Doomer Optimism

Donald asked Ashley to sit down to think out loud about the pros and cons of continuing to devote time to podcasts, as both a creator and as a listener. Please feel free to weigh in on this topic in the YouTube comments!

A panel discussion talking about the brilliant book Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy - how it relates to DO themes of agrarianism, relationship, religion, and much more

Gord and the two Ashleys discuss the modern state of leftism: what remains of it, and how to navigate the upside-down world where the professional-managerial elites have hijacked the conversation.

Ashley invites Tim and Jordan to both share stories about their recent conversions to Christianity. We discuss the limits to rationality and the importance of relationship, place and people.

Nate and Jeffrey Bilbro of Front Porch Republic sit down and discuss agrarianism. Rather than simply a general term for rural life, they discuss the economic, philosophical and moral aspects of agrarianism that make it a holistic approach to human individual and social life, distinct from the overly ideological -isms of capitalism and communism that have dominated 20th century social and political thought. Jeffrey Bilbro is an Associate Professor of English at Grove City College. He grew up in the mountainous state of Washington and earned his B.A. in Writing and Literature from George Fox University in Oregon and his Ph.D. in English from Baylor University. His books include Reading the Times: A Literary and Theological Inquiry into the News, Loving God’s Wildness: The Christian Roots of Ecological Ethics in American Literature, Wendell Berry and Higher Education: Cultivating Virtues of Place (written with Jack Baker), and Virtues of Renewal: Wendell Berry’s Sustainable Forms.

This is a syndicated episode where Grin and Jackson invited Ashley on their podcast, Campfire, to talk about Doomer Optimism and where it intersects with their project, Cabin, building a network of modern villages. https://campfire-by-cabin.simplecast.com/episodes/37-homesteading-homeschooling-and-home-economics-with-ashley-colby-fitzgerald-and-grin Campfire is produced by Cabin, which is comprised of internet friends building a global network of modern villages. Learn more at cabin.city Read more about the future of living at futureofliving.substack.com Ashley Colby Fitzgerald is a cohost of Doomer Optimism and founder of the Rizoma Field School. This episode explores how to prep for periods of instability, varying methods of homeschool, localism, agroecology, relationships in a time of crises, and integrating children into intentional communities. Cabin's technical lead (Grin) joins as cohost. Twitter: Ashley: @‌RizomaSchool Jackson Steger @‌JacksonSteger Grin: @‌grin_io

We speak with founder and editor-in-chief of Low Tech Magazine, Kris de Decker, about his work since 2007 highlighting technologies of yesteryear, developing simple and low-cost energy systems to run his apartment and publishing, building un-hackable websites powered completely off of solar, and advocating demand-side management as a superior approach to sustainability. https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com https://www.notechmagazine.com Support the work of Kris and his collaborators by purchasing low-tech versions of his online magazine, AKA books (compendiums of website content)!

Living Energy Farm is a pioneering off-grid project in central Virginia. They have developed relatively low-cost methods for taking advantage of solar energy in the form of passive solar-thermal systems for space heating and water heating as well as DC electricity. Their “DC microgrids” systems power household appliances and computers/phones, in addition to a wide array of hand tools and shop tools. This is accomplished by efficient “daylight drive” using power from PV panels to directly run DC motors, or by using energy stored in robust nickel-iron batteries. They have also prototyped an array of low-cost homestead technologies used for biogas systems, drying seeds and foodstuffs, harvesting crops and doing other “tractor work.” This fast-paced conversation outlines the technologies developed by LEF and contextualizes them in Alexis’ and community members’ philosophy of practical non-nonsense environmental technologies for achieving good quality of life as an antidote to typical, mainstream, middle class, bourgeois environmentalism. Learn more about their work: livingenergyfarm.org livingenergylights.com

Tessa Carman and Ashley reminisce about their time at the Front Porch Republic Conference before moving on to discuss the educational and life philosophy of Charlotte Mason. Tessa Carman writes and teaches in Maryland. With J.C. Scharl in 2022, she translated the Old English vision poem The Dream of the Rood. Her writing can be found at tessacarman.wordpress.com. Here are a few pieces that may be of interest to DO listeners: “Children Are Born Persons: Exploring Charlotte Mason’s First Principle of Education” “Nurturing Goodness: Exploring Charlotte Mason’s Second Principle of Education” “Authority and Docility: Exploring Charlotte Mason’s Third Principle of Education” “Fleeing the Ephemeral and Pursuing the Eternal,” Front Porch Republic, July 4, 2023 "Joining the Dance: Setting Aside Screens to Build the City,” Front Porch Republic, November 15, 2022 “Following Christ in the Machine Age: A Conversation with Paul Kingsnorth,” Mere Orthodoxy, September 13, 2022 “A Time to Replant, a Time to Rebuild,” Fare Forward, May 26, 2021

Welcome to a special roundtable milestone episode of Doomer Optimism. Ashley, Jason, Donald, Josh, Simon, Nate, and Tres get together to reflect on the journey of the podcast, where it is at now, and where they and the podcast are headed next.