The Great Simplification with Nate Hagens

Time Travel & The Superorganism: A Movie Idea | Frankly 81

Dec 20, 2024

Explore a captivating idea where time travel meets ecological awareness. Imagine a scientist journeying back to inspire change in a morally conflicted investment banker. The discussion delves into how this narrative could highlight sustainable decision-making. What lessons from our ecological and economic trajectory could reshape the past? The potential impact of Hollywood in educating the masses about these complex dynamics is also examined. Can intervening in the past create a path towards a more sustainable future?

18:16

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Quick takeaways

The podcast imagines a narrative where a scientist uses his knowledge of ecological crises to influence the past towards sustainability.

It emphasizes the transformative potential of storytelling in Hollywood to raise public awareness and inspire action on global ecological issues.

Deep dives

Understanding Audience Categories

The podcast identifies six distinct audience categories who may resonate with the content presented. The first category includes individuals known as the 'walking worried' who are aware of global issues and are proactive in seeking solutions. Philanthropists and foundations represent a second group, possessing significant resources and a responsibility to address societal challenges, which calls for their engagement in sustainable practices. Additionally, community leaders, young humans, and policymakers play vital roles in shaping future directions and making unpopular decisions that could lead to better outcomes for society.

A Time-Traveling Quest for Ecological Redemption

18min

(Recorded December 16, 2024)

As we wrap up another year of thought-provoking discussions on The Great Simplification, Nate takes us on an imaginative journey in this week’s Frankly - exploring a potential movie script idea that blends systems, science and fiction. What if someone who deeply understood the challenges of today's global economic Superorganism could travel back in time? Armed with the knowledge of our current ecological and economic trajectory, what would they change? What could they change?

Hollywood media could serve as a powerful tool to educate and inspire a wider audience on the systems science of our current predicament. Unpacking his movie idea, Nate shows us how the interventions highlighted - even if sci-fi - could educate audiences about the complex dynamics which have shaped the issues we now face. Through key character developments, we explore the constraints imposed by the path dependency of the Superorganism, realities about aggregate human behavior, and where degrees of freedom might exist to shift the trajectory of the future - in service of life.

If you could travel back through time to the 1970s (or to any date), how would YOU intervene to shape the future? Could education, regenerative ecology, or “Superorganism-free zones” alter the trajectory of civilization? And more broadly, how might Hollywood still play a role in translating the systems science towards providing agency to the general public?

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