The Atlas Project

In this spoken-word essay, Chris offers three big questions to help stimulate your brain to imagine wider futures: 1/ How open is the future? 2/ How optional is new technology? 3/ How likely are new forms of organization and society? Read the essay and join the conversation at neuegeo.org (https://www.neuegeo.org).

If you're looking for original conversation-starters for your holiday party or feast, here's our Top 3. What would you add to the list? 1/ How far out IS the future? This month: COVID? this decade: Climate Change? this century: China? Are we horizon makers or horizon takers? 2/ Who is the "WE"? My political tribe? My nation? My human race? What challenges am I facing alone, and what challenges are you facing with me? 3/ Can we make blessings powerful too? We've now got great tools to sling mud and turn crypto-hype into gold. What about spreading goodwill? Can we work good magic on each other? 4/ [Reserved for listeners!] 5/ WDYT?... scottkentjones@gmail.com christopher.kutarna@gmail.com @scottkentjones @ChrisKutarna We look forward to hearing from you. Happy Holidays! Follow (https://twitter.com/ChrisKutarna) Chris on Twitter @ChrisKutarna (https://twitter.com/ChrisKutarna) Follow (https://twitter.com/ScottKentJones) Scott on Twitter @ScottKentJones (https://twitter.com/ScottKentJones) The Atlas Project is a publication of the Neue Geographical Society. Find out more about the global Society to think differently and see "neue" things. www.neuegeo.org (https://www.neuegeo.org)

Summary Hosts Scott Jones and Chris Kutarna ask: who are the innovators in our strained society? Building on Merton's Strain Theory, Scott and Chris explore our relationships to the mainstream from climate to cryptocurrency. The Hosts Chris Kutarna is an author, speaker, facilitator and founder of basecamp (@onecampfire) and the Neue Geographical Society (@braveneueways). He challenges the world to brave new ways, breaking old maps and making new ones towards a shared horizon of a better world. Scott Jones is a podcaster (Give & Take), speaker, theologian and consultant. He weaves his knowledge of religion, current events, and pop culture to bring listeners on a conversational journey to something entertaining, informative, and oftentimes enlightening. Navigate [00:00] - Introduction [6:50] - The strain currently on climate & society [10:15] - Making sense of strain then and now [14:00] - Insight from unsettling truths / Merton's Strain Theory [25:00] - Chris wants to be a rebel [34:40] - Our relationship with the mainstream [37:50] - We're all necessary to improvement [45:50] - What should the goals be? [49:15] - Alternative labels for Merton's boxes [56:00] - Cryptocurrency in 1 () minute [1:00:35] - Cryptocurrency & Merton's boxes [1:03:45] - Typologies as maps & closing the conversation Explore Merton's Theory Check out the show links to find Merton's (1938) Strain Theory paper & the model Scott and Chris used in the episode. What to do next? Follow the Brave New Thinking Clubhouse: Scott loves Clubhouse. A lot. Subscribe & don't miss an episode. And, consider the outputs: Ask yourself the questions Scott & Chris found in the conversation. Start a conversation with your family, friends, or colleagues. Life is a team sport. The Socials basecamp @onecampfire The Neue Geographical Society @braveneueways Chris @ChrisKutarna chris@journeytobasecamp.com Scott @ScottKentJones scottkentjones@gmail.com

Summary Hosts Scott Jones and Chris Kutarna have a frank conversation about work and play. From sports to the Marvel Universe, Scott and Chris chat about what play can tell us about society and ourselves. The Hosts Chris Kutarna is an author, speaker, facilitator and founder of basecamp (@onecampfire) and the Neue Geographical Society (@braveneueways). He challenges the world to brave new ways, breaking old maps and making new ones towards a shared horizon of a better world. Scott Jones is a podcaster (Give & Take), speaker, theologian and consultant. He weaves his knowledge of religion, current events, and pop culture to bring listeners on a conversational journey to something entertaining, informative, and oftentimes enlightening. Navigate [00:00] - Wimbledon, weather, and suffering [12:00] - The pandemic & mental health [16:30] - Dungeons & Dragons [24:25] - Superhero alignments [38:45] - Play is insightful [46:45] - Our (honest) alignments [54:50] - Let's align politicians [1:02:16] - “Wanting to be one of the good guys” The Timeless Outputs Chris really doesn't know anything about golf, but he can hold his own in the MCU. We are all profoundly different now than we were 18 months ago. The pandemic experience has changed us, and we're not bouncing back. By eliminating so many opportunities to play during the pandemic, we refocused our energy on work productivity. And, we've lost how we grow and discover through play. What's the consequence? Dungeons & Dragons' alignment paradigm can give us great insight into how we could look at good and evil in our own world. Where good and evil can be divorced from law and crime. For example, we tend to hold people in society to a “lawful good” standard. In a DND game - who wants to be “lawful good”? We are all so much more complicated and compromised than we can admit in polite company. Because we all like to think of ourselves as good people. What to do next? Follow the Brave New Thinking Clubhouse: Scott loves Clubhouse. A lot. Subscribe & don't miss an episode: If you join June 14's Brave New Thinking Clubhouse, you might get a mention. Watch Westworld (the movie or TV show) to see an imagining of our moral and societal alignments in story. And, consider the outputs: Ask yourself the questions Scott & Chris found in the conversation. Start a conversation with your family, friends, or colleagues. Life is a team sport. The Socials basecamp @onecampfire The Neue Geographical Society @braveneueways Chris @ChrisKutarna chris@journeytobasecamp.com Scott @ScottKentJones scottkentjones@gmail.com

Summary Hosts Scott Jones and Chris Kutarna explore the timeless question: “What's the nature of equality?” In the context of the tax rate revelations from Pro Publica, Scott and Chris explore the history of equality and what it means today. The Hosts Chris Kutarna is an author, speaker, facilitator and founder of basecamp (@onecampfire) and the Neue Geographical Society (@braveneueways). He challenges the world to brave new ways, breaking old maps and making new ones towards a shared horizon of a better world. Scott Jones is a podcaster (Give & Take), speaker, theologian and consultant. He weaves his knowledge of religion, current events, and pop culture to bring listeners on a conversational journey to something entertaining, informative, and oftentimes enlightening. Navigate [00:00] - Intro [05:15] - The leap to Pro-Publica [07:35] - What is the nature of inequality? [11:28] - Fairness & Economic Inequality [17:50] - What about communism? [19:25] - Wealth inequality is a drag on an economy [23:20] - Systemic social inequality [28:35] - Imago dei: dignity & material inequality [35:32] - The pandemic & global inequality [40:30] - Dysfunctional inequalities [47:21] - Marx got it wrong? [53:18] - TLDR; We need new maps The Timeless Outputs The more money they have, the more people can go beyond the “Veil of Ignorance” and actually advance their political interests with that money. And, the way society rewards wealth via decreased taxation has depleted the once rare, vibrant middle class in the US. It doesn't stop at the wealthy, but despite the highest corporate tax rates in the world the taxation loopholes in the US mean that large corporations pay hardly any taxes at all. All of this to further concentrate wealth among the most wealthy. When wealth is hoarded by the wealthy, it becomes stagnant. When wealth is more equally distributed, it moves through economies. For example, when money is in the hands of people who don't yet have houses, they buy houses and that money flows through the economy creating jobs and stimulating growth. Whereas the wealthiest of the world have large pools of money sitting in accounts, removed from local economies. It seems like the difference between economic and social inequality is that there's a dominant understanding that a little bit of economic inequality will always be present. Whereas, social inequalities are more clearly unacceptable even in small amounts. So, economic inequality has become a slippery slope - accepting little by little until we've landed to today's deep inequality. What to do next? Follow the Brave New Thinking Clubhouse: Scott loves Clubhouse. A lot. Subscribe & don't miss an episode: If you join June 14's Brave New Thinking Clubhouse, you might get a mention. Definitely watch Snowpiercer: It's a Netflix Original. Just, do it. And, consider the outputs: Ask yourself the questions Scott & Chris found in the conversation. Start a conversation with your family, friends, or colleagues. Life is a team sport. The Socials basecamp @onecampfire The Neue Geographical Society @braveneueways Chris @ChrisKutarna chris@journeytobasecamp.com Scott @ScottKentJones scottkentjones@gmail.com

Summary Hosts Scott Jones and Chris Kutarna explore the timeless question of money & value. In this episode, they dig into: “What does money mean now?” In the context of record-breaking federal budgets, crypto currency, meme stocks and more, Scott and Chris explore money and value from the 6th century Hebrew prophets to Chris' childhood allowance. The Hosts Chris Kutarna is an author, speaker, facilitator and founder of basecamp (@onecampfire) and the Neue Geographical Society (@braveneueways). He challenges the world to brave new ways, breaking old maps and making new ones towards a shared horizon of a better world. Scott Jones is a podcaster (Give & Take), speaker, theologian and consultant. He weaves his knowledge of religion, current events, and pop culture to bring listeners on a conversational journey to something entertaining, informative, and oftentimes enlightening. Navigate [00:00] - Intro [06:17] - The question: What does money mean now? [08:45] - Scott's spectrum of money - Monopoly money to Crypto currencies. [10:35] - A brief history of money to cryptocurrencies [Europe] [16:40] - A bit of modern monetary theory [19:14] - Is balancing the budget responsible? Or fool hardy? [24:30] - How does government money work? What are taxes for? [26:32] - Purchasing power goes digital [32:34] - Is money freedom-giving? [36:48] - Star Trek and futurism, or The Walking Dead and post-apocalyptic economies [41:22] - Barter economy in China [43:35] - What do we value? [50:10] - Money enables impersonal relationships [55:30] - Scott brings in Jesus (our wants) [59:28] - Does protestantism create capitalism? [1:02:20] - Money can drive innovation [1:05:49] - Money is a really good tool for asking good questions [1:10:05] - Non monetary wealth does have value in society [1:13:00] - Wrap up The Timeless Outputs Money is intrinsically worthless - it's human's willingness to accept it that gives it value. Asking people “what is money?” really is asking people what they value. Money can convert our wants and needs into freedom to attain those things. Money was created by cultures as this tool for exchange, but now the tool has become an animating principle of our culture. We have to completely rethink the fundamental concepts of government money like debt and deficits and taxation to get a handle on what money really does and is in late modernity. The only thing you have to worry about with spending is inflation. Deficits are actually fine to “juice economic growth,” and some modern economists agree that if a country isn't operating at a deficit they're not doing their job. A country is not a household. The roots of our trouble with economy is that we value the money put into production differently than the labour. Capital investments into production are rewarded accordingly with more monetary gain the better the product or service performs in the marketplace. Labour investments (workers) are not rewarded beyond the smallest amount workers are willing to take. We've decided investment means money. And labour is a like a material input rather than a human input - find its lowest price in the market and buy it there. This is where the class and geographical inequities are, and why the disparity keeps growing. BONUS Chris reports back after the London Design Biennale. From EU eliminating single use plastic utensils to the microplastics coming from our tires everyday - it was dull, but some things were interesting. What to do next? Follow the Brave New Thinking Clubhouse: Scott loves Clubhouse. A lot. And, we're hosting a debrief of this episode and workshop for the next one in Clubhouse on Monday, June 14 at 9:00pm GMT. Follow the Brave New Thinking Clubhouse to join. Subscribe & don't miss an episode: If you join June 14's Brave New Thinking Clubhouse, you might get a mention. And, consider the outputs: Ask yourself the questions Scott & Chris found in the conversation. What does money mean to me? What does that mean about what I value? How do I want to think about money in my own life? Start a conversation with your family, friends, or colleagues. Life is a team sport. The Socials basecamp @onecampfire The Neue Geographical Society @braveneueways Chris @ChrisKutarna chris@journeytobasecamp.com Scott @ScottKentJones scottkentjones@gmail.com

Summary Hosts Scott Jones and Chris Kutarna explore the timeless question of sustainability. Scott and Chris ask, “Are we part of nature?” In the context of Ford's big announcement about it's move to electric for the classic F150 (and Biden's excitement after a test drive), Scott and Chris explore the environment and our relationship to it through politics, philosophy, religion, and pop culture references. The Hosts Chris Kutarna is an author, speaker, facilitator and founder of basecamp (@onecampfire) and the Neue Geographical Society (@braveneueways). He challenges the world to brave new ways, breaking old maps and making new ones towards a shared horizon of a better world. Scott Jones is a podcaster (Give & Take), speaker, theologian and consultant. He weaves his knowledge of religion, current events, and pop culture to bring listeners on a conversational journey to something entertaining, informative, and oftentimes enlightening. Navigate [00:00] - Intro [04:50] - The question in context: Are we part of nature? [10:51] - Political diversity & going ‘green' [15:35] - Planet of the Apes (spoiler alert) & humanity is separate from nature [20:30] - Trying to integrate an understanding of nature (Socrates) [23:50] - Creation stories & philosophy [27:53] - Reframing sustainability & introducing "The Paper" [32:00] - The economy, society, and environment [37:58] - Nature doesn't seem fragile & nature's contributions to people (NCP) [41:55] - Why isn't this frame obvious? [47:10] - The frame IS obvious, but it is NOT our present paradigm -- and that's why changing it is profound. [50:25] - Scott's favourite hymn: “All Creatures of Our God and King” [53:52] - The question that sets us forth [55:05] - We are nature's storytellers [58:25] - Go watch _Star Trek 4 _(spoiler alert) [1:00:27] - Chris loves Whale Songs. [1:03:24] - The close The Timeless Outputs The Nature Positive paradigm facilitates a much deeper and more complex narrative to explore sustainability. The Paper (https://f.hubspotusercontent20.net/hubfs/4783129/Nature%20Positive%20The%20Global%20Goal%20for%20Nature%20paper.pdf) suggests we reject the venn diagram of economy, society, and environment (https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fsustainabilityadvantage.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2010%2F07%2FBlog-07-20-10-Slide-4.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fsustainabilityadvantage.com%2F2010%2F07%2F20%2F3-sustainability-models%2F&tbnid=ifSUWpUqcpr7HM&vet=12ahUKEwizjuCuzPLwAhVxN30KHQnJDEEQMygAegUIARDNAQ..i&docid=ESfes6GmPdpS6M&w=960&h=720&itg=1&q=sustainability%20model&client=safari&ved=2ahUKEwizjuCuzPLwAhVxN30KHQnJDEEQMygAegUIARDNAQ) as equally important components with competing interests. Instead, the model should be nested circles (https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fsustainabilityadvantage.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2010%2F07%2FBlog-07-20-10-Slide-3.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fsustainabilityadvantage.com%2F2010%2F07%2F20%2F3-sustainability-models%2F&tbnid=qflv_96o-g7joM&vet=12ahUKEwizjuCuzPLwAhVxN30KHQnJDEEQMygGegUIARDZAQ..i&docid=ESfes6GmPdpS6M&w=960&h=720&itg=1&q=sustainability%20model&client=safari&ved=2ahUKEwizjuCuzPLwAhVxN30KHQnJDEEQMygGegUIARDZAQ) - environment the largest, with society nested within and economy within society. These are not competing interests, they are a hierarchy. Economy happens in the context of society, and society happens in the context of the environment. Scott & Chris have lots of questions: How can we navigate our conception of infinity and our radical finitude? How did we depart from the prehistoric understanding of oneness with nature? Is the electric F150 signalling a shift away from climate change as political fodder? “The gift of being human is that we can tell the story of nature, and be nature's mouthpiece.” Maybe the solution to the climate crisis starts with recognizing - however obvious - nature's fragility. What to do next? Follow the Brave New Thinking Clubhouse: Scott loves Clubhouse. A lot. And, we're hosting a debrief of this episode and workshop for the next one (Maybe about money?) in Clubhouse on Monday, May 31 at 9:00pm GMT. Follow the Brave New Thinking Clubhouse to join. Subscribe & don't miss an episode: Next week, Scott & Chris take on money, or rather the question “What does money mean now?” (If you join Monday's Brave New Thinking Clubhouse, you might get a mention.) And, consider the outputs: Check out naturepositive.org & read The Paper (https://f.hubspotusercontent20.net/hubfs/4783129/Nature%20Positive%20The%20Global%20Goal%20for%20Nature%20paper.pdf) if you're into that. Ask yourself: “why is something so obvious so profound?” And, life is a team sport, so share it with a friend or colleague and have your own conversation, too. Bonus: Go watch Star Trek 4, Planet of the Apes, or listen to some whale songs. The Socials basecamp @onecampfire The Neue Geographical Society @braveneueways Chris @ChrisKutarna Scott @ScottKentJones

The Hosts Chris Kutarna is an author, speaker, facilitator and founder of basecamp (@onecampfire) and the Neue Geographical Society (@braveneueways). He challenges the world to brave new ways, breaking old maps and making new ones towards a shared horizon of a better world. Follow @ChrisKutarna on all social media. Scott Jones is a podcaster (Give & Take), speaker, theologian and consultant. He weaves his knowledge of religion, current events, and pop culture to bring listeners on a conversational journey to something entertaining, informative, and oftentimes enlightening. Follow @ScottKentJones on all social media. Navigate [00:37] - Introduction [02:12] - What's up on Clubhouse? [04:35] - Religion in the escalating Israel/Palestine conflict. [10:15] - “Religion is at its best when it's deapocalyptizing things.” [13:25] - The culture war in the US is fueled by religion. [20:11] - Religion is one of many ideological tools of culture. [26:08] - The personal habit of religious practice. [31:05] - Democracy and the ethnostate of Israel. [41:21] - Is religion oppressive? It depends on its role in society. [45:14] - The phenomenon of religious innovation in the US. [51:27] - Is the weight of religion too great? [55:38] - What do we take from all of this? [1:02:36] - Ask yourself: Where is the evidence of religion in our lives? [1:11:11] - Scott gets emotional about The Crown. [1:13:02] - Closing The Timeless Outputs Religion is a given. It is, despite its critics, part of human culture. We hunger for transcendence. So the question becomes not how do we get rid of religion, but how do we navigate its role in our societies? Acknowledging that religion - including and especially secular religion - is a part of our lives and maybe our greatest defence from its oppression. Maybe religion is most oppressive when it's silent. Religion is at its best when it is deapocalypticizing the world. And, when it is doing the work of creating more equitable societies. So then, how can religion become a tool for people to engage in and be helpful to a democratic society, rather than a barrier to them? Let's ask ourselves and others: what is religion for in our communities? Sources / Read more Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks (https://rabbisacks.org/about-us/) Paul Tillich (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Tillich) Christopher Hitchens (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Hitchens) A Brief History of the Israel-Palestine Conflict (https://medium.com/lessons-from-history/a-brief-and-simple-history-of-the-israel-palestine-conflict-d4a7c4094bfb) Protestant Catholic Jew by Will Herberg (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/952399.Protestant_Catholic_Jew) Seculosity by David Zahl (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42818638-seculosity) The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11324722-the-righteous-mind) What to do next? Follow the Brave New Thinking Clubhouse: Scott loves Clubhouse. A lot. And, we're hosting a debrief of this episode and workshop for the next on (Is China right?) in Clubhouse on Monday, May 24th at 9:00pm GMT. Follow the Brave New Thinking Clubhouse to join. Subscribe & don't miss an episode: Next week, Scott & Chris take on China, or rather the question “Is China right?” (If you join May 24th's Brave New Thinking Clubhouse, you might get a mention.) And, consider the outputs: Ask yourself the questions Scott & Chris found in the conversation. Start a conversation with your family, friends, or colleagues. The Socials basecamp @onecampfire The Neue Geographical Society @braveneueways Chris @ChrisKutarna Scott @ScottKentJones

In this episode we talk about our stories and who owns them. In the age of big tech and social media, who has ownership of the stories we tell on the platforms they provide? How does telling our story in a digital world shape our identities and inform what it means to be human?

In this episode we keep reflecting on the frames that shape how we see the world. This will be the theme for our upcoming Basecamp meeting on March 21st. For more information about Basecamp and our March meeting, you can go here: https://www.journeytobasecamp.com/event/march-2021-basecamp-campfire/.

In this episode we talk about frames and what they allow us or prevent us from seeing. It will be the topic for the March Basecamp meeting. For more information about Basecamp and our March meeting, you can go here: https://www.journeytobasecamp.com/event/march-2021-basecamp-campfire/.

In this episode we look back at the most recent Basecamp conversation. The theme was Build, Back, Better. Click here for information about Basecamp: https://www.journeytobasecamp.com.

In this episode we talk about this month's Basecamp theme: Build Back Better. To find out more about Basecamp click here: https://www.journeytobasecamp.com/#basecampevents.

We recorded this episode right after the January Basecamp meeting. We took the time to unpack the same question all of our campers grappled with together. It was a really fun, engaging, and revealing conversation. We hope you enjoy it!

In this episode we ask about the enduring power of western style democracy. Does it have a long shelf life? What threat does China pose to it's claims to being a healthy, robust structure for social order and human flourishing?

In this episode we return from our summer break to consider what it means to live in "the new normal." Is the idea of a new normal even helpful or is it misleading?

In this episode we talk about what we've had to give up in the midst of the Covid Pandemic. Then we ask, what would we be willing to give up in the future to make the world a better place?

In this episode we talk about risk. When there's a pandemic and you have choices of what to do and where to go, how do you make them? Are we good at assessing risk? What kind of factors influence what kind of risks we're willing to take? Can we be trusted to make good decisions in the age of Covid-19? Our conversation was inspired by a piece in the Atlantic written by Tess Wilkinson-Ryan. You can find it here: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/07/reopening-psychological-morass/613858/.

In this episode we talk about the Us/Them dynamic in the world right now amidst a pandemic and racial and societal unrest.

We live in intense times right now. How do we negotiate pandemics, systemic racism, police brutality and a host of other important and urgent issues? Does call out culture stop constructive conversation too quickly? Inspired by a piece from Andrew Sullivan we talk about the nature of the public square in a liberal society. What ideas get boxed out of the conversation and why? How do we listen to the voices of the marginal and acknowledge the effects of racism in the public square at the same time allowing for robust debate about those same systemic realities? Can the liberal democratic handle all of this, or is liberalism ready to be put on the dust bin of history? You can find the Andrew Sullivan piece here: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/06/andrew-sullivan-is-there-still-room-for-debate.html.

In this episode we talk about complex systems and the Corona virus with Michael Garfield. Michael is host of the Future Fossils podcast and the social media strategist and podcast producer for the Santa Fe Institute. He recently wrote a piece entitled "We Will Fight Diseases of Our Networks By Realizing We Are Networks." You can find the piece here: https://medium.com/@michaelgarfield/we-will-fight-diseases-of-our-networks-by-realizing-we-are-networks-7fa1e1c24444. Special Guest: Michael Garfield .

In this episode we speak with Harry Pearse. He works with the Center for the Future of Democracy at the University of Cambridge. We talk about the relationship between scientific experts, policy makers, and the broader public in the midst of dealing with crises like pandemics. Special Guest: Harry Pearse.

In this episode, leading up to another Basecamp related gathering, we consider the art of shaping public and private conversations.

We are excited to have our first guest on the show! Her name is Sophia Ikura. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Health Commons Solutions Lab in Toronto, which works at the intersection of public health and social welfare. She's also a part of the Basecamp movement. We talk with her about what she's learned personally and professionally from the pandemic. Special Guest: Sophia Ikuru .

In this episode we talk about a book called "Proper Confidence." It's a book that deals with the relationship of faith and doubt in the human quest for truth and flourishing. You can find the book here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0802808565?pfrdr=GA8S5CJF6K8GWJAQ7CNK&pfrdp=edaba0ee-c2fe-4124-9f5d-b31d6b1bfbee.

Back from a hiatus we're talking about what the new normal as we all deal with the Corona virus. We also announce an exciting initiative that will open up something called Basecamp to our listeners, inviting them to a virtual community where we can make maps together. For more info about Basecamp contact Chris: christopher.kutarna@gmail.com.

We begin this episode with this quote from the great 20th century ethicist Reinhold Niebuhr: "Man's capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man's inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary." We spend the rest of the podcast unpacking it and reflecting on its implications for anthropology, politics, and public life.

In this episode we talk about Brexit, the American Presidential election, and what both tell us about political discourse. We wonder what is real to most voters and why, and why it seems like things that can't be quantified or measured are consistently absent from political speech.

For this episode we got some inspiration from an essay from Isaac Ariail Reed. In an essay about political mythologies titled The King's Two Bodies and The Crisis of Liberal Modernity (https://hedgehogreview.com/issues/eating-and-being/articles/the-kings-two-bodies-and-the-crisis-of-liberal-modernity) he describes what happens when we lose powerful symbols that unite the sacred and the secular and our frustrating attempts to replace them, or at least fill in the gaps. If you want to understand Trump's appeal, this stuff is really helpful. Excelsior!

In this episode, inspired by an article in the Hedgehog Review, we talk about the complex relationship between democracy, pluralism, and the idea of shared truth. Many claim we live in a post-truth world, laying the blame at new technologies like social media that we now have to contend with in a digital age. But the problem isn't a new one. It's a tension that has existed at the heart of modern liberal democracy since its inception. If we give up on the truth, in favor of our own "truths", is the liberal democratic project still possible?

Chris and Scott are back from their summer travels and decide to start September out light. We're talking about the nature of truth. Is there a truth crisis? Is it the media's fault? Fake news? Social media? We think the truth crisis has one source: our truths!

A lot of people are talking about things like “systemic change.” People feel an urgent need to “fix things in the world.” But there is a tendency to talk about societal realities that we long to change as if we're not a part of them. It's a lot like how people in participatory democracies talk about the need to change the dysfunctional government, failing to realize that they themselves are not completely separate from the governments they are bemoaning. Things like capitalism, the economy, government, societal infrastructure aren't things “out there.” They are realities we're embedded in; they exist in an ecosystem of relationships of which we are all a part. Do we need a radical change in thinking and speaking before we understand the things we want to change? Do we need something like a religious conversion before we move forward?

In this episode of the podcast, recorded the day after America's 243rd Anniversary celebration, we consider the nature of freedom, whether it's a static or dynamic thing, and a host of other questions! There's a little something for everyone (and maybe everything for someone?!?) in this episode! We reference an address that Frederick Douglas gave in 1852 entitled "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" You can find the text here: https://nmaahc.si.edu/blog-post/nations-story-what-slave-fourth-july. You can watch actor Danny Glover recite the speech here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mb_sqh577Zw.

In this episode we discuss a debate between two controversial public intellectuals: Slavoj Žižek and Jordan Peterson. The debate took place in Toronto on April 19, 2019. The origins of the debate go back to the previous year. During an event at the Cambridge Union Society in November 2018, Žižek had called Peterson's work "pseudo-scientific", labeled him as his "enemy" and criticized Peterson's work on the idea of cultural Marxism. Peterson said he could meet "any time, any place" to debate and it was announced on February 28, 2019 that the debate was scheduled for April 19. The official title for the debate was "Happiness: Capitalism vs. Marxism", but it was wide ranging and there were some suprising points of agreement between the two. We found in really interesting and share our thoughts in this podcast. You can find a link to the debate here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsWndfzuOc4. If you prefer to listen in podcast form, you can find a link here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/slavoj-žižek-collected-recordings/id1104995518?i=1000435699008.

This episode is based on a recent piece Chris wrote and sent to the community that usually recieves his "maps." In his own words these field notes are, "Rougher, faster than my carefully crafted 'maps.' Big provocations that I can't see through to the end…but maybe you and I'll flesh out the map together." We discuss three questions he raises in his field notes: Where are the Artists? Is the Idea vs Actions conversation a false debate? What are the limits and possibilites of storytelling? We had a great conversation about these questions! Happy listening!

The real world is complex. It is changing very fast. So the optimal solution probably doesn't exist. If it does exist, it doesn't stay the optimal solution for long. To the extent that Artificial Intelligence focuses our choices and behaviors on the optimal solution, we're in trouble. If we put too much pressure on the algorithms to only make optimal selections, then we're going to end up with very fragile systems that lack diversity. There are already some big examples of this. Look at the US political system. You have Republicans who are being shown the best social media messages, the optimal messages, that will make them click or tap. You have Democrats who are being shown the best social media messages, the optimal messages, that will make them click. Result? A more fragile public sphere. These two forces live in tension with each other. Mixing is inefficient if you are trying to optimize the number of clicks. But put too much pressure on Mixing up our usual patterns, and that's not helpful, either. (If every day my news feed shows me a random collection of stories, it's very hard to learn. My world becomes chaotic.) But there's a zone in between these two extremes, where the power to select what fits our pattern and the power to see our pattern and break it up, balance each other out. And we know that zone exists. Because_ Mixing and _Selecting, these two forces, are the same forces responsible for natural evolution. They are the forces that made us, in nature. http://kutarna.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/evolution.jpeg If we can build algorithms that can help us find that zone, faster, more often, in business and society…wow. We would accelerate the evolution of human technology and culture and society. This is the zone in which evolution happens. In which learning happens. In which innovation happens. In which we develop resilience to systemic shocks, like climate change, or fake news, or a sudden swing in consumer demand for our product. If you can see this picture of AI, then you start to see all the mistakes people and businesses are making with AI today. All the opportunities being missed. And you can communicate a powerful vision for the positive role that AI can play in getting us all to a different, more beautiful, more advanced world. Faster. We talk about all this and more in this episode of The Atlas Project. Our conversation was inspired by Chris's most recent newsletter. You can find it here: http://kutarna.net/map-44-how-can-a-i-best-serve-humanity/. To see if a robot is going to take your job: https://willrobotstakemyjob.com.

In this episode we look at the most recent Edelman Trust Barometer numbers (https://www.edelman.com/trust-barometer). Surprisingly (at least to one of us) China blows the West out of the water when it comes to its citzens trust in public institutions. Why is this? How does an autocratic state engender this kind of trust, the kind that is eluding most liberal democracies in Western Europe and North America? This leads us to a discussion of Alexis de Tocqueville's famous 19th Century work Democracy In America.

We're in the golden age of television, with dramas like Game of Thrones capturing the attention of millions. In fact we're increasingly critical of our favorite shows, as the critical reception of a recent Game of Thrones episode, "The Battle of Winterfell" has shown. While our expectations of entertainment continue to increase, our expectations of politics and public life get lower and lower. We consider the relationship between the two trends in this episode. We reference an article from The Hedgehog Review (https://hedgehogreview.com). You can find it here: https://hedgehogreview.com/blog/thr/posts/the-art-of-the-possible.

In this episode Chris and Scott talk about the fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris and the reaction to it in the media and in Europe and North America more broadly. We also consider what it means to cherish the past and be open to a future that might stand in tension with it. We reference a NY Times op-ed piece by Ross Douthat. You can find it here: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/23/opinion/sri-lanka-bombing-christians.html?rref=collection%2Fbyline%2Fross-douthat&action=click&contentCollection=undefined®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=3&pgtype=collection.

In this episode we talk the Mueller Report in the U.S. and Brexit in the U.K. We then talk about the recent horrific shooting in New Zealand (where Chris was at the time). We consider how our filters color the reception of all these events and why it matters.

In this episode we talk about science, the transcendent moments it can evoke, and how we integrate those moments in to the rest of our lives. We reference a piece in the New Yorker entitled "A Different Kind of Theory of Everything." You can find it here: https://www.newyorker.com/science/elements/a-different-kind-of-theory-of-everything.

In this episode we consider the question: Is Humanity on the Right Track? But we do it with a twist. We discuss it as a motion, Oxford debating style. The idea came from a recent talk Chris gave at Oxford, at the great Oxford debating hall. He had the idea to do the talk debating style, debating himself! We had a great time unpacking it!

It's time to critique “critical thinking”...“Critical thinking” has become a new panacea—society's go-to antidote to the spread of fake news, the rise of populism, and the AI-driven atomization of our social media feeds. If no one should control which messages get published and spread (given the priority we place on free speech), then everyone should at least possess the skills to judge the logic and legitimacy of the messages they consume. And how do we develop those critical thinking skills? Education, obviously. Yes, the power of lies to mislead whole sections of society may be a big problem. But education can solve it...That is a comforting thought. But here's a discomfiting one. What if “critical thinking” isn't just a discrete skill that can be taught or trained in individuals? What if it's also an emergent property of society as a whole—the same way that “intelligence” is an emergent property of the brain, or that “niceness” is an emergent property of certain communities, like Minnesota, USA or Gothenburg, Sweden? What if the popular power of obvious lies isn't due simply to the failure to teach specific skills well enough, fast enough, to consumers of social media? What if the real problem is some sort of systemic failure? Is society's capacity for independent critical thought weakening? Is “critical thinking” the answer? Or is it the problem? In this episode we delve into all this and more. You can find the link to the map that corresponds to this episode here. (http://kutarna.net/map-41-is-the-truth-a-lie/)

In this episode we talk about income inequality and the impact it's having on today's political conversations. We also consider whether or not income inequality stifles upward mobility. And we talk a little Max Weber. We mention a paper by two prominent economists, Emmanue Saez and Thomas Pikkety. You can find it here: https://equitablegrowth.org/economic-growth-in-the-united-states-a-tale-of-two-countries/.

In this episode we talk about social media and its effects on public discourse and communal life. We also take some time to look at some of the week's headlines, offering our own less than expert but always interesting insights and analysis.

In our first episode of the new year we try to figure out which country's government looks more dysfunctional right now: The United State's or the UK's? We found ourselves talking about democratic values and norms as things comparable to currency. Their value is dependent on people choosing to value them, like the dollar or the euro. We also talk about features of the system that come to look like bugs in moments of crisis, and about trashy TV on both sides of the Atlantic.

In this our Christmas episode, inspired by Andrew Sullivan (and a few others), we think about the soul of democracy and the relationship of democracy and religion. Faith in the democratic project seems to be waning in many places in the West. Is politics becoming a new form of religion today? Is this a good thing? We address these questions and some others as well, and of course we talk about our holiday plans. The piece by Andrew Sullivan can be found here (http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/12/andrew-sullivan-americas-new-religions.html). Below are some other relevant pieces that helped inform our discussion: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/12/opinion/christianity-paganism-america.html https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/14/opinion/the-beauty-of-big-books.html?module=inline https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/11/opinion/how-democracies-perish.html

Social media, and the fake news that spread across it, no doubt played a role in delivering the “Brexiteers” their surprise victory in the UK's May 2016 referendum on EU membership. If the benefit of letting social media run amok is that doing so lays bare some chronic and unrevealed ills in democratic society, then we had best cherish those insights and act upon them. Because they come at a very high cost, opening cracks so wide, mere patches no longer suffice. Tribal tendencies. Historical grievances. Simplistic and exploitable stereotypes. Democracies have carried with them into the social media age a receptivity for ideas and attitudes that are fundamentally at-odds with the universalizing ideals upon which post-World War II institutions (like the European Union) were built. Amidst all this will social media be a universalizing force or another tribal tool? You can find Chris's most recent map, which served as the springboard for this conversation, here. (http://kutarna.net/map-38-broken-societies-and-the-post-truth-reconstruction-part-i/) We mentioned a book by Jonathan Sacks called The Dignity of Difference. You can find it here (https://www.amazon.com/Dignity-Difference-Avoid-Clash-Civilizations/dp/0826468500).

In this episode, recorded shortly after the death of America's 41st President George H.W. Bush, we talk about his legacy, and what leadership, politics and service meant to his generation and what they mean now. We also talk about the possibilities of reforming liberal democratic systems, the protests in Paris, and a conference on the future of work that Chris went to in Australia. You can find out more about Chris' experience in Australia in his most recent newsletter/map, (Whose) Future of (What) Work (http://kutarna.net/map-37-whose-future-of-what-work/).

We recorded this episode of the podcast in Toronto, where we were there for Basecamp Toronto, a remarkable gathering which Chris Kutarna conceived and convened. This Basecamp was an enabling environment. It is a room of fellow pathfinders—explorers, instigators, creators and thought leaders. It is a room in which you can accomplish, in a single day, conversations, insights, allegiances and commitments-to-action that would otherwise take a year to arrange and complete. It aims is to be the single most exhilarating and exhausting day of your year. It is a collaborative, facilitated effort to identify, embark on and/or accelerate society-shifting expeditions together with the best people and the finest tools. It is precious facetime for ventures that we'll have already begun together by the time we've arrived on the day, and that will continue long after we disperse.

In this episode of the podcast we consider a number of hot button words thrown around in public discourse today: nationalism, tribalism, globalism, identity, populism...the list goes on. Inspired by a podcast discussion one of us heard recently (https://www.nationalreview.com/podcasts/the-remnant-with-jonah-goldberg/episode-65-too-much-pluribus-not-enough-unum/), we wonder if the whole tribalism versus universalism, nationalism versus globalism is really an age old clash between the unstoppable force of technological and economic development and the indomitable human spirit that balks at feeling like more of an object than a subject. There's a piece by Meier Y. Soloveichik that's mentioned in the conversation. You can find it here (https://www.commentarymagazine.com/articles/saving-american-nationalism-nationalists/).