Episode Summary:
In Part 1 of this two-episode series, Aidan McCullen is joined by futurists Bob Johansen and Jamais Cascio, co-authors of Navigating the Age of Chaos: A Sensemaking Guide to a BANI World That Doesn't Make Sense. The trio unpacks the BANI Framework — Brittle, Anxious, Nonlinear, Incomprehensible — and explores how it helps us make sense of a world where traditional models like VUCA no longer apply.
Discover how anxiety, complexity, systemic fragility, and incomprehensible change are reshaping our lives and futures — and what we can do to adapt and thrive in the face of it all.
Key Discussion Points:
From VUCA to BANI: Why old models fail
System fragility and the myth of stability
Psychological burnout in the age of anxiety
Non-linear risk and delayed cause-effect dynamics
Incomprehensibility and the collapse of trust in truth
Links & Resources:
🌐 Book: Navigating the Age of Chaos – https://ageofbani.com
📘 Bob Johansen – https://www.iftf.org
🧠 Jamais Cascio – https://www.openthefuture.com
🎙️ Sponsored by Kyndryl – https://kyndryl.com
🎓 Host and Irish Keynote Speaker Aidan McCullen and The Innovation Show is the first podcast to be recognised by Thinkers50, the global ranking body for management thinkers.
https://aidanmccullen.com
00:00 Introduction and Sponsor Message
00:21 Reflecting on the Decade: 2015-2025
01:41 Introducing the B.A.N.I. Framework
02:24 Meet the Authors: Bob Johansen and Jamais Cascio
04:29 The Evolution from VUCA to BANI
16:18 Understanding Brittle in BANI
30:14 Exploring Anxious in BANI
37:03 Alan Watts and the Timeless Nature of Anxiety
38:18 Resilience in the Face of Extinction
39:30 The Persistent Relevance of VUCA
39:52 The Unique Challenges of BANI
41:13 Interconnected Crises and Their Compounding Effects
44:30 The Participatory Panopticon and Surveillance
49:28 Non-Linearity and Climate Hysteresis
01:00:23 Stochastic Terrorism and Its Implications
01:02:44 Incomprehensibility in a BANI World
01:10:37 Conclusion and Further Resources
Coming Soon:
👉 Part 2: BANI Plus – Flipping the Framework Positive
