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Who's your guru?
Who's Your Guru? (and is Slavoj Žižek any good?)
Sam, Joe and Ali discuss gurus, including the online type:
- our times are thick with public intellectuals, influencers, and self-proclaimed experts
- Sam's frequent references to Slavoj Žižek, and Joe's conclusion that he doesn't make much sense, and isn't much chop intellectually.
- Sam on literal guru worship in the Hare Krishnas - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Society_for_Krishna_Consciousness
- should we just speak for ourselves, rather than filter our thoughts or present them in relation to influential figures?
- figures like Jordan Peterson, Douglas Murray
- the resort to online gurus during times of uncertainty, about how to know and think (the so-called epistemological crisis)
- A few of Joe's past figures get a mention: Stephen Pinker, Michael Shellenberger,
- how problematic it can be when these gurus leave their area of expertise
- many people will detect that guru lane drift, but many others still trust their Guru's every word, which is perhaps the whole point of gurus
- the power of dialogue with other humans in understanding our own internally competing perspectives, and helping us evaluate information and perception
- striving for clarity amidst an overload of information.
Useful sources:
- The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (peer reviewed) - Zizek entry https://iep.utm.edu/zizek/
- Zizek Wikipedia
- Zizek wikiquote
- Some key Zizek ideas from The Conversation
Creators & Guests
- (00:00) - Introduction and Hosts
00:00 Introduction and Hosts
00:28 Topic inro: Online Gurus
00:41 Slavoj Žižek
02:52 Growing up with guru worship in the Hare Krishnas
04:22 The Dangers of Guru Worship
05:57 The Influence of Public Intellectuals
11:31 The Impact of Social Media on Gurus
15:33 The Crisis of Trust in Modern Media
28:13 Capitalism and Media Coverage
28:34 The Search for a Reliable Source
29:01 Disappointment in Trusted Institutions
29:53 The Role of Institutions and Individual Sources
32:08 The Struggle with Information Overload
32:48 The Burden of Individual Choice
34:42 The Quest for Understanding and Trust
36:09 The Fear of Uncertainty and the Search for a Guru
38:15 The Dangers of Single-Source Reliance
40:16 The Role of Dialogue in Understanding
44:19 The Challenge of Finding Clarity in Chaos
00:28 Topic inro: Online Gurus
00:41 Slavoj Žižek
02:52 Growing up with guru worship in the Hare Krishnas
04:22 The Dangers of Guru Worship
05:57 The Influence of Public Intellectuals
11:31 The Impact of Social Media on Gurus
15:33 The Crisis of Trust in Modern Media
28:13 Capitalism and Media Coverage
28:34 The Search for a Reliable Source
29:01 Disappointment in Trusted Institutions
29:53 The Role of Institutions and Individual Sources
32:08 The Struggle with Information Overload
32:48 The Burden of Individual Choice
34:42 The Quest for Understanding and Trust
36:09 The Fear of Uncertainty and the Search for a Guru
38:15 The Dangers of Single-Source Reliance
40:16 The Role of Dialogue in Understanding
44:19 The Challenge of Finding Clarity in Chaos
View all episodes
By Sam Ellis, Joe Loh and Ali CatramadosWho's Your Guru? (and is Slavoj Žižek any good?)
Sam, Joe and Ali discuss gurus, including the online type:
- our times are thick with public intellectuals, influencers, and self-proclaimed experts
- Sam's frequent references to Slavoj Žižek, and Joe's conclusion that he doesn't make much sense, and isn't much chop intellectually.
- Sam on literal guru worship in the Hare Krishnas - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Society_for_Krishna_Consciousness
- should we just speak for ourselves, rather than filter our thoughts or present them in relation to influential figures?
- figures like Jordan Peterson, Douglas Murray
- the resort to online gurus during times of uncertainty, about how to know and think (the so-called epistemological crisis)
- A few of Joe's past figures get a mention: Stephen Pinker, Michael Shellenberger,
- how problematic it can be when these gurus leave their area of expertise
- many people will detect that guru lane drift, but many others still trust their Guru's every word, which is perhaps the whole point of gurus
- the power of dialogue with other humans in understanding our own internally competing perspectives, and helping us evaluate information and perception
- striving for clarity amidst an overload of information.
Useful sources:
- The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (peer reviewed) - Zizek entry https://iep.utm.edu/zizek/
- Zizek Wikipedia
- Zizek wikiquote
- Some key Zizek ideas from The Conversation
Creators & Guests
- (00:00) - Introduction and Hosts
00:00 Introduction and Hosts
00:28 Topic inro: Online Gurus
00:41 Slavoj Žižek
02:52 Growing up with guru worship in the Hare Krishnas
04:22 The Dangers of Guru Worship
05:57 The Influence of Public Intellectuals
11:31 The Impact of Social Media on Gurus
15:33 The Crisis of Trust in Modern Media
28:13 Capitalism and Media Coverage
28:34 The Search for a Reliable Source
29:01 Disappointment in Trusted Institutions
29:53 The Role of Institutions and Individual Sources
32:08 The Struggle with Information Overload
32:48 The Burden of Individual Choice
34:42 The Quest for Understanding and Trust
36:09 The Fear of Uncertainty and the Search for a Guru
38:15 The Dangers of Single-Source Reliance
40:16 The Role of Dialogue in Understanding
44:19 The Challenge of Finding Clarity in Chaos
00:28 Topic inro: Online Gurus
00:41 Slavoj Žižek
02:52 Growing up with guru worship in the Hare Krishnas
04:22 The Dangers of Guru Worship
05:57 The Influence of Public Intellectuals
11:31 The Impact of Social Media on Gurus
15:33 The Crisis of Trust in Modern Media
28:13 Capitalism and Media Coverage
28:34 The Search for a Reliable Source
29:01 Disappointment in Trusted Institutions
29:53 The Role of Institutions and Individual Sources
32:08 The Struggle with Information Overload
32:48 The Burden of Individual Choice
34:42 The Quest for Understanding and Trust
36:09 The Fear of Uncertainty and the Search for a Guru
38:15 The Dangers of Single-Source Reliance
40:16 The Role of Dialogue in Understanding
44:19 The Challenge of Finding Clarity in Chaos