The Great Simplification is a podcast that explores the systems science underpinning the human predicament. Through conversations with experts and leaders hosted by Dr. Nate Hagens, we explore topics spanning ecology, economics, energy, geopolitics, human behavior, and monetary/financial systems. Our goal is to provide a simple educational resource for the complex energetic, physical, and social constraints ahead, and to inspire people to play a role in our collective future. Ultimately, we aim to normalize these conversations and, in doing so, change the initial conditions of future events.
379 episodes transcribedIn this week's Frankly, Nate opens a new series called How to Think About the Future. He begins with some comments he's heard repeatedly on this platf...
On the heels of Artemis II, our cultural obsession with space colonization continues, even as we face increasing global resource constraints and plane...
Today's Frankly is the final installment in a three-part series on the role oil plays in modern civilization, prompted by the recent flow disruptions...
This week's Frankly is the second in a three-part series on the role oil plays in modern civilization, prompted by the recent flow disruptions and geo...
This week's Frankly is the first in a three-part series on the role oil plays in modern civilization, prompted by the recent flow disruptions and geop...
Between global crises and personal problems, modern life is overflowing with things to worry about, including many issues that feel too big to even ad...
This week's Frankly is another in a recurring series, Uncomfortable Questions in Unsettled Times, where Nate poses questions about our shared future....
As the war in Iran creates chaos in every domain of life, the already-fragile energy systems of many countries find themselves on the brink of crisis...
In this episode, Nate offers a personal reflection on the unfolding geopolitical tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, beginning with an examinat...
The conversation around artificial intelligence has been captured by two competing narratives – techno-abundance or civilizational collapse – both of...
This week's Frankly marks a turning point in the work of The Great Simplification. Having spent twenty years articulating the more-than-human predicam...
The number of couples struggling to become pregnant due to unexplained infertility is growing at an alarming rate across the globe. Alongside this con...
This week's Frankly marks the second installment of Nate's recurring series, Uncomfortable Questions in Unsettled Times, where he poses questions abou...
Nearly every mainstream conversation about humanity's future, our current global crises, and our place in the natural world shares one common theme: t...
This week's Frankly is another edition of Nate's Wide Boundary News series, where he invites listeners to view the constant churn of headlines through...
In this week's Frankly, Nate begins a new series called "Staying Human," which focuses on what he sees as a precondition for everything else: recoveri...
As our governments, institutions, and the public become more aware of the increasing pressures on material and energy availability, we've simultaneous...
In this week's Frankly, Nate explores the growing sense that many people feel disoriented and overwhelmed in a world increasingly saturated with digit...
Humans aren't rational. We don't evaluate facts objectively; instead, we interpret them through our biases, experiences, and backgrounds. What's more,...
This week's Frankly is another edition of Nate's Wide Boundary News series, where he invites listeners to view the constant churn of headlines through...
