About this episode
In this episode, I explore the shifting landscape of conspiracy culture and what I've been noticing about an emerging "conspiracy canon." Recording from my new apartment in Paraguay, I dive into observations from my recent event with Greg Carlwood in Florida, examining how conspiracy thinking has evolved from political analysis to metaphysical questioning. Using Charles Fort's framework of "dominants," I discuss how we're witnessing a paradigm shift toward a more meaning-centered worldview as a response to scientific materialism. Whether you consider yourself a conspiracy person or not, this episode offers insights into epistemology, metaphysics, and our relationship to meaning in the cosmos. Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction and setting the scene from Paraguay 02:15 - Recent event with Greg Carlwood in Florida 04:30 - The concept of a "Conspiracy Canon" 07:10 - Observing alignment among respected thinkers 09:05 - When brilliant people question fundamental assumptions 12:30 - Robert Anton Wilson on conspiracy culture shifting from left to right 15:45 - The "Alex Jones era" and libertarian influence 18:20 - The 80s-90s "Lone Gunman Era" conspiracy canon 21:40 - Today's conspiracy canon: no virus, flat Earth, aliens as demons, Tartaria 24:15 - The internet's "hold my beer" effect on conspiracy thinking 27:50 - Shift from "how things are" to "who we are in the cosmos" 31:10 - Natural drift toward meaning-seeking 34:30 - Pushback against scientific materialism 37:50 - Charles Fort and reality paradigm shifts 40:15 - Fort's "dominants" and "damned data" 43:40 - Accumulated "damned facts" challenging mainstream narratives 46:20 - The "religious dominant" as initial framework 49:30 - The "scientific dominant" and its exclusionist tendency 52:45 - Fort recognizing scientism's limitations ahead of his time 56:10 - The emergent "dominant of wider inclusions" 59:25 - Visit to Cassadega and Greg's psychic reading experience 01:02:40 - Kelly Brogan and Mark Gober's alternative cosmology 01:05:15 - Being "80% flat earther" on meaningful universe principles 01:09:30 - Flat Earth as Biblical literalism seeking meaning 01:12:45 - Critique of Tartaria theories 01:15:20 - Meme culture and uncritical sharing of conspiracy content 01:18:40 - "Realm theory" as a container for anomalous data 01:21:25 - Being "Gandalf among the hobbits" during paradigm shifts 01:24:50 - Fortean flow model for approaching change 01:27:30 - Closing thoughts on being a container for transformation