Decoding the Gurus2 Feb 2023

Daniel Dennett: It's Evolution Baby

In this episode, we take a bit of a detour from current trends and examine a talk by the philosopher Daniel Dennett on evolution. Dennett rose to public prominence as one of the so-called four horsemen of the New Athiest movement but he always seemed slightly out of place with that cohort. Dennett's is most certainly a guru in the sense that he offers big picture 'what does it all mean' lectures linking together consciousness, intelligence, the emergence of complexity and evolution. But is there some substance there? Or does his appeal hinge on on intuitively-satisfying cosmic woo offered by less reputable figures.

On a positive note, he seemed to be more interested in academic and philosophical debates than the latest culture war outrage. As such he doesn't share that much with our usual targets... and that's ok! Sometimes it is good to look at figures who fall closer to the standard public intellectual or academic motif than that of the secular guru. At the very least it helps to calibrate our gurometer! So join us for a slightly indulgent episode on a figure that we both broadly enjoy despite the inevitable nit-picking.

An extended introduction section will also reveal our first DTG conspiracy hypothesis, the mating habits of orcs and dragons, and what Nazi AIs have in common with Robocop. And stick around at the end to hear about the future of education from the Petersons!

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Right to Reply: A Dialogos about Sensemaking with Alexander Beiner

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Supplementary Material 39: Bad Guys, Panpsychists, and Sensemakers

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Required Readings: The Genius Myth by Helen Lewis

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Discussing Nazis and Gurus with Al Murray

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28 Okt 20251h 7min

Keith Raniere: The Serpent and the Cognitive Fog

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26 Okt 20253h 8min

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18 Okt 20251h 13min

Supplementary Material 38: Toxic Mould Symbiosis, Mild Phrenology, and the Best People in the World

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14 Okt 202549min

A Sense-Making Odyssey, Part 2: Jordan Peterson, John Vervaeke & Jordan Hall

Matt and Chris once again take up their oars and plunge deeper into the recursive whirlpools of contemporary sensemaking. Picking up where Part 1 left off, having grappled with conscience, touchstones...

25 Sep 20252h 36min