The Great Simplification with Nate Hagens

And Then What?: Using Wide-Boundary Lenses | Frankly 65

Jul 12, 2024

The podcast dives into the importance of using wide-boundary lenses when considering solutions to modern issues, showcasing how immediate benefits can lead to unforeseen consequences. Topics include corn ethanol, debt, electric vehicles, renewable energy, and artificial intelligence, urging listeners to think beyond surface-level impacts.

23:32

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Quick takeaways

Considering wider boundary lenses can reveal unintended consequences of seemingly beneficial solutions like corn ethanol.

Expanding renewable energy sources raises concerns about resource extraction challenges and long-term sustainability, highlighting the need for broader analysis.

Deep dives

Wide Boundary Implications of Narrow Goals: Corn Ethanol Example

Mandating more corn ethanol initially aimed to reduce gasoline dependency and lower prices, meeting a narrow goal of cost-efficiency. However, the wider implications shifted food supplies to fuel, leading to nitrogen runoff and environmental consequences in the Gulf of Mexico.

Wide Boundary Implications and Ecological Literacy

01:23

Embrace Renewable Energy with Caution

02:20

Degrowth Demands Caution

01:10

Exploring Wide Boundary Thinking and its Implications on Modern Issues

24min

(Recorded July 8 2024)

There are many so-called ‘solutions’ out there that, upon first glance, seem like great ideas - yet when we look beyond the narrow scope of the immediate benefits, we discover a slew of unintended (and often counterproductive) consequences.

Today’s Frankly offers a series of examples of modern issues using a “wide-boundary” lens - and in the process demonstrates the importance of asking “...and then what?” when thinking about our responses to future events and constraints.

How would incorporating wider boundary lenses into our lives change our plans and expectations for the future? What are we missing when we go all-in on plans to expand renewables, electric vehicles, and AI? Could a growing number of ecologically literate people guide us towards more pro-social policies, institutions, and infrastructure?

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