I’m welcoming back filmmaker Simon Esler, who first appeared on this podcast back on episode 54 to discuss his documentary Cut: Daughters of the West. This time, we’re diving into his new docuseries You Are Here, which explores the landscape of cognitive warfare—the idea that human cognition itself has become the most contested territory in modern conflict.
We start with the chilling case of Barry Neufeld, a Canadian school board trustee who was fined $750,000 for refusing to believe that children can be born trapped in the wrong body—what the judge’s ruling called “existential denialism.” From there, we explore how Canada’s human rights laws and conversion therapy legislation have embedded gender identity ideology into the legal framework, silencing detransitioners and punishing dissenters. Simon and I discuss how our minds are conditioned by narratives we’ve never examined, how meta-perceptions warp our view of political opponents, and what Iain McGilchrist’s work on brain hemispheres reveals about Western cognitive vulnerability. We also get into the concept of cognitive entrenchment, moral inversion, and the historical parallels between modern ideological capture and ancient child sacrifice in Carthage. Simon shares what’s next for his series and talks about the Reclaiming Birth Conference, where he’s working to empower families to take back sovereignty over pregnancy and birth.
Check out the full episode right here on Substack. Or, click here to watch it on YouTube, or here to find it on your podcast app of choice.
Books mentioned in this episode:
Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein
The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World by Iain McGilchrist
Simon Esler is a committed defender of families & the lost art of free thought. A winding career path as an actor, theatre maker, ordained minister and mindfulness entrepreneur lead him to becoming a professional content creator & independent filmmaker. His latest docuseries, You Are Here - Reconnaissance for the War on Perception, is now streaming at dauntlessdialogue.com. The rest of Simon’s work can be found at simonesler.com, where he hosts an array of films, series, courses & resources focused on leveraging the pressures of modern war to foster personal growth and collective resilience.
To partner with Simon’s Leaving the Line Studio for content creation, filmmaking, and brand strategy check out his full portfolio.
Reclaiming Birth Conference: reclaimingbirthconference.com — a conference in Canada in September focused on empowering families around natural birth; Simon is emceeing
X (Twitter): @SimonEsler
Instagram: @simon_esler1111
Substack: Simon Esler / Subversive Clarity
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[00:00:00] Start
[00:01:27] Cognitive Warfare as the New Battlefield
[00:03:10] Barry Neufeld and the SOGI 123 Curriculum
[00:05:15] Fined $750K for “Existential Denialism”
[00:07:57] Gender Identity as Compelled Religious Belief
[00:10:11] Canada’s Human Rights Laws and Bill C-16
[00:13:18] Gender Identity as a Shield Against Accountability
[00:19:17] Detransitioners Silenced in Canada
[00:24:33] Recognizing Our Own Cognitive Conditioning
[00:28:06] How Media Narratives Mirror Personal Anxiety
[00:29:45] Meta-Perceptions and the 400% Violence Gap
[00:35:32] What Is Fifth Generation Warfare
[00:40:01] Moral Inversion Through Cognitive Manipulation
[00:47:25] Cognitive Entrenchment and Thinking Outside Your Domain
[00:49:18] When Ideological Capture Endangers Children
[00:53:31] Child Sacrifice in Carthage as a Modern Warning
[00:59:05] Collective Morality and Centralized Culture
[01:02:34] The Reclaiming Birth Movement
[01:08:47] Finding Purpose in Defending Free Thought
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MUSIC: Thanks to Joey Pecoraro for our song, “Half Awake,” used with gratitude & permission.
A note to subscribers of all kinds: normally, new episodes go out to all subscribers early Monday morning, and paid subscribers get early access as soon as it’s ready, usually a few days in advance if not more. This week was different. Something came up over the weekend, and I rushed to prep the episode, releasing it to everyone a few hours later than it normally goes out on Mondays. In the future, paid subscribers will still typically receive new episodes before everyone else, right here on Substack. I appreciate all of your support!
