In this episode, we immerse ourselves in the potent juices of the manosphere with British journalist and author James Bloodworth. James recently published Lost Boys: A Personal Journey Through the Manosphere and takes us on a whirlwind tour of various misogynistic and anti-feminist subcultures, including pickup artists, incels, and the blue, red, and black pill communities. Drawing on his personal experiences and research, James discusses the appeal and dangers of the manosphere, touching on themes such as insecure masculinity and the commodification of social interactions. We also get into some joyful political implications and consider the role of social media in spreading these messages. One for all the family!

Links

 * Lost Boys - Journey into the Manosphere [https://atlantic-books.co.uk/book/lost-boys/]
 * James' Substack [https://www.forthedeskdrawer.com/]
 * The Guardian – Journey into the Manosphere [https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/may/28/lost-boys-by-james-bloodworth-review-journey-into-the-manosphere] – Review of Lost Boys
 * Prospect Magazine – Matthew Goodwin, Reform and the politics of resentment – Bloodworth’s recent article on Matt Goodwin [https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/philosophy/intellectuals-and-ideas/70456/matthew-goodwin-reform-and-the-politics-of-resentment]


Exploring the Manosphere with James Bloodworth

We drown in waves of ideological fluidity as the gurusphere continues to crash all around us.

Supplementary Material 34

00:00 Introduction

01:26 Irish Stew and Dog Exercise Report

03:45 A new 276 IQ Genius

11:47 Fresh and Fit Antisemitism

16:51 Are things getting dumber?

21:22 Asmongold on the Epstein Files

24:53 Epstein Conspiratorial Discourse helps Ghislaine Maxwell

29:00 Vinay Prasad resigns from his MAGA position

31:17 Eric Weinstein is the Architect of the Great Reset!

32:37 Google Eyed Loons vs. Willing Apparatchik

36:40 The Young Turks are joined by... Scott Adams

38:51 Ana Kasparian sits down with Tucker Carlson

44:46 Jimmy the Giant enters the arena

46:11 Jimmy the Giant meets Konstantin Kisin

57:12 Debating the Middle Class YouTube Grifters

01:06:15 The Gurusphere Grift

01:08:16 Jimmy the Giant reflects on his performance

01:11:16 Discourse standards for Research

01:15:05 Jimmy defends his criticisms

01:22:27 Jimmy the Giant deletes his videos and apologises to Konstantin

01:28:04 The Call to Action to support the Grand Mission

01:32:32 Separating Issues from Support of Influencers

01:37:13 Jimmy the Giant explains how the Elites created Wokeness

01:47:16 Woke Wars and Psyops

01:49:33 The Right Wing Media Outrage Ecosystem

01:55:26 False Consciousness and the Billionaires

02:02:47 AI limitations and Hallucinations

02:07:08 Post Hoc-Reasoning in AI and People

02:14:22 Outro

The full episode is available for Patreon subscribers (2hrs 16 mins).

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

Sources

 * Younghoon Kim: World’s Highest IQ Score (276) Scientifically Documented in New Academic Preprint [https://substack.com/home/post/p-170040305]
 * Fresh and Fit idiots being giggly anti-semitic and praising Hitler [https://x.com/Saul_Sadka/status/1948372378481745955]
 * Joanne Freeman: The Field of Blood: Violence in Congress and the Road to Civil War [https://www.amazon.com/Field-Blood-Violence-Congress-Civil/dp/0374154775]
 * Ghislaine Maxwell moved to Federal prison camp in Texas [https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/ghislaine-maxwell-moved-federal-prison-texas-rcna222497]
 * Comment on the move from Prison Consultant [https://x.com/DilanianMSNBC/status/1951986872789397910]
 * Poor Vinay Prasad – The Disgraceful Campaign Against a Top FDA Official [https://www.thefp.com/p/the-disgraceful-campaign-against-vinay-prasad-health-politics-trump]
 * Eric responds to accusations that he is the mastermind behind the Great Replacement [https://x.com/EricRWeinstein/status/1952017599824556111]
 * TYT’s The Conversation: Scott Adams Reflects on Life after his Terminal Cancer Diagnosis [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HQEY_1xClI]
 * Ana Kasparian on the Tucker Carlson show [https://x.com/TuckerCarlson/status/1948790348077047944]
 * Clips from now deleted Triggernometry video: He Called me a Grifter… it didn’t go so well [https://x.com/KonstantinKisin/status/1949110630947971513]

Supplementary Material 34: Giants, Grifters, and Google Eyed Loons

In this exhausting deep dive, Matt and Chris take a break from counting their billionaire stipends to devote (what some might call) an inordinate amount of time to Gary Stevenson’s recent appearance with a challenging interviewer: Tomás from Despolariza. They grapple with the indeterminacy of Schrödinger’s Gary, who oscillates between being an economic and mathematical genius revealing what THEY don’t want you to know on YouTube, and a pragmatic but selfless political activist who oversimplifies complex problems and sacrifices nuance (and himself) in the name of urgent reform.

Despite insisting that he hates fame and has no desire to promote his best-selling book or be a popular YouTuber, Gary takes the time to remind us all of how often he’s recognised on the street and precisely how many millions of views his channel racks up each month. These are depressingly familiar guru tropes, as are his sweeping claims that you can’t trust politicians, economists, academics, journalists, the media, his old colleagues… or even graphs.

Gary’s core message that growing inequality is economically and politically unsustainable is an important one. And his ability to communicate the stakes of that problem to a large audience could be beneficial. So the criticism lies not with his stated goals but with the guru-tastic packaging and unwillingness to deal with complexity.

Luckily, there is a solution... Gary. Only he and his YouTube channel can save your grandchildren from abject poverty and Nigel Farage. And if you doubt him, just look at how many millions he made for himself and the bank with his uncanny predictions… or those monthly viewer stats. Oh, and did we mention he has an elite education from LSE?

Links

 * #89 GARY STEVENSON - Economics, Trading, Inequality, Wealth, Populism, Tax, Depolarize [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQMuto9wdg8].
 * Zucman, G. (2015). The hidden wealth of nations: The scourge of tax havens. In The hidden wealth of nations. University of Chicago Press. [https://gabriel-zucman.eu/hidden-wealth/]
 * Francis-Devine, B. (2025). Income inequality in the UK. House of Commons Library. [https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7484/CBP-7484.pdf]
 * Francis-Devine, B. (2025). Wealth in Great Britain. House of Commons Library. [https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7484/CBP-7484.pdf]


A Return to Gary World

In this mini-decoding, Matt and Chris examine Sabine Hossenfelder's recent fervent defence of Eric Weinstein and her sharp rebuke of his critics, including Sean Carroll. Sabine suggests that Eric poses a genuine threat to the physics establishment and that he is terrifying them by exposing their weak points. Moreover, according to Sabine, Geometric Unity, Eric's homegrown Theory of Everything, is on par with String Theory, if not better, since it wastes less money! This episode takes a critical look at those claims and Sabine's own heated rhetoric and performative outrage, examining how her defence of Eric aligns with a broader online anti-science contrarian ecosystem.

So join us as we ponder whether Sabine is a brave, truth-telling rebel challenging a stagnant scientific orthodoxy and defending an honest man who is under attack for simply daring to question the powers that be... or whether she is just another contrarian YouTuber pandering to anti-science sentiment, defending fellow influencers, and playing the game of algorithm-driven clickbait outrage.

Links

- Sabine Hossenfelder: Physicists are afraid of Eric Weinstein -- and they should be [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiFYcuoK490]

- Sabine Hossenfelder: Do we need a Theory of Everything? [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdu9KvLxHFg]

- Decoding the Gurus: Sabine Hossenfelder: Science is a Liar ... Sometimes [https://decoding-the-gurus.captivate.fm/episode/sabine-hossenfelder-science-is-a-liar-sometimes]

- Professor Dave Explains: Sabine Hossenfelder Joins the Eric Weinstein Damage Control Parade [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EERX9QyS-Xc]

- Sabine cheers on Bryan Johnson on Twitter [https://x.com/skdh/status/1948020384244080928]

- Tim Nguyen discusses Sabine's response on Twitter [https://x.com/IAmTimNguyen/status/1946151197078909042]

- Dr. Brian Keating: What Is A Theory of Everything? Featuring Sabine Hossenfelder, Lee Smolin, & Eric Weinstein [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saamEkrBZfM]

Mini Decoding: Sabine's Contrarian Outrage- How Dare You Criticise Eric!

In this packed supplementary episode, we tackle all of the urgent global issues, ranging from Epstein file conspiracies to Matt’s immense love of a fantasy game where dwarves punch ducks for fun. Along the way, we’re joined by a stellar cast of commentators, including some old favourites. Strap in… it’s a long one.

Supplementary Material 33

00:00 Introductory Banter: Old Squeaky and Matt's Wall

04:16 Mecha Hitler's rampage

07:22 Grok's Controversial Behaviour

10:48 Linda Yaccarino's grinning departure from X

12:41 Elmo's anti-semitic conspiracy tirade

13:47 Connor McGregor taints the timeline

14:39 Eric joins Diary of a CEO to give some advice

22:43 The Weinstein enigma

27:47 Eric Weinstein on Jeffrey Epstein

32:38 Eric vs. Mick West Round 2

34:51 Plastic Bag Wearing Philosophers, Pornographic AI Companions, and Neo-Liberalism

41:21 Weinstein vs Sean Carrol: Further Developments

43:33 Professor Dave's New Video on Eric with Christian Ferko

50:20 A Physicist's View of Geometric Unity

53:42 Debating Prof. Dave on Eric's Motivations

58:40 Peter Thiel and Ross Douhat on the Antichrist

01:15:04 Professor Dave Summarises Eric

01:17:21 Bribery Accusations

01:20:35 Perimeter Institute Conspiracies

01:25:28 Mockery and Different Styles of Criticism

01:29:57 Jeffrey Epstein Scandal Introduction

01:32:48 Trump's Response and Conspiracy Theories

01:35:57 Andrew Schulz's Cognitive Dissonance

01:43:11 Trump's Deep State Assassination Attempt

01:44:40 Megyn Kelly has another explanation

01:50:54 The Court Intrigues of MAGA

01:54:41 The Epstein Online Economy

02:02:33 Tim Pool's spin: It's the Democrats!

02:05:05 Destiny and Contrapoints get Conspiracy Theories

02:06:32 The Weinstein takes on Epstein: Welcome to the Infinite Truman Show

02:08:12 Scott Adams' Take: A Commander In Chief Issue

02:09:21 Epstein: The Foreign Agent?

02:11:59 Coffeezilla's Anomaly Hunting

02:16:26 Destiny Reacting to Coffeezilla and the Fluidity of Conspiracies

02:22:45 Doing Your Own Research on the Acosta Quote

02:25:08 Epstein Takes From QAnon Anonymous to Red Scare

02:29:57 Critical Evaluation of Claims: Consulting Reports on Epstein's Suicide

02:40:34 Hasan demonstrates responsible Conspiracy Hypothesising

02:44:13 New Conspiracy Lore

02:46:57 Tribal Matters

02:48:10 Matt's Gaming Grotto

02:58:18 Matt's Sick Mind

02:59:35 Outro

The full episode is available for Patreon subscribers (3hrs 2 mins).

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

Sources

 * Jeremy Howard’s Tweet [https://x.com/jeremyphoward/status/1943436621556466171]
 * Mecha Hitler Twitter (The Guardian) [https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jul/09/grok-ai-praised-hitler-antisemitism-x-ntwnfb]
 * Elmo Hacked (The Guardian) [https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/jul/14/elmo-x-account-hacked]
 * Conor McGregor Shares Unsolicited Pics (Daily Mail) [https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/mma/article-14910263/Conor-McGregor-Azealia-Banks-nude-cheating-scandal.html]
 * Stephen Bartlett Reprimanded by ASA (Marketing Week) [https://www.marketingweek.com/steven-barlett-huel-zoe-ad-ban/]
 * Eric Being Mysterious with Mick West (Twitter) [https://x.com/EricRWeinstein/status/1941617811438305343]

Supplementary Material 33: Weinstein Enigmas, The Epstein Conspiracies, and Dwarves punching ducks

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 Reviewed

 * Lopez, D. S. (2025). Buddhism: A Journey through History. Yale University Press.


Required Readings - Buddhism A Journey Through History

00:00 Introduction to Decoding Academia

01:51 Current Book Selection: Buddhism a Journey Through History

02:56 Initial Impressions and Apologies

06:00 Buddhism's Complexities and Contradictions

07:59 Western Perceptions vs. Historical Realities

11:27 The Historical Buddha?

17:09 Buddhist Approaches to Texts

22:09 Comparisons with Other Religions

26:38 Orthopraxic Buddhism

29:53 Petty Buddhism

34:20 Matt's Religion Hot Take

37:17 Ashoka: The Buddhist King?

39:02 Buddhism's Syncretic Nature

39:35 The Syncretic Approach

42:49 Anti-Colonial Buddhism

43:44 Buddhist Modernism and Science

46:58 The Buddhist Canon

51:26 Matt's History Thoughts

53:06 Buddhism's Cultural and Social Role

55:55 Gods and Supernatural Beings

56:48 The Attitude towards Women

59:36 The Value of Buddhism

01:03:35 Religions as Cultural Technologies with Social Functions

01:05:54 Monastic Issues

01:12:51 Religious Motivations

01:14:38 Outro

The full episode is available for Patreon subscribers (1hr 17 mins).

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

Required Readings: Buddhism - A Journey Through History

In this academic-themed interview episode of Decoding the Gurus, Matt and Chris sit down to chat with Dorsa Amir and Chaz Firestone (@chazfirestone [https://x.com/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!

Links

 * Amir, D., & Firestone, C. (2025). Is visual perception WEIRD? The Müller-Lyer illusion and the cultural byproduct hypothesis. Psychological Review. [https://perception.jhu.edu/files/PDFs/25_MullerLyer/AmirFirestone_MullerLyer_2025_PsychReview.pdf]
 * Dorsa's Homepage [https://www.dorsaamir.com/] and Mind and Culture Lab [https://www.mindandculturelab.com/].
 * Chaz's Perception & Mind Lab Homepage [https://perception.jhu.edu/] and his BJJ victory video [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvI95E7Y3pQ].
 * Decoding Academia 33: The Great Müller-Lyer Debate from Fish Tanks to Eye Operations [https://decoding-the-gurus.captivate.fm/episode/decoding-academia-33-the-great-muller-lyer-debate-from-fish-tanks-to-eye-operations-patreon-preview]
 * Mickey Inzlicht's Substack on the Paper and the Debates around it. [https://www.speakandregret.michaelinzlicht.com/p/keep-cognitive-psychology-weird]
 * Henrich, J., Heine, S. J., & Norenzayan, A. (2010). The weirdest people in the world?. Behavioral and brain sciences, 33(2-3), 61-83. [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20550733/]
 * 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. [https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/desc.13581#]


Mind, Culture & Visual Illusions: Dorsa Amir and Chaz Firestone on Visual Illusions

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 32

00:00 Introduction and Banter

01:22 Old Squeaky and Daily Life

03:53 Matthew McConaughey Episode Recap

08:13 The Liver King Controversy

16:14 Nazi Propaganda on YouTube

21:11 Historical Revisionism: Darryl Cooper and David Irving

27:46 Huberman's very public hardcore research

32:25 Huberman sells out

34:32 Chris Langan: The Bottom (Racist) Tier of Gurudom

36:03 Langan on Weinstein

42:21 Langan's grievances against Elon Musk and Jordan Peterson

49:47 Matt Goodwin visits London

55:59 Gary Stevenson hates Graphs and Data

01:10:33 Gary compares himself to Russell Brand

01:15:12 THEY won't let you talk about the economy

01:17:22 Matt invokes Goodwin's Law

01:25:08 The All In Podcast Besties launch a Tequila Brand

01:28:32 Matt's Modest Utopian Plan

01:31:12 Lab Leak Discourse continues at the Guardian

01:35:55 Matt attacks the Mainstream Media

01:39:11 Dugin's Forum of the Future 2050 and the Guru Horseshoe

01:45:57 Extended Outro

The full episode is available for Patreon subscribers (1hr 50 mins).

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

Sources

 * 2Lazy2Try: The Liver King Gets Arrested For Trying To Hunt Down Joe Rogan [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-_dNVOYAJA]
 * Rob Mohr tweets out an iconic photo of Huberman [https://x.com/R_Mohr/status/1936892011778331085]
 * Scott Carney: Documenting Andrew Huberman's Lies [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0thkoCYhJnc&t=539s]
 * Chris Langan's thoughts on Eric Weinstein [https://x.com/RealChrisLangan/status/1927476911984218528]
 * Chris Langan's thoughts on Elon Musk & Jordan Peterson [https://x.com/RealChrisLangan/status/1931129350331494624]
 * Matt Goodwin's visit to London [https://x.com/GoodwinMJ/status/1936548371423961173]
 * Despolarisa: #89 GARY STEVENSON - Economics, Trading, Inequality, Wealth, Populism, Tax, Depolarize [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQMuto9wdg8]
 * The All-In Podcast guys being bastards [https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/24/the-all-in-podcasts-1200-tequila-has-already-sold-out/]
 * Tsargard Institute: The Forum for the Future 2050 [https://forumfuture2050.ru/en/]


Supplementary Material 32: A Shower of Bastards

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.

Links

 * McConaughey's segment from the The Art of Livin' Event [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUDt3iwRBcw&t=144s]
 * KeyasWorld: Matthew McConaughey's self-help event WAS INSANE [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Umq3pV3Yq1s]
 * KeyasWorld: Is Matthew McConaughey Starting a Cult? [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrPsgs1xNIc]
 * Rolling Stone: Matthew McConaughey Will Dispense ‘Lyrics of Livin’ in New Weekly Newsletter [https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/matthew-mcconaughey-newsletter-lyrics-of-livin-1235219318/]
 * The Monastery in the Desert [https://christdesert.org/]
 * Mikhaila Peterson: #32 Matthew McConaughey [https://mikhailapeterson.com/podcasts/32-matthew-mcconaughey/]
 * Lex Fridman: Matthew McConaughey: Freedom, Truth, Family, Hardship, and Love | Lex Fridman Podcast #384 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qgIFD0PaWo]


Matthew McConaughey: Selling is Love!

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. [https://philarchive.org/rec/AMIIVP]
 * Dorsa's summary thread on the paper [https://x.com/DorsaAmir/status/1883273765960012201]
 * Joe Henrich's critical thread on the paper [https://x.com/JoHenrich/status/1890735624698683835]
 * Chaz's response to the Joe Henrich thread [https://x.com/chazfirestone/status/1891870737230688261]
 * Paul Bloom's Substack articles on Nature vs. Nurture debates [https://substack.com/home/post/p-156328472?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web] and clever experiments [https://smallpotatoes.paulbloom.net/p/its-fine-if-your-studies-dont-work?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&hide_intro_popup=true]


Decoding Academia 33: The Great Müller-Lyer Debate from Fish Tanks to Eye Operations *Patreon Preview*

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!

Christopher Kavanagh

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