What Sloths Teach Us About the Superorganism

What Sloths Teach Us About the Superorganism

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 wire fence in Costa Rica. Beyond evoking compassion for a species that's on the receiving end of human intervention into its ecosystem, the image raises larger ideas about the response of animals, including humans, to artificial cues and novel environments. Just as the sloth mistakes a fence post for the safety of a tree, modern humans mistake consumption, speed, and certainty for meaning.

Moving beyond just the image, Nate unpacks the word "sloth" itself as one of the original seven deadly sins, offering a reimagining of what today's seven moral failings might be in the context of a global economic superorganism. Apathy, righteousness, and anthropocentrism might be today's major vices, which each have consequences for the environment and our relationship to it.

Can we stand our ground locally against the global superorganism? How can we begin to reclaim agency and compassion – both for ourselves and the ecosystems we are inextricably a part of? Do our instincts no longer serve us in a world so rapidly and radically changed?

(Recorded October 13th, 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(356)

How Do You Become Who You Want to Be?: The Science Behind Identity, Purpose, and Motivation with Taylor Guthrie

How Do You Become Who You Want to Be?: The Science Behind Identity, Purpose, and Motivation with Taylor Guthrie

Our personal concept of identity shapes every decision we make – ranging from life-altering choices to our smallest daily preferences. Identity influences our values, the relationships we build, and h...

20 Elo 20251h 32min

Ducks and Blueberries: A Reflection on Price, Cost and Value

Ducks and Blueberries: A Reflection on Price, Cost and Value

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 trip turns into a reflection on value vs cost, and how...

15 Elo 20256min

The Forgotten Skills of Dying and Grieving Well: How Engaging with Loss Can Help Us Live More Fully with Stephen Jenkinson

The Forgotten Skills of Dying and Grieving Well: How Engaging with Loss Can Help Us Live More Fully with Stephen Jenkinson

In Western culture, topics surrounding death and dying are often considered taboo and are generally avoided in everyday conversations. But this reluctance to fully acknowledge and integrate death as a...

13 Elo 20251h 4min

The Silent Collapse: What the Disappearance of Insects Means for Humanity and the Earth with Oliver Milman

The Silent Collapse: What the Disappearance of Insects Means for Humanity and the Earth with Oliver Milman

Insects, bugs, creepy-crawlies – these small animals are often considered a nuisance (or worse) by humanity, bringing up an ongoing desire to kill or mitigate these "pests" that plague our backyards, ...

6 Elo 20251h 19min

The Ghost of Dopamine Past | Frankly 103

The Ghost of Dopamine Past | Frankly 103

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 modern human predicament. This episode explores the neuro...

1 Elo 202515min

Nothing Can Stop This Train: Our Financial Predicament From a Systems Perspective with Lyn Alden

Nothing Can Stop This Train: Our Financial Predicament From a Systems Perspective with Lyn Alden

Money, debt, and finance shape the lives of everyone globally, including through the policies and actions of national central banks – yet even those who are well-versed in these subjects often miss th...

30 Heinä 20251h 39min

Towards Individual Wisdom & Restraint

Towards Individual Wisdom & Restraint

In this Earth Day presentation, recorded earlier this year, Nate offers nine broad paths for individuals to cultivate resilience in an increasingly uncertain and unstable period of human history. From...

25 Heinä 202542min

The Packaging Revolution: Industry's Responsibility & the Innovations That Could Mitigate the Waste Crisis with Wes Carter

The Packaging Revolution: Industry's Responsibility & the Innovations That Could Mitigate the Waste Crisis with Wes Carter

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 avoid it entirely. Yet packaging accoun...

23 Heinä 20251h 39min

Suosittua kategoriassa Tiede

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