Cult Season continues, and much like Stefan himself, you may have hoped this would go away after Part 1. Unfortunately, like all persistent internet hauntings, Molyneux has returned. And this time, Chris and Matt venture even deeper into the Moly-Hole, a place where truth is redefined, callers are slowly gaslit into existential confusion, and every philosophical insight is served with the overwhelming scent of narcissism and emotional manipulation.

We return to the joyful world of Stefan’s caller-domination rituals, courtesy of Twitter Spaces, where he continues his life’s work of berating strangers and stroking his own ego while insisting he alone possesses the True Meaning of Truth.

Listeners can thrill to the culmination of the Truth Call™ from Part 1, where the philosophically inclined young father is sucked further into Stefan’s epistemological meat grinder as Stefan tries to uncover the imaginary psychoanalytic roots of the caller’s ongoing defiance. From there, we are introduced to Caller No. 3 for just a sprinkling of the patented victim-blaming and misogyny of the Molyneux Method.

Finally, Chris and Matt offer their overall thoughts on Molyneux’s long and illustrious career as an internet arsehole. They conclude that while Stefan has managed to cycle through platforms, ideologies, and degrees of baldness, he has maintained absolute fidelity to the same psychological tactics—gaslighting, projection, undermining, hypocrisy, and the uncanny ability to make even a throwaway joke feel incredibly creepy.

So that’s it for now… collectively we can escape the Moly-Hole, carefully sealing the tunnel entrance as we leave. And let’s pray this is the last time anyone has to think about good ol’ Stefan.

Aside from that… Cult Season continues. Abandon hope, etc.

Links

• Freedomain Radio 6162: The Most Frightening Fact! (Twitter/X Space)
• Philosophy student reviews Molyneux’s The Art of the Argument
• Michael Shermer’s amazing excuse for endorsing Molyneux
• Former guest discusses Molyneux’s descent into racist pseudoscience (2016)
• Guardian article (2008) on Molyneux’s online cult & “DeFooing”
• Daily Mail article (2015) on a family impacted by Molyneux’s community
• Daily Beast profile on Molyneux during his Trump pivot
• SPLC profile on Stefan Molyneux
• SPLC investigation of Molyneux’s alt-right connections (2018)
• College of Psychologists of Ontario:...

We set down the Chardonnay at the latest heterodox dinner party and lean in for some hearty ‘civil discourse’ to once again defend the trembling pillars of Western civilization.

The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (2 hours, 13 minutes).

Join us at: https://www.patreon.com/DecodingTheGurus

Supplementary Material 40: YouTube Builders, the Discourse Grind, and Sam Harris' Dinner Parties

00:00 Introduction

01:15 Feedback on the Molyneux Episode

10:26 Jordan Peterson still defeated by toxic demon mould

12:16 Steven Pinker's bad takes on Bjorn Lomborg

15:49 Chris vs Sabine

28:21 Grok's insane sycophantic glazing of Elon Musk

33:54 Musk's Psychology

40:59 Sam Harris acknowledges his problem?!?

47:18 Sam continues to wrestle with the interpersonal ethics of criticism

01:05:10 Triggernometry saves Western Civilization

01:15:29 The Wisdom of Francis Foster

01:28:42 Triggernometry's Partisan Outrage at the BBC

01:38:12 Oppressed Men vs. Complaining Women

01:46:29 The YouTube Builders of Western Civilization

01:56:42 Pageau vs Bret Weinstein

02:01:52 Eric Weinstein sensemaking about Cancellation

02:09:58 A PSA about THIS podcast

Links

• Stefan Molyneux accidentally posting as a young woman on his main account
• Chris arguing with Sabine Hossenfelder
• – Receipts thread
• Steven Pinker cheering on Bjorn Lomborg
• Insights from the finances of Bjorn Lomborg’s think tank
• Example video detailing Lomborg’s rhetoric
• Guardian article on Grok’s glazing of Elon Musk
• Grok explains Elon is the best piss drinker
• Sam Harris Podcast #442 — More From Sam
• Triggernometry: Our Thoughts On Interviewing Dave Smith, Hasan Piker, Sam Harris and Ben Shapiro
• Pageau and Bret’s pre-podcast Twitter sparring
• Eric Weinstein sense-making about words
• Our previous episode on Tiggernometry entering the Big Time

Welcome back to Cult Season, where we continue our sincere attempt to make you feel a little bit worse about the world and everything in it.

This week, we turn to Stefan Molyneux, online pioneer, prolific content creator, and self-proclaimed most popular philosopher in the world. Alternatively his wikipedia entry describes him as "an Irish-born Canadian white nationalist podcaster and proponent of conspiracy theories, white supremacy, scientific racism, and the men's rights movement." Charming...

One thing is for sure: Molyneux is the only man alive who can turn literally any question into a monologue that combines demonic liberals, cutting off friends and family, and female reproductive choices. A true Renaissance man for people who hate Renaissance values.

In this first episode we take a brief tour through the Molyneux Expanded Universe™, which includes some infamous clips from his early days as the creator of an online 'philosophy' cult themed around anti-spanking, anarcho-capitalism, and misogyny. We also cover his pivot to MAGA apologetics and overt white nationalism and finally to late-stage Molyneux, where he now lurks in Twitter Spaces, berating callers and insisting the world is populated by demon-ridden NPCs gleefully urinating on their moral superiors.

Look forward to learning about his extensive rhetorical techniques, which include thin-skinned narcissism, a penchant for violent metaphors usually featuring urine and anal torture, his constant demand that listeners cut off their families and, of course, his favourite claim: that anyone who disagrees with him is a man-whore NPC who wants to kill you.

Also featuring:

• A Weinstein cameo (because of course)
• Chris recounting the proto–Decoding the Gurus origin story involving a Facebook post and some early Molyneux content
• And a rare chance to hear Matt physically wince at a Rocky Horror cold open

If you’ve ever wanted to hear a preening narcissist berate his listener for raising entirely reasonable points... well, this is the episode for you.

Scott Adams should be careful, a new contender has emerged for his crown...

Part 2 coming soon, assuming we survive this one.

Links

• Freedomain Radio 6162: The Most Frightening Fact! (Twitter/X Space)
• Philosophy student reviews Molyneux’s The Art of the Argument
• Michael Shermer’s amazing excuse for endorsing Molyneux
• Former guest discusses Molyneux’s descent into racist pseudoscience (2016)
• Guardian article (2008) on Molyneux’s online cult & “DeFooing”
• Daily Mail article (2015) on a family impacted by Molyneux’s community
• Daily Beast profile on Molyneux during his Trump pivot
• SPLC profile on Stefan...