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(357)

The Simple Story of Civilization with Tom Murphy | Frankly #22

The Simple Story of Civilization with Tom Murphy | Frankly #22

This week, Nate invites colleague Tom Murphy, professor of physics at the University of California, San Diego and writer of 'Do the Math', to unpack his recent essay The Simple Story of Civilization. ...

6 Tammi 202329min

Giorgos Kallis: "Cultural Surplus and 'Dépense'"

Giorgos Kallis: "Cultural Surplus and 'Dépense'"

On this episode, Nate is joined by ecological economist and degrowth scholar Giorgos Kallis. He and Nate discuss the science and philosophy behind the degrowth movement and some of the challenges behi...

4 Tammi 20231h 24min

Reflections, Predictions, and Interventions | Frankly #21

Reflections, Predictions, and Interventions | Frankly #21

As The Great Simplification podcast celebrates its first anniversary, Nate reflects on an incredibly busy year and what he learned from the wide array of guests over 51 podcasts and 21 Franklys.  Nate...

29 Joulu 202215min

DJ White: "Ocean Effectivism" | The Great Simplification #51

DJ White: "Ocean Effectivism" | The Great Simplification #51

Show Summary: On this episode, Nate is joined by Eco-interventionist and long time friend DJ White. DJ is not necessarily a household name, but has been instrumental in successful environmental inte...

28 Joulu 20221h 58min

Daniel Schmachtenberger: "Bend Not Break Part 5: Criteria and Categories for Response" | The Great Simplification #50

Daniel Schmachtenberger: "Bend Not Break Part 5: Criteria and Categories for Response" | The Great Simplification #50

Show Summary: On this 5th and final installment of the Bend Not Break series with Daniel Schmachtenberger, we unpack the framework and mindset needed to begin thinking about responses. This conversati...

19 Joulu 20222h 20min

Staying Warm Data with Nora Bateson | Frankly #20

Staying Warm Data with Nora Bateson | Frankly #20

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 discuss how she and others living in Sweden are responding to ...

16 Joulu 202228min

Simon Michaux: "The Arcadians"

Simon Michaux: "The Arcadians"

On this episode, mining and geology expert Simon Michaux returns to give a preliminary framework for responses to the coming energy and material constraints described in the previous episode. This inc...

14 Joulu 20221h 23min

Tomas Björkman: "The Great Transformation - Metamodernism and The Future"

Tomas Björkman: "The Great Transformation - Metamodernism and The Future"

On this episode, author and social entrepreneur Tomas Björkman joins Nate to discuss his recent projects promoting inner development based on his books The Nordic Secret and The World We Create. Tomas...

7 Joulu 20221h 32min

Suosittua kategoriassa Tiede

rss-mita-tulisi-tietaa
tiedekulma-podcast
rss-poliisin-mieli
utelias-mieli
rss-lihavuudesta-podcast
rss-duodecim-lehti
rss-laakaripodi
rss-opeklubi
docemilia
sotataidon-ytimessa
hippokrateen-vastaanotolla
mielipaivakirja
rss-vaasan-yliopiston-podcastit
rss-mental-race
rss-ylistys-elaimille