At a Distance: Recent Episodes
The Slowdown
A podcast about the bigger picture. The Slowdown's co-founders, Spencer Bailey and Andrew Zuckerman, call leading minds to get a whole-earth, long-view perspective.
Rebecca Solnit, the author of books including “A Paradise Built in Hell” (2009) and “Orwell’s Roses” (2021) and the co-editor of the new collection of essays “Not Too Late: Changing the Climate Story from Despair to Possibility,” discusses the long view as a “mind-blowing” way of looking at the world, why the majority of people tend to be altruistic and resourceful in a disaster, and why the climate crisis requires eschewing a scarcity mindset for one of abundance.
The civil rights activist, award-winning journalist, and former NPR and CNN foreign correspondent Charlayne Hunter-Gault talks about her book “My People: Five Decades of Writing About Black Lives”; why understanding history is like a form of armor in a world full of misinformation; and the transformational, life-altering notion of viewing herself as a “queen” from a young age.
The culinary historian Sarah Lohman, author of the new book “Endangered Eating: America’s Vanishing Foods,” talks about the importance of engaging with local foodways, why “the idea that eating McDonald’s is universally bad is woefully unaware of class and racial conflicts,” and how Indigenous communities across the U.S. are fighting to protect their heritage.
David W. Orr, editor of the new book “Democracy in a Hotter Time” and a professor at Arizona State University, discusses the climate crisis as an obviously bipartisan issue; why building “Democracy 4.0” must ultimately be a localized, grassroots mission; and why, in our “long emergency” that is the climate crisis, we must “stretch our hearts to reach out to other species and future generations.”
Architect, writer, and curator Pedro Gadanho, author of the book “Climax Change!” and a Loeb Fellow at Harvard University, discusses how architects must increasingly innovate through densification and adaptive reuse rather than build anew; existing buildings as “material banks”; and the importance of downgrading our consumption levels, particularly in the Western world.
Astronomer Chris Impey, author of the new book “Worlds Without End: Exoplanets, Habitability, and the Future of Humanity” and a professor at the University of Arizona, discusses the vast possibilities of extraterrestrial human habitation, why imagination is an important form of scientific speculation, and why humans’ initial move to space will likely mirror the lawlessness of the Wild West.
Architect and novelist Lesley Lokko, the founder and director of the African Futures Institute and the curator of this year’s Venice Architecture Biennale, discusses how, for her, the rich context of Africa has always served as a “testing ground for ideas” about the future; why she has become disenchanted with the academic establishment over time; and how architects serve as translators between the imaginary and the real.
Episode sponsored by MUD\WTR.
UC Berkeley psychology professor Dacher Keltner, author of the new book “Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life,” talks about human emotion as a tool for making sense of the world, the extraordinary acts of kindness that take place around us all the time, and moral beauty as a way of life.
Episode sponsored by MUD\WTR.
Marina Koren, a staff writer at The Atlantic who covers science and space exploration, speaks about why the “overview effect,” the cognitive shift that can occur when seeing the Earth from outer space, needs to be studied and understood in a more nuanced way; the ongoing Elon Musk–Jeff Bezos space-race saga; and the vast, galaxy-wide importance of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope.
Episode sponsored by MUD\WTR.
Sarah Jaquette Ray, author of the new book “A Field Guide to Climate Anxiety: How to Keep Your Cool on a Warming Planet” and a professor of environmental studies at Cal Poly Humboldt, discusses the importance of leveraging negative emotions for political change, the ties between the climate crisis and our own inner suffering, and how thinking differently about the world can lead to more positive feedback cycles.
Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko.
Atmospheric physicist and climatologist Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, the founder of Bauhaus Earth, talks with us about reforesting the planet and “re-timbering” cities, the potential for the built environment to become a “hero” in climate restoration, and the vast number of solutions to be found by looking to nature and Indigenous cultures.
Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko.
Philosopher Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò, author of the books “Reconsidering Reparations” and “Elite Capture: How the Powerful Took Over Identity Politics,” speaks with us about why future decision-making will be driven by the state of climate politics, considering the deep presence of the past within the current moment, and what a planetary “solidarity economy” could look like.
Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko.
Israeli-born, Boston-based architect and urban planner Moshe Safdie, author of the new book “If Walls Could Speak: My Life in Architecture,” discusses approaching architecture with humility and in service to society, the staying power of his Habitat 67 housing complex in Montreal, and his vision for creating the Yad Vashem memorial to the victims of the Holocaust in Jerusalem.
Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko.
Alec Nevala-Lee, author of the new biography “Inventor of the Future: The Visionary Life of Buckminster Fuller,” talks with us about what Fuller has in common (and doesn’t) with Elon Musk and Steve Jobs, the myth of the start-up founder, and why design solutions also need to take politics into account.
Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko.
Fashion designer Suzanne Lee, the founder of Biofabricate, speaks with us about a new era of materials that could lead to more circular and regenerative systems, misunderstandings around the term “biomaterials,” and leaning into biology as a means of pushing the parameters of fashion forward.
Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko.
A.I. researcher, data scientist, and N.Y.U. professor Vasant Dhar, host of the Brave New World podcast, discusses the need for careful internet governance, the incredible potential for responsibly pulling data from today’s “really powerful” algorithms, and the necessity of human oversight over machine systems.
Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko.
Karenna Gore, the director of the Center for Earth Ethics at Union Theological Seminary, talks with us about spirituality as an outlet for humility, why we’re in a “species-wide identity crisis,” and how the paths forward we choose now about the climate crisis are ultimately about human survival.
Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko.
Dr. Tara Stoinski, the CEO and chief scientific officer of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, speaks with us about working with MASS Design Group on her organization’s new Ellen DeGeneres Campus in Rwanda, how mountain gorillas have become a conservation “success story,” and why her work with gorillas can serve as model for conservation efforts elsewhere.
Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko.
Photographer and poet John Mack, founder of the nonprofit Life Calling Initiative, discusses our online and offline realities; why and how humanity is going through a “metaphysical migration”; and despite our current technological ease and efficiency, the deep human desire for non-virtual experiences.
Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko.
A.I. ethics and technology inclusion advisor, researcher, and scholar Elizabeth Adams talks with us about how organizations should be thinking about A.I. ethics guidelines, her qualitative approach to A.I. research, and establishing coalitions around public oversight of surveillance technology.
Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko.
Philosopher David Chalmers, author of the book “Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy” and co-director of the N.Y.U. Center for Mind, Brain, and Consciousness, speaks with us about his predictions of where A.I. is heading; why he doesn’t rule out a “Google level” of consciousness; and how, rather than a single version of utopia, multiple utopias could reveal themselves through a “dynamic process of search.”
Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko.
Social psychologist Batja Mesquita, author of the new book “Between Us: How Cultures Create Emotions” and director of the Center for Social and Cultural Psychology in Leuven, Belgium, discusses the vast impacts that social conditions can have on human emotions, the importance of remaining humble in our perceptions of each other, and why social media tends to amplify a Western emotional perspective.
Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko.
Joseph Awuah-Darko, the founder and director of Institute Museum of Ghana and the Noldor Artist Residency in Accra, talks with us about creating the country’s first independent arts residency and fellowship program for African artists; his ongoing research efforts targeting e-waste; and the importance of creating sustained longevity for, and critical discourse around, African contemporary art.
Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko.
Jane Poynter, co-founder and co-CEO of the space travel company Space Perspective, speaks with us about her two years inside the Biosphere 2 research facility in Arizona in the early nineties, the vast power and potential of commercial spaceflight, and why she thought humans would be on Mars by now.
Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko.
Kyle Smitley, the founder and executive director of the nonprofit charter schools Detroit Achievement Academy and Detroit Prep, talks with us about her entrepreneurial path to education; joy, comfort, and belonging as essential to school culture; and the value of listening to community feedback.
Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko.
Canadian novelist, essayist, and cultural commentator Stephen Marche, author of the new book The Next Civil War: Dispatches from the American Future, discusses the bleak potential of a civil war–scale event occurring in the U.S. in the not-so-distant future, why national lack of trust in the Supreme Court portends fractious violence, and the hope that remains for the country to be able to reinvent itself.
Danish designer and entrepreneur Jens Martin Skibsted, co-author of the new book “Expand: Stretching the Future by Design” and a partner of the firm Manyone, speaks with us about how to practice long-view thinking in a fast-paced world, science fiction as a design tool, and why “human-centered” approaches to design might not be such a good thing.
iPod inventor, iPhone co-inventor, and Nest founder Tony Fadell, principal of the investment and advisory firm Future Shape, and author of the new book “Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making,” talks with us about learning through failure, why developing product and story goes hand in hand, and the greatest misconceptions about Apple’s ability to innovate.
Veteran technology journalist John Markoff, author of the new biography “Whole Earth: The Many Lives of Stewart Brand,” discusses the forces that have helped Brand forecast the future, the great value in Brand’s “eco-pragmatist” perspective, and why the next tech innovation is likely to come out of left field.
Jeff Rosenthal, co-founder of the global platform Summit, which organizes events and experiences for entrepreneurs, academics, athletes, artists, and others, speaks with us about the value of mystery in storytelling, generosity as a tool for cultivating community, and why anything that’s truly worth building can’t be done alone.
Chef and restaurateur Andrew Carmellini, co-founder of the NoHo Hospitality Group, talks with us about using food as a way to nourish communities, why there’s no recipe for scaling restaurants, and the nuanced realities of local produce.
Episode sponsored by Château Troplong Mondot.
Dr. Jo Handelsman, author of the new book “A World Without Soil: The Past, Present, and Precarious Future of the Earth Beneath Our Feet,” discusses the urgency of developing new antibiotics, why she’s opposed to calling soil “dirt,” and what Indigenous agricultural systems can teach us about protecting and rebuilding farmlands.
Episode sponsored by Château Troplong Mondot.
British designer, creative director, and artist Samuel Ross, founder of the fashion label A-Cold-Wall, speaks with us about his reverence and respect for materials; essentialism as a response to excess; and why art, at its best, provokes questions.
Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko.
Novelist and veteran wine writer Jay McInerney, famous for his 1984 cult classic “Bright Lights, Big City,” talks with us about how vineyard owners are coping with the climate crisis, the opportunity plant-based fine dining presents for rethinking wine pairings, and why great food should cost a certain price.
Episode sponsored by Château Troplong Mondot.
Kate Orff, founding principal of the landscape architecture and urban design studio Scape, discusses rewilding as one tool among many for restoring ecological infrastructure, oysters as engineering assistants in preventing coastal flooding, and other out-of-the-box solutions local and federal authorities should be considering before the next hurricane hits.
Episode sponsored by Château Troplong Mondot.
Kathleen Finlay, president of the Glynwood Center for Regional Food and Farming in New York’s Hudson Valley, speaks with us about the great opportunities to be harnessed within local food systems, the health benefits of subscribing to a C.S.A., and the importance of giving people a voice in determining their foodscapes.
Episode sponsored by Château Troplong Mondot.
Kyoto-based landscape architect, artist, and author Marc Peter Keane talks with us about listening to stones, how well-tended environments can help engage the senses, and the importance of thinking about the world not as a series in individual parts, but as a confluence of them.
Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko.
Social philosopher Daniel Schmachtenberger, a founding member of The Consilience Project, discusses the importance of taking multiple perspectives on a single situation, the challenge of international coordination when trying to solve global problems, and how collective action can mitigate catastrophic and existential risk.
Wava Carpenter, the curatorial director of the Design Miami fair, speaks with us about what she’s doing to make Design Miami a potent platform for conversation, how the pandemic created an ideological shift in the design industry, and the age-old debate around what constitutes “art” versus “design.”
Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko. https://www.grand-seiko.com/us-en
Bioacoustician and musician Bernie Krause, author of the new book “The Power of Tranquility in a Very Noisy World,” talks with us about quieting the mind by listening to nature, what he learned after losing his home and studio in a 2017 California wildfire, and his recordings of more than 100 species in their natural habitats for “The Great Animal Orchestra,” an immersive audio-visual exhibition now on view at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts (through May 22, 2022).
Computer scientist and investor Kai-Fu Lee, co-author of the new book “A.I. 2041: Ten Visions For Our Future,” discusses reasons to remain optimistic about artificial intelligence, why minimizing routine work could make space for more creativity, and the powerful role that science fiction can play in inspiring STEM professionals.
Mathematician and professor Jordan Ellenberg, author of the book “Shape: The Hidden Geometry of Information, Biology, Strategy, Democracy, and Everything Else,” speaks with us about the limitations of logic, how math can help us develop mindful skepticism, and why gerrymandering is no longer visible to the naked eye.
Entrepreneur and writer Emilien Crespo, founder of the publishing company Ordinary Flame, talks with us about the importance of getting out of one’s comfort zone, how an increasingly digital culture can intensify real-life experiences, and an adventure in Tokyo he went on with the artist Harold Ancart.
Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko.
Activist, journalist, and academic Raj Patel, co-author of the new book “Inflamed: Deep Medicine and the Anatomy of Injustice,” discusses why corporations encourage people to make changes within themselves rather than within society, the consequences of treating nature as a cheap and infinite resource, and how external anxieties, from payday loans to the stress of living in an exploitative culture, can prime the body for illness.
Penny Abeywardena, New York City’s Commissioner for International Affairs, speaks with us about how the Trump era provided an opportunity for community leadership to harness its governing power, why an entrepreneurial spirit can aid in developing public policy, and how the city is navigating various pandemic-related issues, including vaccination requirements, keeping schools open, and a recent uptick in violence.
Anthropologist and historian Josh Berson, author of the new book “The Human Scaffold: How Not to Design Your Way Out of a Climate Crisis,” talks with us about why design thinking often fails to result in actual anthropological work, how reconsidering what it means to be comfortable can help us find environmental solutions, and the relationship between race, capitalism, and eating meat.
Devon Turnbull, founder of the hi-fi audio equipment company Ojas, discusses listening with intention, the parallels between consuming music and viewing art, how the Japanese audio scene’s emphasis on tradition and simplicity has informed his work, and the profound response to his D.I.Y. speaker-making kit.
Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko.
Vanessa Barboni Hallik, founder and CEO of the fashion brand Another Tomorrow, speaks with us about building supply chains from scratch, how clothing resale marks a radical shift in how people think about fashion, and why the pandemic provides an opportunity to redefine luxury in terms of personal and planetary values.
Polish-American architect Daniel Libeskind, who designed the original Ground Zero master plan at the World Trade Center site, talks with us about his personal experience of the 9/11 attacks; how architecture can serve as an instrument for healing; and why the Tree of Life Synagogue he’s redesigning in Pittsburgh, to memorialize victims of the 2018 mass shooting there, represents a global vision for the future.
Astrologer Alice Sparkly Kat, author of the new book “Postcolonial Astrology: Reading the Planets through Capital, Power, and Labor,” discusses the dual meanings of planets, the relationship between race and astrology, and why the practice is about making, not predicting, the future.
Historian and speechwriter Jeff Shesol, author of the new book “Mercury Rising: John Glenn, John Kennedy, and the New Battleground of the Cold War,” speaks with us about how the space race of the 1950s and ’60s differs from the space flights of Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson happening today, the unresolved questions that fuel power struggles in America, and why the pandemic and the climate crisis are crucial tests of the durability of the country’s democratic system.
Artist Mary Mattingly talks with us about how “Public Water,” her current installation in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, exposes the various forms of the water crisis; the social, political, and economic mechanisms affecting clean water access; and the truths that tracing the origins of an object or a material can reveal.
Forest ecologist Dr. Suzanne Simard, author of the new book “Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest,” discusses the consciousness of trees; how slow, selective logging can rejuvenate forests; and why being attuned to local ecosystems can lead to a better understanding of global biological communities.
Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen, author of the new novel “The Committed,” speaks with us about how the term “the American dream” masks the nation’s colonial history, the importance of distinguishing between identity and ideology, and why the only new aspect of the recent violence and racist rhetoric directed toward Asian Americans is that it’s triggered by Covid-19.
Swiss auctioneer, art dealer, curator, and collector Simon de Pury talks with us about how the pandemic shifted the art market toward increased inclusivity and equality, the NFT phenomenon, and why technology such as blockchain and digital renderings can benefit physical artworks and the institutions that house them.
Peter Adamson, host of the History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps podcast and professor of late ancient philosophy and Arabic philosophy at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, discusses stoicism, the dangers of rationalism, and the importance of understanding when to think for ourselves and when to seek expertise.
Neurobiologist, author, and professor Stefano Mancuso, director of the International Laboratory of Plant Neurobiology in Florence, Italy, talks with us about embracing plants as a path toward planetary survival, humans as an invasive species, and why all living organisms deserve rights.
Lili Chopra, the executive director of artistic programs at the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, talks with us about the 2021 River to River Festival, the importance of integrating the creative community within a city’s urban fabric, and the role that the arts can play in rebuilding societies and envisioning the future.
Kathryn Garcia, New York City’s former sanitation commissioner and a Democrat currently running in the city’s 2021 mayoral race, discusses innovating by leveraging relationships of trust, holistic thinking as a tool to evolve municipal programs, and her plan to create “the most climate-forward city on earth.”
Nevine Michaan, founder and creator of the Katonah Yoga Center in New York, speaks with us about honing a craft to save one’s soul, the difference between self-care and healing, and how metaphors can provide a means for mutual understanding.
Austrian-born, New York–based graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister talks with us about the media’s proclivity for negative news, why progress often stems from complexity, and how recognizing humanity’s historical long-term successes can help encourage a more rationally optimistic perspective.
Policy expert and equity advocate Ifeoma Ozoma, founder of the Santa Fe–based consulting firm Earthseed, discusses how companies use nondisclosure agreements as a means of ensuring indefinite constraint on their employees, the effects that the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements have had on the ways in which NDAs serve as corporate cover for illegal behavior, and why holding executives liable for their businesses’ criminal offenses could help facilitate change.
Writer and producer Katie Engelhart, author of the new book “The Inevitable: Dispatches on the Right to Die,” speaks with us about the underground euthanasia movement, the differing perspectives on assisted suicide in countries around the world, and the problems with the media’s portrayal of the elderly.
Austin Whitman, founder and CEO of the climate certification nonprofit Climate Neutral, talks with us about the economic benefits of helping brands reduce their environmental impacts, the difference between facts and strategy, and the importance of holding companies of all sizes accountable for offsetting and reducing their carbon emissions.
Doug Bierend, author of the new book “In Search of Mycotopia: Citizen Science, Fungi Fanatics, and the Untapped Potential of Mushrooms,” discusses using fungi to clean up pollutants, how mycology can guide conversations around the climate crisis, and mushrooms as a gateway to new ways of thinking about food, nature, and society.
Kim Hastreiter, co-founder of Paper magazine and creator of the pop-up “public service” newspaper The New Now, speaks with us about her friends’ pandemic-induced workarounds, the importance of documenting history, and why New York City may be on the verge of a creative explosion.
Danny Dorling, author of the book “Slowdown: The End of the Great Acceleration—and Why It’s Good for the Planet, the Economy, and Our Lives” and the Halford Mackinder Professor of Geography at the University of Oxford, talks with us about geography as a means to understand culture; how and why, despite our sped-up modern lives, the world has been in a global slowdown since the late 1960s; and the ways in which this slowdown illuminates women’s aptitude for leadership.
London-based artist, author, and master potter Edmund de Waal, whose work is currently on view at the British Museum and Gagosian’s galleries in London and Hong Kong, discusses the psychological value of human touch, the intimate relationship between pottery and poetry, and the importance of kindness as a societal response to the pandemic.
Boston city councilor at-large Michelle Wu, a progressive Democrat currently running in the 2021 Boston mayoral race, speaks with us about transitioning cities to a “community-based” leadership model, why governing bodies need to reflect the people they serve, and the role that local administrations can play in the global climate-justice conversation.
Melissa Harris-Perry, the Maya Angelou Presidential Chair at Wake Forest University and co-host of The Nation’s new System Check podcast, talks with us about the camera’s monopoly on shaping public conversation, having the courage to be wrong, and why personal experience is an apt way to develop hypotheses, but the wrong way to test them.
Dominican artist, curator, and activist Lizania Cruz, whose latest project, “Obituaries of the American Dream,” was commissioned by El Museo del Barrio for “Estamos Bien: La Trienal 20/21,” discusses the difference between integration and assimilation, storytelling as a means for understanding, and why traveling between states in the U.S. should be considered migration in the context of the climate crisis.
Turkish-born, Copenhagen-based activist and former politician Özlem Cekic, author of the new book “Overcoming Hate Through Dialogue: Confronting Prejudice, Racism, and Bigotry with Conversation―and Coffee,” speaks with us about friendship as a vaccination against prejudice, the importance of remembering that people are more than their opinions, and why being on the receiving end of hateful language is opportunity to initiate a meaningful exchange.
Scott Smith, founder and managing partner of the Netherlands-based futures consultancy Changeist and author of the new book “How to Future: Leading and Sense-Making in an Age of Hyperchange,” talks with us about why President Trump is a covert futurist, the problems with taking a passive approach toward tomorrow, and why the next generation of leaders will be people who use pragmatic, real-life experiences, not necessarily advanced educations, to make change in the world.
Environmental journalist Amy Westervelt, founder of the Critical Frequency podcast network and co-host of the Hot Take podcast, discusses what President-elect Joe Biden should prioritize when addressing the climate crisis, why forgiveness doesn’t entail giving up on justice, and how President Trump, his family and associates, and the mass media—including The New York Times and The Washington Post—have all furthered the agendas of fossil-fuel giants.
Economist Sakiko Fukuda-Parr, a professor of international affairs at the New School and recipient of a 2019 Grawemeyer Award for her co-authorship of the book “Fulfilling Social and Economic Rights,” speaks with us about the danger of vaccine nationalism, the challenges with the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals, and why having access to life-saving medication is a human right.
Marion Weiss and Michael Manfredi, co-founders of the New York–based architectural design firm Weiss/Manfredi, talk with us about creating environments that encourage slowing down, why all five senses matter in architecture, and the surprising ways in which public spaces serve and support people in times of crisis.
Somerset, England–based farmer Chris Smaje, author of the new book “A Small Farm Future: Making the Case for a Society Built Around Local Economies, Self-Provisioning, Agricultural Diversity, and a Shared Earth,” discusses incentivizing a new generation of farmers, the problems inherent with cheap food, and how reconnecting people with nature could impact the “bullshit jobs” phenomenon.
Jess Scully, deputy lord mayor of Sydney, Australia, and author of the new book “Glimpses of Utopia: Real Ideas for a Fairer World,” speaks with us about bringing indigenous knowledge into modern society, how increased citizen participation in politics could transform government policy, and why caring and creating are the economy’s most future-proof skill sets.
Poet and essayist Elisa Gabbert, author of the new book “The Unreality of Memory: And Other Essays,” talks with us about why the 24-hour news cycle fuels a demand for disasters, how false memories are created, and the emotional difficulty of responding to big, invisible threats like the climate crisis.
Ben Adida, executive director of the nonprofit Voting Works, discusses how to build more resilient voting systems, the reason for paper ballots, and why the best response to digital warfare is a slower, more considered approach to consuming information.
British philosopher Kate Soper, author of the new book “Post-Growth Living: For an Alternative Hedonism,” speaks with us about why people reject the idea of an absolute truth, how alarmist narratives fail the climate conversation, and slowing down and downsizing as a means for a more satisfying life.
Walter Hood, founder and creative director of Hood Design Studio and co-author of the forthcoming book “Black Landscapes Matter,” talks with us about how his new proposal for Washington, D.C.’s National Mall Tidal Basin could facilitate unity, why spaces that elicit discomfort are a step toward reconciliation, and the importance of investing in people and places that society takes for granted.
London-based economist Paola Subacchi, author of the new book “The Cost of Free Money: How Unfettered Capital Threatens Our Economic Future,” discusses the financial impact of the coronavirus, similarities between trade and currency, and how wealth inequality is fueling the United States’s current political climate.
Regan Ralph, founding president and CEO of the Fund for Global Human Rights, speaks with us about the importance of “trust-based philanthropy,” funding decentralized movements, and what social-change organizations can learn from local activists.
Cuban-born, Los Angeles–based artist, author, and former scientist Enrique Martínez Celaya talks with us about the problematic relationship between the art market and artists’ practices, the consciousness-raising power of science, and finding clarity in moments of uncertainty by looking in the mirror.
Gregg Buchbinder, CEO of the American furniture maker Emeco, discusses the motivation behind the company’s recently launched carbon footprint calculator, why planned obsolescence should be illegal, and how his team transformed plastic bottles into a series of recyclable chairs.
Self-described “fermentation fetishist” Sandor Katz, author of the new book “Fermentation as Metaphor,” speaks with us about how the pandemic has revealed our food systems’ vulnerabilities, why fermentation is integral to human culture, and what he learned from eating “stink heads” in Alaska.
Composer, artist, and writer Paul D. Miller talks with us about social media’s “computational propaganda,” the need to trust science over belief, and how his multimedia project “Quantopia” unpacks the history and evolution of the internet.
Artist, aesthetics expert, and writer Leonard Koren, author of the new book “Musings of a Curious Aesthete,” discusses the psychological benefits of bathing, how “action intellectuals” harness life’s experiences, and the enlightenment that comes from looking at things from a new perspective.
Physicist and climate researcher Dr. Friederike Otto, author of the new book “Angry Weather: Heat Waves, Floods, Storms, and the New Science of Climate Change,” speaks with us about the nuances of understanding real-time weather data, why climate change is a social issue, and how suing fossil fuel companies can help change their business models, regardless of the legal outcome.
Writer and journalist Hari Kunzru, author of the new novel “Red Pill” and host of the Into the Zone podcast, talks with us about the unsettling concept of “hyperstition,” how isolation exacerbates feelings of unreality, and the fine line between the logical and the illogical.
Switzerland-based designer Ini Archibong, whose pavilion for the African diaspora will debut at the London Design Biennale in 2021, discusses his personal definition of Black privilege, why hurting others only hurts yourself, and the social responsibility that stems from recognizing that everything is interconnected.
Bina Venkataraman, editorial page editor of The Boston Globe and author of the book “The Optimist’s Telescope: Thinking Ahead in a Reckless Age,” speaks with us about replacing short-term metrics with milestones, the power of imaginative empathy, and the need for newspaper opinion sections to prioritize evidence-based thinkers over ideological diversity.
Attorney, political activist, and antitrust and corruption expert Zephyr Teachout, author of the new book “Break ’Em Up: Recovering Our Freedom From Big Ag, Big Tech, and Big Money,” talks with us about the parallels between America’s tech giants and organized crime, why boycotting doesn’t equal political action, and voting as a tool to achieve meaningful ends.
Sound therapist and meditation teacher Sara Auster speaks with us about how trauma helped her become a more empathetic educator, the real definition of a “healer,” and why sound baths can facilitate a deeper sense of self.
Journalist Erin Geiger Smith, author of the book “Thank You for Voting: The Maddening, Enlightening, Inspiring Truth About Voting in America,” talks with us about the fallacy of voter fraud, how the complications of voting by mail differ from state to state, and the missed opportunities of political conventions.
Fashion journalist Dana Thomas, author of the book “Fashionopolis: The Price of Fast Fashion and the Future of Clothes,” discusses how the pandemic promotes a more conscious approach to dressing, why overproduction remains the clothing industry’s biggest problem, and the environmental damage caused by the binge-and-purge cycle of “fashion bulimia.”
Dr. Christine Montross, author of the new book “Waiting for an Echo: The Madness of American Incarceration” and an associate professor at Brown University, speaks with us about developing a more empathic understanding of isolation, the resilience that comes with collectively undergoing a harrowing experience, and the misconceptions that form when prison inmates are seen as “other” by society.
Angela Glover Blackwell, founder in residence of the research and advocacy institute PolicyLink and host of the Radical Imagination podcast, talks with us about how the pandemic has put a magnifying lens on the correlation between racism and poverty, the power of asking for what you want, and why solving problems for those most left behind in society benefits everyone.
Artist Sanford Biggers, whose solo exhibition “Codeswitch” opens at the Bronx Museum of the Arts in September, discusses interconnectedness, the importance of “re-righting” history, and why monuments and memorials are dynamic, not static.
Bhuddist monk Gelong Thubten, author of the book “A Monk’s Guide to Happiness: Meditation in the 21st Century,” speaks with us about the real meaning of freedom, attention as a commodity, and how meditation can be a tool for combatting fear, worry, and false sources of happiness.
Meteorologist and climate journalist Eric Holthaus, author of the new book “The Future Earth: A Radical Vision for What’s Possible in the Age of Warming,” talks with us about finding hope in spite of trauma, using language to shift perspectives, and how altruism and collaboration might allow society not only to survive but thrive.
Anthropologist and legal scholar Annelise Riles, the executive director of Northwestern University’s Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Studies, discusses America’s shifting relationship with China amid Covid-19, rethinking how knowledge is made, and how language can be both a barrier to and a means for human connection.
Journalist, author, and broadcaster Peter Laufer, the James Wallace Chair in Journalism at the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication, speaks with us about the Portland protests, President Trump’s efforts to build a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border, and why we need more opportunities for listening and conversation across political divides.
Buckminster Fuller Institute executive director Amanda Ravenhill talks with us about the importance of multidisciplinary thinking, the power of the individual in today’s globalized society, and the need for a deeper appreciation of Traditional Ecological Knowledge.
Neuroscience-trained psychotherapist Ariel Garten, co-founder of the brain-sensing headband Muse, discusses understanding and identifying helpful and hurtful technologies, ways of addressing our mental health during the pandemic, and various approaches to getting into a healing mindset.
Science journalist Emily Anthes, author of the new book “The Great Indoors: The Surprising Science of How Buildings Shape Our Behavior, Health, and Happiness,” speaks with us about the paradox of indoor spaces during a pandemic, the rich microbial worlds inside our homes, designing interiors with inclusivity in mind, and what makes for resilient architecture.
Sommelier, winemaker, and entrepreneur André Hueston Mack, owner of Maison Noir Wines and the Brooklyn “ham bar” and grocery & Sons, talks with us about producing wine in the face of global warming and climate change, his love of American country hams, Covid-19’s shock to the restaurant industry, and the connection between diversity and empathy.
New York City Cultural Affairs Commissioner Gonzalo Casals discusses his difficult recovery from a Covid-19 infection; the impact of the pandemic on his neighborhood in Jackson Heights, Queens, as well as on the city’s arts and culture organizations; and today’s long-overdue shifts and necessary conversations around diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Entrepreneur, analyst, strategist, and investor Azeem Azhar, creator of the Exponential View newsletter and podcast, speaks with us about Covid-19’s impact on surveillance, the role of the smartphone in contemporary society, and the emergence of “climate tech” companies.
Activist, artist, M.C., and music educator Toni Blackman talks with us about establishing a breathwork practice, the links between spirituality and hip-hop, and the healing power of music to shift our hearts and minds.
Futurist, designer, and ethicist Cennydd Bowles discusses why design often creates as many problems as it solves, the failures of “design thinking,” and the importance of bringing a longer-term perspective to addressing systemic changes.
Chef David Zilber, the former head of the fermentation lab at Noma, speaks with us about the symbiosis between microbes and mankind, science as a tool for thinking about food from new perspectives, and his hopes for shaking up our complex, deeply broken global food systems.
Architect and urban designer Mitchell Joachim, co-founder of the firm Terreform One and co-author of the new book “Design with Life: Biotech Architecture and Resilient Cities,” talks with us about the idea of utopia, the future of capitalism, and why, coming out of Covid-19, we’re going to start thinking again of ourselves as citizens instead of consumers.
Margaret Klein Salamon, the founding director of the advocacy organization The Climate Mobilization and author of the new book “Facing the Climate Emergency: How to Transform Yourself with Climate Truth,” discusses the psychological impacts of the climate crisis, the need for a collective awakening, and why we need to be explicit about the policies we advocate for to prevent the collapse of civilization.
Jeremy Lent, the founder of the Liology Institute and author of “The Patterning Instinct: A Cultural History of Humanity's Search for Meaning,” speaks with us about how corporations have become the “ruling force” in our world today, the vast impact of the internet on mankind, and why we need to broaden our thinking about the long-term implications of the coronavirus pandemic.
Biologist Rob Dunn, an applied ecology professor at North Carolina State University and the author of several books, including “Never Home Alone: From Microbes to Millipedes, Camel Crickets, and Honeybees, the Natural History of Where We Live,” talks with us about his studies into sourdough starters, the impact of fast food and industrial farming on our gut’s “garden,” and the transformative nature of embracing global networks and communication.
Economist Matthew E. Kahn, the Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Economics and Business at Johns Hopkins University and the director of the university’s 21st Century Cities Initiative, discusses the idea of the American Dream, his support for a per-ton carbon tax, and why, because of the climate crisis, he doesn’t believe in homeownership.
Jennifer Rauch, the author of the book “Slow Media: Why Slow is Satisfying, Sustainable, and Smart,” speaks with us about the benefits of occasionally unplugging from technology and abstaining from the news, the effects of Covid-19 on media consumption, and the joy of boredom.
Integrative nutritionist Daphne Javitch, the founder of Doing Well, talks with us about personal and community health as a marathon, why trying to think positively isn’t necessarily a pragmatic wellness solution, and the importance of monitoring your media diet.
Architect Michel Rojkind discusses designing against fear, why our nature as humans is interconnection, the benefits of moving away from a competitive mindset, and finding balance through running and drumming.
Biologist Merlin Sheldrake, author of the new book “Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds, and Shape Our Futures,” speaks with us about fungal networks, lifeforms as ecosystems, and the transformative power of LSD to shift how we think.
Tortoise Media co-founder and former BBC News director James Harding talks with us about journalism as a public conversation, the parallels between Slow News and Slow Food, and the opportunities to be found through a slower, more contextual approach to media making.
London-based Iranian artist Shirazeh Houshiary discusses her deep appreciation of the natural world, the power of embracing uncertainty, transcending the “duality of existence” through multidisciplinary learning, and training ourselves toward long-view thinking.
Food artist Laila Gohar speaks with us about togetherness in a time of crisis; food as a medium for comfort, healing, and pleasure; how a culture of convenience has dumbed down our senses; and why living a responsible life means not throwing out any food.
Dr. Alejandro Junger, the founder of the Clean Program, talks with us about impacting tomorrow’s pandemics by addressing chronic diseases today, taking an open-minded approach to medicine, and why not everybody necessarily needs to do a cleanse.
Anthropologist Gina Rae La Cerva, author of the new book “Feasting Wild: In Search of the Last Untamed Food,” discusses why wild food has come to be considered a luxury, and the pressing need to build better, more resilient ecological and agricultural systems.
Former FBI special agent Asha Rangappa, a senior lecturer at Yale University’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, discusses the ways in which social media platforms are being weaponized and how the Trump administration has botched the handling of both Covid-19 and George Floyd’s killing.
United States Artists president and CEO Deana Haggag speaks with us about the “many viruses” of the current White House leadership, why art is essential for unpacking and exploring the complexity of our current moment, and her hopes for a reoriented political system.
Artist Shantell Martin talks with us about the racial and economic inequality of Covid-19, the virus of racism, the power of reflection, and the importance of fighting against institutional memory loss.
Tristan Harris, president and co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology and co-host of the Your Undivided Attention podcast, discusses the speed blindness caused by our technology systems and how Silicon Valley could effectively engage in climate action.
Geoff Manaugh and Nicola Twilley, the husband-and-wife author duo of the forthcoming book “The Coming Quarantine,” talk about quarantine’s historical origins, political abuses of power during shelter-in-place orders, and designing “pandemic-friendly” cities.
Economist, Nobel laureate, and Harvard University professor Eric Maskin discusses the supply-chain challenges in restarting the economy, the issues he foresees with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, and why he thinks America will remain a center for global innovation.
Dr. David Katz, the CEO of the start-up Diet ID and the former director of Yale University’s Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center, speaks with us about the importance of acknowledging doubt and analyzing Covid-19 through science, sense, and consensus.
Anthropologist and paleobiologist Nina Jablonski talks about how “this little piece of RNA with a punk haircut” is causing us to reflect on our relationship with nature and technology, and why future discourse needs to be structured around a classic liberal-arts education.
Molly Jong-Fast, editor-at-large of The Daily Beast and co-host of the podcast The New Abnormal, discusses the White House’s response to Covid-19, what’s ailing both the left and right in American politics right now, and her hopes for the November 2020 election.
Sarah Williams Goldhagen, author of the book “Welcome to Your World: How the Built Environment Shapes Our Lives,” speaks with us about how the pandemic may lead to a greater localization of place and the profound psychological and emotional effects of the built world.
Christian Madsbjerg, a professor at The New School and co-founder of the consultancy Red Associates, talks about conducting better high-stakes decision making under stress and why we need to overhaul how knowledge is created and organized.
Silicon Valley venture capitalist Randy Komisar, a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, discusses the pressing need for social-justice innovations, the unregulated imbalance between capital and labor, and the monopolization of data by the big tech companies.
Paola Antonelli, the senior curator in the department of architecture and design of New York’s Museum of Modern Art, speaks with us about design’s vital role in the midst of emergency, and how, by simply showing more respect, we will be remembered in a better way.
Financial Times editor-at-large Gillian Tett talks about the urgent need to question how we construct our societies, interact with technology, and the true meaning of globalization, and why the pandemic may lead to wiser, humber, more open ways of being.
Philosopher Markus Gabriel, director of the International Centre for Philosophy at the University of Bonn in Germany, discusses why he views humans as a dangerous plague and the turmoil around truth in the 21st century.
Economist Rob Johnson, the executive director of the Institute for New Economic Thinking, speaks with us about the massive wealth disparity that’s fracturing America, blind spots in our political and economic systems, and finding a way out of this “extreme disrepair.”
Rhode Island School of Design president Rosanne Somerson talks about the challenges she’s facing as a leader in higher education amidst the novel coronavirus, why territorial thinking has to stop, and the need to look at the Covid-19 pandemic as a “call-to-action moment.”
Paul Holdengräber, the host of the podcast The Quarantine Tapes and the founding executive director of the Onassis Foundation L.A., discusses his hope for humanity to return to a kinder way of being and why the Covid-19 pandemic is a “very philosophical moment.”
Entrepreneur, designer, and actor Waris Ahluwalia, the founder of House of Waris Botanicals, speaks with us about how cultural and societal obsessions with productivity are destroying the planet and why our relationship to nature is broken.
Environmental journalist Tatiana Schlossberg, author of “Inconspicuous Consumption: The Environmental Impact You Don't Know You Have,” talks about what Covid-19 and the climate crisis have in common and the far-reaching impacts that our personal actions can have on the Earth.
Writer, editor, activist, and politician Nikil Saval, who’s currently running as a Democrat for Pennsylvania State Senate, discusses the urgent need to build a society that cares for itself and the deeply entrenched problems he sees with healthcare, housing, and prisons in the U.S.
Ashtanga yoga teacher Eddie Stern, author of the book “One Simple Thing: A New Look at the Science of Yoga and How It Can Transform Your Life,” speaks with us about the nature of self, the need to balance positivity with realism, and how we’re all “appendages of the Earth.”
Sam Seder, host of the daily political talk show The Majority Report, talks with us about how the Covid-19 pandemic is creating an opportunity for building a more durable society and his hope that we’ll see a greater cultural and social awareness around our interconnectedness.
Artist Anicka Yi talks about our overall lack of knowledge about viruses, the vital role of art right now, the human relationship to nature and biology, and why she hopes Covid-19 may lead us all to “take a step back from our human-centric ways.”
Michael Murphy, the founding principal and executive director of MASS Design Group, discusses the links between architecture, design, and public health; how Slow Food has helped pave the way for a “Slow Space” movement; and his tactful approach to memorial making.
Donatien Grau, the head of contemporary programs at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, speaks with us about the role of a museum in a time of quarantine, the transportive quality of art, and what we can all learn from the late couturier Azzedine Alaïa about the importance of taking time.
Maxine Bédat, founder and director of the New Standard Institute, talks about the impact of Covid-19 on how we think about fashion and sustainability, the need to no longer consider ourselves “consumers,” and why building a better world can begin in our closets.
Jeff Gordinier, the food and drinks editor at Esquire magazine, discusses the cataclysmic shake-up of the restaurant industry amidst the Covid-19 pandemic and the spiritual nature of foraging for, growing, fermenting, and cooking your own food.
Long Now Foundation executive director Alexander Rose speaks with us about storytelling as an act of memory-making, his view on the Anthropocene, and how we should and could better prepare for the next global crisis after Covid-19.
Tobias Rees, the Reid Hoffman Professor at the New School for Social Research and a director of the Los Angeles-based Berggruen Institute, talks about the importance of bridging philosophy and art with engineering and science to better understand ourselves and our world.
The futurist, technologist, and urbanist Thomas Ermacora discusses the importance of shifting our habits toward nature, why Silicon Valley has an opportunity right now to prove it can actually leverage digital tools for good, and the worldwide need for greater civil disobedience.
Food urbanist and architect Carolyn Steel, author of the book “Sitopia: How to Live Well on a Hungry Planet,” talks about how Covid-19 is going to forever alter our planet, why food shouldn’t be cheap, and what’s required for a “good society.”
Journalist and Trumpcast co-host Virginia Heffernan speaks with us about the perils of President Trump’s response to Covid-19, why she views Fox News as “a snuff-and-porn channel passing as news,” and her fascination with microbiology.
Economist Chris Canavan discusses the challenges of rebuilding the economy after the pandemic, why he believes the golden age of the humanities is before us, and the need for us all to think more about our relationship to time.
Philosopher and New School professor Simon Critchley talks about the ways in which the Covid-19 virus may be rewiring our very being, the need to better understand our anxiety, and how the pandemic is revealing how much we don’t know.
Post-traumatic stress expert Bessel van der Kolk, author of “The Body Keeps the Score,” discusses the essential need to befriend your body in this time of quarantine, why social deprivation is “the worst form of punishment,” and the importance of staying connected with others.
Environmentalist, author, and journalist Bill McKibben explores the economic shock of Covid-19, the links between the climate crisis and the current pandemic, and how biology and physics can’t be negotiated with.
Spencer Bailey and Andrew Zuckerman, The Slowdown's co-founders and this podcast’s hosts, discuss the Covid-19 crisis and how it led to the creation of this new series, which features long-view conversations with philosophers, psychologists, writers, artists, and other leading minds.