Technology and Wealth: The Straw, the Siphon, and the Sieve | Frankly 119

Technology and Wealth: The Straw, the Siphon, and the Sieve | Frankly 119

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 a straw, siphon, and sieve to describe how technology enables the acceleration of physical resource extraction and the concentration and filtering of resulting 'wealth' towards the human species. Running contrary to the commonly-held idea that technology automatically creates monetary wealth (and therefore prosperity), this episode asks listeners to view real wealth as the underlying stocks and flows that make life on Earth possible – whether in the form of forests, social trust, or entire functioning ecosystems.

Nate also discusses the ways that technologies have been deployed to rearrange natural systems around narrow, growth-centric priorities throughout much of human history. Utilizing examples regarding agriculture, finance, and artificial intelligence, he suggests that tools effective at small scales might behave very differently when applied globally – setting us on the path to overshoot that we find ourselves walking today.

If technology reflects human priorities, what does current innovation and development reveal about what we currently value? What would it mean to shift towards prioritizing life-giving flows within natural systems and away from accelerating the liquidation of Earth's stocks? Finally, how can societies and individuals begin to distinguish between innovation that serves to borrow from our future versus genuine progress toward a more stable world?

(Recorded December 25, 2025)

Show Notes and More

Watch this video episode on YouTube

Want to learn the broad overview of The Great Simplification in 30 minutes? Watch our Animated Movie.

---

Support The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future

Join our Substack newsletter

Join our Hylo channel and connect with other listeners

Jaksot(361)

Reality and Perseverance in India: Pollution, Poverty, and Policy with Sunita Narain

Reality and Perseverance in India: Pollution, Poverty, and Policy with Sunita Narain

(Conversation recorded on December 4th, 2024) It is an unfortunate reality that the countries least responsible for the climate and ecological crises we face are often the ones most vulnerable to ...

15 Tammi 20251h 12min

The Meaning Crisis: Wisdom, Purpose, and the Search for Coherence with John Vervaeke

The Meaning Crisis: Wisdom, Purpose, and the Search for Coherence with John Vervaeke

(Conversation recorded on November 25th, 2024) The crises that our world is facing seem to be constantly growing, leading to enormous and devastating systemic effects across the globe. Yet, the ripp...

8 Tammi 20251h 37min

Best of TGS: What Would You Do With a Magic Wand?

Best of TGS: What Would You Do With a Magic Wand?

This year on The Great Simplification, we heard from 54 guests, 18 Reality Roundtable panelists, and Nate shared his thoughts across 31 Frankly episodes. But even after releasing 300+ hours of convers...

22 Joulu 202413min

Time Travel & The Superorganism: A Movie Idea | Frankly 81

Time Travel & The Superorganism: A Movie Idea | Frankly 81

(Recorded December 16, 2024) As we wrap up another year of thought-provoking discussions on The Great Simplification, Nate takes us on an imaginative journey in this week's Frankly - exploring a pot...

20 Joulu 202418min

The Great Simplification in Action: Building Resilience Through Local Communities with Christian Sawyer

The Great Simplification in Action: Building Resilience Through Local Communities with Christian Sawyer

(Conversation recorded on November 7th, 2024) Long-time listeners of The Great Simplification may have a good grasp of the many impending crises that humanity faces. But once we understand the sco...

18 Joulu 20241h 10min

"Thank You for Ruining My Life" | Frankly 80

"Thank You for Ruining My Life" | Frankly 80

(Recorded December 5, 2024) It's not everyday that a stranger thanks you for 'ruining their life'. In this heartfelt Frankly, Nate reflects on a powerful encounter with a venture capitalist whose li...

13 Joulu 202411min

The Baby Bust: How The Toxicity Crisis Could Cause the Next Economic Crash with Jeremy Grantham

The Baby Bust: How The Toxicity Crisis Could Cause the Next Economic Crash with Jeremy Grantham

(Conversation recorded on November 5th, 2024) It is no secret that population dynamics significantly impact global stability. But what's really behind today's shifting global birth trends, the inc...

11 Joulu 20241h 47min

Shutting Off The Plastic Tap: A Global Treaty To Regulate Petrochemical Pollution? with Jane Muncke

Shutting Off The Plastic Tap: A Global Treaty To Regulate Petrochemical Pollution? with Jane Muncke

(Conversation recorded on December 2nd, 2024) One of the central ecological challenges of our time is addressing the plastic and petrochemical pollution that has exploded over the past several decad...

8 Joulu 202447min

Suosittua kategoriassa Tiede

tiedekulma-podcast
rss-mita-tulisi-tietaa
rss-poliisin-mieli
docemilia
radio-antro
utelias-mieli
filocast-filosofian-perusteet
rss-sosiopodi
ihanat-ipanat
mielipaivakirja
rss-bios-podcast
rss-duodecim-lehti
rss-ammamafia
rss-laakaripodi
rss-opeklubi