Cultural Perspectives Episodes

Bridging the Gap and Finding Agency in a Complex World What can one person actually do about problems as vast as climate change, racism, or inequality? For most of us, the honest answer feels like: not much. That sense of powerlessness is exactly what philosophers Michael Brownstein and Alex Madva set out to dismantle. In this episode, Tom talks with the co-authors of Somebody Should Do Something (written with Daniel Kelly) about the trap of either/or thinking, the false choice between fixing ...

More Than Enough Light What is more addictive than fentanyl, cocaine, or heroin? Evan Jaqua’s answer is power. And once people have it, they will do almost anything to keep it. This is a solo episode, a short essay built around the ideas of Evan Jaqua and the Solutions Party, the political reform organization he founded. The interview tape didn’t meet the bar for broadcast, so I took his thinking and ran it through my own. I hope to have Evan back for a clean recording. For now, it’s just ...

What if the problem with climate communication isn’t the message, but the messenger’s assumptions? A conversation with David Beckmeyer, a researcher and host of the podcast and Substack Outrage Overload. We explore the psychology behind our tribal fears and how the modern media environment exploits our primal neurological circuitry to stoke fear, distrust, and division. David explains how we can take agency and reclaim our brains.

In her debut novel, They Could Be Saviors, Diana Colleen explores psychedelic therapy as a means to relieve “billionaire-ism” and the extractive, taker mentality. Can billionaires reclaim their humanity?

Lee Schneider's Utopia Engine Trilogy explores the near future in a world of climate change, AI, mind control, misinformation, and how we can find liberation.

A review of Peter Solomon’s near-term sci-fi novel 100 Years to Extinction. Gen Z takes on colonizing Mars and creating a better world here on Earth.

What does it mean to build a civilization on extraction and call it moral? That’s the question at the heart of this episode of Earthbound, a podcast about what it means to be human on a warming planet. This episode draws on the work of neurophilosopher Patricia Churchland, who argues that human morality is rooted not in religion or ideology, but in biology. Care for kin, for community, and for something beyond ourselves is the evolutionary foundation of what makes us human. Fossil fuels pull us away from that foundation, locking us into a Faustian bargain of wealth, destruction, and shortsightedness. This is not an argument for deprivation. It’s an argument for honesty about who we are and what we’re capable of becoming.

A short audio essay on climate, peace, and lessons from the siege of Minneapolis in early 2026 by ICE.

In a world of either-or thinking, where you’re expected to choose between hugging trees or hugging flags, Katherine Lacefield offers a refreshing alternative. The founder of Just Be Cause Consulting and host of the Just Be Cause Podcast joins us to dismantle the false binaries that plague environmental and animal rights movements. With candor and hard-won wisdom, she shares her journey from "crazy vegan" activism to a more nuanced understanding of how we create lasting change. Katherine reminds ...

With this bonus holiday episode, I revisit a short article I originally wrote for a now-defunct website and republished on Medium back in 2022. Blood and Cigarettes takes us back to Christmas Eve and the trenches of World War I, and how redemption can be found in the unlikeliest of places. Ever since I heard the story of the Christmas Truce of 1914, it has intrigued me. The poignant tale of the 1914 Christmas Truce serves as a powerful reminder of our shared humanity, even amidst the chaos of w...

What Would The Ocean Say If You Could Ask It A Question? Exploring the intersection of art, science, and environmental activism, this episode features thought provoking conversation with Joshua Harrison, director of the Center for the Study of the Force Majeure based at the University of California, Santa Cruz. The art-science environmental research collaborative challenges us to rethink our relationship with the planet and provoke us into thinking beyond the status quo and our long-held assum...

How I Felt Ridiculous When I Ordered Same-Day Delivery In this short bonus episode, I briefly examine the complexities of modern consumerism and the often-overlooked hidden costs of our convenience-driven shopping habits. As we rush into another holiday shopping season, I revisit a 2018 article that explored the darker side of online shopping convenience, particularly during events like Cyber Monday. The rapid evolution of retail and escalating consumer expectations, from the demand for same-d...

The 1970s “Crying Indian” campaign, as it came to be known, with its poignant imagery and simple message about littering, has left an indelible mark on American culture. Yet, as we unpack the history and implications of this campaign, we discover that not all was as it appeared. It served as a brilliant marketing tactic by corporations to shift the onus of pollution onto individuals, effectively masking the real environmental damage caused by corporate practices. The origins of the Keep Americ...

Feed the inner duck Not with human news Or greedy things that suck, But give it quiet views; Comments from the moon. Opinions from the sky. The insights of a tune. The wisdom of a sigh. -Michael Leunig History Doesn’t Repeat, But It Rymes In a world hurtling toward what feels like an inevitable cliff, our daily algorithmically fed news cycles have evolved from continuous to relentless, reaching a brutal intensity that leaves many feeling shell-shocked and powerless. We may be shell-shocked...

Here Comes the Apocalypse! Panicked or Prepared? The art of preparation in today's polycrisis, conspiracy-driven world is far from straightforward. In all cases, it is an art that encompasses, among other things, science-based common sense and community-oriented planning. Just as important is a sense of humor. With preparation, we can laugh in the face of the Apocalypse! As we navigate the eerie and unsettling landscape of climate change and societal upheaval, the notion of being prepared has e...

The Mountain Valley Pipeline and Stories of Resistance in Appalachia Amidst the Appalachian dawn, our exploration of community resilience and environmental justice unfolds through the lens of Denali Sai Nalamalapu, author of ‘Holler: A Graphic Memoir of Rural Resistance.’ The Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) stands as a stark reminder of the battles waged by local communities against encroaching corporate interests. Denali expertly articulates the complexities of this decade-long struggle, reveal...

Vanquish the Storm Lords and Anthrogs! The power of stories to shape our understanding of the world is a central theme explored in this episode. We welcome Laurel Colless, an author dedicated to igniting the imaginations of young readers through her Peter Blue series of fantasy-adventure novels. By infusing her narratives with real-world environmental issues, Laurel not only entertains but also educates, allowing children and adolescents to confront the complexities of climate change. Our disc...

A Sound Environment Exploring the multifaceted nature of sound, this episode features an enlightening conversation with Chris Berdick about his book, Clamor: How Noise Took Over the World and How We Can Take It Back. Berdick discusses the physiological and psychological implications of noise pollution, drawing connections between our increasingly chaotic soundscapes and various health issues, including anxiety and heart disease. From the physiological impacts of noise, we briefly explore why s...

It's 3:00 AM. All is quiet, the world is asleep. But is it? In this illuminating episode, we journey into the darkness to explore the vibrant and often overlooked world of nocturnal creatures, guided by the passionate insights of naturalist Charles Hood. His book, Nature at Night, serves as our compass, leading us through a landscape where life thrives under the stars. Hood paints a vivid picture of the night as a time of transformation and activity, challenging the commonplace notion that al...

Taking It to the Streets Protests and social movements are often seen as spontaneous eruptions of public sentiment. What drives people to take to the streets? What motivates them to take their anger and frustration offline, out in the open? In this insightful conversation with sociologist Dana Fisher, we explore the motivations behind collective action, especially in today's political climate of rising authoritarianism under the Trump administration. Dr. Fisher, a leading voice in climate soc...

We live in turbulent times. Climate change, economic uncertainty, political upheaval. It can feel like forces beyond our control press in from all sides. And for millions of people, that pressure doesn't just weigh on the mind. It breaks through. In this episode, Tom Schueneman reflects on his own experience with depression, a period in 2014 when, despite a life he was grateful for, he found himself staring into what he calls a black hole every morning. He distinguishes between the blues, life’s natural melancholy, and the cold, one-dimensional grip of clinical depression. And he traces his path back: a walk along San Francisco Bay, the quiet healing of green space, and the decision to stop BSing a therapist and himself. This isn’t prescriptive advice. It's one person's story, told honestly. Because in a world that can feel increasingly untethered, the most courageous thing we can do may be to reach out, get outside, and keep going.

Green amendments are emerging as an effective and essential tool in the quest for environmental justice, ensuring that citizens have the constitutional right to a healthy environment, which is intricately linked to their rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In our conversation with Maya Van Rossem, the founder of Green Amendments for the Generations, we discuss how these amendments provide the necessary legal framework to protect our natural resources from industrial harm and ...

Reviewing A City on Mars by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith The notion of colonizing Mars often sounds like a thrilling adventure, but let’s hit the brakes on that rocket ship for a moment. Right off the bat, we tackle the idea that Elon Musk’s vision of a bustling Martian colony is, to put it mildly, a touch delusional. As we delve into the complexities of what it would actually mean to settle on another planet, we confront the sobering reality that space isn't just a hop, skip, and jump away; it’...

A conversation with David Lipsky, author of The Parrot and the Igloo Global warming is a long history spent in the hall of ironies, a statement that resonates throughout our discussion today. We delve into the fascinating yet troubling journey of climate science, tracing back to Svante Arrhenius, who first calculated the impact of accumulating greenhouse gases over a century ago, to the alarming forecasts of the 1950s that continue to haunt us. Amidst this, we uncover the unsettling tactics of c...