Will Richardson's "Confronting Education in a Time of Complexity, Chaos, and Collapse" serves as a manifesto for educational reform in the face of uncertainty. The book challenges traditional educational approaches, urging a shift towards more relevant and future-oriented learning. It emphasizes the need for educators to engage in open and honest conversations about the complexities of the world. Richardson advocates for fostering students' ability to navigate uncertainty and embrace a future that is inherently unknown. The book inspires educators to move beyond superficial innovations and engage in deeper, more meaningful discussions about the future of education.
Slavoj Žižek's "Too Late to Awaken" is a philosophical exploration of the current state of the world, addressing the challenges of political and social upheaval. Žižek's work is known for its provocative and often controversial perspectives. In this book, he argues that the collapse has already occurred, freeing us to imagine a new future. He challenges conventional thinking and encourages a radical re-evaluation of our values and beliefs. The book is a complex and challenging read, prompting readers to confront uncomfortable truths and consider alternative ways of thinking about the world.
Amitav Ghosh's "Nutmeg's Curse" explores the historical and ecological consequences of globalization, focusing on the spice trade and its impact on various societies. The book delves into the complex interplay between colonialism, capitalism, and environmental degradation. Ghosh's work challenges conventional narratives of progress and development, highlighting the often-overlooked consequences of global trade. The book uses the story of nutmeg to illustrate the long-term effects of exploitation and the interconnectedness of global systems. "Nutmeg's Curse" is a significant contribution to the understanding of the historical roots of contemporary environmental and social challenges.
In this book, Gabor Maté and his son Daniel Maté challenge the prevailing understanding of 'normal' health, arguing that Western medicine often neglects the impact of trauma, stress, and modern-day living on our bodies and minds. They connect the dots between individual health issues and the broader societal problems, offering a compassionate guide for health and healing. The book is based on over four decades of clinical experience and is supported by extensive scientific research, patient stories, and personal disclosures.
In this influential book, Hayek argues that the abandonment of individualism and classical liberalism leads to a loss of freedom, the creation of an oppressive society, and ultimately, the tyranny of a dictator. He challenges the view that fascism and Nazism are capitalist reactions against socialism, instead positing that these ideologies share common roots in central economic planning and the empowerment of the state over the individual. The book emphasizes the dangers of collectivism and the importance of maintaining a free market system to preserve human freedom and dignity.
Set in Czechoslovakia during the 1968 Prague Spring and its aftermath, 'The Unbearable Lightness of Being' follows the lives of Tomáš, a surgeon and serial adulterer; Tereza, his wife; Sabina, Tomáš's mistress and an artist; and Franz, Sabina's lover. The novel delves into philosophical themes such as the concept of 'lightness' versus 'heaviness', drawing from the ideas of Nietzsche and Parmenides. It explores the characters' experiences with love, sex, loyalty, and betrayal, all set against the political turmoil of the time. The story examines the human condition, the search for meaning and happiness, and the consequences of the choices made by the characters[2][3][5].
The inspiration for this end-of-year impromptu gathering came from a recent flurry of ‘Collapse'-inspired exchanges in my (un)social media feeds! This was prompted largely by Ginie Servant Miklos’ recently published and brilliant book, Pedagogies of Collapse: A Hopeful Education for The End of The World as We Know It (quoted in the title of the episode) and Will Richardson’s equally provocative and inspiring, Confronting Education In a Time of Complexity, Chaos and Collapse.
As regular listeners will know, this podcast is really focused on the need for radical and systemic change in ways that would be more loving, humanising, nourishing…, not just in education, but in all spheres of our lives. But seeing all of this Collapse chat, the question I was left with was something about the ‘how’ of inviting people towards this change. It made me think of this powerful quote from Adam Curtis:
"We’ve retreated into a sense that there’s always a new apocalypse on the horizon; it’s a terrible teddy bear that the bourgeois greens hug to themselves and say, “We’re all going to die, it’s terrible.” That’s not the way you change the world. In fact, it frightens people, and when people are frightened they don’t want change. It’s one of the stupidest things I’ve ever seen. Of course, there are serious issues. And of course, they’re incredibly dangerous. But fear is the last resort of those who’ve failed to mobilise people to transform the world for the better. I get grumpy about this because it’s almost cowardly.” (https://crackmagazine.net/article/profiles/adam-curtis-nathalie-olah-interview/)
So Manda Scott, Raïsa Mirza, Will Richardson, Ginie Servant-Miklos and I gathered yesterday to talk about all of this and more!
Brief bios below, but you can find full show notes here: https://www.goodimpactlabs.com/podcast/a-hopeful-education
Manda Scott - https://mandascott.co.uk/ ; https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandascottauthor/
Manda was once a veterinary surgeon and is now an award-winning novelist, smallholder, contemporary shamanic trainer and podcaster (https://accidentalgods.life). 2024 saw the publication of her sixteenth novel, Any Human Power, a ‘visionary’ contemporary political thriller that maps fictional – but plausible and workable – routes toward a future we’d all be proud to leave to the generations that come after us: human and more-than-human.
Raïsa Mirza - https://raisamirza.com/ ; https://www.linkedin.com/in/raisamirza/
Raïsa is a Bangladeshi-Canadian photographer, educator, designer, facilitator and social entrepreneur. She is currently Head of Social Impact Initiatives & Lighthouse Changemaker Hub and Systems Transformation teacher (https://www.uwcatlantic.org/learning/academic/systems-transformation-pathway) at UWC Atlantic College, Wales. She is also Founder & Principal of WabiSabiJetty: Design for Resilience (https://www.wabisabijetty.com/).
Will Richardson - https://willrichardson.com/ ; https://www.linkedin.com/in/willrichardsonbqi/
Will is a co-founder of The Big Questions Institute which was created to help educators use "fearless inquiry" to make sense of this complex moment and an uncertain future. In 2024, he authored a "manifesto" titled "Confronting Education in a Time of Complexity, Chaos, and Collapse" aimed at provoking serious conversations about the future of schools.
Ginie Servant-Miklos - https://www.clubofrome.org/member/miklos-ginie/; https://www.linkedin.com/in/ginie-servant-miklos/
Ginie Servant-Miklos is Assistant Professorship in Behavioural Sciences at the Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences in Rotterdam and founder and Chair of the Board of the FairFight Foundation. She co-founded the Bildung Climate School with Prof. Rutger Engels, and is the author of the best-selling book, Pedagogies of Collapse: A Hopeful Education for the End of the World as We Know It (https://www.bloomsburycollections.com/monograph?docid=b-9781350400528).
Future Learning Design Podcast 
