The Great Simplification podcast hosted by Nate Hagens is a podcast that explores how we arrived at the current reality on planet Earth, how everything is connected, and looks ahead to the future, to where we are going. The podcast examines the question of how we humans will adapt to new, simpler ways of life when we reach peak fossil fuel use. “The Great Simplification with Nate Hagens” examines the problems facing humanity, helps us understand how we got here, and takes a look into the future. Nate Hagens talks to leading global experts, including doctors, economists, and scientists.
Podcast URL: https://www.thegreatsimplification.com
Episode Guide
| No. | Episode | Title | Guests | Listen to | Published | Description Excerpt | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 350 | F119 | Technology and Wealth: The Straw, the Siphon, and the Sieve | Frankly 119 | 2026-01-16 | In this week's Frankly, Nate explores the relationship between technology and wealth when viewed through a global biophysical lens. He uses the visualization of … | |||
| 349 | GI207 | Why the West Can't Defend Itself: How Material Scarcity Is Reshaping the World Order with Craig Tindale | Craig Tindale | 2026-01-14 | For decades, the West has outsourced its own material production to other countries, in favor of lower costs and short-term returns over more expensive, … | AI and energy demand, Central banking policy, Critical minerals, Deindustrialization, Energy security, Geopolitics, Industrial resilience, Manufacturing decline, Material scarcity, Rare earth metals, Resource dependency, Supply chain fragility, Technological dependency, Western economic policy | |
| 348 | F118 | The Things We Take for Granted | Frankly 118 | 2026-01-09 | In this week's Frankly, Nate shares reflections on what we take for granted in life at multiple scales: from personal health to meaningful work … | |||
| 347 | GI206 | How We've 'Drugified' Our Entire Existence: Dopamine & Addiction In the Digital Age with Anna Lembke | Anna Lembke | 2026-01-07 | Dopamine: the most famous neurotransmitter that regulates pleasure, motivation, and (perhaps most importantly) addiction. When examining why our society is hooked on consuming more … | Addiction, AI chatbots, Behavioral addiction, Compulsive behavior, Digital media, Dopamine, Dopamine regulation, Mental health, Neurobiology, Neuroplasticity, Psychiatric science, Social isolation, Technology addiction, Wellbeing | |
| 346 | Behavioral Thermodynamics Part 1: Beyond the 4th Law? | 2025-12-19 | In this week's Frankly, Nate takes thermodynamics out of the physics classroom, utilizing its principles to explain the invisible forces behind growth, competition, and … | ||||
| 345 | GI205 | End of Year Reflections: Four Years of The Great Simplification with Nate Hagens | Nate Hagens | 2025-12-17 | In this week's episode, Nate reflects on four years(!) of the podcast by answering listener-submitted questions, which cover a broad range of topics related … | ||
| 344 | F116 | Sunk Cost and the Superorganism | Frankly 116 | 2025-12-12 | In this week's episode, Nate unpacks the pervasive behavioral pull of sunk cost as a force shaping our material reality, identities, and collective expectations … | |||
| 343 | GI204 | Fighting for a Livable Future: Exploring Frontier Climate Interventions with Kelly Erhart | Kelly Erhart | 2025-12-10 | While current conversations about global heating tend to center around a few well-established pieces of science, we don't often hear about the scientists and … | Climate change, Climate risk, Climate science, Climate adaptation, Climate mitigation, Carbon dioxide removal, Geoengineering, Methane emissions, Tipping points, Glacier collapse, Sea level rise, Earth system science, Climate feedback loops, Global heating, Climate governance | |
| 342 | F115 | Inflation, Deflation, & Simplification: The 8 Things That Influence Prices | Frankly 115 | 2025-12-05 | In this week's Frankly, Nate explores how the prices we encounter in our daily lives are influenced by not only how much money is … | |||
| 341 | GI203 | If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: How Artificial Superintelligence Might Wipe Out Our Entire Species with Nate Soares | Nate Soares | 2025-12-03 | Technological development has always been a double-edged sword for humanity: the printing press increased the spread of misinformation, cars disrupted the fabric of our … | AI alignment, Artificial superintelligence, Existential risk, Human extinction risk, Machine intelligence, Power-seeking incentives, Superintelligent AI, Technological risk, Unaligned AI, X-risk | |
| 340 | GI202 | Reimagining Ourselves at the End of Our World: Kinship, Interconnection, and Spirituality in the Metacrisis with Samantha Sweetwater | Samantha Sweetwater | 2025-11-24 | Over the past decade, the world has become increasingly chaotic and uncertain – and so, too, has our cultural vision for the future. While the … | Care, Collective emergence, Cultural narratives, Ecology, Hero's journey, Holism, Holons, Hope, Interbeing, Interdependence, Kinship, Metacrisis, Relational intelligence, Separation, Spirituality | |
| 339 | F114 | Directional Advice for the (More Than) Human Predicament | Frankly 114 | 2025-11-22 | Over the past decade, the world has become increasingly chaotic and uncertain – and so, too, has our cultural vision for the future. While the … | |||
| 338 | GI201 | Two Ways of Knowing: How Merging Science & Indigenous Wisdom Fuels New Discoveries with Rosa Vásquez Espinoza | Rosa Vásquez Espinoza | 2025-11-19 | For centuries, modern science has relied on the scientific method to better understand the world around us. While helpful in many contexts, the scientific … | Ancestral knowledge, Biodiversity, Indigenous knowledge, Interconnection, Knowledge systems, Nature conservation, Scientific method, Systems thinking, Traditional medicine, Western science | |
| 337 | F113 | 11 Discoveries That Changed My Worldview | Frankly 113 | 2025-11-14 | In this episode, Nate weaves personal reflections into an exploration of the human predicament, unpacking a series of chronological insights that have reshaped his … | |||
| 336 | GI200 | Will We Artificially Cool the Planet? The Science and Politics of Geoengineering with Ted Parson | Ted Parson | 2025-11-12 | Global heating continues, despite the increased use of renewable energy sources and international policies attempting otherwise. Even as emissions reduction efforts continue, our world … | Climate adaptation, Climate governance, Climate risk, Emissions reduction, Environmental law, Geoengineering, Global governance, Mitigation strategies, Planetary boundaries, Policy ethics, Solar geoengineering, Stratospheric aerosols, Systemic risk, Technological governance, Termination shock | |
| 335 | RR020 | Hacking Human Attachment: The Loneliness Crisis, Cognitive Atrophy and other Personal Dangers of AI | RR 20 | 2025-11-05 | Mainstream conversations about artificial intelligence tend to center around the technology's economic and large-scale impacts. Yet it's at the individual level where we're seeing … | |||
| 334 | F112 | The Quadruple Bifurcation | Frankly 112 | 2025-10-31 | In this week's Frankly, Nate outlines four bifurcations that are likely to underpin the human experience in the near future. While the broad biophysical … | |||
| 333 | GI199 | Terror Management Theory: How Existential Dread Has Shaped the World with Sheldon Solomon | Sheldon Solomon | 2025-10-29 | Many of us wrestle with the unsettling truth that everyone – including ourselves and those we love – will one day die. Though this … | Death anxiety, Existential psychology, Existential risk, Fascism, Human behavior, Meaning making, Mindfulness, Mortality salience, Political psychology, Religion and belief, Self-esteem, Social identity, Terror Management Theory, Worldviews, Death awareness | |
| 332 | The Three Most Important Words We're Taught Not to Say | 2025-10-24 | In this week's Frankly, Nate considers the ways in which our social species overvalues false-confidence rather than the more honest and inquisitive response of … | ||||
| 331 | GI198 | Challenging Monopoly Power: Why Local Business is Better for People, the Planet, and Your Wallet with Stacy Mitchell | Stacy Mitchell | 2025-10-22 | Monopolistic business practices have been illegal in the United States for more than a century. Yet, monopoly power continues to accelerate in our modern … | Antitrust policy, Community resilience, Corporate power, Economic concentration, Local economies, Local ownership, Market consolidation, Monopoly power, Political economy, Retail monopolies, Small businesses, Supply chain resilience, Economic democracy | |
| 330 | What Sloths Teach Us About the Superorganism | 2025-10-17 | In this week's Frankly, Nate reflects on the multiple metaphors brought to mind via a single photograph, which depicts a sloth climbing a barbed … | ||||
| 329 | GI197 | Will Coral Reefs Be Gone by 2050? How Bleaching, Acidification, and Ocean Heating are Killing Coral Reefs with Ove Hoegh-Guldberg | Ove Hoegh-Guldberg | 2025-10-15 | Twenty-five years ago, a landmark paper warned that the world's coral reefs could vanish by 2050. Now, halfway to that projected date (and amid … | Climate change, Coral bleaching, Coral reefs, Global warming, Marine biodiversity, Marine ecosystems, Ocean acidification, Ocean heating, Planetary boundaries, Reef collapse, Sea surface temperature, Symbiosis, Tipping points | |
| 328 | GI196 | Is the U.S. Electric Grid Stable? Policy, Renewables, and Who Is Responsible If The Grid Fails with Meredith Angwin | Meredith Angwin | 2025-10-08 | For many people in the modern world, electricity powers everything we do. Yet we take for granted how power flows in the background, seemingly … | Electric grid, Energy policy, Grid reliability, Infrastructure aging, Market deregulation, Natural gas, Nuclear energy, Power outages, Renewable integration, Resource adequacy, Systemic risk, Transmission infrastructure, Utility regulation | |
| 327 | Peak Oil, Ponzi Pyramids, and Planetary Boundaries | 2025-10-03 | To view the graphs Nate is referring to in this episode, please click here. --- In this week's Frankly, Nate … | ||||
| 326 | GI195 | Moral Ambition: Redefining Success for the Global Good with Rutger Bregman | Rutger Bregman | 2025-10-01 | The overarching definition of success today often looks like the accumulation of stuff – money, cars, property, clothing – anything that signals wealth. This … | Cultural values, Effective altruism, Moral ambition, Moral psychology, Moral progress, Philanthropy, Social movements, Social status, Systemic change, Values-driven leadership | |
| 325 | The Influence of Psychopaths: Why Humanity Is Better Than We Think | 2025-09-26 | In this week's Frankly, Nate reflects on intraspecies predation (ours) and the impact psychopathic actors have on the mean and median of human behavior … | ||||
| 324 | GI194 | The Past and Future of Societal Collapse: Why Civilizations Fall and What We Can Learn From It with Luke Kemp | Luke Kemp | 2025-09-24 | For many people today, the idea of societal collapse is unimaginable. Yet history shows that well-established civilizations have fallen again and again – often … | Civilizational collapse, Dominance hierarchies, Global systems, Inequality, Power concentration, Resource extraction, Societal resilience, State failure, Structural inequality, Systems collapse, Systems thinking | |
| 323 | RR019 | Dark Triad Personality Traits: How Psychopathy, Narcissism, and Machiavellianism Impact Our Cultures & Social Systems | RR 19 | 2025-09-17 | Psychopathy is often portrayed as a rare and distant phenomenon – something confined to movie villains or prison cells. Yet when psychopathy is combined … | |||
| 322 | F107 | This Week's Learnings: Gold Holdings, Political Divides, and the DOE Climate Report | Frankly 107 | 2025-09-12 | In this week's Frankly, in a continuation of his 'This Week's Learnings' series, Nate updates viewers on things he learned in the past week, … | |||
| 321 | GI193 | Why We Need Forests: Their Vital Role in Climate Dynamics, Rain, and The Biotic Pump with Anastassia Makarieva | Anastassia Makarieva | 2025-09-10 | To best understand this episode, please watch this ~2 minute video on the biotic pump. It's widely known that … | Biotic pump, Climate dynamics, Cloud formation, Deforestation impacts, Evapotranspiration, Forest ecosystems, Hydrological cycle, Moisture transport, Precipitation patterns, Rainfall regulation, Tropical forests, Vegetation–atmosphere interaction | |
| 320 | F106 | 10 Things Worth More Than a Pound of Gold | Frankly 106 | 2025-09-05 | In this week's Frankly, Nate weighs the value of a pound of gold with other things that we derive worth from in our lives … | |||
| 319 | RR018 | How Water Shapes Our Planet: The Undervalued Resource that Supports Everything We Do | Reality Roundtable 18 | 2025-09-03 | Water has always been a fundamental force shaping our planet – both in sustaining life across ecosystems and in guiding the organization and survival … | |||
| 318 | GI192 | Where Will Humanity Move When the World Gets Too Hot? Mass Climate Migration & The Rise of Uninhabitable Regions with Sunil Amrith | Sunil Amrith | 2025-08-27 | In the next 25 years, the International Organization for Migration estimates that one billion people will be displaced from their homes due to climate-related … | Climate migration, Climate-related displacement, Environmental history, Forced migration, Global heating, Human migration, Internal displacement, Migration policy, Population displacement, Social resilience, Urbanization, Water scarcity | |
| 317 | F105 | Key Blindspots of the "Walrus" Movement | Frankly 105 | 2025-08-22 | In this week's Frankly, Nate unpacks some key blindspots of "the walrus movement"—a placeholder label that's a gentle nod to those championing bold social … | |||
| 316 | GI191 | How Do You Become Who You Want to Be?: The Science Behind Identity, Purpose, and Motivation with Taylor Guthrie | Taylor Guthrie | 2025-08-20 | Our personal concept of identity shapes every decision we make – ranging from life-altering choices to our smallest daily preferences. Identity influences our values, … | ||
| 315 | Ducks and Blueberries: A Reflection on Price, Cost and Value | 2025-08-15 | In this week's Frankly, Nate shares an excerpt from his daily life that mirrors a larger observation on the human predicament. A grocery shopping … | ||||
| 314 | GI190 | The Forgotten Skills of Dying and Grieving Well: How Engaging with Loss Can Help Us Live More Fully with Stephen Jenkinson | Stephen Jenkinson | 2025-08-13 | In Western culture, topics surrounding death and dying are often considered taboo and are generally avoided in everyday conversations. But this reluctance to fully … | ||
| 313 | GI189 | The Silent Collapse: What the Disappearance of Insects Means for Humanity and the Earth with Oliver Milman | Oliver Milman | 2025-08-06 | Insects, bugs, creepy-crawlies – these small animals are often considered a nuisance (or worse) by humanity, bringing up an ongoing desire to kill or … | ||
| 312 | F103 | The Ghost of Dopamine Past | Frankly 103 | 2025-08-01 | In this week's Frankly, Nate reflects on a moment of unexpected insight during a morning bike ride, which catalyzed a larger meditation on the … | |||
| 311 | GI188 | Nothing Can Stop This Train: Our Financial Predicament From a Systems Perspective with Lyn Alden | Lyn Alden | 2025-07-30 | Money, debt, and finance shape the lives of everyone globally, including through the policies and actions of national central banks – yet even those … | ||
| 310 | GI187 | Towards Individual Wisdom & Restraint | 2025-07-25 | In this Earth Day presentation, recorded earlier this year, Nate offers nine broad paths for individuals to cultivate resilience in an increasingly uncertain and … | |||
| 309 | GI186 | The Packaging Revolution: Industry's Responsibility & the Innovations That Could Mitigate the Waste Crisis with Wes Carter | Wes Carter | 2025-07-23 | Packaging is an unavoidable feature of modern life. It's so embedded in our products and systems that even the most environmentally-minded consumers struggle to … | ||
| 308 | F102 | This Week's Learnings: Corn Sweat, Coral Bleaching, and the Climate Credit Crunch | Frankly 102 | 2025-07-18 | In this week's Frankly, Nate shares a handful of things he's learned in the past few days that have implications for the Great Simplification. … | |||
| 307 | GI185 | The Myths Shaping Our Economies: The Disconnect between Economic Theory and Reality with Josh Farley | Josh Farley | 2025-07-16 | Economic theory has come to wield outsized influence over our societal goals, decisions, and policies – often relying on models that claim to optimize … | ||
| 306 | F101 | What I Want to Want for the Future | Frankly 101 | 2025-07-11 | In today's Frankly, Nate imagines that he's looking back from an unspecified point in the future (even from beyond his lifetime), and ponders the … | |||
| 305 | RR017 | Moving from Apathy to Action: How Facing Grief Can Help Us Navigate a World in Crisis | Reality Roundtable #17 | 2025-07-09 | When facing the realities of our world, the urge to drown in grief or shut down into apathy is becoming more and more common. … | |||
| 304 | F100 | Ask Nate Anything 2025 | Frankly 100 | 2025-06-27 | In today's Frankly, Nate reads and responds to questions from viewers of the channel, offering reflections on a wide range of topics from current … | |||
| 303 | GI184 | Algorithmic Cancer: Why AI Development Is Not What You Think with Connor Leahy | Connor Leahy | 2025-06-25 | Recently, the risks about Artificial Intelligence and the need for 'alignment' have been flooding our cultural discourse – with Artificial Super Intelligence acting as … | ||
| 302 | F099 | The 10 Core Myths Still Taught in Business Schools | Frankly 99 | 2025-06-20 | Economics departments around the world teach a narrow boundary story of the way our world works. A narrative of infinite growth driven by consumption … | |||
| 301 | GI183 | The National Security Risks We're Not Prepared For: Adapting In an Age of Actorless Threats with Rod Schoonover | Rod Schoonover | 2025-06-18 | National security concerns have been the invisible hand guiding governance throughout recorded history. In the 20th century, it was defined by a country versus … | ||
| 300 | GI182 | The Systems Science Behind Our Global Crises: How Energy Drives Economics, Ecology, and Our Future | The Great Simplification Movie | 2025-06-13 | 👉 WATCH THE MOVIE HERE 👈 Three years ago, my team and I created a 30-minute movie that … | |||
| 299 | GI181 | Globalization End Game: How Localization Builds Resilient Communities & Economies with Helena Norberg-Hodge | Helena Norberg-Hodge | 2025-06-11 | Over the last few decades, humanity has globalized everything – from food production and supply chains to communication and information systems – making countries, … | ||
| 298 | F098 | 10 Qualities That Could Change the Future: The Seeds of New Cultural Mitochondria | Frankly 98 | 2025-06-06 | Living in a period increasingly fraught by various crises and risks, it is more necessary than ever to be able to metabolize anxiety into … | |||
| 297 | GI180 | AI's Unseen Risks: How Artificial Intelligence Could Harm Future Generations with Zak Stein | Zak Stein | 2025-06-04 | While most industries are embracing artificial intelligence, citing profit and efficiency, the tech industry is pushing AI into education under the guise of 'inevitability'. … | ||
| 296 | F097 | Why the World Feels Like It's Falling Apart: The Superorganism Explained in 7 Minutes | Frankly 97 | 2025-05-30 | In a world grappling with converging crises, we often look outward – for new tech, new markets, new distractions. But the deeper issue lies … | |||
| 295 | GI179 | The Fish are Fleeing: How Shifting Marine Ecosystems are Upending Life with Malin Pinsky | Malin Pinsky | 2025-05-28 | For all of human history, the oceans and the life within them have remained a stable and fundamental part of Earth as we know … | ||
| 294 | F096 | The 8 Faces of AI: Who Will You Become As AI Accelerates? | Frankly 96 | 2025-05-23 | In a world increasingly mediated by machines, the boundaries between human identity and artificial intelligence are beginning to blur. While some embrace the tools … | |||
| 293 | GI178 | Restoring Global Ecology: The Great Green Wall and Large-Scale Permaculture in Action with Andrew Millison | Andrew Millison | 2025-05-21 | It's no secret that massive change is needed to restore our planet's vital ecosystems. Permaculture offers practices to restore local environments by focusing on … | ||
| 292 | F095 | The Parent and the Pendulum | Frankly 95 | 2025-05-16 | In a culture driven by achievement, autonomy, and digital distraction, our sense of identity is often shaped by performance and external validation. Yet beneath … | |||
| 291 | GI177 | No Economies Without Biodiversity: Why Our Markets Rely on the Complexity of Nature with Thomas Crowther | Thomas Crowther | 2025-05-14 | There is only one known planet in the universe capable of meeting humanity's needs – Earth. And yet, our understanding and appreciation of the … | ||
| 290 | F094 | Social Overshoot? Dunbar's Number, Real Relationships, and Musical Chairs | Frankly 94 | 2025-05-09 | With more people on the planet than ever before – with most having constant digital access to one another – there is an abundance … | |||
| 289 | GI176 | Fragile Electric Grids: Did Renewables Cause the Blackout in Spain? with Pedro Prieto | Pedro Prieto | 2025-05-07 | Last week, Europe experienced its worst blackout in living memory, which plunged tens of millions of people across Spain and Portugal into darkness for … | ||
| 288 | F093 | Information Burnout: Are We Past Peak Sensemaking? | Frankly 93 | 2025-05-02 | Each morning, people around the world wake up to more troubling headlines – from power outages in Spain and Portugal to intensifying drone attacks … | |||
| 287 | GI175 | Sobriété vs Poverty: Preparing for a New Cultural Paradigm with Jean-Marc Jancovici | Jean-Marc Jancovici | 2025-04-30 | As economic, political, and environmental pressures continue to reshape our daily choices, it's becoming increasingly clear that the era of hyper-consumption that defined the … | ||
| 286 | F092 | Artificial Intelligence - In Service of Life? | Frankly 92 | 2025-04-25 | What if the most powerful tool humanity has ever created could either help heal the Earth — or accelerate its unraveling? In this … | |||
| 285 | GI174 | The Neuroscience of Good Journalism: How Constructive Journalism Uses Information to Empower with Maren Urner | Maren Urner | 2025-04-23 | The psychological effects of media consumption and keeping up with the 24-hour news cycle are vast. It can sometimes feel impossible to stay educated … | ||
| 284 | F091 | Unintended Consequences in a Complex World | Frankly 91 | 2025-04-18 | As current events continue to accelerate around us, there is no better time to pause and view the rapid changes unfolding around us through … | |||
| 283 | GI173 | Planetary Insights: How Satellites Could Transform Our Understanding of Earth's Predicament with Will Marshall | Will Marshall | 2025-04-16 | When we are able to see the full scope of a problem, rather than a fragment, it changes how we respond. Throughout history, comprehensive … | ||
| 282 | GI172 | Living the Change: How TGS Viewers are Transforming Their Lives and Communities | 2025-04-11 | A few months ago, we invited viewers to share the projects, initiatives, and lifestyle changes they've embraced after becoming aware of the global challenges … | |||
| 281 | GI171 | Living Without Fossil Fuels: How Living Energy Farm Created a Comfortable Off-Grid Lifestyle with Alexis Zeigler | Alexis Zeigler | 2025-04-09 | As we deepen our understanding of the existential challenges facing humanity, the path from our industrialized lifestyles to ones that respect planetary boundaries can … | ||
| 280 | F090 | Net Zero and Other Delusions: What Can't, Won't and Might Happen | Frankly 90 | 2025-04-04 | Language is one of humanity's most unique and powerful tools. We are amazingly good at imagining the pictures created through words - almost to … | |||
| 279 | GI170 | Rewilding 15 Million Acres: Why True Wealth Means More Than Money with Kristine Tompkins | Kristine Tompkins | 2025-04-02 | While the wealth of the world's richest individuals continues to accumulate year after year, funding billions into AI, technology, and innovation, our true wealth—the … | ||
| 278 | GI169 | Digital Democracy: Moving Beyond 'Big Tech' to Save Open Societies with Audrey Tang | Audrey Tang | 2025-03-26 | As the world is increasingly shaped by the dominance of 'Big Tech' – including the race for Artificial Intelligence – the outsized impact on … | ||
| 277 | RR016 | The Mad Scramble for Power: Global Superpowers' Strategies for Energy, Economics, and War | Reality Roundtable #16 | 2025-03-23 | The rapidly evolving geopolitical landscape of recent years can be hard to follow. With economic conflicts between global superpowers and violent clashes across multiple … | |||
| 276 | F089 | Thinking and Feeling | Frankly 89 | 2025-03-21 | The human brain has proven to be particularly good at breaking down all sorts of things into categories and dichotomies - even our perception … | |||
| 275 | GI168 | Threats to U.S. Security: Aging Infrastructure, Fragile Systems, and Information Warfare with Dan O'Connor | Dan O'Connor | 2025-03-19 | The threats facing the United States' stability seem to be escalating daily - from aging electric grids and deteriorating infrastructure to rising information warfare … | ||
| 274 | GI167 | The Lost Art of Grieving: Grief as Ritual, Resistance, and Resilience with Francis Weller | Francis Weller | 2025-03-12 | Western culture, particularly in the United States, is often characterized by a profound discomfort and suppression of grief. Without healthy outlets to process loss … | ||
| 273 | F088 | Snow, The Singularity, and Rocks in the River | Frankly 88 | 2025-03-07 | As the world continued its increasingly chaotic series of events this week - with disruptive events in everything from politics to artificial intelligence, a … | |||
| 272 | GI166 | 2000-Watt Society: The Realities of Living a Low(er) Energy Lifestyle with Peter Strack | Peter Strack | 2025-03-05 | Caught between increasing energy prices and rising carbon emissions, the idea of reducing our energy consumption is a practical and forward-looking necessity. Yet, with … | ||
| 271 | F087 | (Some of) The Central Questions of Our Time | Frankly 87 | 2025-02-28 | The period of relative peace and stability we've known - enabled by the energy surplus of the Carbon Pulse and the ecological stability of … | |||
| 270 | GI165 | Wisdom Over Power: Why Contemplation & Wonder Are Essential for the Future of Humanity with Iain McGilchrist | Iain McGilchrist | 2025-02-26 | (Conversation recorded on January 2nd, 2025) When looking at our global challenges, it can be easier to focus on the … | ||
| 269 | F086 | What is Wealth? | Frankly 86 | 2025-02-21 | (Recorded February 18th, 2025) Individually and collectively, we have become fixated on the pursuit and accumulation of wealth. But what … | |||
| 268 | GI164 | The 'Decline' of Nations: How Elite Surplus and Inequality Lead to Societal Upheaval with Peter Turchin | Peter Turchin | 2025-02-19 | (Conversation recorded on November 22nd, 2024) The first few months of the new year have brought a cacophony of political … | ||
| 267 | F085 | The Light Triad | Frankly 85 | 2025-02-14 | (Recorded February 12th, 2025) Deception and self-interest seem to be increasingly prevalent in our modern cultural reality. From the highest … | |||
| 266 | GI163 | Reimagining the Cultural Narrative: Art and Storytelling for Systemic Change with Dougald Hine | Dougald Hine | 2025-02-12 | (Conversation recorded on November 12th, 2024) In today's modern era, the overwhelming flood of information that constantly flows our … | ||
| 265 | RR015 | The Plastic Crisis: A Health and Environmental Emergency | Reality Roundtable 15 | 2025-02-10 | (Conversation recorded on January 21st, 2025) Many of us are familiar with the problem of plastics as a distant issue in the … | |||
| 264 | F084 | Share Your Story: A Call for Responses to The Great Simplification | Frankly 84 | 2025-02-07 | Link to record and submit your story There are further directions on the video submission site to set you up for success … | |||
| 263 | GI162 | Always Adding More: The Unpopular Reality about Energy Transitions with Jean-Baptiste Fressoz | Jean-Baptiste Fressoz | 2025-02-05 | (Conversation recorded on November 6th, 2024) The vision of a carbon-free, net-zero society is often framed around the promise … | ||
| 262 | F083 | Artificial Intelligence and the Lost Ark | Frankly 83 | 2025-01-31 | (Recorded January 27th, 2025) We live in an era where artificial intelligence increasingly dominates the headlines with promises of revolutionary … | |||
| 261 | GI161 | The Uncertain Future of Oil: Energy Poverty, Depletion, and 'Green' Ambitions with Scott Tinker | Scott Tinker | 2025-01-29 | (Conversation recorded on October 30th, 2024) Human consumption of fossil fuels - especially oil - is a topic filled … | ||
| 260 | F082 | Power vs Life: Towards Wide Boundary Sovereignty | Frankly 82 | 2025-01-24 | (Recorded January 20th, 2025) We are alive at a critical juncture for human civilization, and the biosphere, where the pursuit and accumulation of … | |||
| 259 | GI160 | Navigating International Crises: The Evolving Challenges for Humanitarian Organizations with Birgitte Bischoff | Birgitte Bischoff | 2025-01-22 | (Conversation recorded on December 18th, 2024) With the increase in geopolitical conflicts, supply chain challenges, and unprecedented natural disasters, … | ||
| 258 | The Future is Local: Bioregioning 101 | 2025-01-19 | (Conversation recorded on December 11th, 2024) The past century has been marked by the rise of globalization in every … | ||||
| 257 | GI159 | Reality and Perseverance in India: Pollution, Poverty, and Policy with Sunita Narain | Sunita Narain | 2025-01-15 | (Conversation recorded on December 4th, 2024) It is an unfortunate reality that the countries least responsible for the climate and ecological … | ||
| 256 | GI158 | The Meaning Crisis: Wisdom, Purpose, and the Search for Coherence with John Vervaeke | John Vervaeke | 2025-01-08 | (Conversation recorded on November 25th, 2024) The crises that our world is facing seem to be constantly growing, leading to … | ||
| 255 | GI157 | Best of TGS: What Would You Do With a Magic Wand? | 2024-12-22 | This year on The Great Simplification, we heard from 54 guests, 18 Reality Roundtable panelists, and Nate shared his thoughts across 31 Frankly episodes. … | |||
| 254 | F081 | Time Travel & The Superorganism: A Movie Idea | Frankly 81 | 2024-12-20 | (Recorded December 16, 2024) As we wrap up another year of thought-provoking discussions on The Great Simplification, Nate takes us … | |||
| 253 | GI156 | The Great Simplification in Action: Building Resilience Through Local Communities with Christian Sawyer | Christian Sawyer | 2024-12-18 | (Conversation recorded on November 7th, 2024) Long-time listeners of The Great Simplification may have a good grasp of the … | ||
| 252 | F080 | Thank You for Ruining My Life" | Frankly 80 | 2024-12-13 | (Recorded December 5, 2024) It's not everyday that a stranger thanks you for 'ruining their life'. In this heartfelt Frankly, … | |||
| 251 | GI155 | The Baby Bust: How The Toxicity Crisis Could Cause the Next Economic Crash with Jeremy Grantham | Jeremy Grantham | 2024-12-11 | (Conversation recorded on November 5th, 2024) It is no secret that population dynamics significantly impact global stability. But what's … | ||
| 250 | GI154 | Shutting Off The Plastic Tap: A Global Treaty To Regulate Petrochemical Pollution? with Jane Muncke | Jane Muncke | 2024-12-08 | (Conversation recorded on December 2nd, 2024) One of the central ecological challenges of our time is addressing the plastic and … | ||
| 249 | The Biggest Takeaways from the Logic of the Superorganism | 2024-12-06 | (Recorded November 26, 2024) As we piece together the different facets of our reality, the systems synthesis which emerges confronts … | ||||
| 248 | GI153 | Existential Risks: The Biggest Threats to Life as We Know It with Luke Kemp | Luke Kemp | 2024-12-04 | (Conversation recorded on October 22nd, 2024) The human system as we know it today – which powers our economies, … | ||
| 247 | F078 | A Brief Clarification on Human Behavior | Frankly 78 | 2024-11-29 | (Recorded November 21, 2024) Two weeks ago, in a Frankly called The Battles of Our Time, Nate commented on human … | |||
| 246 | GI152 | Energy Crises & Global Power Shifts: The Struggle for Stability in Israel, Iran, and Beyond | Helen Thompson | Helen Thompson | 2024-11-27 | (Conversation recorded on November 11th, 2024, prior to a ceasefire declared between Israel and Lebanon on November 27th, 2024) If … | ||
| 245 | Future Council: How Children are Responding to our Planetary Crises with Damon Gameau and The Future Council | 2024-11-24 | (Conversation recorded on September 24th, 2024) It is frequently true that those who will inherit the greatest consequences of … | ||||
| 244 | F077 | 7 Philosophies on the Future | Frankly 77 | 2024-11-22 | (Recorded November 12, 2024) In last week's Frankly, Nate shared his thoughts on some of the polarities we'll need to harmonize as we … | |||
| 243 | GI151 | Fires in the Rainforest: The Impossible Economics of a Disappearing Amazon | André Guimarães | André Guimarães | 2024-11-20 | (Conversation recorded on October 2nd, 2024) For millions of years, the Amazon Rainforest has been home to a stunning array … | ||
| 242 | F076 | The Battles of Our Time | Frankly 76 | 2024-11-15 | (Recorded November 11, 2024) In today's complex geopolitical landscape, battles and tensions seem to exist everywhere we look. Power shifts and compounding crises … | |||
| 241 | GI150 | Carbon Sink to Carbon Source? How the Amazon Rainforest Could Become a Self-Drying Savanna | Carlos Nobre | TGS 150 | Carlos Nobre | 2024-11-13 | (Conversation recorded on September 25th, 2024) The Amazon Rainforest is one of the Earth's most vital systems, playing a … | ||
| 240 | GI149 | Regenerative Economics: New Economic Paradigms, Living Systems, & Holistic Thinking with John Fullerton | John Fullerton | 2024-11-06 | (Conversation recorded on October 10th, 2024) Our modern economic system is designed to maximize financial capital, viewing money as … | ||
| 239 | F075 | Somebody's Gonna Win | Frankly 75 | 2024-11-01 | (Recorded October 27, 2024) Somebody is going to win the upcoming US election. In a society deeply divided along partisan … | |||
| 238 | GI148 | Preserving Democracy: A Call for Civility with Richard Gephardt | Richard Gephardt | 2024-10-30 | (Conversation recorded on October 17th, 2024) As the trust in the U.S. presidential election process continues to be in … | ||
| 237 | RR012 | The Global Stakes of the U.S. Election: Debt, The Dollar, and Military Power | Reality Roundtable #12 | 2024-10-27 | (Conversation recorded on October 16th, 2024) Ahead of the U.S. Presidential Election between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, both … | |||
| 236 | GI147 | The Foundational Challenge: Stewardship, Responsibility, and Designing a New System with Indy Johar | Indy Johar | 2024-10-23 | (Conversation recorded on October 3rd, 2024) While humans, like all animals, are subject to certain fundamental realities, we also … | ||
| 235 | GI146 | Ecological Awakening: A Path Toward Holistic Adulthood with Bill Plotkin | Bill Plotkin | 2024-10-16 | (Conversation recorded on September 16th, 2024) Where have all the elders gone? As the world grapples with its unfolding economic … | ||
| 234 | GI145 | Planetary Health Check: The State of Earth's Critical Systems with Kari Stoever | Kari Stoever | 2024-10-13 | (Conversation recorded on September 25th, 2024) There has been much discussion lately of Planetary Boundaries – the 9 biophysical systems and processes … | ||
| 233 | F074 | The Lament of the Bigfoot | Frankly 74 | 2024-10-11 | (Recorded October 7, 2024) In a polarized and fractured society, those who draw attention to the ecological devastation wrought by … | |||
| 232 | GI144 | Inner Development Goals: Cultivating Change from the Inside Out with Erik Fernholm | Erik Fernholm | 2024-10-09 | (Conversation recorded on September 5th, 2024) The deeper we dive into the complexity of the metacrisis, the more it becomes … | ||
| 231 | RR011 | Tales from the Carbon Pulse | Reality Roundtable 11 | 2024-10-06 | (Conversation recorded on August 6th, 2024) The damaging effects of humanity's disconnected relationship to Earth's ecosystems are broad and … | |||
| 230 | F073 | The Superorganism and the Self | Frankly 73 | 2024-10-04 | (Recorded September 30, 2024) Nate's work tends to focus on systems-level analysis of the current (and future) global macro/ecological situation. … | |||
| 229 | GI143 | Rooted in Connection: Exploring the Hidden Ties in Earth's Forests with Suzanne Simard | Suzanne Simard | 2024-10-02 | (Conversation recorded on August 13th, 2024) Humanity's relationship with Earth's forests is long and complex. While some societies have … | ||
| 228 | F072 | What if Climate Change Was a Hoax? | Frankly 72 | 2024-09-27 | (Recorded September 22, 2024) 14.8% of Americans do not believe in climate change. Recently, a study mapping a 485-million-year history of … | |||
| 227 | GI142 | History for Tomorrow: Uncovering Future Possibilities from Humanity's Past with Roman Krznaric | Roman Krznaric | 2024-09-25 | (Conversation recorded on August 5th, 2024) While the global crises we face are on a larger scale than anything before, there … | ||
| 226 | F071 | Weakest Links: Depletion, Supply Chains, and Trust | Frankly 71 | 2024-09-20 | (Recorded September 18 2024) Over past decades, abundance and peace have become the prevailing narratives in modern societies. The reality, as usual, is … | |||
| 225 | GI141 | Global Heating 101: Rapid-Fire Answers to the Biggest Climate Questions with Stefan Rahmstorf | Stefan Rahmstorf | 2024-09-18 | (Conversation recorded on July 30th, 2024) The science surrounding our planet's dynamic and complex climate can be difficult to understand, and perhaps … | ||
| 224 | GI140 | U.S. Full Spectrum Dominance: Nuclear Risks and The End of Empire with Jeffrey Sachs | Jeffrey Sachs | 2024-09-11 | (Conversation recorded on September 3rd, 2024) As the United States continues to play a major role in the conflict … | ||
| 223 | GI139 | Bioregional Futures: Reconnecting to Place for Planetary Health with Daniel Christian Wahl | Daniel Christian Wahl | 2024-09-04 | (Conversation recorded on July 24th, 2024) In the past century of abundant energy surplus, humanity's globalized, large-scale approach to problem-solving has yielded … | ||
| 222 | GI138 | The Physics of Connection: Understanding Relationships and Ecology with Fritjof Capra | Fritjof Capra | 2024-08-28 | (Conversation recorded on May 8th, 2024) Without a systems lens, the full reality of the human predicament will never be understood. It … | ||
| 221 | GI137 | The Art of Movement Building: Personal Liberation for Public Change with Mamphela Ramphele | Mamphela Ramphele | 2024-08-21 | (Conversation recorded on July 17th, 2024) Addressing the risks we face on a global scale is a challenge that can feel both … | ||
| 220 | F070 | Ask Me Anything - Your Questions About TGS Answered | Frankly 70 | 2024-08-16 | (Recorded August 11, 2024) The content of The Great Simplification (on Youtube and in real life) can be complex, nuanced and multi-faceted. In … | |||
| 219 | GI136 | The Population Problem: Human Impact, Extinctions, and the Biodiversity Crisis with Corey Bradshaw | Corey Bradshaw | 2024-08-14 | (Conversation recorded on July 25th, 2024) Show Summary: Human overpopulation is often depicted in the media in one … | ||
| 218 | F069 | Goldilocks Technology - A Preliminary Checklist | Frankly 69 | 2024-08-09 | (Recorded August 5 2024) As a problem-solving species, technology is an embedded part of the human experience – we assess, innovate, invent and … | |||
| 217 | GI135 | Biomimicry: Applying Nature's Wisdom to Human Problems with Janine Benyus | Janine Benyus | 2024-08-07 | (Conversation recorded on June 25th, 2024) Although artificial intelligence tends to dominate conversations about solving our most daunting global challenges, we may … | ||
| 216 | F068 | Overshoot and Its 7 Fundamental Drivers | Frankly 68 | 2024-08-02 | (Recorded July 23 2024) Description In this week's Frankly, (coincidentally released the day after Earth Overshoot Day), Nate breaks down … | |||
| 215 | GI134 | Planetary Boundaries: Exceeding Earth's Safe Limits with Johan Rockström | Johan Rockström | 2024-07-31 | (Conversation recorded on June 19th, 2024) Show Summary: While the mainstream conversation about our planet's future is … | ||
| 214 | RR010 | The Ecology of Communication: Moving Beyond Polarization in Service of Life | Reality Roundtable 10 | 2024-07-28 | (Conversation recorded on June 14th, 2024) Show Summary: There's a growing understanding of the need for biodiversity across … | |||
| 213 | F067 | The Solutions that can be Named are not the Solutions | Frankly #67 | 2024-07-26 | Recorded July 23 2024 In this week's Frankly, Nate addresses the common desire for solutions to the human predicament - and … | |||
| 212 | GI133 | Indigenous Wisdom: Resilience, Adaptation, and Seeing Nature as Ourselves with Casey Camp-Horinek | Casey Camp-Horinek | 2024-07-24 | (Conversation recorded on June 12th, 2024) Show Summary: As we move through difficult cultural transitions and rethink our … | ||
| 211 | F066 | The Reality Party | Frankly #66 | 2024-07-19 | Recorded July 16 2024 Description Following the attempted assassination of former United States President Donald J. Trump, Nate … | |||
| 210 | GI132 | Silicon Dreams and Carbon Nightmares: The Wide Boundary Impacts of AI with Daniel Schmachtenberger | Daniel Schmachtenberger | 2024-07-17 | (Conversation recorded on June 27th, 2024) Show Summary: Artificial intelligence has been advancing at a break-neck pace. … | ||
| 209 | F065 | And Then What?: Using Wide-Boundary Lenses | Frankly 65 | 2024-07-12 | (Recorded July 8 2024) There are many so-called 'solutions' out there that, upon first glance, seem like great ideas - yet when we … | |||
| 208 | GI131 | Eat, Poop, Die: Animals as the Arteries of the Biosphere with Joe Roman | Joe Roman | 2024-07-10 | (Conversation recorded on June 14th, 2024) Show Summary: If plants are considered the lungs of the Earth, cycling … | ||
| 207 | GI130 | Living Your Questions: A Pathway Through the Unanswerable with Krista Tippett | Krista Tippett | 2024-07-03 | (Conversation recorded on May 16th, 2024) Show Summary: At the intersection between science and spirituality lies some of … | ||
| 206 | F064 | The 20 Control Knobs for a Post-Growth Future | Frankly 64 | 2024-06-28 | In this week's Frankly, Nate shares twenty different things to expect in the future, some which will be extremely difficult to influence but others … | |||
| 205 | GI129 | The Flip, the Formation, and the Fun: A Metamodern Framework for Human Futures with Jonathan Rowson | Jonathan Rowson | 2024-06-26 | (Conversation recorded on April 24th, 2024) Show Summary: Engaging with the human predicament requires new ways of understanding … | ||
| 204 | GI128 | Sound Thinking: Using Music, Resonance, and Harmonics for Human Wellbeing with Alexandre Tannous | Alexandre Tannous | 2024-06-19 | (Conversation recorded on May 1st, 2024) Show Summary: Music has been an integral part of the human experience for thousands of … | ||
| 203 | GI127 | Material World: The Key Resources Underpinning Modern Economies with Ed Conway | Ed Conway | 2024-06-12 | (Conversation recorded on May 7th, 2024) Show Summary: In contrast to 'The Great Simplification', some might call the … | ||
| 202 | RR009 | The Next Generation's Dilemma: Confronting the Metacrisis | Reality Roundtable #9 | 2024-06-09 | (Conversation recorded on May 8th, 2024) Show Summary: As the human predicament continues to accelerate, the conversations regarding the future … | |||
| 201 | GI126 | Daniel Schmachtenberger: "Moving from Naive to Authentic Progress: A Vision for Betterment" | Daniel Schmachtenberger | 2024-06-05 | (Conversation recorded on May 5th, 2024) Show Summary: In this episode, Nate welcomes back Daniel Schmachtenberger to unpack a new … | ||
| 200 | F063 | Nuclear Conflict: 7 Key Questions for Sustainable Futures | Frankly #63 | 2024-05-31 | (Recorded May 28, 2024) Description In this week's Frankly, Nate offers an update on the current state of conflict between NATO and … | |||
| 199 | GI125 | Vanessa Andreotti: "Hospicing Modernity and Rehabilitating Humanity" | Vanessa Andreotti | 2024-05-29 | (Conversation recorded on March 25th, 2024) Show Summary: In this episode, Nate is joined by educator and researcher Vanessa Andreotti to discuss … | ||
| 198 | GI124 | Levke Caesar: "Oceanic Slowdown: Decoding the AMOC" | Levke Caesar | 2024-05-22 | (Conversation recorded on April 23rd, 2024) Show Summary: On this episode, Nate is joined by climate physicist Levke Caesar for … | ||
| 197 | Special Request & Community Announcement | 2024-05-17 | UPDATE: We are no longer accepting survey submissions. Thanks for your feedback! Greetings! As we look ahead to the future of … | ||||
| 196 | GI123 | Chris Keefer: "Empowering the Future: from Nuclear to Podcasting" | Chris Keefer | 2024-05-15 | On this episode, Nate is joined by ER doctor, nuclear power advocate, and podcast host Chris Keefer for a broad ranging conversation including the … | ||
| 195 | RR008 | The Indic Mind: An Approach to the Metacrisis | Reality Roundtable 8 | 2024-05-12 | On this Reality Roundtable, Nate is joined by Mohit Trivedi, Abhishek Thakore, and Kejal Savla, three NGO leaders in India active in driving social … | |||
| 194 | GI122 | Zak Stein: "Values, Education, AI and the Metacrisis" | Zak Stein | 2024-05-08 | On this episode, Nate is joined by philosopher and educator Zak Stein to discuss the current state of education and development for children during … | ||
| 193 | GI121 | Pella Thiel: "Criminalizing Ecocide: The Rights of Nature" | Pella Thiel | 2024-05-01 | On this episode, Nate is joined by maverick ecologist Pella Thiel to discuss the legal frameworks behind the Ecocide and Rights of Nature Movements. … | ||
| 192 | F062 | 7 Thought Experiments for Earth Day | Frankly #62 | 2024-04-26 | Recorded April 22 2024 Description For this Earth Day in 2024 Frankly, Nate walks through 7 thought experiments … | |||
| 191 | GI120 | Tom Chi: "Net Positive for the Planet – from Beavers to Bionics" | Tom Chi | 2024-04-24 | On this episode, Nate is joined by inventor and investor Tom Chi to take a broad look at the principles guiding innovation and capital - … | ||
| 190 | F061 | The Strait of Hormuz and 'the Spice' | Frankly #61 | 2024-04-19 | Recorded April 17 2024 Description In this week's Frankly, Nate focuses on the importance of the Strait of Hormuz, … | |||
| 189 | GI119 | Luther Krueger: "Goldilocks Tech? A Solar Oven Overview" | Luther Krueger | 2024-04-17 | On this episode, Nate is joined by Solar Oven collector and educator Luther Krueger to discuss the ins and outs of solar cooking. … | ||
| 188 | F060 | The 17 Things I Am 100% Certain About | Frankly #60 | 2024-04-12 | Recorded April 8 2024 Description In this week's Frankly, Nate offers a list of things he is absolutely certain of… … | |||
| 187 | GI118 | Michael Every: "The Many -Isms of the Metacrisis" | Michael Every | 2024-04-10 | On this episode, Nate is joined by financial analyst Michael Every to discuss global macro trends in economics, politics, and social movements. By taking … | ||
| 186 | F059 | 7 Meta Questions About Our Global Metabolism | Frankly #59 | 2024-04-04 | Recorded April 4 2024 Description Based on this week's podcast episode with Geoffrey West, which covered how biological … | |||
| 185 | GI117 | Geoffrey West: "Metabolism and the Hidden Laws of Biology" | Geoffrey West | 2024-04-03 | On this episode, physicist Geoffrey West joins Nate to discuss his decades of work on metabolic scaling laws found in nature and how they … | ||
| 184 | F058 | The Fellowship of the Ring - 'Bend Not Break' Version | Frankly 58 | 2024-03-29 | In this Frankly, Nate recasts his favorite book series, the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien, with some speculative "archetypes" … | |||
| 183 | GI116 | Riane Eisler: "Domination and Partnership in Society" | Riane Eisler | 2024-03-27 | On this episode, Nate is joined by systems scientist Riane Eisler to discuss her decades of work studying 'domination' and 'partnership' societies throughout history … | ||
| 182 | F057 | Information Bifurcation | Frankly #57 | 2024-03-22 | Recorded March 19 2024 Description In this Frankly, Nate reflects on ten dichotomies that he sees prevalent in … | |||
| 181 | GI115 | Patrick Knodel: "Question Everything - Towards Cooperation & Change" | Patrick Knodel | 2024-03-20 | On this episode, Nate is joined by impact investor Patrick Knodel to discuss how philanthropy and non-profit work might make positive change beyond the … | ||
| 180 | GI114 | Chuck Watson: "NATO in Ukraine: from Proxy to Participants" | Chuck Watson | 2024-03-15 | On this special episode, risk analyst Chuck Watson returns to discuss the current state of the conflict in Ukraine and the potential for escalation. With … | ||
| 179 | GI113 | Lyn Alden: "The Myth of Frictionless Finance" | Lyn Alden | 2024-03-13 | On this episode, Nate is joined by investment strategist Lyn Alden to discuss how energy and technology have shaped our monetary system and current … | ||
| 178 | F056 | Peak Oil, AI, and the Straw | Frankly #56 | 2024-03-08 | Recorded March 5 2024 Description In this Frankly, Nate shares his perspective on the new all-time high in oil production … | |||
| 177 | GI112 | Samantha Sweetwater: "Life at the Center" | Samantha Sweetwater | 2024-03-06 | On this episode, thought leader and ceremonial guide Samantha Sweetwater joins Nate to share her journey through mysticism and guiding others through their own … | ||
| 176 | F055 | 7 Key Interventions for the Future | Frankly #55 | 2024-03-01 | Recorded February 26 2024 Description In this Frankly, Nate shares insights on his personal/organizational priorities as a lead … | |||
| 175 | GI111 | Sandra Faber: "The Universe and Our Place in It" | Sandra Faber | 2024-02-28 | On this episode, astrophysicist Sandra Faber joins Nate for a wideview cosmological conversation on the development of the known-universe and the moral implications for humanity's … | ||
| 174 | GI110 | John Robb: "Networked Tribalism, AI, and Asteroids" | John Robb | 2024-02-21 | On this episode, Nate is joined by author and technology analyst John Robb to discuss how geopolitics, information warfare, and technology are shaping how we … | ||
| 173 | F054 | Reflections From India | Frankly #54 | 2024-02-16 | Recorded February 13 2024 Description Returning from his first visit to India for a six-week limbic reset, Nate … | |||
| 172 | GI109 | Ashley Hodgson: "The New Enlightenment and Behavioral Economics" | Ashley Hodgson | 2024-02-14 | On this episode, Nate is joined by Ashley Hodgson, a professor in behavioral economics, where she offers a perspective on the superorganism and what she … | ||
| 171 | GI108 | Steve Keen: "On the Origins of Energy Blindness" | Steve Keen | 2024-02-07 | On this episode, economist Steve Keen offers a deep forensic history of why modern economic theory has neglected the role of energy in … | ||
| 170 | GI107 | Mario Giampietro: "Models with Meaning - Changing Social Practices" | Mario Giampietro | 2024-01-31 | On this episode, Nate is joined by biophysical analyst Mario Giampietro to unpack his decades of research on a wide-lens view of the challenges … | ||
| 169 | GI106 | Alexa Firmenich: "Biodiversity, Beauty, and Being" | Alexa Firmenich | 2024-01-24 | On this episode, Nate is joined by Alexa Firmenich, whose work spans biodiversity advocacy, ESG investing, wilderness excursion facilitating, and podcasting/creative writing. Together, they … | ||
| 168 | F053 | The Haves & The Have-Nots | Frankly #53 | 2024-01-19 | Recorded December 18 2023 Description In this Frankly, Nate follows up the recent Reality … | |||
| 167 | GI105 | Leon Simons: "Aerosol Demasking & Global Heating" | Leon Simons | 2024-01-17 | On this episode, Nate is joined by climate researcher Leon Simons to unpack recent trends in global heating during 2023 and potential explanations and subsequent … | ||
| 166 | GI104 | Jane Muncke: "Perils of Plastic Packaging" | Jane Muncke | 2024-01-10 | On this episode, toxicology scientist Dr. Jane Muncke joins Nate to discuss the current state of food production and the effects of ultra processed … | ||
| 165 | F052 | The Behavioral Stack | Frankly #52 | 2024-01-05 | Recorded December 18 2023 Description In this Frankly, Nate offers a personal reflection on his learnings about 'awareness' … | |||
| 164 | GI103 | Peter Brannen: "Deep Time, Mass Extinctions, and Today" | Peter Brannen | 2024-01-03 | On this episode, Nate is joined by Peter Brannen, science journalist and author specializing in Earth's prior mass extinctions, to unpack our planet's geologic history … | ||
| 163 | GI102 | Bill McKibben: "Climate, Movements, and Power" | Bill McKibben | 2023-12-20 | On this episode, environmental activist and author Bill McKibben joins Nate for a reflection on the last few decades of climate education and movements … | ||
| 162 | F051 | Systemic Themes for 2024 | Frankly #51 | 2023-12-18 | Recorded December 17 2023 Description In this final Frankly of 2023, Nate outlines some global themes that are … | |||
| 161 | GI101 | Arthur Berman: "Shale Oil and the Slurping Sound" | Arthur Berman | 2023-12-13 | On this episode, Arthur Berman returns to unpack the complexity underpinning the oil trends of the last 75 years and what new data can … | ||
| 160 | RR007 | Stephanie Hoopes, Peter Kilde, Marc Perry, Dalitso Sulamoyo: "Poverty Blind" | Reality Roundtable #7 | 2023-12-10 | On this Reality Roundtable, Nate is joined by four professionals with decades of experience working with low-income communities, Stephanie Hoopes, Peter Kilde, Marc Perry, … | |||
| 159 | F050 | COP 28 and the Smoke Under the Door | Frankly #50 | 2023-12-08 | In this week's Frankly, we join Nate in a fascinating thought experiment imagining participants in this week's COP 28 in Dubai are liberated from … | |||
| 158 | GI100 | Nate Hagens: "Episode 100 - The Great Simplification" (Interviewed by Kate Raworth) | Nate Hagens | 2023-12-06 | On this special 100th episode, Nate is interviewed by his friend and colleague in the metacrisis space, Kate Raworth. The conversation is a … | ||
| 157 | GI099 | Jeremy Grantham: "Pollution, Population & Purpose" | Jeremy Grantham | 2023-11-29 | On this episode, Nate is joined by co-founder of GMO Financial Holdings, Jeremy Grantham, to discuss how finance, human population, ecology, and pollution interact … | ||
| 156 | F049 | Artificial Intelligence vs Real Ecology | Frankly #49 | 2023-11-17 | In this Frankly, a follow up to "One Ring to Rule Them All", Nate unpacks the common misconception that AI is the answer to … | |||
| 155 | GI098 | Helen Thompson: "The Complex History of Energy & Geopolitics" | Helen Thompson | 2023-11-15 | On this episode, political economist Helen Thompson and Nate discuss how energy and geopolitics have interconnected over the past century, building to the entangled … | ||
| 154 | RR006 | Fossil Free Food Systems: Jason Bradford, Andrew Millison, Vandana Shiva, Daniel Zetah | Reality Roundtable #06 | 2023-11-12 | Show Summary: On this Reality Roundtable, Nate is joined by small-scale farmer Jason Bradford, permaculturist and documentarian Andrew Millison, … | |||
| 153 | GI097 | Chuck Watson: "The Nuclear Wild West" | Chuck Watson | 2023-11-08 | (Conversation recorded on November 2nd, 2023) Show Summary: On this episode, Nate is re-joined by risk … | ||
| 152 | F048 | The Biophysical Taxman Cometh | Frankly #48 | 2023-11-03 | Recorded October 31 2023 Description In this Frankly, Nate expands on our conventional definition of "taxes" to highlight nine other … | |||
| 151 | GI096 | David Holmgren: "Small and Slow Solutions - Permaculture Design" | David Holmgren | 2023-11-01 | On this episode, Nate is joined by 'permaculture' author and educator David Holmgren to discuss his experience within the movement and what it might … | ||
| 150 | F047 | Frankly Re: Franklys | Frankly #47 | 2023-10-27 | Recorded October 27 2023 Description In this forty-seventh Frankly, Nate reflects on…..Franklys. As real time global events move … | |||
| 149 | GI095 | Sir David King: "Global Heating: The Science and the Response" | Sir David King | 2023-10-25 | On this episode, Nate is joined by climate scientist and policy ambassador Sir David King to unpack the current situation regarding Earth's climate system and … | ||
| 148 | GI094 | Chuck Watson: "War, Rumours of War, and Governance" | Chuck Watson | 2023-10-20 | On this Special episode Nate speaks once again with risk expert Chuck Watson for a critical assessment of the unfolding situation around Israel which … | ||
| 147 | GI093 | Joris van der Schot: "Oil Refining 101 and Other Energy Stories" | Joris van der Schot | 2023-10-18 | On this episode, Nate is joined by energy industry professional Joris van der Schot to explain the basics of oil refineries, their limitations, and … | ||
| 146 | RR005 | Food & Community in the Ruins: Dougald Hine, Chris Smaje, Pella Thiel | Reality Roundtable #05 | 2023-10-15 | On this Reality Roundtable, philosopher and writer Dougald Hine, social scientist and farmer Chris Smaje, and ecologist and farmer Pella Thiel join Nate … | |||
| 145 | F046 | The Middle East: Stormwatch | Frankly #46 | 2023-10-13 | In this Frankly, Nate shares his perspective on the recent events in the Middle East and how they could lead to a shortening of … | |||
| 144 | GI092 | Arthur Berman: "BRICS+, Strategic Petroleum Reserve & Metaphysics" | Arthur Berman | 2023-10-11 | On this episode, Art Berman returns to give a broad update on the state of global oil - from BRICS+ and shale oil to … | ||
| 143 | F045 | One Ring to Rule Them All | Frankly #45 | 2023-10-06 | In this Frankly, Nate refers to a favorite timeless book series, The Lord of the Rings, to describe 'the nine rings for mortal men' - … | |||
| 142 | GI091 | Luke Gromen: "Peak Cheap Oil and the Global Reserve Currency" | Luke Gromen | 2023-10-04 | On this episode, financial analyst Luke Gromen joins Nate to discuss how the availability of cheap energy has underpinned our current financial architecture and … | ||
| 141 | GI090 | Nick Haddad: "Insects - A Silent Extinction" | Nick Haddad | 2023-09-27 | On this episode, Nate is joined by Professor Nick Haddad, a conservation scientist with a focus on butterflies and other insects. Nick unpacks … | ||
| 140 | GI089 | Sian Sutherland: "Innovating the Business of Plastics" | Sian Sutherland | 2023-09-20 | On this episode, Nate is joined by Sian Sutherland, a leader in the movement towards reducing the overconsumption of plastic and its waste. The … | ||
| 139 | GI088 | Robert Sapolsky: "The Brain, Determinism, and Cultural Implications" | Robert Sapolsky | 2023-09-13 | On this episode, neuroscientist and author Robert Sapolsky joins Nate to discuss the structure of the human brain and its implication on behavior and … | ||
| 138 | RR004 | Titanic Oceans: Daniel Pauly, Antonio Turiel, Peter Ward | Reality Roundtable #04 | 2023-09-10 | On this Reality Roundtable, marine biologist Daniel Pauly, ocean physicist Antonio Turiel, and paleobiologist Peter Ward join Nate to discuss the numerous oft-overlooked threats … | |||
| 137 | F044 | The Many Shapes of the Carbon Pulse | Frankly #44 | 2023-09-08 | In this Frankly, Nate describes the Carbon Pulse - a one time massive consumption of fossil hydrocarbons at a pace millions of times faster … | |||
| 136 | GI087 | Graham Palmer: "Energy Storage and Civilization: A History" | Graham Palmer | 2023-09-06 | On this episode, Nate is joined by Graham Palmer, a scholar and engineer in the field of energy. While this show frequently covers the … | ||
| 135 | F043 | Fossil Energy Subsidies: The Bottom Line | Frankly #43 | 2023-09-01 | In this week's Frankly, Nate reacts to recent analysis by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) critical of 2022 subsidies to fossil fuel. These subsidies - … | |||
| 134 | GI086 | Lisi Krall: "Agriculture, Surplus, and the Economic Superorganism" | Lisi Krall | 2023-08-30 | On this episode, 'Superorganisms' converge as Nate is joined by economist and anthropologist Lisi Krall to discuss the evolutionary origins of our current … | ||
| 133 | F042 | Running the 'Systems Discourse' Gauntlet | Frankly #42 | 2023-08-25 | In this week's Frankly, Nate considers 7 different continuums of perspectives people use when taking part in a "systems" discourse, such as The Great … | |||
| 132 | GI085 | Iain McGilchrist: "Wisdom, Nature, and the Brain" | Iain McGilchrist | 2023-08-23 | On this episode, literary scholar and psychiatrist Iain McGilchrist joins Nate to discuss the way modern culture teaches and encourages us to use - and … | ||
| 131 | GI084 | Jean-Marc Jancovici: "Our Global Energy Predicament" | Jean-Marc Jancovici | 2023-08-16 | On this episode, Nate is joined by well-known French educator Jean-Marc Jancovici to discuss the critical importance of energy to modern economies. Together, … | ||
| 130 | RR003 | Unlearning Economics: Jon Erickson, Josh Farley, Steve Keen, & Kate Raworth | Reality Roundtable #03 | 2023-08-13 | On this Reality Roundtable, Nate is joined by Jon Erickson, Josh Farley, Steve Keen, and Kate Raworth - all of whom are leading thinkers … | |||
| 129 | F041 | Just Stop Oil !? Part 4 - The Intersection | Frankly #41 | 2023-08-11 | In Part 4 of this Frankly mini-series, Nate concludes the deep dive into the nexus between "just stopping oil" and "just pumping oil" with … | |||
| 128 | GI083 | Doomberg: "Our Fragile Energy Economy" | Doomberg | 2023-08-09 | On this episode, Nate is joined by Doomberg - the anonymous energy/finance analyst team (visually presenting as a talking chicken icon) who uses … | ||
| 127 | F040 | Just Stop Oil !? Part 3 - 10 Pathways to Post-Growth | Frankly #40 | 2023-08-04 | In Part 3 of this Frankly Series, Nate (just after watching the movie Oppenheimer!) breaks down the logic of how we COULD arrive at … | |||
| 126 | GI082 | Kevin Anderson: "The Uncomfortable Link between Climate and Equity" | Kevin Anderson | 2023-08-02 | On this episode, Nate is joined by climate scientist Kevin Anderson to discuss the possible paths of averting severe climate outcomes and how this … | ||
| 125 | F039 | Just Stop Oil !? Part 2 - Oil is the Economy | Frankly #39 | 2023-07-28 | In Part 2 of this Frankly Series, Nate breaks down why energy - and specifically oil - is currently the central foundation of our … | |||
| 124 | GI081 | Roger Pielke Jr: "Understanding the Origins of Climate Models" | Roger Pielke Jr | 2023-07-26 | On this episode, Nate is joined by climate and policy scientist Roger Pielke Jr. to discuss the progression of climate research and modeling. … | ||
| 123 | F038 | The 7 Things That Scare Me Most | Frankly #38 | 2023-07-21 | In this week's Frankly, Nate expands upon something he finds himself saying more frequently these days; "what scares me the most is…". From the … | |||
| 122 | GI080 | Taimur Ahmad: "Energy Inequality in the Polycrisis" | Taimur Ahmad | 2023-07-19 | On this episode, Nate is joined by recent Stanford graduate and biophysical researcher Taimur Ahmad to discuss energy inequality within and across nations. … | ||
| 121 | F037 | Just Stop Oil !? Part 1 - Gasoline | Frankly #37 | 2023-07-14 | In this must watch Frankly, Nate illustrates how a reduction in the demand for gasoline will not - as commonly believed - result in … | |||
| 120 | GI079 | Anne Biklé & David Montgomery: "Nourishing the Land and Ourselves" | Anne Biklé & David Montgomery | 2023-07-12 | On this episode, Nate is joined by "free range biologist" Anne Biklé and "broad-minded geologist" David Montgomery - a married duo who have … | ||
| 119 | RR002 | Deep(er) Ecology: William Rees, Nora Bateson & Rex Weyler | Reality Roundtable #02 | 2023-07-09 | On this segment of Reality Roundtable, Nate is joined by William Rees, Nora Bateson, and Rex Weyler to discuss the purpose of ecology and what … | |||
| 118 | F036 | Cool Privilege | Frankly #36 | 2023-07-07 | On this steamy Frankly, Nate shares how his broken office air conditioner reminds him of the discomforts and dangers being faced by those living in … | |||
| 117 | GI078 | Iñigo Capellán Pérez: "Net Energy Analysis: Through a Systems Lens" | Iñigo Capellán Pérez | 2023-07-05 | On this episode, global systems researcher Iñigo Capellán Pérez joins Nate to discuss net energy analysis, and its use as a tool in analyzing … | ||
| 116 | F035 | 10 Things That Bring Me Joy | Frankly #35 | 2023-06-30 | On this very personal Frankly, Nate speaks from the heart about ten things which bring him joy and, despite the accelerating polycrisis, will likely … | |||
| 115 | GI077 | Kate Raworth: "The Superorganism V. The Doughnut" | Kate Raworth | 2023-06-28 | On this episode, Nate is joined by the creator of Doughnut Economics, Kate Raworth, to discuss alternative economies that measure more than just the … | ||
| 114 | The Limits to Podcasting About Limits | 2023-06-23 | On this Frankly, Nate shares a personal reflection on the challenges of creating and broadcasting content focused on biophysical limits to growth. In a … | ||||
| 113 | GI076 | Daniel Zetah: "Regenerative Agriculture and Personal Sovereignty" | Daniel Zetah | 2023-06-21 | On this episode, Nate is joined by Daniel Zetah, who practices regenerative agriculture on his family farm in Minnesota. Daniel shares his experiences in … | ||
| 112 | GI075 | Kris De Decker: "Looking Back Towards a Human Powered Future" | Kris De Decker | 2023-06-14 | On this episode, Nate welcomes back journalist, inventor, and low-tech expert Kris De Decker to take a deeper dive into a more human-powered system … | ||
| 111 | RR001 | Electric Vehicles": Arthur Berman, Simon Michaux & Pedro Prieto | Reality Roundtable #01 | 2023-06-11 | On this inaugural episode of Reality Roundtable, Nate is joined by Art Berman, Simon Michaux, and Pedro Prieto to discuss the viability of scaling … | |||
| 110 | F033 | NATO/Ukraine: Playing Russian Roulette with Complex Life | Frankly #33 | 2023-06-08 | Recorded June 2nd, 2023 Description On this Frankly, Nate unpacks his thoughts on the escalating situation between Russia … | |||
| 109 | GI074 | James Fleay: "What's The Deal with Nuclear Energy?" | James Fleay | 2023-06-07 | On this episode energy systems expert James Fleay joins Nate to talk about the current state of nuclear energy and its potential applications in … | ||
| 108 | GI073 | Joslin Faith Kehdy: "Lebanon - Beyond Resilience" | Joslin Faith Kehdy | 2023-05-31 | On this episode, Nate is joined by Joslin Faith Kehdy, a changemaker and citizen of Lebanon. Over the last 3 years, Lebanon has had … | ||
| 107 | GI072 | Alex Gladstein: "Debt Colonialism, The Petrodollar, and Bitcoin" | Alex Gladstein | 2023-05-24 | On this episode, Alex Gladstein of the Human Rights Foundation joins Nate to unpack how monetary policy and debt have increasingly extended the reach … | ||
| 106 | F031 | Reflections on 'Beyond Growth' | Frankly #31 | 2023-05-19 | On this Frankly, Nate reflects on the Beyond Growth Conference held at the European Parliament, including the stunning public acknowledgement by EU President that … | |||
| 105 | GI071 | Daniel Schmachtenberger: "Artificial Intelligence and The Superorganism" | Daniel Schmachtenberger | 2023-05-17 | On this episode, Daniel Schmachtenberger returns to discuss a surprisingly overlooked risk to our global systems and planetary stability: artificial intelligence. Through a systems … | ||
| 104 | F030 | Missing Words | Frankly #30 | 2023-05-12 | Last Friday we released Nate's annual Earth Day presentation for 2023: a reflection on ~3 dozen common English words which are semantically disconnected from … | |||
| 103 | GI070 | John Kitzhaber: "What Makes a Healthy Society?" | John Kitzhaber | 2023-05-10 | On this episode, former Governor of Oregon and ER Doctor John Kitzhaber joins Nate to discuss the shortcomings of the medical system in the … | ||
| 102 | The Words of Our Lives | Earth Day 2023 | 2023-05-08 | For this year's Earth Day presentation, I highlight common terms in the English language - the meanings of which we've come to take for granted. … | ||||
| 101 | GI069 | Robert Lustig: "Processed Food, Metabolism, and The Ills of Society" | Robert Lustig | 2023-05-03 | In this episode, Dr. Robert Lustig joins Nate to dive into the metabolism of the micro level of human systems - the humans ourselves. … | ||
| 100 | GI068 | Simon Michaux: "The Arcadian Blueprint" | Simon Michaux | 2023-04-26 | In this episode, Simon Michaux returns to discuss his new paper "A Resource Balanced Economy", which outlines an alternative economic and social system. This … | ||
| 99 | GI067 | Edward Chancellor: "The Price of Time" | Edward Chancellor | 2023-04-19 | On this episode, financial historian Edward Chancellor joins Nate to give a meta-history of interest rates and human societies. With recent news of global … | ||
| 98 | F029 | Reality, Probability, and Perception | Frankly #29 | 2023-04-14 | Recorded April 10, 2023 Description In this Frankly, Nate explains how he views the future from a probability perspective - … | |||
| 97 | GI066 | Kim Stanley Robinson: "Climate, Fiction, and The Future" | Kim Stanley Robinson | 2023-04-12 | On this episode, Nate is joined by climate science fiction author Kim Stanley Robinson to discuss how he contributes to the discussion of climate … | ||
| 96 | F028 | The Real Global Macro | Frankly #28 | 2023-04-06 | Recorded April 4, 2023 Description In this Frankly, Nate shares his early Wall Street experience of 'squawkboxes' summarizing … | |||
| 95 | GI065 | Antonio Turiel: "Deep Challenges: Oceans, Scarcity and Culture" | Antonio Turiel | 2023-04-05 | On this episode, physicist Antonio Turiel joins me for a wide-ranging discussion from oceans and climate to energy and culture. Oceans are one of … | ||
| 94 | F027 | USA! (But wait, There's More) | Frankly #27 | 2023-03-31 | Recorded March 29, 2023 Description In this Frankly, Nate reflects on the varying perspectives from which people perceive … | |||
| 93 | GI064 | Andrew Millison: "Geomorphology, Permaculture, and The Good Work" | Andrew Millison | 2023-03-29 | On this episode, permaculture expert and educator Andrew Millison joins us to unpack how we can better design our societal infrastructure and agriculture to … | ||
| 92 | GI063 | Paul Martin: "Hydrogen - The Decarbonization Problem" | Paul Martin | 2023-03-22 | On this episode, chemical engineer Paul Martin joins The Great Simplification to talk about all things hydrogen. There are many 'Fuels of the Future' about … | ||
| 91 | F026 | A Bigger Boat | Frankly #26 | 2023-03-16 | In this Frankly, Nate shares some context about how he thinks about the recent global banking and financial market news. How do the catalysts triggering … | |||
| 90 | GI062 | Jodi Archambault: "Relationships, Reciprocity and Resiliency" | Jodi Archambault | 2023-03-15 | On this episode, Jodi Archambault, a member of the Hunkpapa and Oglala Lakota tribes, joins the podcast to share her experiences as an activist, … | ||
| 89 | F025 | Loss Aversion | Frankly #25 | 2023-03-10 | On this Frankly, Nate reflects on his experiences in the financial industry with the cognitive bias Loss Aversion and the ways it may manifest … | |||
| 88 | GI061 | Gareth Roberts: "Geology, Optimism, & Something Completely Different" | Gareth Roberts | 2023-03-08 | On this episode, geologist and entrepreneur Gareth Roberts joins Nate on the podcast to discuss the geological science behind how we find, extract, and … | ||
| 87 | GI060 | Nina Simons: "Dancing With Contradictions - A Systems View" | Nina Simons | 2023-03-01 | On this episode, author and social entrepreneur Nina Simons reminds us that in a fact driven culture, sometimes it's important to return to the … | ||
| 86 | GI059 | Jonathan Haidt: "Social Psychology in an Age of Social Fragmentation" | Jonathan Haidt | 2023-02-22 | Today, Nate is joined by social psychologist Jonathan Haidt. Professor Haidt is one of the leaders in the understanding of human biases and predispositions, … | ||
| 85 | GI058 | Olivia Lazard: "Peace and Power in the Mineral Age" | Olivia Lazard | 2023-02-15 | On this episode, environmental peacemaker and mediator Olivia Lazard joins Nate to unpack the relationship between mineral deposits, conflict-vulnerable zones, and high biodiversity areas … | ||
| 84 | GI057 | Gaya Herrington: "Humanity's Soul: Life or Growth?" | Gaya Herrington | 2023-02-08 | On this episode, Nate speaks with econometrician and sustainability researcher Gaya Herrington about her new book, Five Insights for Avoiding Global Collapse, a more … | ||
| 83 | F024 | NOT for Sale | Frankly #24 | 2023-02-03 | Recorded January 30, 2023 Description This week, Nate reflects on one of the biggest questions humanity is … | |||
| 82 | GI056 | David Sloan Wilson: "Chickens, Cooperation and a Pro-social World" | David Sloan Wilson | 2023-02-01 | On this episode, evolutionary biologist David Sloan Wilson joins Nate to unpack how evolution can be used to explain and understand modern human … | ||
| 81 | F023 | The Mordor Economy | Frankly #23 | 2023-01-27 | Description This week, Nate walks through the path we are currently on en route to the Great Simplification - a path … | |||
| 80 | GI055 | Erica Thompson: "Models, The Hawkmoth Effect, and the Future" | Erica Thompson | 2023-01-25 | On this episode, Dr. Erica Thompson joins Nate to unpack her recent book Escape From Model Land. Erica explores … | ||
| 79 | GI054 | Arthur Berman: "Peak Oil - The Hedonic Adjustment" | Arthur Berman | 2023-01-18 | On this episode, petroleum geologist Arthur Berman returns to unpack the development and drawbacks of 'peak oil'. Art explains how our institutions have … | ||
| 78 | GI053 | William E. Rees: "The Fundamental Issue - Overshoot" | William E. Rees | 2023-01-11 | On this episode, Nate is joined by systems ecologist William E. Rees. Professor Rees outlines why most of the challenges facing humanity and … | ||
| 77 | F022 | The Simple Story of Civilization with Tom Murphy | Frankly #22 | 2023-01-06 | This week, Nate invites colleague Tom Murphy, professor of physics at the University of California, San Diego and writer of 'Do the Math', … | |||
| 76 | GI052 | Giorgos Kallis: "Cultural Surplus and 'Dépense'" | Giorgos Kallis | 2023-01-04 | On this episode, Nate is joined by ecological economist and degrowth scholar Giorgos Kallis. He and Nate discuss the science and philosophy behind … | ||
| 75 | F021 | Reflections, Predictions, and Interventions | Frankly #21 | 2022-12-29 | As The Great Simplification podcast celebrates its first anniversary, Nate reflects on an incredibly busy year and what he learned from the wide … | |||
| 74 | GI051 | DJ White: "Ocean Effectivism" | The Great Simplification #51 | DJ White | 2022-12-28 | Show Summary: On this episode, Nate is joined by Eco-interventionist and long time friend DJ White. DJ is not necessarily a … | ||
| 73 | GI050 | Daniel Schmachtenberger: "Bend Not Break Part 5: Criteria and Categories for Response" | The Great Simplification #50 | Daniel Schmachtenberger | 2022-12-19 | Show Summary: On this 5th and final installment of the Bend Not Break series with Daniel Schmachtenberger, we unpack the framework and mindset … | ||
| 72 | F020 | Staying Warm Data with Nora Bateson | Frankly #20 | 2022-12-16 | Winter has come - and for some people it's colder and more expensive than the recent past. This week Nate reconnects with Nora Bateson to … | |||
| 71 | GI049 | Simon Michaux: "The Arcadians" | Simon Michaux | 2022-12-14 | On this episode, mining and geology expert Simon Michaux returns to give a preliminary framework for responses to the coming energy and material … | ||
| 70 | GI048 | Tomas Björkman: "The Great Transformation - Metamodernism and The Future" | Tomas Björkman | 2022-12-07 | On this episode, author and social entrepreneur Tomas Björkman joins Nate to discuss his recent projects promoting inner development based on his books … | ||
| 69 | F019 | Islands" | Frankly #19 | 2022-12-02 | There are some pretty amazing things that can be tracked via analytics on Youtube and other podcast servers - including from where the … | |||
| 68 | GI047 | Patrick Ophuls: "Energy, Politics, and The Future" | Patrick Ophuls | 2022-11-30 | Today, ecologist, political scientist, and author Patrick Ophuls joins Nate to discuss his new book, The Tragedy of Industrial Civilization and The Future … | ||
| 67 | F018 | Energy Gratitude | Frankly #18 | 2022-11-24 | This week, most of the United States celebrates Thanksgiving. As we think about the things we are grateful for - family, food, football, … | |||
| 66 | GI046 | Vandana Shiva: "Agroecology and The Great Simplification" | Vandana Shiva | 2022-11-23 | Today, ecology activist and regenerative agriculture advocate Vandana Shiva joins me to discuss how her lifetime of work has shaped the way she … | ||
| 65 | F017 | Russia - Be Careful What We Wish For | Frankly #17 | 2022-11-18 | We were reminded this week of how precarious and dangerous the ongoing NATO/Russia situation is. An errant missile in Poland on … | |||
| 64 | GI045 | Jon Erickson: "Illusions, Power and the Political Economy" | Jon Erickson | 2022-11-16 | On this episode, Nate is joined by Sustainability Science and Policy Professor Jon Erickson. He and Nate dive into Jon's new book | ||
| 63 | F016 | 7 Boundaries of Climate Concern | Frankly #16 | 2022-11-11 | In the midst of the COP27 in Egypt and one of the warmest Wisconsin Novembers on record, this week's Frankly is a reflection … | |||
| 62 | GI044 | Arthur Berman: "The Devil is in the Diesel" | Arthur Berman | 2022-11-09 | On this episode, petroleum geologist Arthur Berman returns to discuss recent diesel shortages and go into depth on the importance of diesel and … | ||
| 61 | 7 Realities - No Matter Who Wins | 2022-11-04 | With the upcoming election, citizens of the USA once again align our beliefs and dreams with our 'favored'' political party, while often showing disdain and … | ||||
| 60 | GI043 | Betsy Taylor: "Finding Hope in Nature-Based Solutions" | Betsy Taylor | 2022-11-02 | In this episode, Nate is joined by environmental and social activist Betsy Taylor. She and Nate have a wide ranging conversation about climate, … | ||
| 59 | F014 | 7 Shades of Jekyll and Hyde | Frankly #14 | 2022-10-30 | Its nigh Halloween. Monsters (in costume) and revelry. As humans - we each possess a rational, caring 'Dr. Jekyll' and an atavistic, emotional, reactive 'Mr. … | |||
| 58 | GI042 | Daniel Schmachtenberger: "Bend not Break #4: Modeling the Drivers of the Metacrisis" | Daniel Schmachtenberger | 2022-10-26 | In this fourth installment of conversations with Daniel Schmachtenberger, we dive deeper into the nuances of humans using energy, materials and technology. Human's … | ||
| 57 | F013 | The Quiet Part Out Loud | Frankly #13 | 2022-10-21 | Of all the challenges facing our culture, the fact that humans use social sorting mechanisms to solve physical world problems looms as perhaps … | |||
| 56 | GI041 | Marty Kearns: "Building Networks in Uncertain Times" | Marty Kearns | 2022-10-19 | On this episode, Nate is joined by Marty Kearns, a civic organizer and networking specialist. He and Marty discuss why both networks and … | ||
| 55 | F012 | The Speed Bump | Frankly #12 | 2022-10-14 | Despite the improved standard of living that modern finance has enabled, it has also created an unsustainable economic system rife with systemic risk. … | |||
| 54 | GI040 | Mary Evelyn Tucker: "Religion, Ecology, and the Future" | Mary Evelyn Tucker | 2022-10-12 | This week, religious scholar Mary Evelyn Tucker unpacks the entanglement of religion and ecology from an academic perspective. She and Nate discuss what … | ||
| 53 | F011 | In Spite Of... | Frankly #11 | 2022-10-07 | We are a product of evolutionary processes - certain categories of behaviors made our ancestors more 'fit' depending on the environmental/social circumstances in the past. … | |||
| 52 | GI039 | Ayan Mahamoud: "East Africa and the Poly-Crisis" | Ayan Mahamoud | 2022-10-05 | On this episode, Nate talks with Ayan Mahamoud, a climate and resilience planner from Djibouti. They discuss the growing challenge the poly-crisis poses … | ||
| 51 | F010 | The 7 Stages of Climate Awareness | Frankly #10 | 2022-09-30 | Climate change is often described as one of the single most important and existential issues of our time - that there is no … | |||
| 50 | GI038 | Sebastian Heitmann: "Gigacorns" | Sebastian Heitmann | 2022-09-28 | On this episode, venture capitalist and entrepreneur Sebastian Heitmann discusses his work in tech innovation towards more sustainable futures. Technology will inherently be a … | ||
| 49 | F009 | Creatures United | Frankly #9 | 2022-09-24 | This week's Frankly is a reflection in response to (and support of) Gerardo Ceballos' new project Creatures United, launching this … | |||
| 48 | GI037 | Martin Sheringer: "The Growing Threat from Chemical Pollution" | Martin Sheringer | 2022-09-21 | On this episode, Professor of environmental chemistry Martin Sheringer joins Nate. Together, they discuss Sheringer's most recent paper on PFAS - the 'forever chemicals, … | ||
| 47 | F008 | The 6th Pool..? | Frankly #8 | 2022-09-17 | On this segment of Frankly, Nate responds to the predicament of increased use of forests, especially in Europe, for heating fuel in the face … | |||
| 46 | GI036 | Douglas Rushkoff: "The Ultimate Exit Strategy" | Douglas Rushkoff | 2022-09-14 | On this episode, Author and Professor Douglas Rushkoff joins Nate to discuss how human behavior interacts with technology and how we have arrived … | ||
| 45 | F007 | Growth Until Not | Frankly #7 | 2022-09-09 | Earlier this week there was a livestream debate highlighting the key points of the Green Growth and DeGrowth perspectives - this week's Frankly … | |||
| 44 | GI035 | Steve Vavrus: "Arctic Fever? Taking the Arctic's Temperature" | Steve Vavrus | 2022-09-07 | On this episode, Climate Scientist Steve Vavrus joins Nate to discuss the Arctic and its critical impact on climate science. Why are the … | ||
| 43 | GI034 | Kiril Sokoloff: "What's the Most Important Question in Today's World?" | Kiril Sokoloff | 2022-08-31 | On this episode, we meet with legendary financial icon Kiril Sokoloff to take a bird's eye view of the global energy/financial situation. | ||
| 42 | F006 | The End Of Abundance | Frankly #6 | 2022-08-30 | On this segment of Frankly, Nate opines on the significance of French President Macron's statement we are nearing the "end of … | |||
| 41 | GI033 | Kris De Decker: "Low Tech: What, Why and How" | Kris De Decker | 2022-08-24 | On this episode, we meet with inventor, researcher and author Kris De Decker to understand the concept of "low tech" and its relevance … | ||
| 40 | GI032 | Timothée Parrique: "Degrowth: Slow is the New Cool" | Timothée Parrique | 2022-08-17 | On this episode, we meet with social scientist and researcher at the School of Economics and Management of Lund University, Timothée Parrique. | ||
| 39 | GI031 | Daniel Schmachtenberger: "Bend not Break #3: Sensemaking, Uncertainty, and Purpose" | Daniel Schmachtenberger | 2022-08-10 | On this episode we meet with founding member of The Consilience Project, Daniel Schmachtenberger. In Part 3 of their series, Schmachtenberger and Hagens … | ||
| 38 | GI030 | Steve Keen: "Mythonomics" | Steve Keen | 2022-08-03 | On this episode, we meet with Economist, Author, and Research Fellow at the Institute for Strategy, Resilience, and Security at University College in … | ||
| 37 | GI029 | Josh Farley: "Money, Money, Money" | Josh Farley | 2022-07-27 | Show Summary: On this episode we meet with ecological economist and Professor in Community Development & Applied Economics and Public Administration, Josh Farley. … | ||
| 36 | F005 | FAQs from Episodes 1-25 of The Great Simplification | Frankly #5 | 2022-07-23 | On this segment of Frankly, Nate's former student Lizzy curates and asks some of the most frequently asked questions sent in by listeners during The … | |||
| 35 | GI028 | Joan Diamond: "From Kool-aid to Lemonade" | Joan Diamond | 2022-07-20 | On this episode we meet with Executive Director of Stanford University's Millennium Alliance for Humanity and the Biosphere, Joan Diamond. Diamond … | ||
| 34 | GI027 | Joe Tainter: "Surplus, Complexity, and Simplification" | Joe Tainter | 2022-07-13 | On this episode we meet with archaeologist, historian, and Professor at Utah State University, Joe Tainter. What are the key differences between complicated … | ||
| 33 | GI026 | Peter Whybrow: "When More is Not Enough" | Peter Whybrow | 2022-07-06 | On this episode we meet with psychiatrist, neuroscientist, and author Peter Whybrow. Whybrow gives us an overview of why humans tend … | ||
| 32 | F004 | Meeting the Future Halfway | Frankly #4 | 2022-07-02 | In this Frankly, Nate unpacks the choice of the podcast title "The Great Simplification", and how he thinks about responses - rather than solutions - … | |||
| 31 | GI025 | Gerardo Ceballos: "Will the Ongoing Population Extinctions Lead to a 6th Mass Extinction?" | Gerardo Ceballos | 2022-06-29 | On this episode, we meet with ecologist and conservationist Dr. Gerardo Ceballos. Ceballos discusses animal populations, the sixth mass extinction, his new project, … | ||
| 30 | GI024 | Jason Bradford: "A Hybrid Path to the Future of Farming" | Jason Bradford | 2022-06-22 | On this episode, Jason Bradford, who is an author, activist, farmer, and teacher, talks about the energy intensity of our modern industrial agriculture … | ||
| 29 | F003 | Energy Blindness | Frankly #3 | 2022-06-21 | Nate explains how our culture is "energy blind" and the implications. The YouTube video, featuring charts and graphs, of this podcast is available now: … | |||
| 28 | GI023 | Tim Watkins: "From Living Like Gods to Living Your Own Story" | Tim Watkins | 2022-06-15 | On this episode, we meet with author, social scientist, policy researcher, and mental health advocate Tim Watkins. Watkins gives us a … | ||
| 27 | GI022 | Aza Raskin: "AI, The Shape of Language, and Earth's Species" | Aza Raskin | 2022-06-08 | On this episode, we meet with cofounder of the Earth Species Project, cofounder of the Center for Humane Technology, and cohost of the … | ||
| 26 | GI021 | Vicki Robin "Money and LIfe's Energy" | Vicki Robin | 2022-06-01 | Show Summary: On this episode, we meet with social innovator, writer, and speaker, Vicki Robin. Robin unpacks how the machine … | ||
| 25 | GI020 | Daniel Schmachtenberger: "Bend not Break #2: Maximum Power and Hyper Agents" | Daniel Schmachtenberger | 2022-05-25 | On this episode we meet with founding member of The Consilience Project, Daniel Schmachtenberger. In the second of a four-part series, … | ||
| 24 | GI019 | Dr. Simon Michaux: "Minerals and Materials Blindness"" | Dr. Simon Michaux | 2022-05-18 | On this episode, we meet with Associate Professor of Geometallurgy at the Geological Survey of Finland, Dr. Simon Michaux. Why do … | ||
| 23 | GI018 | Thomas Murphy: "Physics and Planetary Ambitions" | Thomas Murphy | 2022-05-11 | On this episode, we meet with Professor of Physics at UCSD and the Associate Director of CASS, the Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences, … | ||
| 22 | GI017 | Chuck Watson: "Nuclear War - All the Questions You Were Afraid to Ask" | Chuck Watson | 2022-05-04 | Show Summary: On this episode, we meet again with risk expert Chuck Watson. How can we avoid a nuclear conflict? … | ||
| 21 | GI016 | Tristan Harris: "Social Media: Bringing the Ring to Mordor" | Tristan Harris | 2022-04-27 | On this episode, we meet with Co-Founder of the Center for Humane Technology and co-host of Your Undivided Attention Podcast, Tristan Harris. Harris … | ||
| 20 | GI015 | Daniel Pauly: "Peak Fish and Other Ocean Realities" | Daniel Pauly | 2022-04-20 | On this episode, we meet with Professor at the University of British Columbia and Founder of Sea Around Us, Dr. Daniel Pauly. Dr. … | ||
| 19 | GI014 | John Gowdy: "Superorganisms, Crazy Ants, and Fire Apes, Oh My!" | John Gowdy | 2022-04-13 | On this episode, we meet with Ecological Economist, John Gowdy. Gowdy explores the revolution in biology and its significance in society. How do … | ||
| 18 | GI013 | Jamie Wheal: "Neuro-anthropology and Culture Architecture" | Jamie Wheal | 2022-04-06 | On this episode, we meet with Executive Director of the Flow Genome Project, Jamie Wheal. Jamie discusses the evolutionary importance of … | ||
| 17 | GI012 | Dennis Meadows: "Limits to Growth turns 50 - Checking In" | Dennis Meadows | 2022-03-30 | On this episode, we meet with Professor Emeritus of Systems Management and author, Dennis Meadows. Meadows revisits Limits to Growth 50 … | ||
| 16 | GI011 | Rex Weyler: "Crisis in the Ecology Movement" | Rex Weyler | 2022-03-22 | On this episode, we meet with ecologist, writer, and Greenpeace cofounder, Rex Weyler. Weyler explains how the ecology movement was hijacked by the … | ||
| 15 | F002 | Are Americans Willing to Risk Nuclear War? | Frankly #2 | 2022-03-18 | An important dialogue with Chuck Watson on: 1) Why the U.S. public is naïve about what nuclear war means 2) The mechanics on how nuclear … | |||
| 14 | GI010 | Nora Bateson: "Complexity Between The Lines" | Nora Bateson | 2022-03-16 | On this episode, we meet with award-winning filmmaker, writer, educator, and President of the International Bateson Institute, Nora Bateson. Nora brings us beyond … | ||
| 13 | F001 | What War in Ukraine means for Energy & Money | Frankly #1 | 2022-03-12 | In addition to regular Wednesday longform podcasts, this video is #1 of new series of short takes, "Frankly" which are framings and context on current … | |||
| 12 | The Human Superorganism - TGS Animated Series Preview | 2022-03-09 | The second part of The Great Simplification Animated Series is now available! Visit http://thegreatsimplification.com to view now. … | ||||
| 11 | GI009 | Paul Ehrlich: "Was the Population Bomb Defused?" | Paul Ehrlich | 2022-03-02 | On this episode, we meet with Professor Emeritus of Population Studies at Stanford University and author of The Population Bomb | ||
| 10 | GI008 | Peter Ward: "Oceans - What's the Worst that Can Happen?" | Peter Ward | 2022-02-23 | On this episode, we meet with author and paleobiologist Peter Ward. Ward helps us catalogue the various risks facing Earth's oceans, … | ||
| 9 | GI007 | Josh Farley: "The Past, Present, and Future of Human Cooperation" | Josh Farley | 2022-02-16 | On this episode we meet with ecological economist and Professor in Community Development & Applied Economics and Public Administration, Josh Farley. Farley … | ||
| 8 | Energy Blind - TGS Animated Series Preview | 2022-02-09 | The first part of The Great Simplification's animated series is now available! Visit thegreatsimplification.com to view now. … | ||||
| 7 | GI006 | Herman Daly: "Toward an Ecological Economics" | Herman Daly | 2022-02-02 | On this episode, we meet with ecological economist and professor emeritus at the University of Maryland, Herman Daly. Daly discusses the biophysical underpinnings … | ||
| 6 | GI005 | Daniel Schmachtenberger: "Bend Not Break Part 1: Energy Blindness" | Daniel Schmachtenberger | 2022-01-26 | On this episode we meet with founding member of The Consilience Project, Daniel Schmachtenberger. In the first of a five-part series, Nate and … | ||
| 5 | GI004 | Chuck Watson: "From MAD to NUTS: Risk, Nukes, & Climate Change" | Chuck Watson | 2022-01-19 | On this episode we meet with risk expert and consultant, Chuck Watson. Watson analyzes the types of risk we face … | ||
| 4 | GI003 | Arthur Berman: "Oil: It Was The Best of Fuels, It Was The Worst of Fuels" | Arthur Berman | 2022-01-12 | On this episode we meet with petroleum geologist and expert in U.S. shale, Arthur Berman. In the discussion, Berman explains oil … | ||
| 3 | GI002 | Dr. Shanna Swan: "Sperm and Our Future" | Dr. Shanna Swan | 2022-01-12 | On this episode we meet with one of the world's leading environmental and reproductive epidemiologists, Dr. Shanna Swan. Dr. Swan discusses how chemicals … | ||
| 2 | GI001 | Richard Gephardt: "Democracy: Old School vs New Reality" | Richard Gephardt | 2022-01-12 | On this episode we welcome the Honorable Richard A. Gephardt to explore the challenges and opportunities present in our modern democracy. | ||
| 1 | Trailer | 2022-01-10 | The Great Simplification with Nate Hagens is a podcast that explores money, energy, economy, and the environment with world experts and leaders to understand … |