What Would You Do if You Were a Benevolent Diktator?

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I would get rid of all the current benevolent dictators. It turns out that most organizations and Western societies are organized as dictatorships. Anywhere where there's not an elected official who's in charge is a form of a dictatorship. And many of these dictators think they're benevolent. I'd get rid of them all and see what the alternative would be of a people-powered society.

On this episode, Nate is joined by Sustainability Science and Policy Professor Jon Erickson. He and Nate dive into Jon’s new book The Progress Illusion: Reclaiming our Future from the Fairytale of Economics, which covers the economic myths that have shaped our modern reality. How can we reshape the narrative and shift the paradigm towards different economic systems that promote human and ecological well-being over material consumption?

About Jon Erickson:

Jon Erickson is the David Blittersdorf Professor of Sustainability Science & Policy at the University of Vermont. He has published widely on energy and climate change policy, land conservation, watershed planning, environmental public health, and the theory and practice of ecological economics. He advised presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on economics and energy issues.