In this special episode, we return to the forboding Dragon's Den of the Peterson-verse and enjoy a rather punchy conversation between Jordan Peterson and Richard Dawkins, facilitated by Alex O'Connor.

As always, the discussion is dense with abstract symbolic interpretations, evasive answers to direct questions about biblical events, and highly speculative claims. So Matt and Chris don their best decoding armour, steel their resolve, and prepare to face down endless waves of indulgent analogies and the constant conflation of mythological and scientific truths.

Important insights from Matt on American public toilets, shower technology, and stories of Chris' previous life as a coal-shovelling street urchin are also included.

Links

• Dawkins vs Peterson: Memes & Archetypes | Alex O’Connor Moderates | EP 491
• The Times: We Who Wrestle with God by Jordan Peterson review — rambling, hectoring and mad
• The Guardian: We Who Wrestle With God by Jordan Peterson review – a culture warrior out of his depth

Still in the land of the free and restocked with important new insights from his US travels, Matt is confronted with the Gurusphere's predictably depressing reaction to the election. And what's that we hear in the distance... is it a honking car?

Supplementary Material 18

00:00 Matt's American Ethnography

10:59 Eric Weinstein is waiting for the call

14:32 Huberman, Krauss, and MAGA Sycophancy

18:39 Boghossian and other would-be Intellectual Clerics of the MAGA regime

22:52 Sam Harris criticises Elon Musk, Joe Rogan, and MAGA

32:05 The Fifth Column, The Free Press and World Weary Both Sides-ing

53:19 Election Reflections: Macro and Micro Causes

01:04:40 Longer Term Trends

01:10:08 Sarah Haider and the Hip Vibe of the New Right

01:24:00 Richard Dawkins Dual Nature

01:31:08 A Plea to Sean Carroll and our Listeners

01:33:06 An important note on Bouldering

The full episode is available for Patreon subscribers (1hr 36 mins).

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

Links

• Eric's phone is not ringing
• Huberman making his pitch
• Krauss being a sycophant to Elon
• Boghossian's lack of interest in protests in Hungary
• Sam Harris Making Sense 391: The Reckoning
• A Special Place in Hell: Adios Amigos: The Special Place Finale
• That graph mentioned about the loss of support for incumbent regimes
• Dawkins being a fool on Twitter
• The Fifth Column: #234 - Come On and Zoom! (Wagnerian Opera Edition)

In this highly non-topical episode, Matt and Chris dive into the entertainingly gruff world of Sabine Hossenfelder, the German theoretical physicist and popular YouTube science communicator. Known as a joyful science curmudgeon, Sabine excels at making complex science accessible to a wide audience. Yet, there's another side to her content: one that's increasingly steeped in the YouTube algorithm’s culture-war-fueled clickbait, complete with prolific both-sidesing and even hints of her own brand of science-denialist rhetoric.

We can already imagine Sabine’s response: tone policing from establishment scolds who are trying to silence a fearless truth-teller for exposing academia’s dark underbelly. Perhaps that’s all it is—maybe Matt and Chris are aligned with BIG PHYSICS, out to quash any dissent about supersymmetry, string theory, or the academic publishing machine.

Or… maybe it’s something else. Maybe Sabine has pivoted to pander to the (so-hot-right-now) anti-establishment YouTube crowd, declaring that modern science has achieved nothing of value in 50 years and claiming that scientists (especially climate scientists) are too scared to challenge ideological dogmas for fear of jeopardizing their careers or funding.

It’s certainly one of those things.

Whatever the case, join Matt and Chris as they tackle this perplexing case of rhetorical indeterminacy, unpack YouTube audience dynamics, and delve into Sabine's unexpected alignments with Eric Weinstein and her 'sharp' critiques of Tucker Carlson.

Links

• Sabine Hossenfelder: The crisis in physics is real: Science is failing
• Sabine Hossenfelder: Fossil Fuels Don’t Come From Fossils? Tucker Carlson Fact Check
• Sabine Hossenfelder: My dream died, and now I'm here
• Sabine Hossenfelder: Theories of Everything [Music Video]
• Professor Dave Explains: The Problem With Sabine Hossenfelder
• Professor Dave Explains: No, Sabine, Science is Not Failing

Matt and Chris dip their toes into the fetid, guru-infested swamp surrounding the 2024 U.S. election. Straining to see what lurks in the murky depths, they encounter dark shapes, including Eric Weinstein pledging his services to whoever wins (or will give him a call), Joe Rogan conspiracy hypothesizing with Donald Trump, the Free Press hosting a truly heterodox election party, Michael Moynihan pulling no punches, and finally, Jordan Peterson’s shockingly sycophantic psychological assessment of Donald Trump and his cohort.

Join Chris and Matt as they navigate the election discourse swamp and the ever-unsettling convergence of internet personalities and political power, examining how these online figures function like the courtiers of old—gathering around their would-be kings, flattering them with pseudo-profound or sycophantic praise, and vying to secure their place in the new order.

All very cheerful stuff, we’re sure you’ll agree!

Links

• A Psychological Analysis of Trump’s Personality by Dr. Jordan B. Peterson | EP 492
• Professor Dave Explains: The Problem With Sabine Hossenfelder
• Matt Johnson's article on Joe Rogan: A Conspiracist for the Trump Era
• Joe Rogan Experience #2219 - Donald Trump
• Moynihan on Triggernometry: The Most Important Election in History - Michael Moynihan
• QAnon Anonymous: Episode 211: Tulsi Gabbard P1 (The Cult) feat Mike Prysner

In this episode, Chris and Matt open the lid on Matt's adventures in America. Basking in the land of the free, Matt is forced to consider YouTube dynamics, indulgent podcast conversations, potential Russian influence campaigns, and the environmental toxins that sound him.

We will return soon with another SM election special and a better mic for Matt!

Content

00:00 Introduction

03:20 Matt's American Insights

10:41 Flint Dibble, Graham Hancock & a silly racist

19:21 YouTube & Audience Capture with Andrew Gold

27:35 Justin Trudeau accuses Jordan Peterson of being Russian Funded

34:29 Bernie Sanders & Lex Fridman: What's the point?

47:24 Huberman's Latest PSA

52:20 Environmental Toxins and Modern Health Concerns

58:58 Outro

The full episode is available for Patreon subscribers (1hr 3 mins).

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

Links

• Express article on Hancock's work being used by racists
• National Post article on Peterson's response to Trudeau's accusations
• Huberman's Twitter PSA on microplastics
• Bernie Sanders Interview | Lex Fridman Podcast #450

In this special international episode of Decoding the Gurus, Chris and Matt jump on the hottest online topic and devote an hour to reviewing Richard Dawkins' influential work from the 1970s, The Selfish Gene. This book influenced Matt and Chris when they were teenage decoders, but how does it hold up now that they have evolved into (quasi)adult forms?

Based on their rereading of the book they discuss its contribution to the public understanding of evolution, the academic and public controversies it sparked, and Dawkins' broader contributions to science communication and... the culture war. Consideration is given to the criticisms raised by figures like Stephen Jay Gould and Mary Midgley, the implications of seeing humans as meat machines constructed by genes, and what should be understood as the book's core message.

So join Chris and Matt as they confront their true nature as gene propagators but also argue that it is possible to simultaneously recognise the importance of human cultural & social development and our genetic & biological legacies.

Links

• Dawkins, R. (2016) The Selfish Gene (40th Anniversary edition)

We return to the world of lost civilizations, pseudo-archaeology, and real archaeology with Cardiff University archaeologist Flint Dibble. Sadly the senior member of the Decoding team was absent for the interview but junior decoder Chris struggled on as best he could. This episode, recorded just before the release of Ancient Apocalypse Season 2 on Netflix and Graham Hancock's associated podcast PR tour, examines the appeal of myths like Atlantis, criticisms Flint has faced from Hancock and others, and the broader challenges of communicating good science online.

The discussion covers whether debunking false narratives is effective, Flint's experiences post-Rogan with public engagement and social media harassment, and the importance of academics actively participating in public discourse to counter culture-war-fueled stereotypes.

Finally, in a crushing blow, Chris also gets Flint to acknowledge that BIG ARCHAEOLOGY can't disprove his stunning new theory about ancient seaweed submarines.

Links

• Our first interview with Flint from just after his appearance on Rogan.
• Archaeology with Flint Dibble: The Aftermath of Talking to Graham Hancock on Joe Rogan: A Reply to the Haters
• Archaeology with Flint Dibble: The Top 6 Penis Bones in Archaeology
• New Scientist article on Flint: The archaeologist fighting claims about an advanced lost civilisation
• Real-Archaeology Event!
• Graham Hancock's Response Video to Flint: Fact-checking science communicator Flint Dibble on Joe Rogan Experience episode 2136
• Bridges Podcast: Uniting YouTube Against Fake History Frauds | MILO ROSSI & FLINT DIBBLE | Bridges #21
• The Skeptic: Dr Flint Dibble wins 2024 Skeptical Activism Ockham award
• Halmhofer, S. (2024) Manufacturing History: Atlantis, Aryans, and the use of Pseudoarchaeology by the Far-Right. Conspiracy Theories and Extremism in New Times (pp.53-81) Chapter: 3. Lexington Books.

That's right—we’re back in the heady world of sense-making, but don't worry, we're just in time to witness the final resolution of the ever-looming 'Meaning Crisis.'

Join Matt and Chris as they embark on an epic journey with the cognitively inclined philosopher John Vervaeke and none other than the uber-guru, Jordan Peterson, himself. Together, they navigate a vast semantic web of meaning that spans discussions of Power, Beauty, Love, Religion, and, of course... the Logos!

Along the way, we'll probe the limits of complex wordplay and autodidactic insights, consider the ancient art of delegation, and ponder how the religious-shaped void might just be filled with engagement in Dialogos.

On the more mundane level, we'll also explore the inner workings of Jordisan Academy, the logistics of the 'We Who Wrestle with God' tour, upcoming Sensemaking cruises, and the vital multivitamins every Responsible Man should be taking.

So come along as Matt and Chris grapple with the Omega Rule, cast aside their reductive materialism, and bow down in horror and awe to worship the words that the eternal Logos issues forth.

Links

• The Meaning Crisis: Resolution | Dr. John Vervaeke | EP 482
• The Stoa: Wisdom Signalling & the Wisdom of Criticism w/ John Veraveke, Chris M, Chris Kavanagh, & Matt Browne
• A Bit of Fry and Laurie: A Bit of Fry & Laurie Concerning Language
• John Vervaeke: Awakening from the Meaning Crisis