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 way through and talk some smart-sounding smack about the intellectual giants of our age, from Jordan Peterson to Robin DiAngelo. Are they revolutionary thinkers or just grifters with delusions of grandeur?
Join us and let's find out!
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 way through and talk some smart-sounding smack about the intellectual giants of our age, from Jordan Peterson to Robin DiAngelo. Are they revolutionary thinkers or just grifters with delusions of grandeur?
Join us and let's find out!
Episodes
Mentioned books
9 snips
May 12, 2026 • 45min
Supplementary Material 49: Calibrated Podcast Expectations, The Great Consciousness Debate of 2026, and Russell Brand is a Bad Guy
They debate the big 2026 consciousness fight and whether animals or AI can actually feel. They argue about guru culture, testicle-fixation trends, and the rise of decorative scholarship. They riff on media controversies from Russell Brand to The Onion and reflect on podcasting motivations and calibrated expectations for activism.
May 4, 2026 • 3h 10min
Iain McGilchrist, Part 2: Hemispheres, Culture, and Cosmic Consciousness
Iain McGilchrist, writer and psychiatrist known for The Master and His Emissary, offers a sweeping theory linking brain hemispheres to culture and spirituality. He expands from neuroscience to claims about civilisations, teleology, panentheism, and even AI as a conduit for nonhuman intelligences. The conversation weaves science, myth, exorcism anecdotes, and bold prescriptions for restoring a lost mode of being.
23 snips
Apr 25, 2026 • 44min
Supplementary Material 48: Grey Beard's Council, Late-Stage Anti-Capitalism, and Demonic Mould Health Updates
A lively rundown of online influencer dramas, from Rogan and MAGA media stunts to Orbán's fall and hypocrisy in the heterodox sphere. They riff on conspiratorial brain trusts, moon-landing tangents, and AI partnership fiascos. Conversation also touches on gaming time-sinks, mRNA trials, and late-stage anti-capitalist posturing.
34 snips
Apr 11, 2026 • 2h 4min
Iain McGilchrist, Part 1: Right-Brain Thinking
Ian McGilchrist, British psychiatrist and author of The Master and His Emissary, joins to explore brain lateralization. He outlines contrasting left- and right-hemisphere ways of attending. Conversation ranges from neuroanatomy and language to culture, myth, and the limits of scientific explanation. Expect probing challenges to modern cognitive models and reflections on meaning and love.
11 snips
Apr 8, 2026 • 1h 28min
Mentalism and Meta-Deception with Stevie Baskin
Stevie Baskin, a legal student and skeptic YouTuber known for a five-hour critique of Oz Pearlman, challenges how mentalism promotes false beliefs about body language, subliminal influence, NLP, and psychology. He contrasts mentalism with traditional magic, reveals common methods behind demos, and explores the ethical, legal, and cultural costs of persuasive theatrical explanations.
10 snips
Apr 3, 2026 • 44min
Supplementary Material 47: The DTG Conspiracy UNMASKED, Quantum Idiots, and Triggernometry Prophecies
They unmask alleged funding conspiracies and dissect how pattern-seeking fuels wild theories. They revisit pizzagate-style claims and explain why codeword readings go too far. They spar over AI panic, job disruption, and online calls to punish journalists. Quantum physics, woo versus real science, and a cheeky prophecy about Triggernometry round out the chaos.
17 snips
Mar 28, 2026 • 1h 38min
The Moral Dilemmas of AI with Michael Inzlicht
Michael Inzlicht, a psychology professor studying effort, empathy, and AI’s social effects, returns with provocative research. He argues AI that works too smoothly may strip meaning and learning. He also explores how people moralize AI, sometimes opposing it on sacred values rather than trade-offs. Conversations touch on AI empathy, companionship, reproducible science, and preserving human skills.
16 snips
Mar 22, 2026 • 2h 39min
Ken Wilber: Spiralling Upwards through a Technicolor Cosmos
Ken Wilber, philosopher and creator of Integral Theory, offers a sweeping synthesis of religion, psychology, and development. The conversation maps stages and spirals of consciousness, teases high-level political readings, and explores AI designed with integral principles. Expect layered cosmologies, quadrant models, and bold claims about transcending and including prior views.
9 snips
Mar 18, 2026 • 19min
Gurometer: Teal Swan and Scott Galloway
A playful double-score of two very different public figures across eleven guru traits. They compare cosmic spirituality with sharp secular punditry. Topics include cultish dynamics, anti-establishment postures, grievance framing, narcissism, prophetic warnings, pseudo-profundity, conspiracy tendencies, and profiteering. Rapid-fire scoring rounds add brisk, opinionated judgments.
17 snips
Mar 14, 2026 • 37min
Supplementary Material 46: Epstein Did Microtransactions, Grok Did Nothing Wrong, and Murder is Bad
They dig into the explosion of Epstein-related conspiracies and how disparate theories get stitched together. They mock media personalities’ takes, explore claims linking Epstein to culture wars and online psyops, and debate lurid rumours without endorsing them. They also riff on AI behavior, hallucination research, and a wryly titled anti-murder segment.
