A conversation with Meta-Modern Homesteader, Jason Snyder—

Hey Eclectic Spacewalkers!

Last month we traveled to the outskirts of Boone, NC to sit down with Jason Snyder.

Jason is yet another Twitter mutual that we had the pleasure of finally meeting in person. We also were joined by previous podcast guest Ashley Colby, who was visiting the US from Uruguay.

Not only did we travel to record this podcast with Jason, but also to film what it is like to be a budding homesteader and a “Dommer Optimist.” We are in the midst of creating a short film based on both of those embodied ways of life, but below is a little preview. More to come by the end of the year!

Both Jason and Ashley have helped open our eyes to some of the folly of techno-optimism, and its discontents, but both have also been humble enough to not completely fall down the slippery slope of the worst kinds of techno-pessimism. There is a tension there that needs to be explored, discussed, and experimented with.

Enter Wendell Berry and Doomer Optimism.

Doomer + Optimism = Navigating civilizational collapse (literally & metaphorically)

Our conversation with Jason was as wide-ranging as the colors of fall leaves in the Appalachian mountains. We talked about regenerative food systems, bioregionalism, and teaching at Appalachian State University, amongst other topics.

We thank Jason for his time, research, and eclectic mind. Enjoy the conversation, and until next time - Ad Astra!

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Timestamps:

Who, or what, influenced your curiosity growing up? (02:58)

Questioning neo-classical economic models (13:12)

Publishing papers, academic publishing, and development issues (23:07)

Technopoly, Techno-Optimism, Techno-Pessimism, and Techno-Realism (40:37)

Energy use, bioregionalism, and collective decision making, (49:03)

Life as a budding homesteader (58:22)

What is Doomer Optimism? (01:07:42)

Doomer Optimism Vocabulary: Cosmopolitan Localism, Solar Punk, and Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth (01:10:27)

The Doomer Optimist Collective (01:16:47)

Jason’s answer to The Overview Effect questions (01:22:02)

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More on Jason Snyder:

Twitter: @cognazor

Teacher Profile: https://sd.appstate.edu/directory/jason-snyder-phd

Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=vlhs0XQAAAAJ&hl=en

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