Who's your guru?

The Ten Thousand Things

Who's Your Guru? (and is Slavoj Žižek any good?)

Sam, Joe and Ali discuss gurus, including the online type:

• our times are thick with public intellectuals, influencers, and self-proclaimed experts
• Sam's frequent references to Slavoj Žižek, and Joe's conclusion that he doesn't make much sense, and isn't much chop intellectually.
• Sam on literal guru worship in the Hare Krishnas - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Society_for_Krishna_Consciousness
• should we just speak for ourselves, rather than filter our thoughts or present them in relation to influential figures?
• figures like Jordan Peterson, Douglas Murray
• the resort to online gurus during times of uncertainty, about how to know and think (the so-called epistemological crisis)
• A few of Joe's past figures get a mention: Stephen Pinker, Michael Shellenberger,
• how problematic it can be when these gurus leave their area of expertise
• many people will detect that guru lane drift, but many others still trust their Guru's every word, which is perhaps the whole point of gurus
• the power of dialogue with other humans in understanding our own internally competing perspectives, and helping us evaluate information and perception
• striving for clarity amidst an overload of information.

Useful sources:

• The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (peer reviewed) - Zizek entry https://iep.utm.edu/zizek/
• Zizek Wikipedia
• Zizek wikiquote
• Some key Zizek ideas from The Conversation

Creators & Guests

• Ali Catramados - Host
• Joe Loh - Host
• Sam Ellis - Host

• (00:00) - Introduction and Hosts
• (00:28) - Topic inro: Online Gurus
• (00:41) - Slavoj Žižek
• (02:52) - Growing up with guru worship in the Hare Krishnas
• (04:22) - The Dangers of Guru Worship
• (05:57) - The Influence of Public Intellectuals
• (11:31) - The Impact of Social Media on Gurus
• (15:33) - The Crisis of Trust in Modern Media
• (28:13) - Capitalism and Media Coverage
• (28:34) - The Search for a Reliable Source
• (29:01) - Disappointment in Trusted Institutions
• (29:53) - The Role of Institutions and Individual Sources
• (32:08) - The Struggle with Information Overload
• (32:48) - The Burden of Individual Choice
• (34:42) - The Quest for Understanding and Trust
• (36:09) - The Fear of Uncertainty and the Search for a Guru
• (38:15) - The Dangers of Single-Source Reliance
• (40:16) - The Role of Dialogue in Understanding
• (44:19) - The Challenge of Finding Clarity in Chaos

00:00 Introduction and Hosts
00:28 Topic inro: Online Gurus
00:41 Slavoj Žižek
02:52 Growing up with guru worship in the Hare Krishnas
04:22 The Dangers of Guru Worship
05:57 The Influence of Public Intellectuals
11:31 The Impact of Social Media on Gurus
15:33 The Crisis of Trust in Modern Media
28:13 Capitalism and Media Coverage
28:34 The Search for a Reliable Source
29:01 Disappointment in Trusted Institutions
29:53 The Role of Institutions and Individual Sources
32:08 The Struggle with Information Overload
32:48 The Burden of Individual Choice
34:42 The Quest for Understanding and Trust
36:09 The Fear of Uncertainty and the Search for a Guru
38:15 The Dangers of Single-Source Reliance
40:16 The Role of Dialogue in Understanding
44:19 The Challenge of Finding Clarity in Chaos