047 Michael Dowd – A Sacred I-Thou Relationship with the Living Earth
Release Date: 10/10/2020
074 Jeremy Lent – Welcome Each Moment as a Sacred Treasure
State of Emergence
Philosopher, pro-activist and author Jeremy Lent explores the underlying nature of our civilizational crises and how a greater understanding of the physical, biological, noetic & cultural interconnectedness of reality can inspire us into a new level of devotion to life itself. Jeremy’s book The Patterning Instinct traced patterns of thought that led human civilization to its sustainability crisis and his new book, The Web of Meaning offers an integrative worldview for a sustainable, flourishing future.
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073 Fred LaMotte – From the Temple to the Wilderness of Now
State of Emergence
Poet, teacher and interfaith chaplain Fred LaMotte shares the inner processes and revelations from which his luminous poetry arises and explores a place beyond words and beliefs where there is simply presence and dwelling in the tender receptivity of the miracle of each moment. Fred is an author, a graduate of Yale and Princeton Theological Seminary, a director of Religious Studies and Community Service, a college instructor in World Religions, an interfaith chaplain and a meditation teacher.
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072 Peter Russell – Letting Go of Nothing
State of Emergence
Futurist, teacher, and author Peter Russell explores how the exponential acceleration of complexity in our civilization may exceed our capacities as a species, and how a radical letting-go of our efforts to counteract that destiny can dissolve whatever gets in the way of us showing up fully, sanely, and gratefully. Peter is a leading thinker and writer on consciousness and spirituality, he is on the faculty of the Institute of Noetic Sciences, and his beautiful new book is Letting Go of Nothing.
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071 Indra Adnan – The Politics of Waking Up
State of Emergence
Social psychotherapist and political entrepreneur Indra Adnan explores the politics and power dynamics of “waking up” to our meta-crisis and to one another. She shares her pioneering work as Founder of The Alternative UK creating “community agency networks” and considers how we can shift from narratives of trauma, disconnection and collapse into a radical certainty of our solutions. Indra has consulted to the World Economic Forum, Indian and Danish governments and NATO, amongst others. Her new book
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070 David Sloan Wilson – Evolution's Key Practices and Design Principles
State of Emergence
In a new and unedited conversation with evolutionary biologist and social theorist David Sloan Wilson, Terry and David continue to explore evolution’s design principles and practices that can enable social experiments and cooperative communities to succeed and grow. They consider the virtues and exploitations of competition, multiple layers of competition, genetic vs. cultural steams of evolution, the role of symbols in evolving our cultural narratives, and the political economist Elinor Ostrom’s eight
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069 David Sloan Wilson – A Human Superorganism: The Higher Potentials of Cooperation
State of Emergence
Evolutionary biologist & social theorist David Sloan Wilson clarifies the science of “multi-level selection” and how interpersonal cooperation and altruism are central to evolution. He shares the specific conditions that are required to nurture prosocial behavior in groups, as well as those that would qualify humans as a “superorganism” that prioritizes the wellbeing of the whole. David is the author of several books including a new novel, Atlas Hugged. He teaches at Binghamton University and is Pre
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068 Stephen Jenkinson – Overwhelming Beauty — and Being OK, Dying
State of Emergence
Spontaneous poet, culture activist & shamanic bard Stephen Jenkinson explores the disarming ordeal of bearing witness to death up close, including Terry’s uncertain situation — probable lung cancer with no diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment plan. They wonder together about the overwhelming nature of beauty and the vividness that dying well can bring to living. Stephen co-founded Orphan Wisdom, has authored four books and is now recording with musician Gregory Hoskins, most recently DARK ROADS and ROUGH
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Francis Weller (Rebroadcast) – Letting Grief Open Us to Grace
State of Emergence
A rebroadcast of a tender and deeply grounding conversation with psychotherapist and soul-activist Francis Weller, whose presence, wisdom and “soul obligation to register the rips and tears of the world” remains powerful medicine. He and Terry share their griefs and rediscover fierceness to protect all they love. Francis' work as a soul-centered psychotherapist synthesizes insights from psychology, anthropology, mythology, alchemy, and indigenous cultures in healing rituals for those working with grief.
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067 Jonathan Rowson – Tasting the Pickle: A Personal Relationship with the Meta-Crisis
State of Emergence
Chess Grandmaster & philosopher Jonathan Rowson explores our global meta-crisis from new angles — as a crisis of civilizational purpose, a lack of a meaningful global ‘We’, and its various socio-emotional, epistemic, and spiritual features. Jonathan is a sensemaking entrepreneur and the Director of Perspectiva. He is an applied philosopher with degrees from Oxford, Harvard, and Bristol Universities, and the author of The Moves that Matter, Spiritualise, and the brilliant essay "Tasting the Pickle.”
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067 Jonathan Rowson – Tasting the Pickle: A Personal Relationship with the Meta-Crisis
State of Emergence
Chess Grandmaster & philosopher Jonathan Rowson explores our global meta-crisis from new angles — as a crisis of civilizational purpose, a lack of a meaningful global ‘We’, and its various socio-emotional, epistemic, and spiritual features. Jonathan is a sensemaking entrepreneur and the Director of Perspectiva. He is an applied philosopher with degrees from Oxford, Harvard, and Bristol Universities, and the author of The Moves that Matter, Spiritualise, and the brilliant essay "Tasting the Pickle.”
info_outlineProminent eco-theologian and “post-gloom collapsologist” Michael Dowd shines the light of evolutionary and ecological wisdom on this time of plagues, fires, floods, corruption, and collapse. He and Terry explore the psychological and relational journey into accepting our sobering predicament, living with accountability to the future, and even discovering lightheartedness amidst their heartbreak. They also consider how to balance certainty with epistemic humility (knowing we don’t know) in a way that keeps us realistic while still open to emergent possibilities. Ultimately, they each share their commitment to live at a depth that is never post-grief or post-gratitude — positively alive to the agony and the ecstasy of our moment in evolutionary time.
Michael Dowd is a teacher, speaker, and bestselling author, whose book, Thank God for Evolution, was endorsed by many Nobel Laureates, science luminaries, skeptics, and religious leaders across the spectrum. He is also a prominent speaker and teacher, having delivered programs for TEDx, the United Nations, and Caltech, as well as three acclaimed online conversation series: “The Advent of Evolutionary Christianity” (2011), “The Future Is Calling Us to Greatness” (2015) and his current project, “Post-doom: Regenerative Conversations Exploring Overshoot Grief, Grounding, and Gratitude” (2020).
Here are some of the questions he and Terry explore in the episode:
- Which evolutionary, historical and, ecological patterns can help us understand our civilizational challenges?
- How might we ground ourselves in appropriate certainty of what we know about our predicament — and live with a sense of possibility that inspires us to be of benefit?
- How can we live with our individual and collective mortality as a close advisor?
- How can embracing some gallows humor release us into gratitude for this very moment of life and breath?
- Why have “post-doom” conversations like this? Can they give us belonging and healing? Can they even prepare us to hold others amidst our looming mass mental health crisis?
- How might we use the “denser energies” of societal disruption to serve gentler transitions (“softer landings”) into sustainable relationships to the body of life?
For more information on Michael Dowd and Terry Patten, check out the following resources:
We hope you appreciate this week’s episode with Michael Dowd on State of Emergence. If you believe these conversations are important and want to support them, please join us as a monthly contributor and become part of our community of listeners. Thank you so much.