Rebecca Solnit, the author of books including “A Paradise Built in Hell” (2009) and “Orwell’s Roses” (2021) and the co-editor of the new collection of essays “Not Too Late: Changing the Climate Story from Despair to Possibility,” discusses the long view as a “mind-blowing” way of looking at the world, why the majority of people tend to be altruistic and resourceful in a disaster, and why the climate crisis requires eschewing a scarcity mindset for one of abundance.
Dec 11, 2023•53 min•Ep. 166
The civil rights activist, award-winning journalist, and former NPR and CNN foreign correspondent Charlayne Hunter-Gault talks about her book “My People: Five Decades of Writing About Black Lives”; why understanding history is like a form of armor in a world full of misinformation; and the transformational, life-altering notion of viewing herself as a “queen” from a young age.
Nov 20, 2023•30 min•Ep. 165
The culinary historian Sarah Lohman, author of the new book “Endangered Eating: America’s Vanishing Foods,” talks about the importance of engaging with local foodways, why “the idea that eating McDonald’s is universally bad is woefully unaware of class and racial conflicts,” and how Indigenous communities across the U.S. are fighting to protect their heritage.
Oct 23, 2023•25 min•Ep. 164
David W. Orr, editor of the new book “Democracy in a Hotter Time” and a professor at Arizona State University, discusses the climate crisis as an obviously bipartisan issue; why building “Democracy 4.0” must ultimately be a localized, grassroots mission; and why, in our “long emergency” that is the climate crisis, we must “stretch our hearts to reach out to other species and future generations.”
Sep 18, 2023•32 min•Ep. 163
Architect, writer, and curator Pedro Gadanho, author of the book “Climax Change!” and a Loeb Fellow at Harvard University, discusses how architects must increasingly innovate through densification and adaptive reuse rather than building anew; existing buildings as “material banks”; and the importance of downgrading our consumption levels, particularly in the Western world.
Jul 10, 2023•30 min•Ep. 162
Astronomer Chris Impey, author of the new book “Worlds Without End: Exoplanets, Habitability, and the Future of Humanity” and a professor at the University of Arizona, discusses the vast possibilities of extraterrestrial human habitation, why imagination is an important form of scientific speculation, and why humans’ initial move to space will likely mirror the lawlessness of the Wild West.
Jun 05, 2023•19 min•Ep. 161
Architect and novelist Lesley Lokko, the founder and director of the African Futures Institute and the curator of this year’s Venice Architecture Biennale, discusses how, for her, the rich context of Africa has always served as a “testing ground for ideas” about the future; why she has become disenchanted with the academic establishment over time; and how architects serve as translators between the imaginary and the real. Episode sponsored by MUD\WTR ....
Mar 13, 2023•27 min•Ep. 160
UC Berkeley psychology professor Dacher Keltner, author of the new book “Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life,” talks about human emotion as a tool for making sense of the world, the extraordinary acts of kindness that take place around us all the time, and moral beauty as a way of life. Episode sponsored by MUD\WTR .
Feb 27, 2023•30 min•Ep. 159
Marina Koren, a staff writer at The Atlantic who covers science and space exploration, speaks about why the “overview effect,” the cognitive shift that can occur when seeing the Earth from outer space, needs to be studied and understood in a more nuanced way; the ongoing Elon Musk–Jeff Bezos space-race saga; and the vast, galaxy-wide importance of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Episode sponsored by MUD\WTR .
Feb 13, 2023•30 min•Ep. 158
Sarah Jaquette Ray, author of the new book “A Field Guide to Climate Anxiety: How to Keep Your Cool on a Warming Planet” and a professor of environmental studies at Cal Poly Humboldt, discusses the importance of leveraging negative emotions for political change, the ties between the climate crisis and our own inner suffering, and how thinking differently about the world can lead to more positive feedback cycles. Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko ....
Dec 26, 2022•38 min•Ep. 157
Atmospheric physicist and climatologist Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, the founder of Bauhaus Earth, talks with us about reforesting the planet and “re-timbering” cities, the potential for the built environment to become a “hero” in climate restoration, and the vast number of solutions to be found by looking to nature and Indigenous cultures. Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko .
Dec 19, 2022•48 min•Ep. 156
Philosopher Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò, author of the books “Reconsidering Reparations” and “Elite Capture: How the Powerful Took Over Identity Politics,” speaks with us about why future decision-making will be driven by the state of climate politics, considering the deep presence of the past within the current moment, and what a planetary “solidarity economy” could look like. Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko .
Dec 12, 2022•33 min•Ep. 155
Israeli-born, Boston-based architect and urban planner Moshe Safdie, author of the new book “If Walls Could Speak: My Life in Architecture,” discusses approaching architecture with humility and in service to society, the staying power of his Habitat 67 housing complex in Montreal, and his vision for creating the Yad Vashem memorial to the victims of the Holocaust in Jerusalem. Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko .
Dec 05, 2022•38 min•Ep. 154
Alec Nevala-Lee, author of the new biography “Inventor of the Future: The Visionary Life of Buckminster Fuller,” talks with us about what Fuller has in common (and doesn’t) with Elon Musk and Steve Jobs, the myth of the start-up founder, and why design solutions also need to take politics into account. Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko .
Nov 28, 2022•41 min•Ep. 153
Fashion designer Suzanne Lee, the founder of Biofabricate, speaks with us about a new era of materials that could lead to more circular and regenerative systems, misunderstandings around the term “biomaterials,” and leaning into biology as a means of pushing the parameters of fashion forward. Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko .
Nov 21, 2022•30 min•Ep. 152
A.I. researcher, data scientist, and N.Y.U. professor Vasant Dhar, host of the Brave New World podcast, discusses the need for careful internet governance, the incredible potential for responsibly pulling data from today’s “really powerful” algorithms, and the necessity of human oversight over machine systems. Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko .
Nov 14, 2022•39 min•Ep. 151
Karenna Gore, the director of the Center for Earth Ethics at Union Theological Seminary, talks with us about spirituality as an outlet for humility, why we’re in a “species-wide identity crisis,” and how the paths forward we choose now about the climate crisis are ultimately about human survival. Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko .
Nov 07, 2022•35 min•Ep. 150
Dr. Tara Stoinski, the CEO and chief scientific officer of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, speaks with us about working with MASS Design Group on her organization’s new Ellen DeGeneres Campus in Rwanda, how mountain gorillas have become a conservation “success story,” and why her work with gorillas can serve as model for conservation efforts elsewhere. Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko .
Oct 31, 2022•37 min•Ep. 149
Photographer and poet John Mack, founder of the nonprofit Life Calling Initiative, discusses our online and offline realities; why and how humanity is going through a “metaphysical migration”; and despite our current technological ease and efficiency, the deep human desire for non-virtual experiences. Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko .
Oct 24, 2022•43 min•Ep. 148
A.I. ethics and technology inclusion advisor, researcher, and scholar Elizabeth Adams talks with us about how organizations should be thinking about A.I. ethics guidelines, her qualitative approach to A.I. research, and establishing coalitions around public oversight of surveillance technology. Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko .
Oct 17, 2022•30 min•Ep. 147
Philosopher David Chalmers, author of the book “Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy” and co-director of the N.Y.U. Center for Mind, Brain, and Consciousness, speaks with us about his predictions of where A.I. is heading; why he doesn’t rule out a “Google level” of consciousness; and how, rather than a single version of utopia, multiple utopias could reveal themselves through a “dynamic process of search.” Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko ....
Oct 10, 2022•32 min•Ep. 146
Social psychologist Batja Mesquita, author of the new book “Between Us: How Cultures Create Emotions” and director of the Center for Social and Cultural Psychology in Leuven, Belgium, discusses the vast impacts that social conditions can have on human emotions, the importance of remaining humble in our perceptions of each other, and why social media tends to amplify a Western emotional perspective. Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko.
Oct 03, 2022•32 min•Ep. 145
Joseph Awuah-Darko, the founder and director of Institute Museum of Ghana and the Noldor Artist Residency in Accra, talks with us about creating the country’s first independent arts residency and fellowship program for African artists; his ongoing research efforts targeting e-waste; and the importance of creating sustained longevity for, and critical discourse around, African contemporary art. Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko .
Sep 26, 2022•23 min•Ep. 144
Jane Poynter, co-founder and co-CEO of the space travel company Space Perspective, speaks with us about her two years inside the Biosphere 2 research facility in Arizona in the early nineties, the vast power and potential of commercial spaceflight, and why she thought humans would be on Mars by now. Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko .
Sep 19, 2022•33 min•Ep. 143
Kyle Smitley, the founder and executive director of the nonprofit charter schools Detroit Achievement Academy and Detroit Prep, talks with us about her entrepreneurial path to education; joy, comfort, and belonging as essential to school culture; and the value of listening to community feedback. Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko .
Sep 12, 2022•35 min•Ep. 142
Canadian novelist, essayist, and cultural commentator Stephen Marche, author of the new book The Next Civil War: Dispatches from the American Future , discusses the bleak potential of a civil war–scale event occurring in the U.S. in the not-so-distant future, why national lack of trust in the Supreme Court portends fractious violence, and the hope that remains for the country to be able to reinvent itself.
Aug 15, 2022•40 min•Ep. 141
Danish designer and entrepreneur Jens Martin Skibsted, co-author of the new book “Expand: Stretching the Future by Design” and a partner of the firm Manyone, speaks with us about how to practice long-view thinking in a fast-paced world, science fiction as a design tool, and why “human-centered” approaches to design might not be such a good thing.
Jul 18, 2022•34 min•Ep. 140
iPod inventor, iPhone co-inventor, and Nest founder Tony Fadell, principal of the investment and advisory firm Future Shape, and author of the new book “Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making,” talks with us about learning through failure, why developing product and story goes hand in hand, and the greatest misconceptions about Apple’s ability to innovate.
May 23, 2022•49 min•Ep. 139
Veteran technology journalist John Markoff, author of the new biography “Whole Earth: The Many Lives of Stewart Brand,” discusses the forces that have helped Brand forecast the future, the great value in Brand’s “eco-pragmatist” perspective, and why the next tech innovation is likely to come out of left field.
Apr 18, 2022•37 min•Ep. 138
Jeff Rosenthal, co-founder of the global platform Summit, which organizes events and experiences for entrepreneurs, academics, athletes, artists, and others, speaks with us about the value of mystery in storytelling, generosity as a tool for cultivating community, and why anything that’s truly worth building can’t be done alone.
Apr 04, 2022•37 min•Ep. 137
