Understanding our options, opportunities and obstacles: Recent Episodes
Debbie Millman, Design Matters
As the New Year begins, it is hard not to think of and envision possible futures. In a time of intense uncertainty, it may be helpful to consider our myriad potentials in an effort to fully understand our options, opportunities and obstacles. Whether it is an examination of the cosmos or a deconstruction of our consciousness, the eight podcast episodes I’ve chosen all circle a common denominator: what is possible.
Host Eric Molinsky talks with Graeme Manson (creator of the television show Orphan Black) about “Transhumanists” — people who use technology to expand what it means to be human and strive to prolong human life beyond imagination. Listen to what might be at stake using biotechnology as we age — or not:.
Krista Tippett has an incredibly insightful (and often joyous) conversation with Dr. Bessel van der Kolk about the complexity of memory and how our brains control our bodies.
Neil DeGrasse Tyson has a witty, brainy conversation with Ray Kurzweil, best-selling author of The Singularity Is Near (among many others). My favorite line from the episode: “Intelligence is the strongest force in the universe—even stronger than gravity.”
This illuminating podcast between Tim and Brene is both a conversation and a therapy session. Two of favorite moments in this wonderful episode are at the beginning when Brene outlines how being afraid and being brave can actually coexist and towards the end when Tim asks Brene what advice she would give her 30-year-old-self.
Clinical psychologist/Buddhist Tara Brach believes that our lives are shaped by the pulls between our evolutionary past and our evolutionary future. In this episode of her extraordinary podcast, she describes the power of these pulls, and the various philosophies that can allow us to be available to the full potential of our future selves.
Jonathan Fields knows how to get to the heart of a person. In this bittersweet, funny, illuminating conversation with author Elizabeth Gilbert, they talk about the power of curiosity, what holds us back from our dreams and our potential, and the importance and significance of self-care.
In this wonderful, spirited episode, Lena Dunham interviews her mother—legendary artist Laurie Simmons—about her life, her formidable career in the art world, and what inspired her to make her first feature film at 65 years old.
What is possible in the future of consciousness? Can consciousness evolve? Sam Harris talks with the brilliant physicist David Deutsch in a mind-blowing conversation about knowledge, intelligence and potential futures for conscious beings.