Urgent Futures with Jesse Damiani

Nora Bateson: Warm Data, 'Combining,' and "Who Can You Be When You Are With Me?" | Urgent Futures #27

Oct 2, 2024

Nora Bateson, an award-winning filmmaker and president of the International Bateson Institute, delves into her innovative Warm Data theory, emphasizing the intricate connections between personal relationships and societal challenges. She introduces Afani Poesis, highlighting unseen societal processes and the importance of collective practices. Bateson advocates transformative dialogue through the concept of 'Urgent Mud,' encouraging authentic communication. The discussion also touches on the limitations of AI in genuine interactions and the profound impact of personal narratives on understanding cultural complexities.

01:43:39

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Episode guests

Nora Bateson

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Quick takeaways

Understanding systems thinking reveals the complexity of relationships, emphasizing that issues cannot be viewed in isolation but as interconnected dynamics.

Nora Bateson's concept of warm data immersions fosters collective learning by encouraging multifaceted conversations, enriching our understanding of interconnected experiences.

Adopting an ecology of care highlights the necessity of mutual support and collaboration in communities, enhancing resilience amid rapid changes.

Deep dives

The Importance of Systems Thinking

Systems thinking emphasizes the interconnectivity of all elements within a given context, challenging the reductionist approach often seen in modernity. This perspective highlights that issues cannot be understood in isolation; instead, they arise from the complexities of relationships and interactions within systems. For instance, focusing solely on individual components, such as a family member's behavior or a school's performance, ignores the broader relational dynamics at play. By recognizing these connections, we can nurture agency and develop more comprehensive solutions that address the root causes rather than just the symptoms.

Embrace Learning Together

00:38

Embrace Discomfort for True Understanding

01:39

Embrace Complexity with Compassion

01:09

Intro

5min

Navigating Complex Systems

28min

Understanding Afani Poesis and Human Complexity

27min

Embracing Urgent Mud: The Art of Transformative Dialogue

27min

The Art of Connection: Food, Creativity, and Nonverbal Communication

2min

The Limitations of AI in Capturing Genuine Communication

2min

Navigating Cultural Disorientation and Identity

4min

Exploring Attraction, Consent, and Generational Voices

3min

Harnessing Ecological Collaboration

6min

What if our interpersonal relationships and the polycrisis have a lot more to do with each other than we might initially think?

Welcome to the Urgent Futures podcast, the show that finds {signals} in the noise. Each week, I sit down with leading thinkers whose research, concepts, and questions clarify the chaos, from culture to the cosmos.

My guest this week is Nora Bateson.

Pick up your copy of Nora's latest book, Combining, here.

Support the show by checking out: ZBiotics (Decrease impact of hangovers. Code: JESSEDAMIANI for 10% off), MUD\WTR (43% off starter kits), 1Password (simplify your life and increase digital safety), Mission Farms CBD (healthy, effective CBD for relief, sleep, and wellbeing—25% off with email), NordVPN (the simplest way to protect yourself online, 72% off 2-year plans).

Nora Bateson, is an award-winning filmmaker, research designer, writer, educator, and international lecturer, as well as President of the International Bateson Institute based in Sweden. She is the creator of the Warm Data theory and practices. Nora’s work brings the fields of biology, cognition, art, anthropology, psychology, and information technology together into a study of the patterns in ecology of living systems.

She wrote, directed and produced the award-winning documentary, An Ecology of Mind, a portrait of her father Gregory Bateson.

Her first book, Small Arcs of Larger Circles, released by Triarchy Press, UK, 2016 is a revolutionary personal approach to the study of systems and complexity.

In her latest second book Combining, Nora invites us into an ecology of communication where nothing stands alone, and every action sets off a chain of incalculable consequences. She challenges conventional fixes for our problems, highlighting the need to tackle issues at multiple levels, understand interdependence, and embrace ambiguity.

She was the recipient of the Neil Postman Award for Career Achievement in Public Intellectual Activity in 2019.

CREDITS: This podcast is edited and produced by Adam Labrie and me, Jesse Damiani. Adam Labrie also directed, shot, and edited the video version of the podcast, which is available on YouTube. The podcast is presented by Reality Studies. If you appreciate the work I’m doing, please subscribe and share it with someone you think would enjoy it.

Find video episodes of Urgent Futures at: youtube.com/@UrgentFutures.

Get full access to Reality Studies at www.realitystudies.co/subscribe

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Urgent Futures with Jesse Damiani

Nora Bateson: Warm Data, 'Combining,' and "Who Can You Be When You Are With Me?" | Urgent Futures #27

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Deep dives

The Importance of Systems Thinking

Trans Contextual Relating and Symmathesy

The Role of Warm Data Immersion

Addressing Urgency Without Reductionism

Cultivating an Ecology of Care

Embrace Learning Together

Embrace Discomfort for True Understanding

Embrace Complexity with Compassion

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts