Special Episode: Calibrating the Gurometer

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 ReviewedLopez, D. S. (2025). Buddhism: A Journey through History. Yale University Press.Required Readings - Buddhism A Journey Through History00:00 Introduction to Decoding Academia01:51 Current Book Selection: Buddhism a Journey Through History02:56 Initial Impressions and Apologies06:00 Buddhism's Complexities and Contradictions07:59 Western Perceptions vs. Historical Realities11:27 The Historical Buddha?17:09 Buddhist Approaches to Texts22:09 Comparisons with Other Religions26:38 Orthopraxic Buddhism29:53 Petty Buddhism34:20 Matt's Religion Hot Take37:17 Ashoka: The Buddhist King?39:02 Buddhism's Syncretic Nature39:35 The Syncretic Approach42:49 Anti-Colonial Buddhism43:44 Buddhist Modernism and Science46:58 The Buddhist Canon51:26 Matt's History Thoughts53:06 Buddhism's Cultural and Social Role55:55 Gods and Supernatural Beings56:48 The Attitude towards Women59:36 The Value of Buddhism01:03:35 Religions as Cultural Technologies with Social Functions01:05:54 Monastic Issues01:12:51 Religious Motivations01:14:38 OutroThe full episode is available for Patreon subscribers (1hr 17 mins).Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus

2 Heinä 28min

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!LinksAmir, 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 OperationsMickey 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.

1 Heinä 1h 6min

We wallow in the mud with some of the worst gurus of the gurusphere. Join us and lament the guru paradise that we all live in.Supplementary Material 3200:00 Introduction and Banter01:22 Old Squeaky and Daily Life03:53 Matthew McConaughey Episode Recap08:13 The Liver King Controversy16:14 Nazi Propaganda on YouTube21:11 Historical Revisionism: Darryl Cooper and David Irving27:46 Huberman's very public hardcore research32:25 Huberman sells out34:32 Chris Langan: The Bottom (Racist) Tier of Gurudom36:03 Langan on Weinstein42:21 Langan's grievances against Elon Musk and Jordan Peterson49:47 Matt Goodwin visits London55:59 Gary Stevenson hates Graphs and Data01:10:33 Gary compares himself to Russell Brand01:15:12 THEY won't let you talk about the economy01:17:22 Matt invokes Goodwin's Law01:25:08 The All In Podcast Besties launch a Tequila Brand01:28:32 Matt's Modest Utopian Plan01:31:12 Lab Leak Discourse continues at the Guardian01:35:55 Matt attacks the Mainstream Media01:39:11 Dugin's Forum of the Future 2050 and the Guru Horseshoe01:45:57 Extended OutroThe full episode is available for Patreon subscribers (1hr 50 mins).Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurusSources2Lazy2Try: The Liver King Gets Arrested For Trying To Hunt Down Joe RoganRob Mohr tweets out an iconic photo of HubermanScott Carney: Documenting Andrew Huberman's LiesChris Langan's thoughts on Eric WeinsteinChris Langan's thoughts on Elon Musk & Jordan PetersonMatt Goodwin's visit to LondonDespolarisa: #89 GARY STEVENSON - Economics, Trading, Inequality, Wealth, Populism, Tax, DepolarizeThe All-In Podcast guys being bastardsTsargard Institute: The Forum for the Future 2050

28 Kesä 37min

In this episode, Matt and Chris try to get from where they are to where they want to be, accepting their hidden strengths and dismantling their egos as they immerse themselves fully in the wild world of Matthew McConaughey's burgeoning self-help empire. Join them as they uncover the true Art of Livin’ and learn how it is that an Academy Award-winning Hollywood star finds himself sharing life advice alongside the likes of Tony Robbins and Dean Graziosi.With bongos, heartfelt confessions, and a sales pitch that'll make your wallet quiver, we break down the one-and-only event where journaling and wet dreams are your ticket to self-actualisation. Brace yourself for some heavy-duty motivational speeches, meaningful shared stories, and just a pinch of canned audience responses, as we ride shotgun on this once-in-a-lifetime self-help seminar.And how much will all this cost you? You ask? It should be $3000, but for today only, we give it all for free.LinksMcConaughey's segment from the The Art of Livin' EventKeyasWorld: Matthew McConaughey's self-help event WAS INSANEKeyasWorld: Is Matthew McConaughey Starting a Cult?Rolling Stone: Matthew McConaughey Will Dispense ‘Lyrics of Livin’ in New Weekly NewsletterThe Monastery in the DesertMikhaila Peterson: #32 Matthew McConaugheyLex Fridman: Matthew McConaughey: Freedom, Truth, Family, Hardship, and Love | Lex Fridman Podcast #384

23 Kesä 3h 30min

Welcome to another enlightening episode of Decoding Academia. In this bonus preview of our highly secretive Patreon content, we are discussing a controversial paper by Dorsa Amir and Chaz Firestone that challenges the established notion of the Müller-Lyer illusion being a product of cultural environments. Prepare yourself for some high-level discussions of the visual processes of guppy fish and bearded lizards, as well as the remarkable lengths that psychologists will go to in order to get people to complete their tests. Will our seasoned scholars unravel the illusion, or is this debate another eye-catching mirage? <wink, wink>Sources(forthcoming) Amir, D., & Firestone, C. Is visual perception WEIRD? The Müller-Lyer illusion and the Cultural Byproduct Hypothesis. Psychological Review.Dorsa's summary thread on the paperJoe Henrich's critical thread on the paperChaz's response to the Joe Henrich threadPaul Bloom's Substack articles on Nature vs. Nurture debates and clever experiments

14 Kesä 1h 2min

We venture into the darker corners of the gurusphere and marvel at some very, very brave individuals, their valiant efforts to play devil's advocate, and some world-class discourse surfing skills. Join us, won't you?Supplementary Material 31: Aquatic Nightmares, Strategic Obliviousness, & Race Realists00:00 Introduction & Ol Squeaky Cameo02:57 Matt's Aquarium Trauma & Stress Dreams09:45 RFK Jr's war on science continues11:17 Robert Malone & other 'Covid Contrarians' rewarded under Trump14:35 The LA Protests, Riots, and Anti-Immigrant Narratives20:12 Flint Dibble calls out Joe Rogan25:24 Joe Rogan is a polemical ideologue and anti-vaccine advocate27:34 Cassandra Kavanagh?32:37 If Books Could Kill on Lab Leak35:10 Popular Perceptions of the Covid Pandemic vs Reality38:38 Debating COVID-19 Measures38:59 Clarifying the Role of Sam's Manager42:56 Discussing Trump, Musk, and DOGE's Political Impact47:12 The Meaning Crisis and the Comfort of Religion50:35 The Effects of Social Media53:15 Matt and Chris Friendly Shadowboxing56:19 The horror of directly stating your opinions58:14 Sam Harris' Preparation for Conversations01:05:02 Strategic Obliviousness01:12:26 A little bit of TRT Discourse01:16:17 Lex's Insufferable Tweet:  Celebrating Humanity and Responding to Critics01:18:46 The Bravery of the All In Podcast Besties01:20:33 Elon Musk and Donald Trump: A Complex Relationship01:23:42 Mike from PA and Dunking Safely Online01:26:10 Scientific Racism and Controversial Podcasts01:34:02 Paul Bloom and Subjective Redlines01:41:10 The Neo-Nazi Smoke in the Race Realism World01:48:36 Daniël Lakens on Bryan Johnson on Mortality Salience01:50:16 Matt's Foodie Corner01:52:21 OutroThe full episode is available for Patreon subscribers (1hr 54 mins).Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurusSourcesBBC- RFK Jr appoints new US vaccine advisers after sacking committeeFlint Dibble’s New Video: Joe Rogan's Cult of Fake ArchaeologyLex Fridman’s Insufferable TweetSam Harris EPISODE 419 "More From Sam": Elon vs. Trump, Religion, Jordan Peterson, & Rapid Fire QuestionsThe All In Besties being cowardsThe Guardian: Harvard author Steven Pinker appears on podcast linked to scientific racismSteven Pinker on AporiaHope Not Hate’s investigation into Aporia and related race science networksIf Books Could Kill: The Lab Leak Goes Mainstream<a...

13 Kesä 46min

The Decoders welcome back cognitive anthropologist Manvir Singh for a continued exploration into the social and cognitive dimensions of shamanism. Building upon their earlier conversation, this episode involves further discussion of the psychological mechanisms and cultural patterns that make shamanic practices a recurring feature across human societies. Drawing from Singh's latest book, Shamanism: The Timeless Religion (2025), the discussion addresses how these ancient practices persist and adapt in modern contexts.Taking our standard meandering conversational journey with Manvir, we traverse topics such as whether Jesus and the Buddha were shamans, the parallels between the Siberian tundra and Silicon Valley, the potential emergence of AI-driven shamans within virtual reality environments, and whether dialogos with Hermes counts as a soul flight.Something for all the family!LinksShamanism: The Timeless Religion by Manvir Singh (2025)Prof or Hobo websiteNew Yorker: The President Who Became a ProphetOur first interview with ManvirBuckner, William. 2022. "A Deceptive Curing Practice in Hunter–Gatherer Societies" Humans 2, no. 3: 95-103. https://doi.org/10.3390/humans2030007

7 Kesä 1h 21min

There’s been a disturbance in the Gurusphere. Two of its central objects of worship are feuding. The guru’s guru, Elon Musk, and the MAGA God-King, Donald Trump, have finally turned on each other, trading blows on social media. In this mini supplementary episode, Matt and Chris survey the shockwaves rippling through the Gurusphere as these titanic egos collide.It’s more slapfight than substance, but that hasn’t stopped gurus and sycophants from picking sides or admiring the sheer brass balls on display. Look out for Lex Fridman’s outside-the-box solution, Eric Weinstein’s cryptic mutterings, and some hilarious takes from the comedic genius Francis Foster. Strap in. It’s petty, it’s absurd, and it’s all happening.Trump vs. Elon: The Gurusphere Reacts00:00 Elon and Trump00:26 Introduction: Elon and Trump are feuding07:10 A little bit of context13:11 The Gurusphere reacts14:32 O'Fallon & Lindsay saw this coming16:01 Eric's Trademark - Both Sidesing Obscurantism20:38 The Big Dog's Take24:01 Lex suggests we need a podcast!27:10 Maculinity Hot Takes29:50 Sensemakers Take Flight31:17 Taleb's reasonable take!32:14 Konstantin Climbs the Ladder of Chaos36:37 The strategic Gaadfather & Scott Adams37:28 Tech Bros praying for peace39:25 The Red Scare MAGA Loyalist40:36 Conspiratorial Narcissists and their Public Feuds45:48 Sycophantic praise heals everything47:07 OutroThe full episode is available for Patreon subscribers (49 mins).Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus

7 Kesä 25min