Dr. Iain McGilchrist, a renowned neuroscientist and psychiatrist, discusses the significant differences between our brain hemispheres. He argues that a left-brain dominance leads to societal wretchedness, emphasizing the need to embrace the right-brain's creative and holistic perspectives. The conversation highlights how our civilization's initial creativity and happiness have diminished, advocating for a return to interconnectedness and deeper meaning in life. Iain's insights reveal how we must balance rationality with intuition to navigate contemporary challenges.

Corey Bradshaw, a global ecologist and author, reveals that humanity is on the brink of a mass extinction event. He discusses the paradox of overpopulation versus declining birth rates and their implications for resources and wildlife. With Australia facing the highest mammal extinction rate, he highlights the impact of non-native predators and the urgent need for responsible family planning. Bradshaw emphasizes the importance of honest conversations about climate change, resilience, and fostering a hopeful community for future generations.

The conversation navigates the intricate web of contemporary crises, highlighting how societal collapse is fundamentally different from past events. Listeners learn strategies for discussing these topics with skeptical friends, emphasizing the importance of supportive dialogues. The discussion critiques overly optimistic views of progress and examines the interconnectedness of issues like climate change and political instability. It also touches on growing distrust in society and explores the potential for hopeful change amidst these challenges.

Nick Bryant, a BBC Washington correspondent and author, dives deep into America's societal intricacies, having spent decades reporting on its historical and political upheavals. In this conversation, he tackles the troubling legacy of violence and racism in America, highlighting the impact of events like the Trump presidency and school shootings. Bryant also critiques gun culture, the Second Amendment, and the role of media narratives. With the upcoming election looming, he reflects on anxiety within the public, the influence of foreign powers, and the unraveling of American exceptionalism.

Professor Clive Hamilton (public ethicist; climate activist; founder of the Australia Institute) has led the emissions reduction conversation for decades. But he - controversially - has recently switched tack, arguing that climate mitigation is now impossible. And irresponsible. And that we must instead put our efforts (and last resources) into trying to survive as best we can. In this chat the professor of public ethics at Charles Sturt University in Canberra, recently named a 'living legend' among Australian scholars, talks through the research published in his latest book Living Hot: Surviving and Thriving on a Heating Planet. We cover why Saul Griffith’s “electrify everything” campaign is flawed, the safest place to live and what we should now be fighting for, and we discuss the contentious issue of class and the dangerous role of private schools (strange but true) to our survival. Clive’s previous Zeitgeist-shifting books include Requiem for a Species, Growth Fetish and Affluenza. SHOW NOTESYou can get hold of Living Hot and The Privileged FewYou can read my Book Serialisation on Substack here. Here are the first two chapters, free to everyone.You can listen to my Wild conversation with Saul Griffiths here.My wonderful chat with Olivia Lazard on mineral depletion is a great backgrounder, too.--If you need to know a bit more about me… head to my "about" pageFor more such conversations subscribe to my Substack newsletter, it’s where I interact the most!Get your copy of my book, This One Wild and Precious LifeLet’s connect on Instagram and WeAre8 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello, dear wild friends! I'm taking a short break, but I wanted to share some of my previous interviews with guests who delve into themes of collapse, the meta-crisis, and the decline of the systems we've always known to grow—like GDP, technology, population, and prosperity.Many of you have joined my book serialization project on Substack, where we're navigating the collapse awareness journey together. These interviews provide valuable context for our journey. You can join us here if you're not already part of the project. I release one chapter of my book at a time, and we discuss its contents in the comments, tackling this big, beautiful, hard thing as a community, step by step. In the meantime, enjoy this wild conversation with Jonathon Rowson.--Jonathan Rowson (chess Grandmaster, metamodernist philosopher) is one of Britain’s biggest minds and I have invited him onto Wild to talk, well, what’s been dubbed the “meta-crisis” – the fundamental “meaning” crisis at the heart of “all the things” going on in the world today.Jonathan is a theoretical psychologist with degrees from Oxford and Harvard and a Ph.D on what it means to become wiser. He has worked on “complex collective action” problem solving, was Director of the Social Brain Centre at the Royal Society of Arts and has run events with David Attenborough and Jordan Peterson (not on the same stage!). Jonathan now runs Perspectiva, a research institute that seeks to understand the relationship between systems, souls, and society. This is a big chat, but I think you’ll find this new and wild idea a helpful navigational tool for, well, “all the things”.SHOW NOTESAs I flag, my UK friends can preorder This One Wild and Precious Life here.Follow the Perspectiva community and their various events here.Jonathan is also on Substack and Twitter.His latest book The Moves that Matter: A Chess Grandmaster on the Game of Life is out now.--If you need to know a bit more about me… head to my "about" pageFor more such conversations subscribe to my Substack newsletter, it’s where I interact the most!Get your copy of my book, This One Wild and Precious LifeLet’s connect on Instagram and WeAre8 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello, dear wild friends! I'm taking a short break, but I wanted to share some of my previous interviews with guests who delve into themes of collapse, the meta-crisis, and the decline of the systems we've always known to grow—like GDP, technology, population, and prosperity.Many of you have joined my book serialization project on Substack, where we're navigating the collapse awareness journey together. These interviews provide valuable context for our journey. You can join us here if you're not already part of the project. I release one chapter of my book at a time, and we discuss its contents in the comments, tackling this big, beautiful, hard thing as a community, step by step. In the meantime, enjoy this wild conversation with Olivia Lazard.--Olivia Lazard (peace mediator; rare minerals expert) exposes missing chunks in the “green” energy transition that many of us assume to be the “fix” to the climate crisis. Via her work as a fellow at Carnegie Europe and advisor on global security, she explains how the mining and extraction of rare earth metals like lithium, graphite and cobalt - to make the batteries etc for the new green “economy” - are both rare (there’s literally not enough of them to make the transition), come with massive ecological costs (therefore rendering the “clean tech” very dirty), but are also destabilising the world in ways few are able to fathom. This is a very confronting reality, especially for climate activists and green economy evangelists.In this chat we go deep and wide into climate security issues, pull apart the techno-optimist “but AI and innovation will save us!” mindset, and what we really need to know about geo-engineering. This, on paper, sounds like a very “head-y” conversation, but Olivia also weaves in “heart” considerations that I think many of you are aching for in this debate. At the end, we discuss whether we have “hope”.SHOW NOTESConnect with Olivia on X / TwitterCheck out Olivia’s TED talk to see the charts she talks about.--If you need to know a bit more about me… head to my "about" pageFor more such conversations subscribe to my Substack newsletter, it’s where I interact the most!Get your copy of my book, This One Wild and Precious LifeLet’s connect on Instagram and WeAre8 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this engaging discussion, Nate Hagens, a global leader in energy systems and director at the Institute for the Study of Energy & Our Future, tackles critical issues around the sustainability of our economic models. Hagens argues that green growth is a myth and explores the shortcomings of electric vehicles. He emphasizes the imminent risks of energy depletion and the necessity for societal simplification. Drawing on updated predictions, he warns of potential collapse by 2040, while advocating for a reevaluation of our relationship with energy and our environment.

Hello, dear wild friends! I'm taking a short break, but I wanted to share some of my previous interviews with guests who delve into themes of collapse, the meta-crisis, and the decline of the systems we've always known to grow—like GDP, technology, population, and prosperity.Many of you have joined my book serialization project on Substack, where we're navigating the collapse awareness journey together. These interviews provide valuable context for our journey. You can join us here if you're not already part of the project. I release one chapter of my book at a time, and we discuss its contents in the comments, tackling this big, beautiful, hard thing as a community, step by step. In the meantime, enjoy this wild conversation with Meg Wheatley.--Margaret Wheatley (collapse theorist, global leadership consultant) is something of a legend in her field. She has worked for 50 years helping humans adapt to their world using systems analysis, chaos theory and deep spiritualism. Poets, scientists and philosophers quote her writing, she has worked in countless disaster situations and was commissioned to transform the leadership of large institutions. Plus she’s the author of 12 books, including Who Do We Choose to Be? and Restoring Sanity. This is a challenging conversation and the subject has its deniers. Meg steers our focus to becoming the leaders we want to see amid the cascading crises facing the world and to create “islands of sanity” amid the despair. In this conversation, we cover the responsibility of the rich, why it’s redundant to talk about saving the world, and how to sit in despair and create a meaningful life from it all.SHOW NOTESMeg references the poet David Whyte who has also been a guest on WildYou can purchase Who Do We Choose to Be? now and Restoring Sanity Find out about her workshops and events here--If you need to know a bit more about me… head to my "about" pageFor more such conversations subscribe to my Substack newsletter, it’s where I interact the most!Get your copy of my book, This One Wild and Precious LifeLet’s connect on Instagram and WeAre8 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gaya Herrington, an expert on global collapse predictions, discusses the accuracy of a 1972 MIT study predicting a collapse by 2040. She emphasizes the urgent need to shift away from growth-centric views and advocates for sustainable solutions. The podcast explores the concept of carrying capacity, challenges the notion of continual growth, and highlights the power of systems thinking for global solutions. It also delves into the influence of indigenous communities on environmental policies and the importance of embracing planetary boundaries for sustainable change.