The Paranoid Strain

By Fearful JesuitSociety & Culture History

The Paranoid Strain episodes

May 04, 2021 New: Secret Societies I, Part 4 - Knights Templar 2
And so we move on to the fourth installment of our Secret Societies series, where we get to the heart of the historical story of the rise and fall of the Knights Templar. Thrill to tales of papal interrogation! Hiss at the dastardly Prince Philip IV, and his sinister plans for the holy knights! Unearth the whispered rumors of the Knights' strange initiation rituals! Be slightly confused by a quick digression to 21st Century Oklahoma! I tells ya, this episode has it all. Enjoy, and as always, check out our sister shows on That's Not Canon.

The Templars by Dan Jones
The Templars by Michael Haag
All music copyright 2021 The Paranoid Strain Orchestra
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42 min
April 21, 2021 New: Secret Societies I, Part 3 - Crusades and the Knights Templar
Day late, but definitely no dollars short, we bring you the beginning of our in-depth analyses of historical secret societies with one of the most interesting and legendary of them all--the Knights Templar. Before we fill you in on these guys, though, we also provide a capsule biography of the conflict that brought them into existence, the Crusades. Oh, and we also used the term "weltanschauung" in this episode when we meant to say "zeitgeist", but live by the unnecessary German expression, die by the unnecessary German expression, as they say. See you in two weeks with a continuation of the Templar saga. And check out our sister show Books Boys, while you're at it.

The Templars by Dan Jones
The Templars by Michael Haag
All music copyright 2021 The Paranoid Strain Orchestra
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
28 min
April 06, 2021 New: Secret Societies I, Part 2 - Temple of Solomon and Other Ancient Secrets
When the new episode train starts runnin', you know you best get out of the way. And so we barrel down the tracks to episode 2, which is still technically part of the introduction to this monster of a topic, if you can believe it. Here, we cover a bit more of the Eleusinian mysteries, some additional weirdness involving Pythagoras, the ideas behind hermeticism, and of course the mysteries of Solomon's Temple. We learn some more about how ancient secret societies may have influenced, and been influenced by, Christianity, and how this intermingling of ideas would impact future secret societies. Plus, we've got some dumbfucks saying dumbfuck things about all of the above. Enjoy, and we'll see you in another couple of weeks. Oh--and please do check out our sister show, Bros and Brews, whose promo is at the end of this episode.

Great Courses: The Real History of Secret Societies, By Richard D. Spence
Historical Introduction to the New Testament and Lost Christianities by Bart D. Ehrman
All music copyright 2021 The Paranoid Strain Orchestra
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
33 min
March 23, 2021 New: Secret Societies I, Part 1 - Introduction and the Eleusinian Mysteries
Holy shit, we're BACK, BAYBEE! This is the first of a projected we-have-no-real-idea-how-many shows we're doing on Secret Societies. All we do know is that from now until we wrap up the Illuminati, it's all new content for a long while. Thanks for sticking with us during our production hiatus. We couldn't be more excited to share what we've learned about all of the various real and imaginary groups that conspiracy theorists think are behind everything that happens in the world. In standard Paranoid Strain fashion, though, we've got some table setting to do, and so in this episode we do that, along with defining secret societies, going as far back into history as records allow to discuss the very earliest of these groups that we can speculate about, and introduce our guide through this series, Dr. Richard Spence. We hope you love exploring this stuff as much as we have.

Great Courses: The Real History of Secret Societies, By Richard D. Spence
Cults, Conspiracies, and Secret Societies, by Arthur Goldwag
All Music Copyright 2021 The Paranoid Strain Orchestra
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
35 min
March 15, 2021 Archive: Episode 17, Part 7
And now, the end is near, and Episode 17, Reality Show 1's archive presentation faces...the final curtain. The important thing to know is that this part, part seven--the final part...it did it seven's way. This is, indeed, the final part of our archive shows for now, and it deals with one incredibly silly book, which we enjoyed beating up once, and will probably have the opportunity to take some shots at again in the future. That finality also means that this is the last week of old content before the new shows hit your feed. Secret Societies part one is seven days away, and we can't wait to share it with you. Also, please do check out the very clever show Therapy for Monsters, on the That's Not Canon network, where each episode, one monster, villain, or other gets on the couch and tries to figure out where it all went wrong, safely in the care of a concerned clinician. It's a super-clever concept, and we think you should take a gander.
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28 min
March 08, 2021 Archive: Episode 17, Part 6
Coming into the home stretch, it's part six and seven neck and neck. Seven surges ahead but NO! LOOK AT THAT! Six has come up behind and wins by a nose! And that's the story of how part six of our originally much larger Reality Show part 1 burst into your feed. Better luck next time, seven! This time, we cover some completely nonsensical conjectures about reality, like The Mandela Effect and the Time Cube, explore some real bummer philosophy about the evolution of consciousness, and talk somewhat about that one really good True Detective season. Enjoy. Our podcast plug this week is for Oof, Right in the Childhood!, on the That's Not Canon network. The show, week by week, tackles every single Disney animated film from a historical, narrative, and sociological context. And it's got purty pictures.
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45 min
March 01, 2021 Archive: Episode 17, Part 5
Number Five...IS ALIVE! That joke meant nothing to the vast majority of you, but for a few middle-aged listeners, it brought the kind of smile that only a Fisher Stevens in brownface can induce. This piece of our shattered Reality Part 1 episode deals with more sciencey stuff, addressing the longstanding issue of why, exactly, there is anything at all, much less the grandeur of the universe we see. Could it have been otherwise? Listen in and find out (spoiler--we still don't know). Plus, we make fun of that dickhead Deepak Chopra. Fun for all. And check out our fellow TNC show Mistholme Museum of Mystery Morbidity and Mortality. It's one of the best fiction shows we've encountered, and its third season has just gotten started.
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33 min
February 22, 2021 Archive: Episode 17, Part 4
Part 4 has nestled safely into your podcast feed, just as your horoscope predicted. Today's segment of what was originally Episode 17, Reality Part 1 deals in a snack-sized way with how our most brilliant scientific minds have tried to poke, prod, and analyze reality using every tool at their disposal, only to find it continuing to wriggle away every time. But it turns out the real reality was the friends they made along the way. Our podcast partner in crime this week is Faunacation, a show about animals humping. But it's audio only, you sicko. It's a really cool show, so check it out.
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31 min
February 15, 2021 Archive: Episode 17, Part 3
Third time's the charm? Well, that's definitely the case here, as we settle into the third segment of our archive presentation of what was originally Episode 17, Reality Part 1. This segment features our full interview with Professor Martin Jay, a guy who has forgotten more about idealist philosophers than we will ever hope to learn. He offers some valuable insights on our topics, for which we are very grateful. Also, we throw in a little bit of Eastern philosophy stuff at the end. This week, we implore you to check out our sister show Nerds Amalgamated, which covers all kindsa stuff that geeky folks would like. Obviously, their show has the good taste to be a part of the That's Not Canon network.
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35 min
February 10, 2021 Archive Episode 17, Part 2
The time has come for the second part of our Archive presentation of Episode 17. This segment of our Reality Part 1 Episode is mostly concerned with the ideas of philosophers who are thought of as idealists, rather than materialists. These folks include Plato, Hume, Berkeley, Kant, and others who think that the mind is the primary thing we need to think about when we're dealing with reality, since that's the only way that anything gets thought about in the first place. We hope you enjoy it. While you're listening to podcasts, have you checked out 20-minute history, also on the That's Not Canon network? This show does a bangup job giving you bite-sized biographies of important historical figures you don't know, and even some you think you know, but could know better. You know? Check it out here: 20 Minute History — That's Not Canon Productions.
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19 min