The Life Itself Podcast
Rufus Pollock
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Welcome to the Life Itself Podcast, we where sit down to have conversations with thought leaders and seek solutions to our current crises by exploring emerging culture and technology.
Available episodes
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Nov 14, 2023
Jamie Bristow from the world of Corporate advertising to mindufulness in politics
In this episode of the Ordinary Poeple walking an extra-ordinary path
Podcast, Life Itself Co-Founder Sylvie Barbier is joined by Jamie Bristow a leading expert on inner development and contemplative practices in public life.
Ordinary People is a podcast series that delves into the lives of individuals who have defied societal expectations and embarked on extra-ordinary paths despite their seemingly ordinary backgrounds. Join us as we dive deep into their lives, uncovering their motivations, beliefs, practices, and moments of transformation. We demystify hero worship and share accessible narratives of real individuals who have transcended societal expectations and norms. Each guest delicately navigates the balance between introspection and worldly engagement. Listeners are offered empowerment, kinship and inspiration for embarking on their own extra-ordinary journey.
Jamie talks about his journey from his troubling teenage years to teaching mindfulness to politicians. Jamie Bristow opens up about his troubling teenage years led by the dislocation and adaption of new cultures while their family moved between the UK and the USA. Exploring what led him to move away from his advertising career to being a mindfulness practitioner and teacher. Jamie’s life story highlights the importance of meditation, faith, and resilience in leading a mindful life.
About Jamie Bristow (2023)
Jamie Bristow is a leading expert on inner development and contemplative practices in public life.
For eight years, he was Director of the Mindfulness Initiative and clerk to the UK’s All-Party Parliamentary Group on Mindfulness. In 2023, he joined the Inner Development Goals team to lead on public narrative & policy development. Jamie was formerly Business Development Director for Headspace and has a background in psychology, climate change campaign communications and advertising. A teacher of insight meditation, his mentors have included Rob Burbea, Stephen Batchelor and Christina Feldman.
Learn more about Jamie Bristow and his work here: https://www.jamiebristow.com/
About Sylvie Barbier
Sylvie Barbier is a French-Taiwanese performance artist, entrepreneur and educator. She co-founded Life Itself to build a wiser future through culture, space and community.
The Once Upon a Time podcast series, shatters the myth that extraordinary lives are reserved for a select few. Join us as we dive deep into the lives of seemingly ordinary people who are walking extra-ordinary paths, uncovering their motivations, practices, and moments of transformation. We demystify hero worship and share accessible narratives of real individuals who have transcended societal expectations and norms. Each guest delicately navigates the balance between introspection and worldly engagement. Listeners are offered empowerment, kinship and inspiration for embarking on their own extraordinary journey.
If you found this conversation insightful please give it a like and consider subscribing to our channel. By doing so you will be helping us bring this necessary knowledge to a bigger audience. www.lifeitself.org
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Sep 1, 2023
Joseph Henrich and Cultural Evolution: Implications and what's next Episode 4
In this episode of the Life Itself Podcast, Rufus Pollock sits down with Professor Joseph Henrich to continue the discussion on the study of cultural evolution.
In this second part of the conversation continuing from episode 3, Rufus Pollock and Joe Henrich discuss the implications of cultural evolution in relation to modern challenges. They explore the potential for intentional experimentation in creating cultural norms that promote trust, cooperation, group cohesion and a sense of community and belonging.
Rufus and Joe touch upon the idea that Western societies might be running on old values and norms cultivated by historical religious practices. They discuss the need to find ways to renew and revitalize these values, potentially by experimenting with intentional communities that incorporate elements of shared meaning, trust-building, ritual and cooperation. The talk moves on to discuss the idea that by allowing a variety of intentional communities to form and observing which ones thrive, societies could potentially find ways to address current challenges and promote positive cultural evolution.
This conversation forms part of the Cultural Evolution: A New Discipline is Born Series. You can learn more here https://lifeitself.org/learn/culturology
Joseph Henrich is a Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. He is author of several books, most recently 'The Weirdest People in the World' and 'The Secret of Our Success'. His research focuses on evolutionary approaches to psychology, decision-making and culture, and includes topics related to cultural learning, cultural evolution, culture-gene coevolution, human sociality, prestige, leadership, large-scale cooperation, religion and the emergence of complex human institutions.
Rufus Pollock is an entrepreneur, activist and author. He has founded several for-profit and nonprofit initiatives including Life Itself, Open Knowledge Foundation, and Datopian. His book Open Revolution is about making a radically freer and fairer information age. Previously he has been the Mead Fellow in Economics at the University of Cambridge as well as a Shuttleworth and Ashoka Fellow. A recognized global expert on the information society, he has worked with G7 governments, IGOs like the UN, Fortune 500s as well as many civil society organizations. He holds a PhD in Economics and a double first in Mathematics from the University of Cambridge. Find out more about his work on his website: rufuspollock.com.
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Sep 1, 2023
Joseph Henrich and Cultural Evolution: Culture, Cultural Evolution and the Scaling of Societies Episode 3
In this episode of the Life Itself Podcast, Rufus Pollock sits down with Professor Joseph Henrich to continue the discussion on the study of cultural evolution.
In this episode the significance of family structures and the church takes center stage in their role towards shaping human societies. Joseph explains that different kinship networks influence behaviors, trust, and cooperation within societies and how the Catholic Church played an unintentionally role in shaping Western societies by implementing rules against cousin marriage and polygyny. These rules inadvertently fostered individualism, trust in non-kin relationships, and analytic thinking. These cultural shifts and networks of horizontal connections led to the development of "WEIRD" psychology – Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic, a topic discussed in Henrich’s latest book. These cultural transformations resulted in the development of different psychological traits that help to explain the remarkable economic success, innovations, and current challenges faced by Western societies.
This conversation forms part of the Cultural Evolution: A New Discipline is Born Series.
You can learn more here: https://lifeitself.org/learn/culturology
Joseph Henrich is a Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. He is author of several books, most recently 'The Weirdest People in the World' and 'The Secret of Our Success'. His research focuses on evolutionary approaches to psychology, decision-making and culture, and includes topics related to cultural learning, cultural evolution, culture-gene coevolution, human sociality, prestige, leadership, large-scale cooperation, religion and the emergence of complex human institutions.
Rufus Pollock is an entrepreneur, activist and author. He has founded several for-profit and nonprofit initiatives including Life Itself, Open Knowledge Foundation, and Datopian. His book Open Revolution is about making a radically freer and fairer information age. Previously he has been the Mead Fellow in Economics at the University of Cambridge as well as a Shuttleworth and Ashoka Fellow. A recognized global expert on the information society, he has worked with G7 governments, IGOs like the UN, Fortune 500s as well as many civil society organizations. He holds a PhD in Economics and a double first in Mathematics from the University of Cambridge. Find out more about his work on his website: rufuspollock.com.
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Sep 1, 2023
Joseph Henrich and Homo Sapiens: The Cultural Species Episode 2
In this episode of the Life Itself Podcast, Rufus Pollock sits down with Professor Joseph Henrich to continue the discussion on the study of cultural evolution.
In this episode they discuss the innate human inclination to develop and learn from culture and to transmit this knowledge across generations. This conversation emphasizes that our success as a species is attributed not only to individual intelligence but also our capacity to expand upon ancestral wisdom.
Join us in the conversation as Joseph shares insights around the pivotal role culture and social bonds have in the development and continuation of vital skills and ideas. Wider factors such as group dynamics, environments, and competition are further discussed along with the impact of cognitive processes on cultural transformation.
This conversation forms part of the Cultural Evolution: A New Discipline is Born Series.
You can learn more here: https://lifeitself.org/learn/culturology
Joseph Henrich is a Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. He is author of several books, most recently 'The Weirdest People in the World' and 'The Secret of Our Success'. His research focuses on evolutionary approaches to psychology, decision-making and culture, and includes topics related to cultural learning, cultural evolution, culture-gene coevolution, human sociality, prestige, leadership, large-scale cooperation, religion and the emergence of complex human institutions.
Rufus Pollock is an entrepreneur, activist and author. He has founded several for-profit and nonprofit initiatives including Life Itself, Open Knowledge Foundation, and Datopian. His book Open Revolution is about making a radically freer and fairer information age. Previously he has been the Mead Fellow in Economics at the University of Cambridge as well as a Shuttleworth and Ashoka Fellow. A recognized global expert on the information society, he has worked with G7 governments, IGOs like the UN, Fortune 500s as well as many civil society organizations. He holds a PhD in Economics and a double first in Mathematics from the University of Cambridge. Find out more about his work on his website: rufuspollock.com.
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Jul 7, 2023
Dr Jeffery Martin on Fundamental Wellbeing-Part 3
In this episode of the Life Itself Podcast, Rufus Pollock is joined by Dr Jeffery Martin. Jeffery is a founder of the Transformative Technology space, a serial entrepreneur, and a social scientist who researches personal transformation and the states of greatest human well-being. In this episode, Jeffery discusses Persistent Non-Symbolic Experience, more commonly referred to as Fundamental well-being. He discusses his research and key findings, and the protocols he has developed and tested to help people obtain "fundamental well-being" in a rapid, secular, and safe way. For notes, further resources, and to listen as a podcast, head to our website: About Dr Jeffery Martin For over 15 years Jeffery has conducted the largest international study on persistent non-symbolic experience (PNSE), which includes the types of consciousness commonly known as enlightenment, nonduality, the peace that passeth understanding, unitive experience, and hundreds of other terms. This resulted in the first reliable, cross-cultural and pan-tradition classification system for these types of experiences. It also led to the fundamental discovery that these were psychological states that had been identified and adopted for thousands of years by many cultures and belief systems. They were not inherently spiritual or religious, or limited to any given culture or population, and could be moulded in many ways to shape the experience. More recently, he has used this research to make systems available to help people obtain profound psychological benefits in a rapid, secular, reliable, and safe way. About Rufus Pollock Rufus Pollock is an entrepreneur, activist, author, and long-term Zen practitioner. He is passionate about finding wiser, weller ways to live together. He has founded several for-profit and nonprofit initiatives including Life Itself, Open Knowledge Foundation, and Datopian. His book Open Revolution is about making a radically freer and fairer information age. Previously he has been the Mead Fellow in Economics at the University of Cambridge and a Shuttleworth and Ashoka Fellow. A recognized global expert on the information society, he has worked with G7 governments, IGOs like the UN, Fortune 500s as well as many civil society organizations. He holds a PhD in Economics and a double first in Mathematics from the University of Cambridge. Find out more about his work on his website: rufuspollock.com. If you found this video insightful please give it a like and consider subscribing to our channel. By doing so you will be helping us bring this necessary knowledge to a bigger audience. www.lifeitself.org
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Apr 17, 2023
Dr. Jeffrey Martin on Fundamental Wellbeing-Part 2
In this episode of the Life Itself Podcast, Rufus Pollock is joined by Dr Jeffery Martin. Jeffery is a founder of the Transformative Technology space, a serial entrepreneur, and a social scientist who researches personal transformation and the states of greatest human well-being. In this episode, Jeffery discusses Persistent Non-Symbolic Experience, more commonly referred to as Fundamental well-being. He discusses his research and key findings, and the protocols he has developed and tested to help people obtain "fundamental well-being" in a rapid, secular, and safe way. For notes, further resources, and to listen as a podcast, head to our website: About Dr Jeffery Martin For over 15 years Jeffery has conducted the largest international study on persistent non-symbolic experience (PNSE), which includes the types of consciousness commonly known as enlightenment, nonduality, the peace that passeth understanding, unitive experience, and hundreds of other terms. This resulted in the first reliable, cross-cultural and pan-tradition classification system for these types of experiences. It also led to the fundamental discovery that these were psychological states that had been identified and adopted for thousands of years by many cultures and belief systems. They were not inherently spiritual or religious, or limited to any given culture or population, and could be moulded in many ways to shape the experience. More recently, he has used this research to make systems available to help people obtain profound psychological benefits in a rapid, secular, reliable, and safe way. About Rufus Pollock Rufus Pollock is an entrepreneur, activist, author, and long-term Zen practitioner. He is passionate about finding wiser, weller ways to live together. He has founded several for-profit and nonprofit initiatives including Life Itself, Open Knowledge Foundation, and Datopian. His book Open Revolution is about making a radically freer and fairer information age. Previously he has been the Mead Fellow in Economics at the University of Cambridge and a Shuttleworth and Ashoka Fellow. A recognized global expert on the information society, he has worked with G7 governments, IGOs like the UN, Fortune 500s as well as many civil society organizations. He holds a PhD in Economics and a double first in Mathematics from the University of Cambridge. Find out more about his work on his website: rufuspollock.com. If you found this video insightful please give it a like and consider subscribing to our channel. By doing so you will be helping us bring this necessary knowledge to a bigger audience. www.lifeitself.org
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Jan 31, 2023
Esther Montmany on Conscious Parenting Part 3
In this episode, Rufus Pollock sits down with Esther Montmany for part 3 in their mini-series on Conscious Parenting.
Esther Montmany has spent more than 20 years developing a unique approach to conscious parenting and education. She has worked with Mauricio and Rebecca Wild at their legendary school in Ecuador and led the children's program at Plum Village summer retreats as well as starting several initiatives of her own.
In this episode, Esther and Rufus explore the question, what are basic needs?
About Esther
Esther Montmany is an inspiration to all who have ever felt that perhaps society could work differently. She has lived in a wide range of intentional communities, from Scotland to India to Ecuador. Her deep interest in education as a process of inner growth, in harmony with others and with nature, means she has devoted her life to understanding human wellbeing and development. Having used her knowledge to educate her own children, she now creates gatherings to help families give to their own children the chance to grow with confidence and develop their potential. Over the past five years she has worked closely with the Plum Village Community, participating actively in the children’s program at the summer retreat for families.
About Rufus
Rufus Pollock is an entrepreneur, activist and author as well as a long-term zen practitioner. He is passionate about finding wiser, weller ways to live together. He has founded several for-profit and nonprofit initiatives including Life Itself, Open Knowledge Foundation, and Datopian. His book Open Revolution is about making a radically freer and fairer information age. Previously he has been the Mead Fellow in Economics at the University of Cambridge as well as a Shuttleworth and Ashoka Fellow. A recognized global expert on the information society, he has worked with G7 governments, IGOs like the UN, Fortune 500s as well as many civil society organizations. He holds a PhD in Economics and a double first in Mathematics from the University of Cambridge. Find out more about his work on his website: rufuspollock.com.
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Jan 31, 2023
Esther Montmany on Conscious Parenting Part 2
In this episode, Rufus Pollock sits down with Esther Montmany for part 2 in their mini-series on Conscious Parenting.
Esther Montmany has spent more than 20 years developing a unique approach to conscious parenting and education. She has worked with Mauricio and Rebecca Wild at their legendary school in Ecuador and led the children's program at Plum Village summer retreats as well as starting several initiatives of her own.
In this episode, Esther shares with us how to set up a positive environment for a child, drawing on real life examples.
About Esther
Esther Montmany is an inspiration to all who have ever felt that perhaps society could work differently. She has lived in a wide range of intentional communities, from Scotland to India to Ecuador. Her deep interest in education as a process of inner growth, in harmony with others and with nature, means she has devoted her life to understanding human wellbeing and development. Having used her knowledge to educate her own children, she now creates gatherings to help families give to their own children the chance to grow with confidence and develop their potential. Over the past five years she has worked closely with the Plum Village Community, participating actively in the children’s program at the summer retreat for families.
About Rufus
Rufus Pollock is an entrepreneur, activist and author as well as a long-term zen practitioner. He is passionate about finding wiser, weller ways to live together. He has founded several for-profit and nonprofit initiatives including Life Itself, Open Knowledge Foundation, and Datopian. His book Open Revolution is about making a radically freer and fairer information age. Previously he has been the Mead Fellow in Economics at the University of Cambridge as well as a Shuttleworth and Ashoka Fellow. A recognized global expert on the information society, he has worked with G7 governments, IGOs like the UN, Fortune 500s as well as many civil society organizations. He holds a PhD in Economics and a double first in Mathematics from the University of Cambridge. Find out more about his work on his website: rufuspollock.com.
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Jan 31, 2023
Esther Montmany on Conscious Parenting Part 1
In this episode, Rufus Pollock sits down with Esther Montmany who has spent more than 20 years developing a unique approach to conscious parenting and education.
Esther has worked with Mauricio and Rebecca Wild at their legendary school in Ecuador and led the children's program at Plum Village summer retreats as well as starting several initiatives of her own.
In this episode, Esther shares with us how she became interested in developing a conscious style of parenting, her journey in developing Conscious Parenting, and offers insight into what Conscious Parenting looks like in practice.
About Esther
Esther Montmany is an inspiration to all who have ever felt that perhaps society could work differently. She has lived in a wide range of intentional communities, from Scotland to India to Ecuador. Her deep interest in education as a process of inner growth, in harmony with others and with nature, means she has devoted her life to understanding human wellbeing and development. Having used her knowledge to educate her own children, she now creates gatherings to help families give to their own children the chance to grow with confidence and develop their potential. Over the past five years she has worked closely with the Plum Village Community, participating actively in the children’s program at the summer retreat for families.
About Rufus
Rufus Pollock is an entrepreneur, activist and author as well as a long-term zen practitioner. He is passionate about finding wiser, weller ways to live together. He has founded several for-profit and nonprofit initiatives including Life Itself, Open Knowledge Foundation, and Datopian. His book Open Revolution is about making a radically freer and fairer information age. Previously he has been the Mead Fellow in Economics at the University of Cambridge as well as a Shuttleworth and Ashoka Fellow. A recognized global expert on the information society, he has worked with G7 governments, IGOs like the UN, Fortune 500s as well as many civil society organizations. He holds a PhD in Economics and a double first in Mathematics from the University of Cambridge. Find out more about his work on his website: rufuspollock.com.
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Jan 19, 2023
Dr Jeffery Martin on A Scientific Approach to Awakening and Fundamental Wellbeing
Rufus Pollock is joined by Dr Jeffery Martin. Jeffery is a founder of the Transformative Technology space, a serial entrepreneur, and a social scientist who researches personal transformation and the states of greatest human well-being.
In this episode, Jeffery discusses Persistent Non-Symbolic Experience, more commonly referred to as Fundamental Wellbeing. He discusses his research and key findings, and the protocols he has developed and tested to help people obtain "fundamental wellbeing" in a rapid, secular, and safe way. For notes, further resources, and to listen as a podcast, head to our website:
About Dr Jeffery Martin:
For over 15 years Jeffery has conducted the largest international study on persistent non-symbolic experience (PNSE), which includes the types of consciousness commonly known as: enlightenment, nonduality, the peace that passeth understanding, unitive experience, and hundreds of other terms. This resulted in the first reliable, cross-cultural and pan-tradition classification system for these types experience. It also led to the fundamental discovery that these were psychological states that had been identified and adopted for thousands of years by many cultures and belief systems. They were not inherently spiritual or religious, or limited to any given culture or population, and could be molded in many ways to shape the experience. More recently, he has used this research to make systems available to help people obtain profound psychological benefits in a rapid, secular, reliable, and safe way. Find out more about his work on his website: drjefferymartin.com
About Rufus Pollock:
Rufus Pollock is an entrepreneur, activist and author as well as a long-term zen practitioner. He is passionate about finding wiser, weller ways to live together. He has founded several for-profit and nonprofit initiatives including Life Itself, Open Knowledge Foundation, and Datopian. His book Open Revolution is about making a radically freer and fairer information age. Previously he has been the Mead Fellow in Economics at the University of Cambridge as well as a Shuttleworth and Ashoka Fellow. A recognized global expert on the information society, he has worked with G7 governments, IGOs like the UN, Fortune 500s as well as many civil society organizations. He holds a PhD in Economics and a double first in Mathematics from the University of Cambridge. Find out more about his work on his website: rufuspollock.com.
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Dec 8, 2022
Thomas Steininger on Emergent Dialogue and Transcending Individualism
In this episode, Rufus Pollock sits down with philosopher, practitioner, and spiritual mentor, Dr. Thomas Steininger. Dr Steininger offers insights and reflections from over 30 years of spiritual practice and cultivation of emergent, co-conscious "We" spaces and practices. Rufus and Thomas explore emergent dialogue, the victories and shadow sides of individuation, and the integral and metamodern movements.
Watch on YouTube and view the episode transcript here: https://lifeitself.org/2022/12/08/thomas-steininger-on-emergent-dialogue-and-transcending-individualism/
Dr. Thomas Steininger has been cultivating transformative “We Space” practices for nearly 30 years. He is a philosopher, practitioner, and spiritual mentor and has dived deeply into the practice of meditation and into an exploration of the evolution of human consciousness, particularly the current transition from a hyperindividual “I” culture to a co-conscious “We.” As an authority on cultural evolution and t…
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Nov 30, 2022
Joseph Henrich and the Emergence of a (Rigorous) Culturology Episode 1
Rufus Pollock sits down with Professor Joseph Henrich to discuss the study of cultural evolution. Joe gives an insight into how the discipline has emerged and the interdisciplinary nature of the field. He discusses some examples of areas of interest within the field, such as understanding innovation and institutional evolution, scaling and cooperation. Rufus and Joe finish with a brief consideration of where on the "cultural evolutionary tree" we are today, laying the ground for a potential future follow up.
This conversation forms part of the Cultural Evolution: A New Discipline is Born Series.
You can learn more here: https://lifeitself.org/learn/culturology
Joseph Henrich is a Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. He is author of several books, most recently 'The Weirdest People in the World' and 'The Secret of Our Success'. His research focuses on evolutionary approaches to psychology, decision-making and culture, and includes topics related to cultural…
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Nov 15, 2022
Post FTX collapse reflections on crypto with Stephen Diehl
On November 11th 2022, crypto giant FTX collapsed into bankruptcy. In this episode, Stephen Diehl and Rufus Pollock explore what happened, what went wrong, and what we can learn. They look back on the past 6 months in the crypto industry, examining other prominent crashes, namely Terra Luna, Celsius and Voyager, and Three Arrows Capital, and their contagion effects.
Stephen and Rufus then look at what remains of the crypto industry. What’s next to fall?
Find the episode notes here: https://web3.lifeitself.org/notes/post-ftx-collapse
Stephen Diehl is a software engineer, writer and Web3 expert. He has written many articles about the topic on his blog at stephendiehl.com and has been featured in several podcasts on the topic.
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Sep 28, 2022
Exploring Social Transformation: Series Wrap-Up
Over the past few months we have been sharing episodes centered around the theme of 'social transformation'. In this final episode of the mini-series, co-hosts Eilidh Ross, Theo Cox and Nathen Fitchen reflect on the series, sharing why we embarked on this project, stand out moments, and key takeaways.
We will be continuing with our exploration of this emerging ecosystem of radical change makers in the near future, so make sure to sign up to our mailing list to be kept up to date with new episodes, event announcements and more: https://lifeitself.org/contact/
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Aug 16, 2022
Meet the MetaModerns: Emerging Movement with Alternative Approach to Social Change with Rufus Pollock
In April 2022, Life Itself co-founder, Rufus Pollock, was invited by the New School at Commonweal onto their podcast to discuss his recent work mapping an emerging “metamodern” ecosystem centered on a radical, alternative approach to social change–one that is simultaneously paradigmatic, integrated, and engaged. Thank you to Commonweal for allowing us to share the conversation, and to Michael Lerner for hosting the conversation.
Rufus Pollock is an entrepreneur, activist and author as well as a long-term zen practitioner. He is passionate about finding wiser, weller ways to live together. He wants his child (and all children) to live in a world of love, abundance and wisdom. He has founded several for-profit and nonprofit initiatives including Life Itself, Open Knowledge Foundation, and Datopian. His book Open Revolution is about making a radically freer and fairer information age and has been translated into multiple languages. His next book, Wiser Societies, is about the cultu…
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Aug 9, 2022
Jeremy Lent on Interconnection & Shifting Worldviews
This week in our Exploring Social Transformation series, we are sharing a conversation we had back in September 2021 with acclaimed author of 'The Patterning Instinct' and 'The Web of Meaning', Jeremy Lent. This conversation was originally published as part of the Imaginary Society Forum, a forum curated by Life Itself in association with Untitled for the exercising of social imagination through practice and theory.
In this episode, Jeremy and Rufus dig into the myth of man's innate selfishness, how shifts in cultural consciousness have historically come about, what's coming next, and why we have reason to feel hopeful.
To view the episode notes and learn more about the Imaginary Society Forum head over to: https://lifeitself.us/2022/08/09/jeremy-lent-on-interconnection-shifting-worldviews/
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Aug 2, 2022
Hypha DAO & Life Itself in Conversation
Welcome to another episode of our Making Sense of #Crypto & #Web3 series. This week, Rufus Pollock and Theo Cox sit down with co-founders of Hypha DAO Alex Prate, Joachim Stroh, and Franz Joseph Allmayer to discuss how DAOs are aiming to revolutionize systems of governance and whether blockchain technology is indeed necessary to this effort.
Explore our guide to crypto and web3 here: https://web3.lifeitself.us/
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Jul 26, 2022
Geoff Mulgan on Reigniting Social and Political Imagination
In episode 6 of our Exploring Social Transformation series, Theo Cox is joined by author, professor, former director of the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit and former Head of Policy at Downing Street, Geoff Mulgan.
In this episode Geoff and Theo explore why social and political imagination is important, why there is a deficit in social imagination in today's society, and what we can do about this.
Geoff Mulgan is Professor of Collective Intelligence, Public Policy and Social Innovation at University College London. He’s the former chief executive of Nesta, and within the UK government has acted both as the director of the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit and Head of Policy at Downing Street. Geoff has also founded and co-founded a large number of organizations, from the think-tank Demos to the charity Action for Happiness. His latest book, 'Another world is possible: how to reignite social and political imagination', has just been released.
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Jul 19, 2022
Samer Hassan & Rufus Pollock on Decentralization, Platform Monopolies and Web3
In the latest episode of our Making Sense of Crypto & Web3 series, we talk with blockchain researcher and expert Samer Hassan. Samer is an academic at Harvard and Universidad Complutense de Madrid in Spain focused on decentralized collaboration. In this episode we talk about decentralization both pre and post blockchain, why platform monopolies like Facebook and Google are so ubiquitous and whether Web3 could help replace them with something fairer, freer and more participatory.
Learn more about our Making Sense of Crypto & Web3 project here: https://web3.lifeitself.us/
Samer Hassan is an activist, researcher and teacher, Faculty Associate at Harvard University‘s Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society, and Associate Professor (“Profesor Titular“) at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid in Spain. His focus is on decentralized collaboration and how to build free/open source privacy-aware decentralized systems (e.g. blockchain) that facilitate the sustainability of co…
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Jul 12, 2022
Hannah Close on Animism, Kinship, and the Social Change Ecosystem
In episode 5 of our Exploring Social Transformation series, Theo Cox is joined by Hannah Close, a writer and photographer and curator for Advaya. Hannah engages in an insightful conversation on kinship, her experience of the social change ecosystem, in particular being a woman within this space, animism and Schumacher College.
Learn more:
https://hannahlclose.com/
https://advaya.co/
https://campus.dartington.org/schumacher-college/
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Jul 5, 2022
Rufus Pollock and Jeff Emmett on Regenerative Finance and Web3 for Public Goods
Regenerative Finance (ReFi) is about combining web3 finance tools with regenerative purposes like tackling climate change or cleaning up the oceans. In this episode of our Making Sense of #Crypto and #Web3 series, Rufus Pollock and Jeff Emmett discuss the promises and pitfalls of ReFi for providing public goods and nourishing the commons.
Find out more about the project here: https://web3.lifeitself.us/
Find the notes for this episode here: https://web3.lifeitself.us/notes/jeff-emmett-on-regenerative-finance
Jeff Emmett is a Token Engineering researcher and Communications Lead at BlockScience, and co-founder of the Commons Stack. Drawing inspiration from mycelial networks and biomimetic processes, his goal is a toolkit for customizable regenerative economies that support purpose-driven communities. Author of Rewriting the Story of Human Collaboration and Challenges & Approaches to Scaling the Global Commons.
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Jun 28, 2022
Stephen Reid & Rufus Pollock on Worker Cooperatives and DAOs
In episode 13 of our Making Sense of #Crypto & #Web3 series, Life Itself's Rufus Pollock sits down with Stephen Reid to discuss worker cooperatives, DAOs and the potential of blockchain technology to facilitate institutional innovation.
Stephen Reid is a teacher, technologist and coach devoted to the flourishing of Life on Earth. He has trained in the fields of complexity science, physics, software development, transformational coaching, meditation and plant medicine. He is currently teacher of the How to DAO, Tools for the Regenerative Renaissance, The Promise of Decentralisation and Introduction to web3 courses, and a member of the not-for-profit worker co-operative Dandelion Collective.
Find out more about the Making Sense of Crypto & Web3 project: https://web3.lifeitself.us/
Learn more about Stephen: https://stephenreid.net/
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Jun 21, 2022
Brendan Graham Dempsey & Nathen Fitchen on The Meaning Crisis & Metamodern Spirituality
In this fourth episode of our Exploring Social Transformation series, Nathen Fitchen and Brendan Graham Dempsey discuss the rise of the meaning crisis, how it has perpetuated throughout the world and its symbiotic nature to the environmental crisis and other crises we face today. In addition, they unpack a potential antidote to the meaning crisis, metamodern spirituality. Through identifying the core characteristics of metamodern thinking and how one might engage in metamodern spirituality, this conversation is a perfect place to orient oneself with the metamodern ideology and to be inspired to find greater meaning individually and as a collective.
Brendan Graham Dempsey is the author of several books, his work focusing on the meaning crisis and the nature of spirituality in metamodernity. He also hosts a podcast called metamodern spirituality, is a public speaker, course facilitator and has released a series of insightful videos titled after postmodernism.
Learn more:
Brendans…
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Jun 14, 2022
Collective Practice and the Life Itself Open Residency with Valérie Duvauchelle
In the third episode of our Exploring Social Transformation series, Eilidh Ross sits down with Life Itself Pioneer, Valérie Duvauchelle. Valérie discusses the value collective practice brings to a community and tells us what we can expect from the upcoming Open Residency at the Life Itself Bergerac hub. Valérie also offers some insight into individual activation and its central position in social transformation.
To learn more about the upcoming Open Residency and to apply head over to https://lifeitself.us/open-residency/
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Jun 7, 2022
Embodying Collective Transformation with Karl Steyaert
In the second episode of our Exploring Social Transformation series, Theo Cox sits down with visionary cultural catalyst, Karl Steyaert. Karl explains what it is to be a 'Champion of Human Wholeness', why inner transformation is central to wider societal transformation, and tells us about the series of residencies he will be facilitating in the Life Itself Bergerac Hub from September-November 2022. To learn more about the upcoming Embodying Collective Transformation Community Residencies and to apply, head over to https://lifeitself.us/embodying-collective-transformation/
Karl Steyaert has over 25 years experience facilitating personal and collective transformation across North America, Europe and Asia. His clients range from non-profits, intentional communities and ecovillages, to universities, governments and Silicon Valley tech companies. In 2013, Karl founded the Cultural Catalyst Network – a global community of changemakers integrating inner, interpersonal, and systemic transfo…
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May 31, 2022
Exploring Social Transformation & Life Itself Labs
We are excited to be broadening the scope of the Life Itself podcast to encompass the full spectrum of work Life Itself is involved with. In this episode, Life Itself team members Theo Cox and Eilidh Ross introduce this new era, discussing how our web3 project fits in with the wider social transformation work Life Itself engages with. Theo also introduces the newest branch of Life Itself, Life Itself Labs, discussing what Labs has already been up to and his aspirations for the future of the project.
To learn more about Life Itself Labs visit https://labs.lifeitself.us/
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May 17, 2022
KlimaDAO & Life Itself: In Conversation Part One
In a previous episode, Collective Action Problems & Climate Change, Steven Diehl and Rufus Pollock discussed the utility of web3 in tackling collective action problems and climate change, using KlimaDAO as a case study. In a follow up to this conversation, Rufus and Theo from Life Itself Labs sat down with Marcus Aurelius and 0xy moron, two core members of KlimaDAO, to discuss the KlimaDAO model, its inspirations and its aims.
This is part 1 of a two-part sit down with Klima. Keep your eyes peeled for part 2!
For more information on this episode and to learn more about our Making Sense of Crypto and Web3 project visit https://web3.lifeitself.us/notes/in-conversation-with-klimadao-part-one
KlimaDAO is a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) focused on increasing the cost of carbon emissions to disrupt the carbon markets. By accelerating the price growth of carbon assets, KlimaDAO strives to motivate companies to reduce their emissions. Learn more about KlimaDAO at www.klima…
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May 10, 2022
Bitcoin as an Anti-Authoritarian Force
Episode #7 of our ongoing deep dive into #crypto and #web3 with Rufus Pollock and Stephen Diehl. This week we’re exploring the thesis that Bitcoin (and crypto more generally) is an anti-authoritarian force and can help undermine tyranny.
To view notes, references and key concepts from this episode, visit: https://web3.lifeitself.us/notes/bitcoin-as-anti-authoritarian
To learn more about our Making Sense of Crypto & Web3 series visit: https://web3.lifeitself.us/
Stephen Diehl is a software engineer, writer and Web3 expert. He has written many articles about the topic on his blog at stephendiehl.com and has been featured in several podcasts on the topic.
To learn more from Stephen Diehl:
https://www.stephendiehl.com/
https://twitter.com/smdiehl
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May 3, 2022
A Macroeconomics Perspective on Cryptocurrencies
In this episode of our Making Sense of #Crypto and #Web3 series, Stephen Diehl is joined by economist and data scientist, Matthew Ranger, in a discussion on crypto assets from a macroeconomics perspective.
You can learn more about Matthew and his work here:
https://www.singlelunch.com/
To learn more about our Making Sense of Web3 series visit https://web3.lifeitself.us/
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Apr 26, 2022
Cory Doctorow on Blockchain, Crypto & Web3
In this episode of our Making Sense of #Crypto and #Web3 series, Rufus Pollock is joined by activist, journalist and author Cory Doctorow. Cory outlines the problems he sees within the web3 space; economic, technological, and ethical.
You can learn more about Cory and his work here:
_https://pluralistic.net/_
_https://doctorow.medium.com/_
To learn more about our Making Sense of Web3 series visit _https://web3.lifeitself.us/_
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Apr 25, 2022
Open Collective, Steward Ownership & Exit to Community with Pia Mancini
In this episode of our Making Sense of Web3 series, Rufus Pollock speaks with Pia Mancini on Open Collective, steward ownership and exit to community. Pia Mancini is a democracy activist, open source sustainer, co-founder & CEO at Open Collective and Chair of Democracy Earth Foundation.
You can learn more about Pia and her work here:
https://www.piamancini.com/
https://opencollective.com/
https://democracy.earth/
To learn more about our Web3: Possibilities & Challenges series visit https://web3.lifeitself.us/
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Apr 13, 2022
Collective Action Problems & Climate Change
In episode #6 of our series of deep dives into #crypto and #web3, Rufus Pollock and Stephen Diehl explore the interaction of climate change and public goods problems. They focus on KlimaDAO as an example of an attempted solution to solve a public goods problem within the climate space using a Decentralized Autonomous Organization. To view the notes from this episode as well as references and key concepts, visit: https://web3.lifeitself.us/notes/collective-action-problems-and-climate-change
To learn more about our Web3: Possibilities & Challenges series visit https://web3.lifeitself.us/
Stephen Diehl is a software engineer, writer and Web3 expert. He has written many articles about the topic on his blog at stephendiehl.com and has been featured in several podcasts on the topic.
To learn more from Stephen Diehl:
https://www.stephendiehl.com/
https://twitter.com/smdiehl
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Apr 4, 2022
Fintech Incrementalism and Responsible Innovation
Episode #5 in our ongoing deep dive into #web3 and #crypto. This week, Rufus Pollock and Stephen Diehl explore the claim that blockchain can be a vehicle for increase in financialization through the development of more complex, blockchain based financial products. To view the notes from this episode as well as references and key concepts, visit: https://web3.lifeitself.us/notes/fintech-incrementalism-and-responsible-innovation
To learn more about our Making Sense of Crypto and Web3 project visit: https://web3.lifeitself.us/
Stephen Diehl is a software engineer, writer and Web3 expert. He has written many articles about the topic on his blog at stephendiehl.com and has been featured in several podcasts on the topic.
To learn more from Stephen Diehl:
https://www.stephendiehl.com/
https://twitter.com/smdiehl
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Mar 23, 2022
On Web3 and Post-State Technocracy with Stephen Diehl & Rufus Pollock
Episode #4 in our ongoing deep dive into #web3 and #crypto. This week, Rufus Pollock and Stephen Diehl explore a more utopian aspiration of crypto and web3: a transition from the existing US-led international order to a world in which blockchain technology and technocracy are the new foundations for global human governance.
To view the notes from this episode as well as references and key concepts, visit: https://web3.lifeitself.us/notes/post-state-technocracy
To learn more about our Making Sense of Crypto and Web3 project visit: https://web3.lifeitself.us/
Stephen Diehl is a software engineer, writer and Web3 expert. He has written many articles about the topic on his blog at stephendiehl.com and has been featured in major news outlets and podcasts.
To learn more from Stephen Diehl:
https://www.stephendiehl.com/
https://twitter.com/smdiehl
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Mar 15, 2022
Are Cryptocurrencies Securities? The Nature of Securities & Their Relation to Crypto Tokens with Stephen Diehl
Episode #3 in our ongoing deep dive into #web3 and #crypto. Rufus Pollock and Stephen Diehl discuss financial products known as securities, their relationship to crypto tokens and the regulatory framework that exists around these structures.
To learn more about our Web3: Possibilities & Challenges series visit https://lifeitself.us/web3/
Stephen Diehl is a software engineer, writer and Web3 export. He has written many articles about the topic on his blog at stephendiehl.com and has been featured in major news outlets and podcasts.
To learn more from Stephen Diehl:
https://www.stephendiehl.com/
https://twitter.com/smdiehl
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Mar 10, 2022
Crypto, Traders and Unfettered Financial Markets with Stephen Diehl
Episode #2 with Stephen Diehl in our ongoing deep dive into #web3 and #crypto. We discuss the view that crypto are just risky assets and that unfettered and unregulated financial markets are desirable ("Free markets are good and the less regulation the more free ..."). To learn more about our Web3: Possibilities & Challenges series visit https://lifeitself.us/web3/ Stephen Diehl is a software engineer, writer and Web3 export. He has written many articles about the topic on his blog at stephendiehl.com and has been featured in major news outlets and podcasts. To learn more from Stephen Diehl: https://www.stephendiehl.com/ https://twitter.com/smdiehl
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Mar 3, 2022
Jordan Hall on the Potential of DAOs
This episode is about the potential of DAOs for social change. Alongside host and Life Itself Co-founder, Rufus Pollock, we invite Jordan Hall, a philosopher, entrepreneur and prolific speaker in the Web3 space. He has been building disruptive technology companies for over 17 years and is the co-founder of Game B, the Neurohacker Collective and more recently the Civium Project.
Learn more: https://lifeitself.us/web3
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Feb 24, 2022
Stephen Diehl on Web3, Bitcoin & Neometalism
This episode is about the narrative of Bitcoin and the Neo-Metallist thesis i.e. that a gold-standard was good and a Bitcoin standard would be even better. Alongside host and Life Itself Co-founder, Rufus Pollock, we invite Stephen Diehl, a software engineer, writer and Web3 critic, who has been outspoken on cryptocurrency, NFTs and Web3.
Learn more: https://lifeitself.us/web3
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Feb 17, 2022
Richard D. Bartlett & Stephen Reid on Critical Exploration of Web3
Just what is Web3, why are people so excited about it, and how likely is it to really change the world? In this episode, Life Itself co-founder Rufus Pollock talks with Rich Bartlett and Stephen Reid on the promises, possibilities and pitfalls of Web3.
Learn more: https://lifeitself.us/web3/
Richard D. Bartlett Has operated in the space of decentralised governance for some time through projects such as Loomio, The Hum and Microsolidarity. He is also a Director and longstanding member of Enspiral - a network of people supporting each other to grow up and to get paid for doing meaningful work. Richard is a recent convert to the power of Web3 in supporting decentralised governance.
Stephen Reid is a teacher and technologist devoted to the flourishing of Life on Earth who has trained in the fields of complexity science, physics, software development, meditation, psychotherapy, plant medicine, conscious sexuality and political activism. He is currently teacher of the How to DAO…
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Dec 17, 2021
Liam Kavanagh on Introduction to Sustainable Wellbeing
Sustainable wellbeing is an obvious organising principle for society: that we should live in a way that enables future generations to enjoy being alive as much as us (or more). Yet this ethos is not truly at the heart of either the environmental movement or the well-being movement – or society as a whole. Why is that? And can that change?
In this episode, Rufus Pollock talks with Liam Kavanagh, Lead of Life Itself Labs. We explore what sustainable wellbeing is: as principle, as a movement and as a political strategy. Finally, we look at why this is an approach whose time has finally come.
https://lifeitself.us/sustainable-wellbeing/
Key points:
* “Wellbeing” is policy’s goal, but has associations of meek compromise, and also recent acceptance of inner routes to greater welfare
* In times of crisis we need to be bold and unafraid of hard issues like land policy for community while still embracing scientific understanding and inner work.
* More radical propositions wil…
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Mar 29, 2021
Sen Zhan and Liam Kavanagh
This week we're excited to be sharing an episode from our partner podcast, The Life Itself Hubcast, hosted and produced by Sen Zhan.
In this episode, Sen sits down with co-founder of Life Itself, Liam Kavanagh. Their conversation explores community, the notion of a "wiser world", perspectives from Tanzania, and Liam's book Collective Wisdom and Beyond. They finish with a Lightning Round on "The Hub Knock Life" - an up-close and personal sharing of day-to-day life as a resident in the Bergerac Hub.
Find more episodes from the Hubcast here: https://open.spotify.com/show/5ExBgcxpOyQEQOe9tXB0IE?si=13c09e8d932f4eb2
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Jan 14, 2021
Sen Zhan and Sylvie Barbier
This week we're honoured to be sharing an episode from our partner podcast, The Life Itself Hubcast, hosted and produced by Sen Zhan.
In this episode, Sen sits down with co-founder of Life Itself, Sylvie Shiwei Barbier. Their conversation explores Sylvie's Taiwanese French origins, the role of suffering and growth to home and belonging, and Life Itself and the Hubs. They finish with a Lightning Round on "The Hub Knock Life" - an up-close and personal sharing of day-to-day life as a resident in the Bergerac Hub.
Find more episodes from the Hubcast here: https://open.spotify.com/show/5ExBgcxpOyQEQOe9tXB0IE?si=13c09e8d932f4eb2
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