We risk contamination with toxic mould, endure distressing initiation rituals to a comedy cult, and ponder if the narratives we have received about the Nazis have enough nuance.

The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (2 hours, 21 minutes).

Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus

Supplementary Material 36

00:00 Introduction and an Intervention

01:59 Tomatoes, Holidays, and Hollywood Remakes

06:15 AI x Indulgent People

06:41 AI Chatbots and Delusional Gurus

10:46 Sir Robert Edward Grant and the Architect 

12:26 Critiquing the Critics

13:31 Eric Weinstein engages with Dialogos with his silicon friend Grok

22:25 Tim Nguyen details the Distributed Weinstein Suppression Complex

24:20 Sabine Hossenfelder's Google Doc

27:10 2+2 Discourse and a surprise appearance from Kareem Carr

29:34 Chris's 10 Tips for Sabine

34:39 Coffeezilla does more Anomaly Hunting on Epstein Videos

37:50 Conspiracy Chat

39:58  Ghislaine Maxwell's potential deal 

42:29 Thoughts on the Elephant Graveyard's Video on the Joe Rogan Comedy Cult

49:45 Details vs Vibes

52:46 Rogan's Fact-Checking and Comedian Dynamics

54:54 The Rogan Anti-Human Tech Elite Conspiracy Theory

59:40 Master Geniuses vs. a bunch of dickheads who like the same stuff

01:03:55 Lex Friedman and the Role of Softball Interviews

01:06:28 Conspiracy Theories vs. Real Conspiracies

01:15:51 Overall thoughts on the Elephant Graveyard Video Essay

01:19:18 Ana Kasparian thinks the Jews knew about 9/11

01:22:21 Jordan Peterson's Health and Mould Toxicity

01:24:24 Good Fungus vs Bad Mould

01:26:08 Bespoke Medicine and American Individualism

01:29:57 Streamers saying Stupid Things: Taylor Lorenz on DSA Nazis

01:33:08 Populist anti-vaccine rhetoric in Japan!

01:35:58 Bill Maher and Andrew Huberman discuss the problems with medicine

01:38:40 Chris Rufo and Right Wing Outrage over the Cracker Barrel logo

01:42:31 The War on Christmas in Australia

01:44:35 Jonathan Pageau's revisionist World War II symbolism

01:48:29 Pageau's Postmodern Narratives

02:03:32 Finding the Balance between Nazism and Liberalism

02:14:02 Random Shoutout

02:15:45 Matt's Cognitive Decline and Professor Archetypes

Sources

• Article on Sir Robert Edward Grant and The Architect
• Eric talking with his silicon friend @grok
• Eric waxing lyrical about Grok and praising Elon for his unique insights
• Tim Nguyen — Physics Grifters: Eric Weinstein, Sabine Hossenfelder, and a Crisis of Credibility
• Sabine vindicates herself in a Google Doc
• Kareem Carr thinks Sabine’s document is great!
• Chris’s Top 10 tips for Sabine on how to be a science skeptic YouTuber
• BBC — Ghislaine Maxwell denies seeing ‘inappropriate’ conduct by Trump
• The Guardian — Ghislaine Maxwell transcripts: what we know at a glance
• Voidzilla — Top 5 Lies in Epstein Footage
• Lewandowsky, Lloyd & Brophy (2018) When THUNCing Trumps thinking — Argumenta (PDF)
• Transcripts from Interview with Ghislaine Maxwell (Justice.gov)
• How Comedy Was Destroyed by an Anti-Reality Doomsday Cult
• The Loving Trap (Parody of Adam Curtis) — Ben Woodhams
• Ana Kasparian spreading anti-semitic 9/11 Truther conspiracies
• Mikhaila Peterson’s update on Jordan Peterson’s health problems
• Taylor Lorenz explaining how the DSA are the real fascists
• Huberman & Bill Maher discuss medicine
• BBC article on Sanseito Party
• Independent article on the Cracker Barrel ‘Controversy’
• Jonathan Pageau — Symbolism Explained: The Fundamental WWII Duality That Still Haunts Us Today

We face a disciplinary crisis as the twin pillars of Game Theory and Gurometry are called into question.

The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (1 hour, 35 minutes).

Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus

Supplementary Material 35

00:05 Introduction  

01:52 Matt's Apology

06:55 Just Life...

12:34 Matt's Foodie Corner 

14:01 Dedunking Dan Richards finds Sabine

16:37 Sabine cultivates parasocial defenders

18:16 Ana Kasparian gets deeper into ZOG conspiracies

24:44 Gary vs Game Theory

40:26 Support the Channel to Save the World

47:10 Bryan Johnson and Methylene blue

51:52 Scientific Cosplay Online

53:51 Keith Rainiere and Sensemaking Parallels

54:57 High IQ YoungHoon Kim tweets about proof of God

56:19 Guru and Cult Leader Parallels

01:01:13 The Validity of the Gurometer in Question?!?

01:03:03 Hacking Social Heuristics

01:07:38 Cult Leaders vs Secular Gurus

01:12:33 Anti-Democratic moves by Trump

01:15:03 Dan Carlin on Trump

01:18:30 Streamers Talking Nonsense: Hasan on ISIS

01:21:24 Ideological Fixation and Motivated Conspiracism

01:27:22 Outro

Sources

• The Cushendun Sea Caves from Game of Thrones
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is Boosting Tourism
• DeDunking: Eric Weinstein's Theory — Real Physicist vs Pseudo Poser
• Ana Kasparian tweeting about the “Zionist Occupied Government”
• Gary’s Economics: Game Theory is Broken
• Critical Reddit thread on Gary’s Game Theory video
• Henrich, J., McElreath, R., Barr, A., Ensminger, J., Barrett, C., Bolyanatz, A., ... & Ziker, J. (2006). Costly punishment across human societies. Science, 312(5781), 1767–1770.
• The Selfish Gene, Chapter 12: Nice Guys Finish First (Richard Dawkins)
• High IQ YoungHoon Kim tweets about proof of God
• I was Jordan Peterson’s strongest supporter. Now I think he’s dangerous
• Dan Carlin’s tweet about Trump
• BBC: National Guard troops appear in Washington DC as mayor rejects Trump's 'authoritarian push'
• Nathan Baker: Keith Raniere, Ringleader of NXIVM Sex Slave Cult, Interviewed by Allison Mack, Top Cult Member

In this watery simulation of an episode, Matt and Chris uncover the true purpose of Scott Adams’ existence: not to shape reality, but to provide training data for future AIs working on plumbing-related problems. Somewhere in a cosmic server farm, Scott is endlessly confronted with blocked drains, dripping faucets, and municipal water conspiracies, while his “insights” fuel the next generation of household maintenance bots.

Against this surreal backdrop, Naval Ravikant enters the scene — investor, tweeter, self-styled philosopher, and, in practice, just another discourse surfer riding the waves of online conspiracism. The conversation opens with a familiar chorus of right-wing talking points, drifts into feverish speculation about lawfare, censorship, and “imported voters,” and finally winds down in the dim light of dorm-room metaphysics, where slogans like “happiness is a choice” are served up as if they were profound insights.

Naval presents himself as a detached sage, offering a boutique blend of political commentary and Daoist-tinged wisdom. In reality, he delivers little more than predictable polemics and recycled aphorisms. Imagining himself a great man of history dispensing lyrical truths in tweet-sized form, he produces nothing that rises above the usual culture-war debris. The posture is Buddha-with-a-smartphone; the reality is a credulous tech elite mistaking his own Twitter feed for a philosophy seminar.

What follows is Elon-as-Ben-Franklin fanboying, Trump rebranded as a “bottom-up” leader of the people, and a level of self-congratulation so thick it could be used to terraform Mars. By the end, you may find yourself nostalgic for the leaky pipes in Scott’s simulation — at least they produce real water...

Sources

• Modern Wisdom (Chris Williamson): 44 Harsh Truths About The Game Of Life - Naval Ravikant (4K)
• Real Coffee with Scott Adams: Conversation with Naval Ravikant

In this episode, we immerse ourselves in the potent juices of the manosphere with British journalist and author James Bloodworth. James recently published Lost Boys: A Personal Journey Through the Manosphere and takes us on a whirlwind tour of various misogynistic and anti-feminist subcultures, including pickup artists, incels, and the blue, red, and black pill communities. Drawing on his personal experiences and research, James discusses the appeal and dangers of the manosphere, touching on themes such as insecure masculinity and the commodification of social interactions. We also get into some joyful political implications and consider the role of social media in spreading these messages. One for all the family!

Links

• Lost Boys - Journey into the Manosphere
• James' Substack
• The Guardian – Journey into the Manosphere – Review of Lost Boys
• Prospect Magazine – Matthew Goodwin, Reform and the politics of resentment – Bloodworth’s recent article on Matt Goodwin

We drown in waves of ideological fluidity as the gurusphere continues to crash all around us.

Supplementary Material 34

00:00 Introduction

01:26 Irish Stew and Dog Exercise Report

03:45 A new 276 IQ Genius

11:47 Fresh and Fit Antisemitism

16:51 Are things getting dumber?

21:22 Asmongold on the Epstein Files

24:53 Epstein Conspiratorial Discourse helps Ghislaine Maxwell

29:00 Vinay Prasad resigns from his MAGA position

31:17 Eric Weinstein is the Architect of the Great Reset!

32:37 Google Eyed Loons vs. Willing Apparatchik

36:40 The Young Turks are joined by... Scott Adams

38:51 Ana Kasparian sits down with Tucker Carlson

44:46 Jimmy the Giant enters the arena

46:11 Jimmy the Giant meets Konstantin Kisin

57:12 Debating the Middle Class YouTube Grifters

01:06:15 The Gurusphere Grift

01:08:16 Jimmy the Giant reflects on his performance

01:11:16 Discourse standards for Research

01:15:05 Jimmy defends his criticisms

01:22:27 Jimmy the Giant deletes his videos and apologises to Konstantin

01:28:04 The Call to Action to support the Grand Mission

01:32:32 Separating Issues from Support of Influencers

01:37:13 Jimmy the Giant explains how the Elites created Wokeness

01:47:16 Woke Wars and Psyops

01:49:33 The Right Wing Media Outrage Ecosystem

01:55:26 False Consciousness and the Billionaires

02:02:47 AI limitations and Hallucinations

02:07:08 Post Hoc-Reasoning in AI and People

02:14:22 Outro

The full episode is available for Patreon subscribers (2hrs 16 mins).

Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus

Sources

• Younghoon Kim: World’s Highest IQ Score (276) Scientifically Documented in New Academic Preprint
• Fresh and Fit idiots being giggly anti-semitic and praising Hitler
• Joanne Freeman: The Field of Blood: Violence in Congress and the Road to Civil War
• Ghislaine Maxwell moved to Federal prison camp in Texas
• Comment on the move from Prison Consultant
• Poor Vinay Prasad – The Disgraceful Campaign Against a Top FDA Official
• Eric responds to accusations that he is the mastermind behind the Great Replacement
• TYT’s The Conversation: Scott Adams Reflects on Life after his Terminal Cancer Diagnosis
• Ana Kasparian on the Tucker Carlson show
• Clips from now deleted Triggernometry video: He Called me a Grifter… it didn’t go so well
• Konstantin complaining about now-deleted Jimmy the Giant video: So… I went on Konstantin’s podcast
• Gary’s Economics: Immigration, the alt-right, the left and young men – Gary meets JimmyTheGiant
• Reddit thread on the now-deleted Jimmy the Giant video – The Middle Class British Grifter Explained
• Jimmy the Giant – How I Escaped the Alt-Right Pipeline
• Jimmy’s Heartfelt apology to Konstantin
• Konstantin and Francis reflect on the growth of Triggernometry: What's Next for TRIGGERnometry?
• Jimmy the Giant - Did I Escape the Alt-Right.. Just to Be Brainwashed?

In this exhausting deep dive, Matt and Chris take a break from counting their billionaire stipends to devote (what some might call) an inordinate amount of time to Gary Stevenson’s recent appearance with a challenging interviewer: Tomás from Despolariza. They grapple with the indeterminacy of Schrödinger’s Gary, who oscillates between being an economic and mathematical genius revealing what THEY don’t want you to know on YouTube, and a pragmatic but selfless political activist who oversimplifies complex problems and sacrifices nuance (and himself) in the name of urgent reform.

Despite insisting that he hates fame and has no desire to promote his best-selling book or be a popular YouTuber, Gary takes the time to remind us all of how often he’s recognised on the street and precisely how many millions of views his channel racks up each month. These are depressingly familiar guru tropes, as are his sweeping claims that you can’t trust politicians, economists, academics, journalists, the media, his old colleagues… or even graphs.

Gary’s core message that growing inequality is economically and politically unsustainable is an important one. And his ability to communicate the stakes of that problem to a large audience could be beneficial. So the criticism lies not with his stated goals but with the guru-tastic packaging and unwillingness to deal with complexity.

Luckily, there is a solution... Gary. Only he and his YouTube channel can save your grandchildren from abject poverty and Nigel Farage. And if you doubt him, just look at how many millions he made for himself and the bank with his uncanny predictions… or those monthly viewer stats. Oh, and did we mention he has an elite education from LSE?

Links

• #89 GARY STEVENSON - Economics, Trading, Inequality, Wealth, Populism, Tax, Depolarize.
• Zucman, G. (2015). The hidden wealth of nations: The scourge of tax havens. In The hidden wealth of nations. University of Chicago Press.
• Francis-Devine, B. (2025). Income inequality in the UK. House of Commons Library.
• Francis-Devine, B. (2025). Wealth in Great Britain. House of Commons Library.

In this mini-decoding, Matt and Chris examine Sabine Hossenfelder's recent fervent defence of Eric Weinstein and her sharp rebuke of his critics, including Sean Carroll. Sabine suggests that Eric poses a genuine threat to the physics establishment and that he is terrifying them by exposing their weak points. Moreover, according to Sabine, Geometric Unity, Eric's homegrown Theory of Everything, is on par with String Theory, if not better, since it wastes less money! This episode takes a critical look at those claims and Sabine's own heated rhetoric and performative outrage, examining how her defence of Eric aligns with a broader online anti-science contrarian ecosystem.

So join us as we ponder whether Sabine is a brave, truth-telling rebel challenging a stagnant scientific orthodoxy and defending an honest man who is under attack for simply daring to question the powers that be... or whether she is just another contrarian YouTuber pandering to anti-science sentiment, defending fellow influencers, and playing the game of algorithm-driven clickbait outrage.

Links

- Sabine Hossenfelder: Physicists are afraid of Eric Weinstein -- and they should be

- Sabine Hossenfelder: Do we need a Theory of Everything?

- Decoding the Gurus: Sabine Hossenfelder: Science is a Liar ... Sometimes

- Professor Dave Explains: Sabine Hossenfelder Joins the Eric Weinstein Damage Control Parade

- Sabine cheers on Bryan Johnson on Twitter

- Tim Nguyen discusses Sabine's response on Twitter

- Dr. Brian Keating: What Is A Theory of Everything? Featuring Sabine Hossenfelder, Lee Smolin, & Eric Weinstein

In this packed supplementary episode, we tackle all of the urgent global issues, ranging from Epstein file conspiracies to Matt’s immense love of a fantasy game where dwarves punch ducks for fun. Along the way, we’re joined by a stellar cast of commentators, including some old favourites. Strap in… it’s a long one.

Supplementary Material 33

00:00 Introductory Banter: Old Squeaky and Matt's Wall

04:40 Mecha Hitler's rampage

07:46 Grok's Controversial Behavior

11:12 Linda Yaccarino's grinning departure from X

13:05 Elmo's anti-semitic conspiracy tirade

14:11 Connor McGregor taints the timeline

15:03 Eric joins Diary of a CEO to give some advice

23:07 The Weinstein enigma

28:11 Eric Weinstein on Jeffrey Epstein

33:02 Eric vs. Mick West Round 2

35:15 Plastic Bag Wearing Philosophers, Pornographic AI Companions, and Neo-Liberalism 

41:45 Weinstein vs Sean Carrol: Further Developments

43:57 Professor Dave's New Video on Eric with Christian Ferko

50:44 A Physicist's view of Geometric Unity

54:06 Debating Prof. Dave on Eric's Motivations

59:04 Peter Thiel and Ross Douhat on the Antichrist

01:08:31 Professor Dave Summarises Eric

01:20:49 Mockery and Different Styles of Criticism

01:25:18 Jeffrey Epstein Scandal Introduction

01:28:09 Trump's Response and Conspiracy Theories

01:31:18 Andrew Schulz' Cognitive Dissonance

01:38:32 Trump's Deep State Assassination Attempt

01:40:01 Megyn Kelly has another explanation

01:46:15 The Court Intrigues of MAGA

01:50:02 The Epstein Online Economy

01:57:54 Tim Pool's spin: It's the Democrats!

02:00:26 Destiny and Contrapoints get Conspiracy Theories

02:01:53 The Weinstein takes on Epstein: Welcome to the Infinite Truman Show

02:03:33 Scott Adams' Take: A Commander In Chief Issue

02:04:42 Epstein: The Foreign Agent?

02:07:20 Coffeezilla's Anomaly Hunting

02:11:47 Destiny Reacting to Coffeezilla and the Fluidity of Conspiracies

02:18:06 Doing Your Own Research on the Acosta Quote

02:20:29 Epstein Takes From QAnon Anonymous to Red Scare 

02:25:18 Critical Evaluation of Claims: Consulting Reports on Epstein's Suicide

02:35:55 Hasan demonstrates responsible Conspiracy Hypothesising

02:39:34 New Conspiracy Lore

02:42:19 Tribal Matters

02:43:31 Matt's Gaming Grotto: Baldurs Gates, Dwarf Fortresses, and Rogue Traders

02:53:40 Matt's Sick Mind

02:54:57 Outro

The full episode is available for Patreon subscribers (2hrs 57 mins).

Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus

Sources

• Jeremy Howard’s Tweet
• Mecha Hitler Twitter (The Guardian)
• Elmo Hacked (The Guardian)
• Conor McGregor Shares Unsolicited Pics (Daily Mail)
• Stephen Bartlett Reprimanded by ASA (Marketing Week)
• Eric Being Mysterious with Mick West (Twitter)
• Mick West Replies to Eric (Twitter)
• Novara Media: Kneecap, Masculinity & Techno w/ Blindboy (YouTube)
• Eric’s Rebuttal Tweet to Sean Carroll
• Professor Dave Explains: Eric Weinstein Walks Into a Bar... (YouTube)
• A.I., Mars & Immortality | Ross Douthat (YouTube)
• Goodwork Parody of Thiel’s PR Agent (YouTube Shorts)
• Podcast Cringe: Andrew Schulz & Epstein Files (YouTube)
• Contrapoints: CONSPIRACY (YouTube)
• Voidzilla: Epstein Footage Was Modified (YouTube)
• Daily Beast: Epstein’s Sick Story
• QAnon Anonymous Ep 332: The Great Epstein Backstab
• Red Scare Podcast: Grok of Shit
• NPR: Jean-Luc Brunel Found Dead
• Destiny: FBI Releases Epstein Footage (YouTube)
• HasanAbi Archive: Epstein Cover-Up (YouTube)
• Some Dare Call it Conspiracy Podcast: Epstein Series

In this episode of "Decoding Academia: Required Readings", Chris and Matt take a joint stroll through the history of Buddhism through Donald S. Lopez Jr.'s latest book, 'Buddhism: A Journey Through History.' We discuss the unexpected historical and cultural facets of Buddhism, how modern interpretations can often romanticise ancient practices, and whether Matt's mind has been blown. We also consider important issues like the Buddha's retractable penis, incredibly long tongue, and just how strongly we should condemn monks scribbling pictures of their would-be brides. So join us in the cycle of samsara as we strive to earn some merit and at least crawl a little closer to enlightenment.

Book Reviewed

• Lopez, D. S. (2025). Buddhism: A Journey through History. Yale University Press.

Required Readings - Buddhism A Journey Through History

00:00 Introduction to Decoding Academia

01:51 Current Book Selection: Buddhism a Journey Through History

02:56 Initial Impressions and Apologies

06:00 Buddhism's Complexities and Contradictions

07:59 Western Perceptions vs. Historical Realities

11:27 The Historical Buddha?

17:09 Buddhist Approaches to Texts

22:09 Comparisons with Other Religions

26:38 Orthopraxic Buddhism

29:53 Petty Buddhism

34:20 Matt's Religion Hot Take

37:17 Ashoka: The Buddhist King?

39:02 Buddhism's Syncretic Nature

39:35 The Syncretic Approach

42:49 Anti-Colonial Buddhism

43:44 Buddhist Modernism and Science

46:58 The Buddhist Canon

51:26 Matt's History Thoughts

53:06 Buddhism's Cultural and Social Role

55:55 Gods and Supernatural Beings

56:48 The Attitude towards Women

59:36 The Value of Buddhism

01:03:35 Religions as Cultural Technologies with Social Functions

01:05:54 Monastic Issues

01:12:51 Religious Motivations

01:14:38 Outro

The full episode is available for Patreon subscribers (1hr 17 mins).

Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus

In this academic-themed interview episode of Decoding the Gurus, Matt and Chris sit down to chat with Dorsa Amir and Chaz Firestone (@chazfirestone) about their recent paper 'Is Visual Perception WEIRD? The Müller-Lyer Illusion and the Cultural Byproduct Hypothesis.'

In a conversation that serves as a welcome tonic to the endless lamentations of the gurus about academic groupthink and closed-minded silos, Dorsa and Chaz discuss the interdisciplinary nature of their work, debates around universal vs. culturally specific psychology, and the strength of evidence that visual perception varies between cultures.

We also learn about the dangers of being STUPID: Studying Topics Uninformed by Prior Investigations in the Discipline, and attempt to uncover just how much Chaz enjoys popping balloons.

A fun one that might even leave you a little bit more optimistic than usual!

Links

• Amir, D., & Firestone, C. (2025). Is visual perception WEIRD? The Müller-Lyer illusion and the cultural byproduct hypothesis. Psychological Review.
• Dorsa's Homepage and Mind and Culture Lab.
• Chaz's Perception & Mind Lab Homepage, his instagram, and his BJJ victory video.
• Decoding Academia 33: The Great Müller-Lyer Debate from Fish Tanks to Eye Operations
• Mickey Inzlicht's Substack on the Paper and the Debates around it.
• Henrich, J., Heine, S. J., & Norenzayan, A. (2010). The weirdest people in the world?. Behavioral and brain sciences, 33(2-3), 61-83.
• Lucca, K., Yuen, F., Wang, Y., Alessandroni, N., Allison, O., Alvarez, M., ... & Hamlin, J. K. (2025). Infants’ Social Evaluation of Helpers and Hinderers: A Large‐Scale, Multi‐Lab, Coordinated Replication Study. Developmental Science, 28(1), e13581.