Decoding the Gurus Interview with Manvir Singh on Gurus & Shamans
Nov 17, 2022
02:25:37
Choosing Shamans Behind A Polite Mask
- In the Mentawai, people privately rank shamans yet publicly downplay preferences to avoid offending others.
- Singh observed clients cite proximity or kinship as reasons, masking real selective choices.
Shamans Can Both Heal And Exploit
- Shamans can exploit perceived authority just like any human: sex, food, or resources sometimes follow abuses of power.
- Singh emphasizes both genuine therapeutic uses and documented exploitation coexist within shamanic systems.
Field Healing: Trance As Communal Care
- Anthropologist Polly Wiesner woke distressed and was healed when community members entered trance and cared for her overnight.
- Singh uses this to show shamanic practice can produce genuine therapeutic and communal benefits.
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Introduction
00:00 • 2min
Dylan Moron: The Irish Club
01:34 • 2min
The Importance of Different Accents
03:05 • 2min
The Parallels Between the Angelo's Understanding of Systemic Races and Psychoanalysis
04:37 • 2min
The Problem With Psychoanalytic Theory
06:15 • 3min
The Unresolved Issues With Childhood and Development
09:16 • 1min
The Fragile Potential of Psychoanalysis
10:45 • 2min
Deepak Chopra's DVDs
12:23 • 1min
Furious and Furious: A Collective
13:50 • 2min
The Lefty Season
15:44 • 2min
The Importance of Listening to Grievances
17:14 • 2min
The One Indulgence Left in My Life
18:53 • 2min
The Importance of Being Responsible for Your Speech
20:25 • 2min
Elon Musk's Five Dimension Chess Move
22:50 • 2min
Lex's Naivety
24:30 • 2min
Lexford Men: The False Balance Between Truth and Reality
26:10 • 2min
The Girl's Fear
27:44 • 2min
Anthropologist: What I Self-Identify As
29:30 • 2min
The Importance of Evolution in Human Culture
31:06 • 2min
The Pushback to Evolutionary Approaches in Anthropology
32:37 • 2min
The Mintawe Archipelago in Sumatra
34:14 • 2min
The Evolution of Shamanism
36:06 • 2min
The Conscious Cluster of Features of Shamanism
38:03 • 2min
The Parallels Between Shamanism and Superhero Narratives
40:14 • 2min
The Parallel Between Superheroes and Shamu
41:56 • 3min
The Pushback to Shamanism as a First Profession
45:19 • 1min
The Complexity of Shamanism in Mentawi
46:48 • 2min
The Double Narrative in Mentawi
48:46 • 2min
The Importance of Honor in Mentawe
51:15 • 3min
The Evolution of Shamanism
53:54 • 5min
The Role of Shamanism in Healing
58:46 • 2min
The Connection to Modern Gurus
01:00:25 • 2min
The Parallels Between Gurus and Cardamom
01:02:02 • 2min
The Parallels Between Religion and Spiritual Health
01:03:44 • 2min
The Power of Different Perceptions of Authority
01:05:14 • 2min
The Trial by Fire in the Modern Environment
01:06:59 • 1min
The Role of Shamanism in Public Cancellation
01:08:25 • 2min
The Differences Between Shamanism and Gurus
01:10:11 • 2min
The Role of Shamanism in the Ancient Traditions of Man
01:12:30 • 2min
The Potential of Shamanism in Society
01:14:06 • 3min
The Role of Shamanism in the History of Religion
01:17:12 • 4min
The Evolution of Mormonism
01:21:36 • 2min
The Role of Gurus in Shamanism
01:23:17 • 2min
The Role of Rhetoric in Charisma
01:24:52 • 2min
The Benefits of Rhetoric Fluidity for Shamanics
01:26:40 • 2min
The Parallels and Differences With Shamans
01:28:23 • 2min
The Modern Secular Gurus as Prophets
01:30:42 • 2min
The Dichotomy of Credibility and Authority
01:32:25 • 2min
The Problem With Gurus
01:34:02 • 2min
How to Convince an Audience That You Transcend Science for Lack of a Better?
01:35:49 • 2min
The Power of Conspiracy
01:37:22 • 2min
The Importance of Syncretic Practice
01:39:08 • 1min
Charismatic and Textual Authority in Shamanism
01:40:34 • 2min
The Importance of Authority in Religious Traditions
01:42:53 • 2min
The Evolution of Societys
01:44:29 • 2min
The Importance of Diversity in Human History
01:46:06 • 5min
The Rise and Fall of Human Social Flexibility
01:50:48 • 2min
The Pushback to Intermittent Fasting
01:52:20 • 2min
The Effects of Intermittent Fasting on Cognitive Benefits
01:54:05 • 2min
The Cognitive Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
01:55:40 • 3min
The Parallels Between Gurus and Scientists
01:58:40 • 2min
Mandir's View on Vowels
02:00:16 • 2min
Insightful Reviews of Mandir
02:01:52 • 2min
Brett Weinstein: A Podcast Review
02:03:38 • 2min
The Importance of Knowing Your Biases
02:05:09 • 2min
The Importance of Visibility
02:06:43 • 2min
Decoding the Gurus: A Review
02:08:25 • 2min
The Blind Spot
02:10:01 • 2min
The Self-Reflective Review IT Folder
02:11:37 • 2min
How to Be a Conspiracy Hypothesizer
02:13:13 • 2min
The Evolution of Consumption
02:14:49 • 2min
The Galaxy Brain Gurus
02:16:31 • 2min
The Squeaky Wheel Does Not Get the Grease
02:18:29 • 2min
The Importance of Support
02:20:09 • 2min
How to Be a Better Mathematician
02:22:17 • 2min
The Distributed Idea Suspension Complex
02:23:48 • 2min
We are back with another academic-themed interview with the evolutionary/cultural/cognitive anthropologist Manvir Singh. That's right two anthropologists from the same relatively obscure field on the same podcast but don't hold that against Manvir, we promise he's much more insightful than Chris!
Indeed, Manvir joins us to share his expertise on Shamanism and to examine whether there are any significant parallels between Shamans and Gurus. Along the way, you will gain new esoteric knowledge into things such as the differences between prophets, gurus, and shamans; whether evolutionary anthropology is all bunk; and the importance of linguistic and kinetic performances for generating credibility and authority.
Matt was absent during the interview so he could not keep Chris' tangents in check but he does participate in the ever-extending discussions in the intro and outro segments. Here you will discover the respective grievances that our hosts have been mongering, as well as how Matt deals with some critical feedback from disgruntled psychoanalysts!
In short, there is something for everyone. So open your third eye and join us on an ecstatic spirit flight as we reveal the secret cosmic mysteries of the modern gurus (for those brave enough to listen).
Links
- Manvir's (2018) BBS article on Shamanism
- Manvir's article in Wired (2022) The ‘Shamanification’ of the Tech CEO
- Follow up Twitter thread on the evidence for fasting benefits
- Manvir's Aeon article (2022): The idea of primitive communism is as seductive as it is wrong
- Manvir's Website
- Ben Shapiro: Politics, Kanye, Trump, Biden, Hitler, Extremism, and War | Lex Fridman Podcast #336
- Matthew Remski's thread on the DiAngelo Episode
- and_furiouser's thread on the DiAngelo Episode