Greetings ye surfers of The Discourse!

If podcasts were scented, today’s episode would exude a sweet, though somewhat mildewed musk, courtesy of the main subject of discussion: Mr Elon.

Elon Musk is a noted memer and rascal entrepreneur, famed for his erratic stewardship of several attention-grabbing companies, and for his many blundering and awkward forays onto the public stage as a speaker, tweeter, pundit, and podcaster.

In this episode, we’ll pick through Elon’s recent appearances on the Joe Rogan and Lex Fridman podcasts, and take a magnifying glass to his multifarious hot-takes, to see whether he lives up to his (erstwhile) reputation as a mega-genius.

The episode covers a wide range of topics, from consciousness and free will, to Ukraine, Covid, and the Twitter Files. So what are we waiting for? Let’s get Musky!

Links

Elon on Joe Rogan

https://open.spotify.com/episode/7edwvm2c6Ieuzun4xtFYCJ

Elon on Lex Fridman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN3KPFbWCy8

Relevant Twitter Files Posts

https://twitter.com/davidzweig/status/1607378386338340867

Debunking Musk on Ventilators

https://healthfeedback.org/claimreview/elon-musk-claim-ventilators-killed-covid-patients-confuses-correlation-causation/

Welcome, Discourse Surfers!

In this episode, we peer behind the curtain that conceals Konstantin Kisin, and let me tell you, there’ll be no Kisin up to the fellow here. While he exhibits all the superficial trimmings of a well-groomed thinker, upon closer inspection we find him rather epistemically-bedraggled - at least, on certain topics. He seems to be mid-slide on that slippery slope towards the pits of Heterodox Land, and as a result he’s a predictably murky thinker on any topic that even mentions the word ‘institution’.

Meanwhile, we take a closer look at Chris Williamson, a man with a prodigious memory for quotes, and a penchant for delivering arm-chair diagnoses of the human condition (the quality of which are to be determined in this episode).

Finally, we’ll try to get to grips with some of Joe Rogan’s homespun philosophy – ideas that are well-worn, if sometimes poorly thought-out.

So in all, a bit of a hodgepodge for us to wade through; but I assure you, the lack of cohesiveness is no barrier to enjoyment or edification. So strap in, and enjoy!

Some citations (I really ought to get better at including these!)

• EATR Robot: https://www.robotictechnologyinc.com/images/upload/file/Cyclone%20Power%20Press%20Release%20EATR%20Rumors%20Final%2016%20July%2009.pdf
• Trust in Vaccines: https://edition.cnn.com/2023/05/16/health/childhood-vaccines-trust-pew-survey/index.html
• Do Conspiracy theories efficiently signal coalition membership? https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0265211

Welcome to the discourse!

Today we’re going to take a peep at what the commentariat have to say about the war in Ukraine – a topic that has proven irresistible to non-expert partisans of all stripes. As we’ll see, there’s a particular narrative that has bubbled up in the discourse – seeded by an absolute scallywag of a political scientist, John Mearsheimer. His ideas were once the scorn of his fellow academics, but have now vaulted him into superstardom among heterodox and anti-establishment commentators across the world (an honour that no doubt has its drawbacks).

So join me, as we listen to Jordan Peterson, Dave Rubin, Russell Brand, Candace Owens, and others, opining with much self-assurance on the intricacies of geopolitics and international relations.

As we’ll see, they uniformly argue that the Ukraine war is not really the fault of renowned dictator and brutish former KGB-agent Vladimir Putin and his Kremlin kin, but the fault of NATO, and The West more broadly. I’ll argue that this self-flagellating view derives not from an honest attempt to appraise our own culpability, but rather from a deep-seated and myopic disdain and distrust of western governments.

So, strap in, and let’s dive headlong into the dizzying chatter of our ever-opinionated chums!