Death in The Garden

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit deathinthegarden.substack.comOn this bonus episode of Death in The Garden with Alex Leff of Human Nature Odyssey, we talk about the strangely beautiful, gore-filled sequel to Danny Boyle’s genre-defining film, 28 Days Later — 28 Years Later. Set 28 years after the rapid spread of the “rage virus” across Britain, we follow a group of survivors who have managed to create a small, insular, and seemingly egalitarian society on an island off the coast of the mainland, protected from the zombies roaming the mainland. What follows is an incredibly earnest story of love, of growing up, and what it means to know you must die. While these movies are incredibly violent (and also hilariously bizarre), this series is one of our very favorites. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple comes out this Friday, so be sure to check that out as well!This full-length episode is only available for paid subscribers, so if you’d like to listen to the whole thing, consider upgrading your subscription. We are so grateful to our paid subscribers for helping us keep this project going. We hope you enjoy this conversation about 28 Years Later.

On this episode of Death in The Garden, we’re sharing the interview we did with Allan Savory, president and co-founder of the Savory Institute, an organization created to regenerate grasslands by training and connecting global practitioners in how to holistically manage their land to restore biodiversity. Last April, we had the opportunity to travel to Zimbabwe to film promotional material for Allan’s memoir. You can sign up for the pre-sale list to be notified when the book comes out. We had the opportunity to read a proof copy before our trip, and it was absolutely fascinating to have a window into the life and context that birthed holistic management. In this interview, we discuss the basic ideas around a holistic context, ecological concepts such as desertification, and the ways that we misunderstand ecology by imposing human concepts, such as competition, on the natural world. We also discuss some fascinating critiques of conservation, and the importance of human beings in environments. We discuss the role of death and killing in the continuation of life, and the importance of moral courage. We also tackle issues such as honesty in science, the fallibility of scientists and the problems of academia, bureaucracy, and institutional science. Most importantly, we talk about our desperate need to change our management strategies from reductionistic to holistic.If you haven’t seen Allan’s TedTalk, we really can’t recommend it enough. This video was probably the single biggest impetus for beginning our journey into the creation of Death in The Garden. Holistic management, and the idea of holism in general, inspired us to see the world as one whole ecosystem that we are inextricably connected to, entangled in a web of relationships. This radically shifted our view of life after being enculturated in the Western, reductionist, mechanical worldview that the dominant culture presents as fact. You can learn more about Allan’s work at the Savory Institute’s website, and you can contribute to their end-of-year campaign if you have the means.Thank you as always to our paid subscribers who continue to make this project possible, and for Allan Savory and Jody Butterfield for giving us the opportunity to come out to Zimbabwe and work on this project. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deathinthegarden.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit deathinthegarden.substack.comOn this bonus episode of Death in The Garden with Alex Leff of Human Nature Odyssey, we’re talking about a strange little documentary that came out in 2020 called Spaceship Earth. When Jake and I first saw this film, we were impacted in a surprising way. Beyond the project of Biosphere 2, the film ultimately depicted the power of a group of people who r…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit deathinthegarden.substack.comMASSIVE SPOILER WARNING! Do not listen to this podcast if you haven’t watched Andor. Close the post! Don’t risk spoiling this show for yourself. If you’re thinking to yourself, “Psht, they’re talking about a Disney Star Wars show? Sounds dumb! I don’t care if that’s spoiled for me!” please be advised that you are wrong and have been warned! Watch the sh…

On this episode of Death in The Garden, we’re sharing our most recent interview with Helena Norberg-Hodge that we did while we were in Ladakh, India. Helena is the director of Local Futures, the organization leading the global localization movement. This interview was recorded following the events of the Planet Local Summit, which was a profoundly inspiring event that brought brilliant people from all over the world to discuss the most pressing issues of the day. We learned so much from our time at this summit, and are filled with a renewed sense of common humanity and inspiration, knowing that there are people all over the world resisting the machinification of the world, and turning toward life.In this episode, we discuss the problems of globalization, the global monoculture, and the breakdown of our relationships with each other and the living economy. We discuss how localization is an antidote to many of the complex problems we face in modernity, as localization prevents the invisibilization of negative externalities that has become commonplace since the creation of the global economy. We discuss how localization brings people back into contact with communities, with nature, and what it means to be a human being, allowing people to return to a life of meaning once again. We also talk about the relationship between cultural diversity and ecological diversity, and how protecting biodiversity is inextricably linked to protecting cultural diversity. We also discuss “big picture activism” and the importance of resisting the myth of a mechanical world. Near the end, we discuss the invention of greed under our modern economy and the artificial scarcity in engenders.Be sure to check out the films Ancient Futures and The Economics of Happiness, and also we absolutely encourage you to read Helena’s book, Ancient Futures: Lessons from Ladakh for a Globalizing World.* Thank you as always to our paid subscribers who continue to make this project possible, and thank you to Local Futures for enabling us to be part of the Planet Local Summit. It was such an honor and privilege to be part of such a powerful event. * This is an affiliate link. If you purchase the book through this link, we get a small kickback. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deathinthegarden.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit deathinthegarden.substack.comWe are so excited to share with you our brand new collaboration with the wonderfully bright Alex Leff from his greatly inspiring podcast, Human Nature Odyssey. We insist that you follow his podcast immediately, and do consider joining his Patreon.As fellow creatives trying to understand our place in the world, civilization, and our modern era, we decided it would be really fun (and also fruitful) to create regular podcasts together that we can share with our audiences to thank you all for supporting us in our endeavors. We’ve long wanted to find a way to thank our paid subscribers for the support we’ve received, so we were so excited to team up with Alex to share these exclusive conversations. We’ve been very stoked to find such a likeminded friend to be able to do this sort of thing with.In this episode, we discuss all things AI: the dangers, the promises, its rapid adoption and what that means for human cognition and human relationships, and how it ultimately reinforces and accelerates all of the things that are wrong with modernity. We also discuss the Luddites, the machinification of the world, and our general inability to live ethically under industrial civilization, and the dissonance that brings. We also get a little mystical and talk about the creative process, and how AI side-steps some of the most important parts of creation: slowing down, paying attention to synchronicities, and tending to one’s imagination. We also talk a bit about the people who are pulling the levers on this technology, and their contempt for humanity. This was a very fun conversation, and we hope it’s an insightful listen! If you’d like to listen to the full conversation (at 1 hour and 38 minutes!) please consider becoming a paid subscriber to Death in The Garden! Some things mentioned in the podcast:* Technopoly by Neil Postman* Your Undivided Attention by the Center for Human Technology* do not cognitively offload your creativity to AI by Maren (via postcreature predirt)

We are happy to announce that the podcast is back! To break our long hiatus, we’re excited to share with you this beautiful podcast with our friends Thomas and Tess. Tess is a home-birth midwife and Thomas runs Heart of Men, a group council with the aim of reorienting men internally and externally and helping heal the wounded masculine in the culture. As you’ll hear, Tess and Thomas feel called to tend to life in different, but incredibly powerful ways. This beautiful conversation explores our yearning for kin, and the space between the reality of modernity and where our visions want to be — expressed through the yin and yang wisdom of Tess’ and Thomas’ essences. We discuss the challenge of trying to resolve generations of dysfunction in our lifetimes, and the necessity to do just that. We discuss grief, worthiness, and finding connection in an alienating world, but above all, we talk about the difficulty of being a human being in this time that we’re living in. We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we enjoyed having it. It was a very cathartic conversation and we feel it’s the perfect dialogue to restart the podcast with. If you’d like to join Thomas’ Council of Brothers, please check out his website and also follow him here on Substack. Thank you so much for subscribing to Death in The Garden. If you enjoyed this podcast, please share with your friends. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit deathinthegarden.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit deathinthegarden.substack.comOn this episode of “Death in The Garden,” we discuss Finite and Infinite Games: a Vision of Life as Play and Possibility by the late professor of religion, James P. Carse. We wanted to discuss this book because there’s a great difference between the pop-culture reception of this book and some of the deeper themes, which pertain profoundly to worldviews and how they cause us to interface with the living world in one way or another. We discuss the issues with some of the pop-culture explanations, as popularized by Simon Sinek, and delve deeper into the lesser known topics that are touched on in the book. We discuss a more nuanced understanding of finite and infinite games, players, and the worldviews associated with each. We talk about how death is conceived within each worldview, as well as how Carse is inconsistent on this topic within the book. We discuss artistry, poeisis, and what it means to be a infinite player, inspiring people to express their genius rather than “winning” the game of creativity. We go over the difference between society and culture; what waste represents; and how our relationship with nature is oppositional under the finite worldview. We talk about the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, as well as sharing a few personal stories. Ultimately, we discuss the difference between the machine and the garden within this framework (and how that applies to our project), and we really try to expand on what people typically understand as finite and infinite games to give this framework the gravity it deserves.To listen to the full episode, upgrade your subscription to “paid” for only $5 a month or join us on Patreon. It’s the best way to support the podcast, our short films, and the writing we’re producing. It takes a lot of expense, time, and energy to produce this project, so every bit helps! Thank you to everyone who is already supporting us.Death in The Garden is a listener-supported project. To support the us, consider becoming paid subscriber.Use coupon code DITG20 for 20% off your order, and try out The Beekeeper’s Granddaughter Whipped Tallow Balms today!We’re for hire! Check out our videography website to check out our show reel and connect with us about video and documentary work.Mentions:

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit deathinthegarden.substack.comOn this episode of “Death in The Garden,” we discuss the incredibly fascinating, profound, and instructive book, The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World by Iain McGilchrist. Following a similar structure to the book, we first talk about what brain lateralization is; what the difference between the left and right hemisphere is (along with the misconceptions); the importance of attention, metaphor, and theory of mind; and then we talk about why this concept of left brain dominance (with right brain primacy) is so important. We then dive into the history as McGilchrist lays it out in his expansive book, showing the oscillation between the right hemisphere being respected, and the left hemisphere taking control. Always orienting towards the distinction between manifestions of right and left hemisphere attitudes and behaviors, we discuss antiquity, Ancient and Classical Greece, Rome, the Renaissance and Reformation, the Enlightenment, Romanticism and the Industrial Revolution, Modernism and Postmodernism, ending on today, where the left hemisphere (which governs our impulse towards mechanical thinking, control, quantification, objectivication, among so many other qualities) has taken dominion, leaving our humanity and earth systems imperiled. Of course, we talk about death, and the fear of death, and its profound role in all of this, as the left hemisphere abhors death and all that is uncertain. We then discuss what we might be able to do in the face our awareness of this incredibly potent phenomenon, and how we might again, allow the right hemisphere to resume its rightful place as Master. This book is profoundly important (perhaps one of the most important books of our time), so please buy it, read it, and come to your own conclusions. To listen to the full episode, upgrade your subscription to “paid” for only $5 a month. It’s the best way to support the podcast, our short films, and the writing we’re producing. It takes a lot of expense, time, and energy to produce this project, so every bit helps! Thank you to everyone who is already supporting us.Use coupon code DITG20 for 20% off your order, and try out The Beekeeper’s Granddaughter Whipped Tallow Balms today! We’re for hire! Check out our videography website to check out our show reel and connect with us about video and documentary work.Mentions:

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit deathinthegarden.substack.comOn this episode of “Death in The Garden,” we discuss what we can learn from the Luddites and how the true meaning of what they stood for can be instructive for how we deal with the rise of A.I. and in our time. In addition to discussing the Luddites, we discuss other works of fiction from the industrial age. We talk about humanity’s proximity to technology, toolmaking, and therefore, machines, and what that means for us moving forward in a tech-entangled world. We discuss the problem of striving for efficiency at all costs, and how humans, and nature, are not “efficient”… and shouldn’t be. We discuss the virtues of “adequate technology” or, as the Luddites put it, “technologies of commonality.” We talk about the awkward tradeoffs that come with all technology, and discuss which lines we personally don’t want to cross in the A.I. age. We talk about the mythic qualities of A.I. and the ancient stories it conjures, such as Prometheus, Kabbalistic Golems, Frankenstein, and the Sorcerer’s Apprentice. We discuss the pseudo-religious reasons for the development of A.I., the idea of creating a “divine” intelligence, and the apocalyptic fantasies that inspire some of the leaders of the field. To listen to the full episode, upgrade your subscription to “paid” for only $5 a month. It’s the best way to support the podcast, our short films, and the writing we’re producing. It takes a lot of expense, time, and energy to produce this project, so every bit helps! Thank you to everyone who is already supporting us.Use coupon code DITG20 for 20% off your order, and try out The Beekeeper’s Granddaughter Whipped Tallow Balms today!Sources:Rebels Against the Future: The Luddites and their War on the Industrial Revolution by Kirkpatrick Sale, 1995Erewhon by Samuel Butler, 1872The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster, 1909 “Why Artifical Intelligence Must Be Stopped Now” by Richard Heinberg, 2024 “The AI Boom Could Use a Shocking Amount of Electricity” by Lauren Leffer, 2023“Darwin Among the Machines” by Samuel Butler, 1863 “The New AI-Powered Bing Is Threatening Users. That’s No Laughing Matter” by Bill PerrigoCan Myth Teach Us Anything About the Race to Build Artificial General Intelligence? With Josh Schrei - Your Undivided Attention Podcast“AI Ethics Surpass Human Judgment in New Moral Turing Test” by Georgia State University “On the Dangers of Stochastic Parrots: Can Language Models Be Too Big?” by Emily M. Bender, Timnit Gebru, Angelina McMillan-Major, and Margaret Mitchell, 2021“I Wrote What? Google's AI-Powered Libel Machine” by Matt Taibbi, 2024