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Astrophysics for a New Stone Age with Tom Murphy

Release Date: 12/19/2024

Astrophysics for a New Stone Age with Tom Murphy

Human Nature Odyssey

What will happen to our scientific knowledge if civilization collapses? Will astrophysics survive a future stone age? In this episode, we rest from our journey to talk with astrophysicist Tom Murphy, who’s been on an odyssey of his own—moving from academia to a growing concern about the collapse of civilization, to an ever expanding appreciation of the cosmos. Together we’ll gaze at the grandeur of the stars and marvel at the complexity of one of our oldest cousins: the amoeba. If you’re seeking a moment to marvel at the interconnectedness of life on Earth and the universe its...

11 - Capitalism & Monopoly: Why The Best Board Games Make The Worst Reality

Human Nature Odyssey

Looking for a game to play over the holidays? Why not try the real world global economy? Too late, you’re already playing it! In this episode, we use Immanuel Wallerstein’s World-Systems Analysis as our instruction manual to the game of colonization and exploitation. We explore how dominant countries rise and fall, the dance between capitalism and the state, and the unexpected truth about what real power looks like. Join us for a deep dive into empires, markets, mafias, and everyone’s favorite Monopoly piece: the thimble. Macro-economics has never been this entertaining and...

10 - Against Leviathan: An Anarchist Fairytale of the Origin of Civilization

Human Nature Odyssey

Gather around the campfire for a ghost story about the most destructive monster in history: civilization itself. In this episode, we delve into the countercultural writings of Fredy Perlman, whose strange 1983 book “Against His-Story, Against-Leviathan”—riddled with grammatical errors and misspellings—blends myth and history to explore the nature of power, subjugation, and the struggle between the rulers and the ruled. Our journey takes us back to ancient Sumer, where egalitarian hunter-gatherer communities transformed into peasants and slaves bound by a mysterious force even the...

9 - Out of Society and Into the Wild: The Legend of Christopher McCandless

Human Nature Odyssey

In the spring of 1992, twenty-four-year-old Christopher McCandless left society behind, hitchhiking 3,000 miles into the Alaskan wilderness. Two years earlier, Chris had donated his entire life savings to Oxfam, burned his social security card, and headed west seeking life on his own terms - without telling a soul, particularly his parents. In this episode, we delve into Into the Wild's larger cultural implications, exploring the conflict between self and society, community and solitude. Philosophers like Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, and John Locke will weigh in. As well as George...

Can We Escape Modern Civilization? A Conversation with the Hosts of Crazy Town

Human Nature Odyssey

Is it possible to escape industrialism, capitalism, imperialism or are we trapped? Crazy Town podcast hosts Jason Bradford, Rob Dietz, and Asher Miller join us for a wide-ranging discussion of big topics like modern civilization’s converging crises, the concept of 'red pilling', and the 1993 Bill Murray classic film Groundhog Day. With equal parts humor and in-depth analysis, Asher, Rob, and Jason safeguard their sanity while probing crazy-making topics like climate change, overshoot, runaway capitalism, and why we’re all deluding ourselves. In addition to hosting the...

Death in the Regenerative Garden: Rethinking Food, Farming, and the Cycle of Life

Human Nature Odyssey

What death is required for life to grow? In our culture’s resistance to death we seem to have caused so much of it. And what if humans aren't inherently a destructive force on the planet? How might we actually be another symbiotic part of our ecosystems? Jake Marquez and Maren Morgan are the hosts of , a podcast exploring the complex intersection between myth, civilization, climate change. Mandy Magill is a regenerative agriculture educator and cofounder of the and . In this episode we’re sharing exerpts from both these conversations to explore our culture’s aversion to death, how...

Worldbuilding and Experience Design for Society with Abraham Burickson

Human Nature Odyssey

Civilization is an interactive immersive experience. Worldbuilding isn't just for sci-fi and fantasy, but how we can change our society. Abraham Burickson, co-founder of Odyssey Works—an organization dedicated to crafting personalized, immersive experiences—has long been captivated by the transformative power of design. Whether in the structure of a building or the verses of a poem, he explores how these creations shape our perceptions and interactions with the world. In his latest book, Abraham encourages us to envision societal change as a collective act of worldbuilding. Join us...

8 - A Conversation with Rennie MacKay Quinn (wife of author Daniel Quinn)

Human Nature Odyssey

In this very special episode, author Daniel Quinn’s wife Rennie Mackay Quinn joins us for her first ever interview: sharing untold stories, new insights, and reflections on her life and journey with her beloved late husband & Daniel Quinn.

7 - After 'Ishmael' by Daniel Quinn

Human Nature Odyssey

In this climactic culmination of the Ishmael series, we ask the question : how do we transform an entire society?

6 - A Civilization That Flies

Human Nature Odyssey

Is it possible to build a civilization that flies? (metaphorically speaking of course)

More Episodes

What will happen to our scientific knowledge if civilization collapses? Will astrophysics survive a future stone age?

In this episode, we rest from our journey to talk with astrophysicist Tom Murphy, who’s been on an odyssey of his own—moving from academia to a growing concern about the collapse of civilization, to an ever expanding appreciation of the cosmos.

Together we’ll gaze at the grandeur of the stars and marvel at the complexity of one of our oldest cousins: the amoeba. If you’re seeking a moment to marvel at the interconnectedness of life on Earth and the universe its interwoven with, this is the episode for you.

Tom Murphy is an Emeritus Professor of Physics and Astronomy/Astrophysics at the University of California, San Diego. After a career studying colliding galaxies and testing General Relativity using lasers to the moon, Murphy retired early to shift focus onto Planetary Limits and the intrinsic incompatibility between modernity and ecological longevity. Creator of a textbook on energy, the Do the Math blog, and the Metastatic Modernity video series, his main plea is that you bypass these resources and read the book Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn.

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