Reality Studies

Reality Studies

Urgent Futures with Jesse Damiani

Welcome to the Urgent Futures Podcast, the show that finds signal in the noise. Each episode, I sit down with leading thinkers for dialogues that clarify the chaos, from culture to the cosmos.
1:30:38
The Next Civil War, Mark Carney's Davos Speech, & Canada's View of the US - Stephen Marche | RR #21
Stephen Marche published 'The Next Civil War' in 2022. Much of what he speculated about then is coming true now.
 • Jesse Damiani
1:00:56
Biodiversity on the Brink: Ecological Rhythms & Human Urgency - Jonathan Tonkin | Rapid Response #20
Biodiversity underpins life on Earth as we know it—ecologist Jonthan Tonkin lays it all out, including his research on freshwater biodiversity and…
 • Jesse Damiani and Jonathan Tonkin
1:01:00
When, How, & Why Complex Societies Collapse - Joseph Tainter | #64
Collapse is in the air...but what exactly does it mean, what causes it, and what can we learn from history? Collapsology legend Joseph Tainter breaks it…
 • Jesse Damiani
55:25
Criticizing the Democratic Party, Resisting ICE & Fascism, Lessons from Minneapolis, the 'Wrong Kind of Muslim' & More - Qasim Rashid …
When "your side" is the "lesser of two evils," are you supposed to just keep your mouth shut—even as their actions put you in more danger? Today's…
 • Jesse Damiani and Qasim Rashid, Esq.
1:52:54
"We All Know What We're Fighting Against, but There's a Deafening Silence Every Time we Ask What We're Fighting for"—On Hannah Arendt …
Hannah Arendt's ideas are more prescient than ever. In today's conversation, I sit down with the Founder of the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College to…
 • Jesse Damiani
1:59:41
From 'Prepper' to 'Resilient Citizen' - Chris Ellis | #62
The emerging world is volatile, uncertain, chaotic, & ambiguous. We weather it by investing in resilient mindsets & strong communities; on the 'promise…
 • Jesse Damiani and Dr. Chris Ellis
1:14:21
We Must Decarbonize...but How? On Methods, Challenges, & the 'Physics of Capitalism' - Erald Kolasi | Rapid Response #18
It's imperative that we end our addiction to fossil fuels, but in order to truly decarbonize we'll need to face the thorny challenges standing in our…
 • Jesse Damiani and Erald Kolasi
Should the Left Embrace Gun Ownership? I'm Worried by What I'm Seeing
The growing lefty 2A movement is promoting a narrative that is likely ineffective and certainly dangerous. Raw thoughts as I work it through.
 • Jesse Damiani
1:24:24
How Does AI Actually Work, & How is it Changing Our World? On 'Understanding AI' - Timothy B. Lee | #61
Amid the AI hype-doom binary, there's a lot of noise. The best thing you can do in these cases is find the voices who make sense of complexity. Timothy…
 • Jesse Damiani
Reality Studies
Reality Studies
Clarifying the chaos, from culture to the cosmos. Fresh perspectives on art, media, technology, philosophy, and the future—and where they intersect.
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Clarifying the chaos, from culture to the cosmos. Fresh perspectives on art, media, technology, philosophy, and the future—and where they intersect.
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