Lecture: The Rise of secular gurus in an Age of conspiracy theories (Audio) (Patreon)

Hey 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 (Chris) 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. I've tried to boost the volume but the results might not be great. See what you think.

Anyway, as always comments and Feedback are welcome, as always!