Good spotting.
I'll stay aware of that in future.
Thanks for sharing.

Frank wrote on Feb 26^th, 2024 at 2:52pm:

Millions do.

Joe Rogan (JRE) 14.9 million subscribers
Jordan Peterson 7.75M subscribers
Russell Brand 6.78M subscribers
Stephen Bartlett (DOAC) 5.19M subscribers
Tom Bilyeu 4.05M subscribers
Theo Von 2.43M subscribers
Chris Williamson (Modern Wisdom) 1.87M subscribers
Sam Harris (Making Sense) 663K subscribers
Konstantin Kisin (Triggernometry) 831K subscribers
Bret Weinstein (Dark Horse) 451K subscribers
Gad Saad 298K subscriber

etc... etc... etc...

When they're not interviewing each other, many of their guests also have popular podcasts of their own.

It would not be an exaggeration to put the collective viewership of their episodes at up around 1 billion.

Frank wrote on Feb 26^th, 2024 at 4:46pm:

All of them go there, most on that list stay there, although Rogan is more about chatting to comedians and MMA/boxing experts.

Frank wrote on Feb 26^th, 2024 at 6:23pm:

An optimal diet, optimal mindset, optimal exercise, optimal attitude, optimal sex life... You name it, these podcasters are experts at finding experts to spruik their pet theory for living 'optimally'.

The likes of Stephen Bartlett, Chris Williamson, Theo Von and Tom Bilyeu  - being young enough to have a truckload of energy without the jadedness of age that drives the likes of Jordan Peterson towards emulating an Old Testament prophet and Sam Harris towards the demeanour of a despairing philosopher - give the 'best' examples of 'optimal living' fanaticism.

The whole phenomenon is a resurrection of 70s- and 80s-era New Ageism, turbo-charged by easy access to listeners/viewers via modern social media.

Frank wrote on Feb 26^th, 2024 at 6:40pm:


Murdoch will be dead soon .. .then what will you do?

John Smith wrote on Feb 26^th, 2024 at 6:43pm:

Eat his liver to inherit his chakras!!

MeisterEckhart wrote on Feb 26^th, 2024 at 6:44pm:

And Allan Watts!

MeisterEckhart wrote on Feb 26^th, 2024 at 7:08pm:

He's not a classic.

MeisterEckhart wrote on Feb 26^th, 2024 at 7:06pm:

I am detecting an angry beehive in your bonnet.
Sad. I thought you had a mind. But you only have bees.

Frank wrote on Feb 26^th, 2024 at 7:47pm:

Attributed with the popularising of Buddhism in the USA.

MeisterEckhart wrote on Feb 26^th, 2024 at 7:54pm:

And?
Aristotle is attributed with inventing scientific thinking and looking.

Cervantes is attributed with inventing the modern novel.

Homer is attributed with inventing literature itself. Or was it the writers of Gilgamesh?

Shakespeare, Goethe, Dante, Racine are attributed with introducing their national literatures.

Frank wrote on Feb 26^th, 2024 at 8:00pm:

So Watts is in good company, then??!!

Frank wrote on Feb 26^th, 2024 at 7:50pm:

Aww... bitchy, bitchy there, Deidre!!

The pop culture of the 60s and 70s was dominated by anti-science - Well characterised in Planet of the Apes when Dr Zaius told Taylor that humans had destroyed their world with their science and machines.

The detonation of the nuclear bombs in WW2 (and WW2 in general which began with men on horseback and ended with nuclear fusion) sparked suspicion and contempt for science that was vehemently expressed in pop culture by the early boomers.

MeisterEckhart wrote on Feb 26^th, 2024 at 8:21pm:

...but maybe, just maybe - barking up the wrong tree (in eventual totality)? Their intelligence, social skills and personalities won't save them then... from an even greater fall into obscurity and ruin. I hope not. Might feel like a real waste of talent.

Jasin wrote on Feb 26^th, 2024 at 8:39pm:

This lot is not going to crack. They didn't get to where they are by accident. What might happen, though, is what often happens as their kind age - they may become disillusioned or bored with 'saving the masses from themselves' when they realise that no one can be saved from themselves except by themselves.

At best, they'll settle down into comfortable and successful lives. At worst, they'll become rich Old Testament prophets like Jordan Peterson or disillusioned philosophers like Sam Harris and 'give up' on people.

As we watched the likes of Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Elon Musk rise from relative obscurity to the billionaire tech giants they became, so we are watching the rise of the podcaster as a massive social force.

Already, professional academics beat paths to their doors for airtime to promote their books and ideas, and this will only increase.

For example, Professor Robert Sapolski has been interviewed by most of them, and a host of others, (probably dozens of interviews), to promote his book 'Determined', as he did with his book 'Behave'.