Planet: Critical

John Vervaeke is a cognitive scientist at the University of Toronto and world renowned thinker, bridging science and spirituality in order to understand the experience of meaningfulness: how to cultivate it and why it’s crucial for human beings.John joins me to discuss “the meaning crisis”—the global phenomenon of modern humans having access to so much, and yet so little profundity. Referencing neurobiology, faith and behavioural science, John explains the impact the meaning crisis is having on individuals all around the world, and what to do about it.We then explore its intersection with the metacrisis, and the historical traditions which are the root of our global energy, economic and climate crisis. Critically, John says we cannot solve the climate crisis without addressing the cultural forces driving the meaning crisisPlanet: Critical investigates why the world is in crisis—and what to do about it.© Rachel Donald Get full access to Planet: Critical at www.planetcritical.com/subscribe

Matt Leighninger is the Head of Democracy Innovation at the National Conference on Citizenship. A pioneer in democracy innovation, Matt’s spent the past 20 years working on improving our political processes, from researching voting reforms to bringing technology into a typically analogue space; he engineered the Text, Talk, Act campaign under Obama’s presidency to encourage active citizenship in the youth.Matt joins me to discuss what we can do about our increasing polarized society, insisting we must move beyond thinking about “saving” democracy and focus our energies on improving it.Explaining we currently run 21st century democracies with 20th century institutions, Matt introduces democratic innovations which are being used all over the world by cities and nations alike. He also explains the limitations elected officials face and the importance of deliberative processes in any democracy.Planet: Critical is 100% independent and reader-funded. If you value it, and have the means, become a paid subscriber today!© Rachel Donald Get full access to Planet: Critical at www.planetcritical.com/subscribe

John Harvey, The Cowboy Economist, is a Professor of Economics at Texas Christian University, Forbes columnist, and author of Contending Perspectives in Economics: A Guide to Contemporary Schools of Thought.He joins me to discuss the history of capitalism—how we went from Friedman and Hayek’s ideas of the free market to a deregulated monstrosity driving inequality and the climate crisis—how the Cold War influenced neoclassical economics, and how to reimagine the relationship between governments, the private sector and citizens to create an alternative to capitalism.John says, “Economics is dead".” The British government certainly seem hell-bent on proving it with PM Truss and Chancellor Kwarteng delivering a neoliberal mini-budget the likes of which we’ve never seen. But here’s the thing—that neoliberal madness was rejected by people and markets alike. Is the world ready for something new?* Listen on Apple or Spotify* Watch on YoutubePlanet: Critical investigates why the world is in crisis—and what to do about it.© Rachel Donald Get full access to Planet: Critical at www.planetcritical.com/subscribe

Jon Alexander is the co-founder of the New Citizens Project and author of Citizens: Why The Key To Fixing Everything Is All Of Us. A former award-winner in the advertising world, Jon advises companies and communities on the power of narrative, helping them reclaim and restructure the stories they tell to in order to empower the shift from consumer to citizen. Jon joined me to discuss this very problem: How do we shift the paradigm from consumer to citizen? Building on his book, he explains how how human history has shifted from the subject paradigm, to consumer, and the necessary move to a collective and community-based citizen world. He gives riveting examples of this happening all around the world today, revealing the power of the stories we choose to tell—and which we choose to suppress. We also discuss deliberative democracy, the theory of narrative, and the framework of systems. Jon’s powerful message is: If you want to build a new system, you must simply begin. We cannot know where we’re going exactly, but we’ll never get there if we don’t start. * Listen on Apple or Spotify* Watch on YoutubePlanet: Critical investigates why the world is in crisis—and what to do about it.© Rachel Donald Get full access to Planet: Critical at www.planetcritical.com/subscribe

Phoebe Barnard is a biologist, global change scientist, and policy analyst with decades of experience confronting some of the most pressing problems of our time, bridging the gap between academia and government. She’s also CEO of the Stable Planet Alliance, a coalition of scientific, legal, social, health, media, policy, leadership, faith, culture, and grassroots organizations tackling the overpopulation and hyperconsumption problem.Phoebe joins me to discuss overpopulation—its effects, our trajectory, and the difficult decisions we face as a species. She argues we must reduce our population to 3 billion in the next century if planet earth is to survive, and us along with it, warning that population reduction policies may be forced on citizens in the future if we do not choose for ourselves now. We discuss the morality and politics of overpopulation, addressing the West’s all-too-recent history of eugenics and ethnic cleansing. We then explore population reduction as an intergenerational right: There may be less of us in the future, but those future people may be better off for it. Listen on Apple or SpotifyWatch on YoutubePlanet: Critical investigates why the world is in crisis—and what to do about it.© Rachel Donald Get full access to Planet: Critical at www.planetcritical.com/subscribe

Robbie Watt is a Lecturer in Politics at the University of Manchester, researching climate change politics, carbon markets, global governance, and critical theory. His article, The Fantasy of Carbon Offsetting, was runner-up for Environmental Politics journal's best article award 2021.Robbie joins me to discuss the moral economy of offsetting schemes, the politics of climate change, and how power depoliticises spaces to maintain control. This is an episode all about power dynamics—where they hide and how to reveal them.Join us as we blast through psychoanalysis, postmodernism and Marx to find the right words to describe the greatest problem humankind faces: Critical Climate Theory (you heard it here first).Planet: Critical investigates why the world is in crisis—and what to do about it.© Rachel Donald Get full access to Planet: Critical at www.planetcritical.com/subscribe

Trevor Hilder is an IT expert and cybernetics specialist who worked under Stafford Beer to develop the Viable System Model. Trevor joins me to explain how systems malfunction, why organisations crumble under complexity, and how to build resilient systems by infusing them with values. He explains the Viable System Model, walking us through the key components based on cybernetics and management theory.We discuss the universal laws of organising and how to apply the VSM to the climate crisis, politics and globalisation. Trevor also teaches the Viable System Model to organisations and individuals. If you’re interested in learning more, email him: trevor.hilder@webofwealth.org Planet: Critical investigates why the world is in crisis—and what to do about it.© Rachel Donald Get full access to Planet: Critical at www.planetcritical.com/subscribe

George Mobus is Professor Emeritus at University of Washington, Tacoma. His broad academic background saw him conduct research on artificial intelligence, cybernetics and systems science.George joins me to discuss how systems science is failing to grasp the polycrisis—that the field has been split into silos, leaving most systems scientists without the tools to model the complexity of the emergency we face.He also explains the neurological limits of individual human wisdom, suggesting the agricultural revolution affected our capacity for abstract thinking, before revealing how humans can work past those limits—collectively.Planet: Critical investigates why the world is in crisis—and what to do about it.© Rachel Donald Get full access to Planet: Critical at www.planetcritical.com/subscribe

Max Wilbert is an activist, wilderness guide and writer, co-authoring Bright Green Lies: How The Environmental Movement Lost Its Way and What We Can Do About It. Max reveals how mainstream environmentalism is merely a proponent for green growth and business as usual. He says this comfortable form of environmentalism, which sees people trade in their cars for electric vehicles and go meatless only on Mondays, is a damaging distraction to the real work which has to be done: Systemic change.We also discuss his years protesting resource extraction, the role of technology, and the trauma of the West’s colonialism.Planet: Critical investigates why the world is in crisis—and what to do about it.© Rachel Donald Get full access to Planet: Critical at www.planetcritical.com/subscribe

Chris Smaje is a social scientist, farmer, and author of A Small Farm Future: Making the Case for a Society Built Around Local Economies, Self-Provisioning, Agricultural Diversity, and a Shared Earth.Chris joins me for a fascinating discussion about the political importance of land, its historical context, the current inefficiencies of farming, and the liberation people can find in reclaiming land and the capacity to produce their own food. We also discuss the historical framing of peasantry and serfdom, and offer new narratives which could galvanisee urbanised populations to rebuild their relationships to land, food and independence. Planet: Critical investigates why the world is in crisis—and what to do about it.© Rachel Donald Get full access to Planet: Critical at www.planetcritical.com/subscribe