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PODCAST

Decoding the Gurus

Christopher Kavanagh and Matthew Browne

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

society & culture social sciences

All Episodes

44:10

Supplementary Material 47: The DTG Conspiracy...

Decoding the Gurus ·

2026/04/03

Our cover is blown. Our secret funders unmasked. Code Red: Abort! Abort! This is not a drill.Supplementary Material 47: The DTG Conspiracy UNMASKED, Quantum Idiots, and Triggernometry Prophecies00:00 Glowing Introduction03:14 The Secret Conspiracy at the Heart of the Podcast08:17 The Israel Connection19:09 Cenk Uygur's Pickleball Conspiracy23:25 Comment Section Conspiracies30:20 Pizzagate Conspiracies Revisited37:55 The Value of debating with ChadBigCum42:26 AI discourse reflections43:43 Ben

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01:38:08

The Moral Dilemmas of AI with Michael Inzlicht

Decoding the Gurus ·

2026/03/28

MickeyisBACKwithtwonewpapershehasco-authored,abunchofopinions,andaveryunwelcomeidea:maybetheproblemwithAIisn'tthatitdoesn'tworkbutthatitworkstoowell!Thefirstpaper,AgainstFrictionlessAI,arguesthatAIassistanceanditsabilitytotakeawaytheeffortfromthinking,writing,andsmoothoutsocial(like)interactionscouldberobbingthoseactivitiesoftheverythingthatmakesthemworthwhile.Thesecondpaperisamoreempiricalinvestigationthatpresentsabunchofstudiesexaminingthetopicofthe(alleged)moralisationofAI.Somefindingssuggestthato

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02:38:38

Ken Wilber: Spiralling Upwards through a Technicolor...

Decoding the Gurus ·

2026/03/22

Ken Wilber, the grand architect of Integral Theory, enters the Decoding chamber (wearing a striking but slightly unconvincing wig) as we explore a worldview that confidently absorbs every religion, philosophy, and half-remembered psychology paper into one majestic, Borg-like synthesis. Resistance, as it turns out, is not just futile... it is probably “first-tier thinking".This is a world of elaborate, baroque cosmologies. Layers within layers, quadrants within stages, spirals within states, with

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19:00

Gurometer: Teal Swan and Scott Galloway

Decoding the Gurus ·

2026/03/18

In this Gurometer double bill, Matt and Chris break out the much-sought-after Gurometer™ to score Teal Swan and Scott Galloway across the 11 recurring guru traits. In one efficient episode, we compare cosmic-certified spirituality with secular man-talk (and a surprising amount of puffer-jacket merchandising). As a bonus, get ready to thrill at Matt's eternal puzzlement at his own simple binary question of 'guru-osity'.LinksGurometer scores to dateThe full episode is available for Patreon subscribers

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36:46

Supplementary Material 46: Epstein Did...

Decoding the Gurus ·

2026/03/15

In our never-ending quest to alienate all potential online audiences, we finger-wag about rampant Epstein conspiracism and explain why we are, on balance, anti-murder.The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (2 hours, 42 minutes).Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurusIn our never-ending quest to alienate all potential online audiences, we finger-wag about rampant Epstein conspiracism and explain why we are, on balance, anti-murder.00:00 Intro03:39 Flooding Adventures06:54

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01:49:05

Blindboy, Part 2: Where Have All the Good Men Gone?

Decoding the Gurus ·

2026/03/14

In Part 2, Matt and Chris return to Blindboy, now broadcasting from a solar-powered podcast and therefore morally unimpeachable. The darkness, however, remains. Having established in Part 1 that the global elite are a vampiric class of depraved blackmailers who traffic children and delight in cruelty, in Part 2, Blindboy offers us some welcome relief in the form of answering the question of what it looks like to be one of the good ones. You may be surprised to learn that it involves a missing

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02:32:44

Blindboy, Part 1: Unmasking the Evil Elite Cabal

Decoding the Gurus ·

2026/03/06

In this episode, Matt and Chris turn their attention to Blindboy Boatclub, the Irish podcaster, satirist, and former member of the Rubberbandits. Blindboy is recognisable for his plastic-bag headwear, which has transitioned from a comedy prop into something a bit deeper and more philosophical. His podcast blends ASMR-style delivery, stream-of-consciousness storytelling, and cultural and political commentary, drifting between reflections on mental health, colonialism, Irish history, and the origins

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01:13:09

Decoding Academia: Moral Entrepreneurs, Measurement...

Decoding the Gurus ·

2026/02/27

Another episode where the guest is not a sense-making prophet or a galaxy-brained guru, as we engage in academic dialogos with Oxford psychologist Andrew Przybylski. This is a preview of our Decoding Academia series on Patreon (now 30+ episodes deep), where we swap internet gurus and rhetoric for actual researchers and empirical debates.Andrew’s work spans motivation, gaming, and digital technology. His most recent crime is that he studies the impact of technology and has not found evidence that it

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33:43

Supplementary Material 45: Mick Drops, The Weinstein...

Decoding the Gurus ·

2026/02/19

We return to some old friends, and almost immediately, we regret the decision. Also, get ready for some heady insights from history, a new conspiracy hypothesis, and Game Theory based insights.The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (1 hour, 37 minutes).Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurusSupplementary Material 4500:00 Introduction01:15 Mick Drop04:44 Scott Galloway's Favourite Conservative06:37 Konstantin Kisin: Neither Right Nor Left11:51 Insane Ad Reads in

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37:16

Decoding Academia 35: When Prophecy Fails Debunked?...

Decoding the Gurus ·

2026/02/16

Ever heard of cognitive dissonance? That thing a psychology lecturer might have explained to you once upon a time, likely using the same UFO cult example everyone else uses. Well, a new paper by Thomas Kelly suggests that the UFO cult example might have been ever so slightly oversold.Kelly's archival work suggests that the researchers didn't just observe the cult as reported. Instead, they infiltrated it, faked supernatural experiences, assumed quasi-leadership roles, and then wrote up the results

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02:59:07

Teal Swan: All Hail Source

Decoding the Gurus ·

2026/02/13

Cult Season rumbles on as Chris and Matt expand their minds in an attempt to absorb the cosmic insights of spiritual influencer and alleged cult leader Teal Swan (born Mary Teal Bosworth, 1984). Our intrepid hosts explore her recent appearance on the Just Tap In podcast with Emilio “starchild” Ortiz — a beanie-wearing vessel of pure credulity, lobbing softball metaphysical questions gently into the astral winds.The topic covered is ostensibly “Major 2026 Predictions” but this is really just an entry

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22:58

Decoding Academia 34: Empathetic AIs? (Patreon Series)

Decoding the Gurus ·

2026/02/12

In this Decoding Academia episode, we take a look at a 2025 paper by Daria Ovsyannikova, Victoria Olden, and Mickey Inzlicht, asking a question that might make some people uncomfortable/angry, specifically, are AI-generated responses perceived as more empathetic than those written by actual humans?We walk through the design in detail (including why this is a genuinely severe test), hand out deserved open-science brownie points, and discuss why AI seems to excel particularly when responding to

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01:35:22

The Rise of the Science Populists with Sam Gregson...

Decoding the Gurus ·

2026/02/09

In this interview episode, we are joined by physicists Sam Gregson (Bad Boy of Science YouTube channel) and Tim Henke to examine the rise of science populism: a style of science communication that borrows the tactics of political populism, including grievance narratives, institutional distrust, and conspiratorial framing, while presenting its advocates as lone truth-tellers battling a corrupt academic elite.We discuss how DTG favourites like Sabine Hossenfelder and Eric Weinstein, as well as fresh

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32:31

Supplementary Material 44: Peasant Archmages, Moral...

Decoding the Gurus ·

2026/02/07

We descend once more into the Gurusphere, encountering secret peasant archmages, decline narratives, Epstein emails, and endless moral panics.The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (1 hour, 37 minutes).Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus00:00 SM 44 PF00:23 Introduction01:30 Konstantin Kisin: Not Left Or Right, Just Right05:20 Boghossian is shocked by pessimistic French people08:50 Konstantin and Warren Smith as relics of the anti-SJW era12:45 A PSA! Hyper Capitalism

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01:32:22

Open Science, Psychology, and the Art of Not Quite...

Decoding the Gurus ·

2026/01/30

In a rare departure from our usual diet of online weirdos, this episode features an academic who is very much not a guru. We’re joined by Julia Rohrer, a psychologist at Leipzig University whose work straddles the disciplinary boundaries of open science, research transparency, and causal inference. Julia is also an editor at Psychological Science and has spent much of the last decade politely pointing out that psychologists often don’t quite know what they’re estimating, why, or under which

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21:43

Supplementary Material 43: Red-Blooded Americans,...

Decoding the Gurus ·

2026/01/24

We crawl around the dark crevices of the internet so you don't have to. And what wonders we have to show you...ThefullepisodeisavailabletoPatreonsubscribers(1hour,34minutes).Joinusat:https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurusSupplementary Material 4300:00 Introduction and Banter Allotment01:23 The Hypocrisy of the Defenders of Western Civilisation10:07 An Optimistic Take?17:02 Scott Adams' Controversial Legacy18:43 Scott Alexander's Rationalist Eulogy for Scott Adams32:31 A Final Tribute to Scott

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03:08:41

Scott Galloway, Part 2: Peak Masculinity

Decoding the Gurus ·

2026/01/23

We return for Part 2 of our Scott Galloway deep dive, where the vibes remain strong, the confidence unwavering, and the relationship with empirical evidence increasingly… decorative.Returning to our Modern Wisdom safari, we continue navigating the forbidden terrain of men, masculinity, and male suffering: a topic so dangerous that it requires constant ritual disclaimers, whispered caveats, and the occasional nervous glance around the bar to make sure we can take out the other men if necessary.We

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34:41

Supplementary Material 42: Chimpanzee Testicles, Home...

Decoding the Gurus ·

2026/01/08

We dig deep into the online world to DO OUR OWN RESEARCH and return with horrors never dreamt of by man.ThefullepisodeisavailabletoPatreonsubscribers(1hour,23minutes).Joinusat:https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurusSupplementary Material 4200:00 Introduction11:13 Rogan and Shane Gillis on Nick Fuentes vs Piers Morgan17:49 Jimmy Carr's Physics Insights24:00 The comedian shuffle25:12 Andrew Huberman teams up with Goop!30:41 Huberman injects his dog with testosterone.32:09 Bryan Johnson and the secret

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02:51:19

Scott Galloway, Part 1: On Men

Decoding the Gurus ·

2026/01/04

We return to the podcast circuit in 2026 to examine Scott Galloway: NYU professor, prolific podcaster, and, more recently, part-time life coach for struggling young men.Joining him on an episode of Modern Wisdom with Chris Williamson, we are invited into one of the few remaining forbidden conversational spaces: men, masculinity, and men’s problems. You may have been misled by the relentless popularity of Joe Rogan, Modern Wisdom, The Tucker Carlson Show, Triggernometry, The Diary of a CEO, Huberman

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01:29:31

The Replication Crisis Christmas Quiz w/ Mickey...

Decoding the Gurus ·

2025/12/25

In this festive descent into methodological despair, Chris and Matt convene a secret cabal of elite psychology podcasters within the Decoding Cloister, operating under the distant yet reassuring gaze of Arch-Wizard Paul Bloom, whose role is largely ceremonial but nonetheless morally binding.Joining them are Dave Pizarro (Very Bad Wizards) and Michael Inzlicht (Two Psychologists Four Beers, emeritus), for what can only be described as an end-of-year audit of social psychology’s moral character.What

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