These days, with catastrophe after catastrophe, it can be easy to turn to despair and to believe that there is nothing we can do. But writer Rebecca Solnit is determined to change that narrative. Over the course of her career, Solnit has published twenty-five books on feminism, popular power, social change and insurrection, and hope and catastrophe. Her most ... Show More
Mar 14
Pepper Culpepper and Taeku Lee, "Billionaire Backlash: The Age of Corporate Scandal and How it Could Save Democracy" (Bloomsbury, 2026)
Giant companies, launch rockets into space, control satellite communication and develop era-defining AI technologies. But they are also seen as promoting misinformation, undermining democracy and violating privacy. Big banks, reeling since the financial crisis of 2008, continue t ... Show More
1h 7m
Mar 14
Tristan J. Rogers, "Conservatism, Past and Present: A Philosophical Introduction" (Routledge, 2025)
In Conservatism, Past and Present: A Philosophical Introduction (Routledge, 2025), Tristan J. Rogers argues that philosophical conservatism is a coherent and compelling set of historically rooted ideas about conserving and promoting the human good. Part I, “Conservatism Past,” ... Show More
1h 14m
Mar 12
Wendy Brown, "States of Injury: Power and Freedom in Late Modernity" (Princeton UP, 2025)
A sympathetic critique that attempts to free Left politics from its own snares, States of Injury: Power and Freedom in Late Modernity (Princeton University Press, 2025) explores how woundedness became a basis for contemporary political identity. Without condemning identity politi ... Show More
41m 11s
Oct 2025
The Case for Hope, With Rebecca Solnit
<p>We explore how embracing uncertainty enables us to move beyond climate anxiety and despair to hope and action, with author and activist Rebecca Solnit.</p><p>Summary: When you think about climate change, do you feel hope? In this episode of The Science of Happiness, we examine ... Show More
21m 45s
Jan 2025
How to turn climate anxiety into action (w/ Luisa Neubauer) (re-release)
Amidst the multiple devastating fires in Los Angeles, where Chris lives, extreme weather events and shifting climate patterns are occurring across the globe, making our everyday lives all the more unpredictable. Today we are re-airing this episode from the very first season of Ho ... Show More
31m 29s
Sep 2024
"We've Hit a Tipping Point" - Riz Ahmed on Protest, Joy, and the Power of Story
Mehdi is joined by Oscar-winning actor and producer Riz Ahmed for a high school reunion (yes, they went to school together back in London in the 1990s!) and catch up on life, work, and how the world has changed for brown folks since their childhood. They talk about Riz's journey ... Show More
46m 17s
Oct 2024
Extra Stupid: Tim Winton's vision for our precarious future
<p>Julia has been reading Tim Winton's new novel, Juice, and it has her thinking about eco-anxiety, climate change and whether a novel can change the public's view on an issue. Join the conversation and email the show at <a href="mailto:notstupid@abc.net.au" target="_blank">notst ... Show More
13 m