(Some of) The Central Questions of Our Time | Frankly 87

(Some of) The Central Questions of Our Time | Frankly 87

The period of relative peace and stability we've known - enabled by the energy surplus of the Carbon Pulse and the ecological stability of the Holocene - is slipping away. AI is turbocharging the Superorganism, governance structures are fraying, and ecological shocks are intensifying. As the Great Simplification approaches faster than expected, are we asking the right questions?

In this Frankly, Nate invites us to reflect on some of the most urgent questions of our time - and what they might mean for both our collective and individual trajectories ahead. Can open societies endure on the downslope of the Carbon Pulse? Is a future without large-scale war still possible? As the pace of change accelerates, the challenge isn't just understanding what's coming, but deciding how to respond.

What would you not regret doing if you knew major disruptions were imminent? Can you redirect frustration into meaningful action? And in a world that increasingly pulls us apart, can you help build a 'coalition of sanity'?

(Recorded February 25th, 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 Discord channel and connect with other listeners

Episoder(385)

The New Generation of Environmental Leadership: Stubborn Optimism, Tending Your Inner Fire, and Why Hope Is Not Enough with Xiye Bastida

The New Generation of Environmental Leadership: Stubborn Optimism, Tending Your Inner Fire, and Why Hope Is Not Enough with Xiye Bastida

For many people reading this, the crises we discuss on this podcast – from ecological instability to financial collapse – often feel like a distant problem in the future. But for the youth of today, m...

28 Jan 1h 22min

The Creature in the Machine | Frankly 120

The Creature in the Machine | Frankly 120

In this week's episode, Nate reflects on his experience with knee surgery and being a "creature in the machine" (the Superorganism). He touches on the often-forgotten nature of our physical existence ...

23 Jan 20min

Arms Race or the Human Race? Governance in the Age of AI, Nuclear Threats, and Geopolitical Brinkmanship | RR 21

Arms Race or the Human Race? Governance in the Age of AI, Nuclear Threats, and Geopolitical Brinkmanship | RR 21

Humans have shaped the world more than any other species in existence, largely due to our ability to coordinate and work together as a unit – in other words, to govern ourselves. This means that, whil...

21 Jan 1h 27min

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 ...

16 Jan 28min

Why the West Can't Defend Itself: How Material Scarcity Is Reshaping Global Power with Craig Tindale

Why the West Can't Defend Itself: How Material Scarcity Is Reshaping Global Power with Craig Tindale

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, long-duration investments like mining and manuf...

14 Jan 1h 41min

The Things We Take for Granted | Frankly 118

The Things We Take for Granted | Frankly 118

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 to relative ecological stability. The things that keep o...

9 Jan 22min

How We've 'Drugified' Our Entire Existence: Dopamine & Addiction In the Digital Age with Anna Lembke

How We've 'Drugified' Our Entire Existence: Dopamine & Addiction In the Digital Age with Anna Lembke

Dopamine: the most famous neurotransmitter that regulates pleasure, motivation, and (perhaps most importantly) addiction. When examining  why our society is hooked on consuming more and more of everyt...

7 Jan 1h 36min

Behavioral Thermodynamics Part 1: Beyond the 4th Law?

Behavioral Thermodynamics Part 1: Beyond the 4th Law?

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 complexity in our world. Compet...

19 Des 202530min

Populært innen Vitenskap

fastlegen
tingenes-tilstand
jss
forskningno
liberal-halvtime
rekommandert
sinnsyn
rss-paradigmepodden
villmarksliv
rss-nysgjerrige-norge
fjellsportpodden
tidlose-historier
diagnose
kvinnehelsepodden
rss-inn-til-kjernen-med-sunniva-rose
nevropodden
nordnorsk-historie
tomprat-med-gunnar-tjomlid
rss-overskuddsliv
rss-hoyt-lavt-med-ida-tonseth