Today we're examining the impact of bureaucracy and financialization on modern society through the lens of David Graeber's "Utopia of Rules," with reference to another of his works, "Bullshit Jobs." We explore how these forces shape political ideologies, wealth extraction, and everyday life. Starting with the alienation caused by bureaucratic systems, the discussion moves through the fusion of finance and bureaucracy, which influences both worker-corporate relationships and democratic processes. Then we look into the global justice movement's exposure of systemic violence and the role of technology in societal challenges as a potential model for criticism. We also address the perception of value shaped by financial abstractions, the issues within the retirement system, and the personal reassessment prompted by psychedelics. The podcast concludes with a discussion on the potential of worker ownership and the importance of societal renewal through new linguistic templates to combat institutional stagnation. Tell us your thoughts in the comments!
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(00:00) Go!
(00:08:49) - Bureaucracy breeds alienation despite material comfort
(00:15:06) - Political disillusionment reflects bureaucratic capture of ideologies
(00:20:08) - Financialization and bureaucracy fuse, extracting wealth
(00:31:25) - Credential inflation bureaucratizes everyday life
(00:37:25) - 1971: Financialization alters worker-investor-corporate relationships
(00:43:43) - Financial reliability prioritized over democratic processes
(00:52:46) - Global justice movement exposes systemic violence
(01:04:24) - Technology application, not existence, causes issues
(01:15:32) - Financial abstractions shape perception of value
(01:28:54) - Retirement system exposes life-structuring issues
(01:33:14) - Psychedelics confront mortality and reassess values
(01:40:57) - Opting out: freedom versus interconnected challenges
(01:45:13) - Worker ownership addresses external investment problems
(01:52:35) - Societal renewal prevents institutional stagnation
#sciencepodcast, #longformpodcast, #Bureaucracy, #Financialization, #PoliticalIdeologies, #WealthExtraction, #GlobalJustice, #WorkerOwnership, #DemocraticProcesses, #CredentialInflation, #SystemicViolence, #RetirementIssues, #TechImpact, #Psychedelics, #ValuePerception, #InstitutionalRenewal, #EconomicJustice, #CorporatePower, #SocialChange, #FinancialAbstraction, #1971Economy, #WorkerRights #Graeber
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PODCAST INFO: Anastasia completed her PhD studying bioelectricity at Columbia University. When not talking to brilliant people or making movies, she spends her time painting, reading, and guiding backcountry excursions. Shilo also did his PhD at Columbia studying the elastic properties of molecular water. When he's not in the film studio, he's exploring sound in music. They are both freelance professors at various universities.
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