At a Distance

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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.

The Slowdown


    • Dec 11, 2023 LATEST EPISODE
    • monthly NEW EPISODES
    • 36m AVG DURATION
    • 167 EPISODES

    4.5 from 109 ratings Listeners of At a Distance that love the show mention: thoughtful, inspiring, best, thanks, time, new.



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    Latest episodes from At a Distance

    Rebecca Solnit on Slowness as a Superpower

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 11, 2023 53:06


    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.

    Charlayne Hunter-Gault on History as a Compass for Navigating the Present

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 20, 2023 30:22


    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.

    Sarah Lohman on Creating a More Affordable, Healthful, and Moral Food System

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 23, 2023 24:57


    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 on the Inextricable Links Between Climate and Democracy

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 18, 2023 31:39


    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.”

    Pedro Gadanho on How Architecture Must Adapt to Our Ecological Emergency

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 10, 2023 30:09


    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 building anew; existing buildings as “material banks”; and the importance of downgrading our consumption levels, particularly in the Western world.

    Chris Impey on the New Space Race and Exoplanet Habitation

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 5, 2023 18:51


    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.

    Lesley Lokko on Imagining the Future Through an African Lens

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 13, 2023 27:16


    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 MUDWTR.

    Dacher Keltner on Why We All Need Daily Doses of Awe

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2023 29:41


    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 MUDWTR.

    Marina Koren on Rethinking the “Overview Effect”

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 13, 2023 30:08


    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 MUDWTR.

    Sarah Jaquette Ray on Navigating the Emotional Havoc of Climate Anxiety

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 26, 2022 38:20


    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.

    Hans Joachim Schellnhuber on Applying the Intersectional Thinking of the Bauhaus to Today

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 19, 2022 48:07


    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.

    Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò on the Inextricable Links Between Colonialism and the Climate Crisis

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 12, 2022 32:57


    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.

    Moshe Safdie on Architecture as a Means to Uplift the Spirit

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 5, 2022 37:58


    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 on the Enduring Legacy of R. Buckminster Fuller

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 28, 2022 40:44


    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.

    Suzanne Lee on the Circular, Lower-Impact Potential of Biomaterials

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2022 29:39


    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.

    Vasant Dhar on Why We Need Guardrails Around Internet Data

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 14, 2022 39:29


    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 on Applying Ethics to the Climate Conversation

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 7, 2022 35:24


    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 on the Whole-Earth Impact of Gorilla Conservation

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2022 37:02


    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.

    John Mack on Why Reality Cannot Actually Be “Augmented”

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 24, 2022 42:51


    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.

    Elizabeth Adams on A.I. Ethics as a Guide to the Future

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 17, 2022 29:48


    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.

    David Chalmers on the Glorious Possibilities of Virtual Worlds

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 10, 2022 32:02


    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.

    Batja Mesquita on Finding Common Ground Through Emotional Understanding

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 3, 2022 31:35


    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 on Growing Ghana's Cultural and Creative Renaissance

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2022 22:48


    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 on Space Travel as a Pathway to Shifting Perspectives

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 19, 2022 32:35


    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 on Building a Craft-Forward Approach to Education

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 12, 2022 34:54


    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.

    Stephen Marche on Why the United States Should Be Concerned About a Civil War

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 15, 2022 40:20


    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.

    Jens Martin Skibsted on Rethinking “Design Thinking”

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 18, 2022 33:44


    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.

    Tony Fadell on How to Build Culture-Shifting Products

    Play Episode Listen Later May 23, 2022 49:15


    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.

    John Markoff on the Whole Earth Impact of Stewart Brand

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 18, 2022 37:01


    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 on the Art of Building a Community

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 4, 2022 36:53


    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.

    Andrew Carmellini on the Future of Restaurants in America

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 21, 2022 41:39


    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 on Why We Must Care for the Soil Beneath Our Feet

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 7, 2022 42:53


    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.

    Samuel Ross on Designing Objects That Record and Reflect on the World

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2022 48:00


    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.

    Jay McInerney on Looking at Society Through the Lens of Wine

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 7, 2022 33:04


    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 on How Humans Can Rebuild Natural Systems

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 24, 2022 38:50


    Kathleen Finlay on the Vast Potential of Regenerative Agriculture

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 10, 2022 37:19


    Marc Peter Keane on Finding Peace of Mind in Japanese Gardens

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 13, 2021 47:30


    Episode sponsored by Grand Seiko.

    Daniel Schmachtenberger on the Dire Need for an Open Society

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 6, 2021 48:32


    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 on Design as a Tool for Storytelling

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 29, 2021 28:29


    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.”

    Bernie Krause on Tuning in to Nature's Soundscapes

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 22, 2021 38:19


    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).

    Kai-Fu Lee on How A.I. Could Make Us Better Humans

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 8, 2021 26:34


    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.

    Jordan Ellenberg on Looking at the World Through the Lens of Geometry

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 1, 2021 40:25


    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.

    Emilien Crespo on the Beauty of Embracing the Unexpected

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 25, 2021 53:14


    Raj Patel on the Societal Stressors Making Us Sick

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 18, 2021 44:50


    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 on How Local Actions Can Have Global Impacts

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 11, 2021 37:57


    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.

    Josh Berson on Moving Forward Together When Things Fall Apart

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 4, 2021 37:24


    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 on His Endless Quest for Sonic Purity

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 27, 2021 48:53


    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.

    Vanessa Barboni Hallik on Treating Clothing as an Asset

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 20, 2021 42:46


    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.

    Daniel Libeskind on the 20th Anniversary of 9/11

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 10, 2021 39:38


    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.

    Alice Sparkly Kat on Astrology's Personal and Political Implications

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 23, 2021 26:23


    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.

    Jeff Shesol on the Space Race, U.S. Politics, and Power

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 9, 2021 37:30


    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.

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