel: The Techno-Apocalypse is Nigh
In this episode, Matt and Chris tackle the big ideas—or at least the ones rattling around in Peter Thiel’s mind. Tech billionaire, venture capitalist, and political kingmaker, Thiel has long been a looming figure in Silicon Valley, known for his deep pockets, contrarian takes, and peculiar philosophical musings. But beneath the surface-level libertarian posturing, what does Thiel actually believe? And does it hold up to scrutiny?The decoders dig into Thiel’s recent interview on Uncommon Knowledge, where he waxes biblical about end times, interprets the katechon with all the confidence of a medieval theologian, and seamlessly blends venture capitalism with prophecies of the Antichrist.Along the way, they explore Thiel’s method of connecting historical dots with pure vibes, and his Jetsons Fallacy, the deep disappointment that the world looks more like The Office than a 1960s vision of the future. They dissect the Sensemaker Aristocracy surrounding him—with its reverent back-patting and strange mix of deference and obfuscation that turns tech moguls into prophets. They also highlight Thiel’s bizarre leaps in logic, from citing biblical prophecies to warning about one-world free-trade Communist government conspiracies and his confusing stance on technological progress—simultaneously lamenting stagnation while fearing we’re racing too fast toward Armageddon.Of course, no billionaire worldview would be complete without some COVID conspiracies, and Thiel delivers, crafting an elaborate Fauci Bioweapon Paradox in which the pandemic response was simultaneously overblown and also secretly justified because the virus was (obviously) engineered.So is Peter Thiel a visionary? A libertarian Cassandra? Or just a very wealthy man with a lot of half-formed ideas and a habit of mumbling them into microphones? Matt and Chris wade through the mess so you don’t have to. Stay till the end for the Revolutionary Leprechaun Theory of Western Civilization… if you dare.LinksHoover Institute: Apocalypse Now? Peter Thiel on Ancient Prophecies and Modern Tech (Part 1)Hoover Institute: Apocalypse Now? Peter Thiel on Ancient Prophecies and Modern Tech (Part 2)WIRED article on the Thiel, Hogan, & Gawker business
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3:08:23
The Wounded Bird Lex Fridman vs. The Evil Ukrainian Bot Farms
In this episode, we look at a recently released segment by Lex Fridman, where he reflects on his interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.We examine Lex’s self-presentation as a Christ-like figure—someone who is willing to suffer, feign naivety and ignorance, and even risk his life in the name of world peace—all while maintaining an eight-hour daily study regimen and enduring relentless, unfair attacks from Ukrainian bot farms and war-loving critics.Like true sensemakers, we also entertain an outlandish alternative hypothesis: what if Lex is, in fact, an arrogant and biased podcaster—dismissive of criticism, oblivious to his political leanings, and adopting a “wounded bird” persona to elicit sympathy from his audience?Join us as we sift through the Zelensky's (supposed) failures, the bot farms, and the wounded bird theatrics to determine whether Lex is a hero for peace—or just another podcaster lost in his own narrative.SourcesLex Fridman reflects on Volodymyr Zelenskyy interviewSupplementary Material 21: The emergency snake, thought = secularised prayer, and Love and WarChris' thread on Lex and his wounded bird poseLex Fridman Podcast- Volodymyr Zelenskyy: Ukraine, War, Peace, Putin, Trump, NATO, and Freedom | Lex Fridman Podcast #456
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1:20:00
Supplementary Material 21: The emergency snake, thought = secularised prayer, and Love and War
It's 2025, and the Gurusphere shows no signs of slowing down—so here we are, diving into some grim crossovers. This time, the bro-optimiser Andrew Huberman has teamed up with the chaos dragon himself, Jordan Peterson. Meanwhile, the ever-affectionate Lex Fridman finally scored an interview with Zelensky. Bret, however, remains preoccupied with Goliath's ongoing PsyOps.P.S. Matt broke his dongle so he's on the AirPods, we will be back to proper audio setup next episode.Supplementary Material 2100:00 Introduction and Farewell to America01:43 Memorable Encounters and Experiences03:48 Oldering & the Destruction of the Self08:35 The American Understander Issues his Verdict12:07 The Pageau Brothers, Jesus' Laugh & The Emergency Snake19:01 Bryan Johnson has concerns about Vaccines21:48 The High IQ Crowd and Trump's Greenland Plans27:44 The PsyOps Cyclops Strikes Again37:15 Huberman X Peterson: Optimising Christianity39:22 Secret Prayers and Bible Conversations43:34 Thougt = Secularised Prayer48:56 Huberman's Intelligent Design Argument for God55:49 Christian Optimising Stack01:07:56 Marc Andreessen on Vigor, Pride and Achievement01:13:30 Faux Heterodoxy01:19:24 Plain Steaks are the best!01:24:47 Jordan Peterson's Diet Struggles01:32:25 Lex Fridman's Interview with Zelensky01:37:52 Lex plugs Rogan's comedy club01:41:09 Elon Musk and Trump are anti-corruption!01:44:27 Critique of Lex Fridman's Interview Style01:46:07 Lex's dream and Russia's security guarantees01:53:25 Lex's Strategic Naivety02:05:12 Lex reads A LOT02:11:40 Lex and Putin predictions02:12:39 Lex will endure the attacks against him02:14:56 Wrapping Up & Patreon Love BombThe full episode is available for Patreon subscribers (2hrs 16 mins).Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurusSourcesChris' thread on Lex and his wounded bird poseHuberman Podcast- Dr.Jordan Peterson: How to Best Guide Your Life Decisions & PathLex Fridman Podcast- Volodymyr Zelenskyy: Ukraine, War, Peace, Putin, Trump, NATO, and Freedom | Lex Fridman Podcast #456The Free Press: Bryan Johnson: How Not to Die in 2025Matthieu Pageau's thread on the Emergency Snake
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48:00
Gurometer: Curtis Yarvin
Back once again with the dark art of Gurometry, we turn our sights to the bad boy of Silicon Valley—the mulleted maestro, the edgy eejit, Curtis Yarvin. A legend in his own mind, but how does he rank on the Gurosity scale? Join us as we dissect his essence across 11 factors, from his revolutionarily mundane and incoherent ideas to his dazzling absence of charisma. Tune in as we feed this 'dark enlightenment' thinker into the Gurometer and reveal his true colours.The full episode is available for Patreon subscribers (34 mins).Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurusCurtis Yarvin: Gurometer00:00 Introduction to Gurometry02:27 Curtis Yarvin: The Man, The Myth, The Eejit04:43 Galaxy Brainlessness05:48 Cultishness08:32 Anti-Establishmentarianism09:55 Grievance Mongering12:43 Self-Aggrandizement and Narcissism13:30 Cassandra Complex16:21 Revolutionary Theories17:59 Pseudo-Profound Bullshit19:43 Conspiracy Theories Galore23:55 Moral Grandstanding25:50 Gurometer Scores and Analysis27:56 Bonus Point Attribution34:03 Final Thoughts on Curtis Yarvin
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!
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