Emerge: Making Sense of What's Next

Today I'm speaking with Dr. Jem Bendell. Jem exploded onto the internet with the release of his 'Deep Adaptation' paper, which has been downloaded hundreds of thousands of times. The paper makes a very persuasive argument for what Dr. Bendell calls 'Inevitable near term social collapse' due to climate change. In this conversation we talk about non-linear self-reinforcing negative feedback loops in climate systems, Dr. Bendell’s experience of grief in coming to terms with the reality of collapse, Extinction Rebellion as an expression of fierce love, the meaningfulness and joy on the other side of collapse acceptance, collapse as an invitation to face the reality of our own inevitable death, how to approach the idea of collapse in a helpful way, and whether the United States and Europe will escape the worst impacts as systems de-cohere. Deep Adaptation Paper Positive Deep Adaptation Facebook Group

No guest today, instead a short check-in and update about Emerge and the life of Daniel. 

 Today's guest is David Fuller, founder of Rebel Wisdom.  We talk about Jordan Peterson, the inspiration (and synchronicities) behind the founding of Rebel Wisdom, David’s most recent thinking on what the teleology of the Intellectual Dark Web, the emerging worldview coming into being through distributed heterodox conversations, the significance of the James Damore Google Memo, the evolution of media towards non-ideological generative conversation, and how embodied practice support intersubjective sense-making. Rebel Wisdom YouTube Channel

In this episode I’m speaking with Miki Kashtan. Through her work with Nonviolent Communication, movement building, and organization design, Miki speaks into the intersection of social and psychological transformation with a rare blend of pragmatic heartfulness. We talk about how economic and cultural systems inform our psychology, why none of us can know what ‘human nature’ is, the necessity of communities of practice for those who seek to transform their consciousness, how to practice full spectrum nonviolence, the unsettling power of moral authority, and the central significance of connecting with and expressing our biological needs. The Fearless Heart (Miki's Blog)

My conversation today is with naturalist and author Paul Krafel. We talk about why you shouldn't go with the flow, how to discover opportunities for generative service in all domains of life, how to use multiple perspectives to see in '3D', the game of creating upward spirals, and how to observe the natural world in a way that discovers patterns & fit. Enjoy! Paul's book Roaming Upwards

Nick Seneca Jankel is an author, professional speaker, leadership futurist, and philosopher. His recent book, Spiritual Atheism, reconciles spiritual and contemplative experience with science into a robust ‘human operating system’. I reached out to Nick after reading his recent article on medium called "Hacking Identity Politics To Save Our Species”, which we unpack in this conversation. We cover topics like the relationship between spiritual practice and social change, how to 'hack' identity politics, the responsibility of ‘integralists’ to intervene in cultural flashpoints, and the need for post-tribal tribes to create collaborative fellowship.

In this episode I'm speaking with Jeremy Lent. Jeremy is the author of 'The Patterning Instinct: A Cultural History of Humanity's Search for Meaning' and the found of the Liology Institute, which has the aim of fostering a worldview that will enable humanity to thrive sustainably on this planet. Jeremy and I chat about how our world is the product of the success of certain cognitive patterns, how we can change reality by changing our metaphors, what it means to become conscious of the meaning we make out of the world, and how we can adapt our own meaning-making structures to accord with the existential nature of the Anthropocene. Jeremy on the web: jeremylent.com // www.liology.org Jeremy's Article on Yuval Harari

In this conversation I’m speaking with Robert McNuaghten. Robert was the founder and executive director of the Integral Center in Boulder Colorado from it’s birth in 2013 until it’s recent closure at the end of 2018.   We chat about the shadow side of idealism, leadership and patriarchy, the essence of conservatism, the history of the Integral movement in Boulder, intersubjective reductionism, Robert’s concerns about the spread of authentic relating throughout the world, and how understanding Attachment Theory helps bring balance to relational practices. 

James Surwillo joins me in conversation this week to talk about his book 'Metamodern Leadership: A History of the Seven Values That Will Change the World'. We discuss the unique role of the millennial generation, evolving cultural value sets, the possibility of millennials being a ‘hero’ generation, Torbert’s seven stage model of leadership development, the need to master the game before you change the game (h/t Jordan Peterson), and conventional and post-conventional leadership. https://hbr.org/2005/04/seven-transformations-of-leadership https://medium.com/the-abs-tract-organization/on-metamodern-leadership-87bcf9ada5f9

Miles Bukiet joins Emerge this week to talk about his paper ‘Monasteries of the Future’.   We talk about the role of monasteries in the emerging future, the cultural significance of monasteries as an institution that demonstrates alternative ways of being human, the radical difference deep practice can make to our experience of being alive, and the 'crisis of standards' affecting the contemplative field.  Read Monasteries of the Future The Monastic Academy A Day at the Monastic Academy (With Pictures) (Meta)Modern Monasticism with Peter Park