The Great Simplification with Nate Hagens

Reimagining the Cultural Narrative: Art and Storytelling for Systemic Change with Dougald Hine

116 snips

Feb 12, 2025

Dougald Hine, a social thinker and co-founder of the Dark Mountain Project, shares insights on the power of storytelling and art in addressing ecological crises. He emphasizes the importance of community and grassroots narratives to foster emotional resilience in challenging times. Hine discusses the concept of ‘engaged surrender’ as a way to navigate uncertainty, urging a re-evaluation of societal values. The conversation also touches on the role of grief in transformation and the need for a collective recovery to tackle modern dilemmas.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

ANECDOTE

Meteor Shower Musings

Dougald Hine describes a meteor shower viewing with his son, sparking reflections on consumerism.
This prompts him to explore alternative ways of living and the importance of cultural history.

INSIGHT

Storytelling's Significance

Storytelling helps us inhabit the world and connect with the present moment.
It's a vital skill, not just entertainment, deeply ingrained in human cultures.

ANECDOTE

Bicycles, Stories, and Golden Retrievers

Nate Hagens shares his appreciation for low-energy, high-reward activities like biking, stories, and dogs.
He mentions Dungeons and Dragons as an example of creative, low-resource entertainment.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

(Conversation recorded on November 12th, 2024)

In today’s modern era, the overwhelming flood of information that constantly flows our way can leave us feeling disoriented, lost, and powerless. Even science – our most trusted source of truth – can be taken out of context to fuel division and distort the reality around us. In the midst of this confusion, how can we learn to ground ourselves and find guideposts that can direct our lives and work?

Today, Nate is joined by storyteller and social thinker, Dougald Hine, to explore the importance of narratives in shaping our understanding of the world and how they can help us navigate the complexities of life, especially in the face of ecological crises. Together, they discuss the need for a reframing of conversations around environmental and climate issues, the importance of grassroots responses to systemic crises, and the concept of ‘engaged surrender’ as a way to navigate the challenges of modern life.

How can we foster emotional resilience in the face of ecological overshoot and the death of modernity? What role do art and storytelling play alongside science and data in responding to our collective human predicament? And how can we strengthen our communities and plant the seeds for a different way of life, starting in our own small corners of the world?

About Dougald Hine:

Dougald Hine is a social thinker, writer and speaker. After an early career as a BBC journalist, he went on to co-found the Dark Mountain Project, where he was the director until 2019. He is also the co-author, with Paul Kingsnorth, of Uncivilisation: The Dark Mountain Manifesto, and his latest book is titled, At Work in the Ruins: Finding Our Place in the Time of Science, Climate Change, Pandemics & All the Other Emergencies.

Dougald’s recent projects include Notes From Underground, a ten-part essay series for Bella Caledonia exploring the deep roots of the new climate movements, and The Great Humbling, a podcast he co-hosts with Ed Gillespie. He and Anna Björkman are creating a school called HOME, ‘a gathering place and a learning community for those who are drawn to the work of regrowing a living culture’. His latest writing is published on his Substack, Writing Home.

Show Notes and More

Watch this video episode on YouTube

Want to learn the whole story of The Great Simplification? Watch our 30-minute Animated Movie.

---

Support The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future

Join our Substack newsletter

Join our Discord channel and connect with other listeners