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If you want a counter-counter-culture take based on FACTS and LOGIC, look no further than the Decoding the Gurus podcast. Who said there is nothing sexy about being sceptical about scepticism, defending institutional arguments or stress-testing scientific methodologies?

Matthew Brown and Chris Kavanagh have been dissecting the internet’s favourite gurus for over 5 years - debunking conspiracies and critically evaluating the totalising philosophies of these alternative media sensations.

It certainly seems that there are more gurus today than ever before. The internet and in particular video-based media is servicing a special kind of cult-like business, enabling mass dissemination and pseudo-community.

So why is it that there are more right-wing gurus than left-wing ones? What do the politics of online gurus tell us about wider society? Is there a grievance-mongering machine that is pointing people away from organised religion to a digital silo where they must pay for a worldview?

We answer all of this and so much more!

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

04:20 Are There More Gurus Than Ever?

10:01 The Relation Between Gurus, Science and Modernity

20:21 Is Grievance Culture Driving Gurufication?

26:02 How Does Economic Crisis Explain The Growing Market of Gurus.

30:30 Don’t Trust Faux Centrists

36:12 Does the Traditional Political Spectrum Exist Anymore?

42:10 The Alt-Right Political Content Industry

47:25 What Psychological Needs Are Met By Ideology?

51:15 Why Are There Fewer Left-Wing Gurus?

56:02 Is Gary Stevenson a Guru?

1:09:55 Have We Become Addicted to Frictionless Capitalism?

1:13:55 How Betting Has Got Out of Hand

1:20:11 Do We Need To Suffer More for Social Cohesion?