Decoding The Gurus
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Chris' lecture on Secular Gurus at Temple University (Video)
🕑 Added 2023-08-09 12:03:57 +0000 UTCHey everyone,
We are aiming to have Chomsky out this Friday, God willing!
But in the meantime, some of you might enjoy this academic lecture I gave last month at Temple University at The Institute of Contemporary Asian Studies titled: The Rise of secular gurus in an Age of conspiracy theories. I was kindly invited by Benoît Hardy-Chartrand who you will hear from at the start and end.
This was the abstract:
"We are living in a golden era of digital gurus from YouTube influencers to techno monks and podcast pundits. Their rise has been facilitated with a revived and increasingly influential interest in conspiracy theories, particularly notable in the online world and among populist politicians. Charismatic figures such as Elon Musk, Jordan Peterson, and Russell Brand now spread their prophetic and conspiratorial messages to millions of digital followers.
This talk explores how these very modern gurus have adapted a traditional charismatic and performative role to suit a contemporary context, offering a comforting antidote to the alienating complexities of modern life. Based on a multi-year deep analysis of their content, partly documented on the Decoding the Gurus podcast, this talk will explore the psychological and rhetorical techniques these gurus leverage to grow their audiences and position themselves at the forefront of public discourse".
They have not made the talk public yet so consider this an advanced preview! The Q&A section is included, though it might be a bit difficult to hear what the audience is asking.
You can also hear all those verbal tics we edit out in all their live glory!
I'll upload an audio version shortly too.
Comments and Feedback are welcome, as always!
Comments
Julie
Excellent presentation Chris. I absolutely love when the moderator asks over and over to keep your questions short. None of the people asking questions kept anything short.
Enrique G. Soler
(Summary Slide) Propohets!
Linda Sears
The discomfort of some people in the audience was palpable. It was difficult for me to hear the push back from the participants. I’m glad it didn’t spiral out of control. But, like Erin pointed out, the presence of that person proved why these secular gurus need to be studied in academia.
Christopher Kavanagh
Yeah, it is not that common to deal with that kind of response at academic talks so I think people were a little surprised. It was clear the guy was irritating some of the others present, though I don't think it is a great strategy to ask him about 'vested interests' or if he has done his own research. But the guy didn't actually leap on those points so it turned out ok.
Erin Dougherty
Really agree, I thought it was great to have a real time example of the “but he says he’s not problematic” right before being problematic issue.
Linda Sears
I enjoyed the talk, though I wished you could have had more time. The discussion was fascinating. As a teacher, it was helpful for me to see how you and the others there dealt with the John Campbell apologist. From what I could tell, several audience members came to your defense, and you did well refuting the attendee's claims by pointing out that Campbell's content overwhelms any disclaimers he makes.
Dael Morris
the Australian guy? cool
Christopher Kavanagh
Yeah, it’s Temple University campus, where I believe all courses are in English.
Christopher Kavanagh
Oh yeah Matt and I have a bunch of papers and ideas, we just are both abut busy. But absolutely want to do more work on it which means more papers and talks.
Colin Fardey
Really enjoyed that Chris . Is this something we could see more of in the future?
Dael Morris
thinking out loud, isn't the prevalence of white male gurus just a function of white males in general finding it easier to get an audience? that is, they tend to prominence, just like in other sectors, and then, being prominent, attract analysis.
Dael Morris
really good. you covered a massive amount of new ideas very coherently in a very short space of time. lots of compression. wondering, was the audience majority native english speakers? just curious how they received all that at speed.
Protagonist Science
Much to love here :)
Christopher Kavanagh
Long term resident innit.
Riku
My first thought watching this is; Chris, you're wearing a lot of layers for the hellish Tokyo summer.
Adam Session
As per the introduction of this lecture, I would recommend you only refer to your cohost as "Matt Browne, the Australian" from now on. It is more ominous
