Interview with Manvir Singh on Gurus & Shamans

We are back with another academic-themed interview with the evolutionary/cultural/cognitive anthropologist Manvir Singh. That's right two anthropologists from the same relatively obscure field on the same podcast but don't hold that against Manvir, we promise he's much more insightful than Chris!

Indeed, Manvir joins us to share his expertise on Shamanism and to examine whether there are any significant parallels between Shamans and Gurus. Along the way, you will gain new esoteric knowledge into things such as the differences between prophets, gurus, and shamans; whether evolutionary anthropology is all bunk; and the importance of linguistic and kinetic performances for generating credibility and authority.

Matt was absent during the interview so he could not keep Chris' tangents in check but he does participate in the ever-extending discussions in the intro and outro segments. Here you will discover the respective grievances that our hosts have been mongering, as well as how Matt deals with some critical feedback from disgruntled psychoanalysts!

In short, there is something for everyone. So open your third eye and join us on an ecstatic spirit flight as we reveal the secret cosmic mysteries of the modern gurus (for those brave enough to listen).

Links

• Manvir's (2018) BBS article on Shamanism
• Manvir's article in Wired (2022) The ‘Shamanification’ of the Tech CEO
• Follow up Twitter thread on the evidence for fasting benefits
• Manvir's Aeon article (2022): The idea of primitive communism is as seductive as it is wrong
• Manvir's Website
• Ben Shapiro: Politics, Kanye, Trump, Biden, Hitler, Extremism, and War | Lex Fridman Podcast #336
• Matthew Remski's thread on the DiAngelo Episode
• and_furiouser's thread on the DiAngelo Episode