logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2024
1h 5m

#31 - Kristian Rönn - Escaping The Moloc...

Liv Boeree
About this episode

How do we escape Moloch’s trap for good?

In this special Burning Man edition of Win-Win, Liv forgoes the usual purple chairs for dusty playa to chat with Kristian Rönn. Kristian is the CEO and co-founder of Normative, a platform for helping industries strive for net zero emissions.

With intellectual roots in Oxford’s Future of Humanity Institute and his own mission to create positive-sum solutions to climate change, Kristian has just launched a new book - The Darwinian Trap - and in this conversation, Liv and Kristian examine solutions to the short-term thinking and cost externalisation that traditional markets often produce. A conversation full of evolutionary biology, game theory and economics as they examine solutions to the world’s deadliest demon.

Chapters

(01:42)-The Darwinian Trap
(03:42)-Why Is Coordination So Hard?
(07:19)-Unstable Equilibriums: The Butterfly Effect of Game Theory
(13:55)-Natural Selection: Capitalism's Ace In The Hole
(20:16)-How Can A Market Model Anything At All?
(22:10)-Betting On Our Values
(27:29)-What Problems Do Reputational Markets Solve?
(32:56)-Centralized Mechanisms for Overcoming The Darwinian Trap
(35:16)-The Risks of Over-Centralization
(39:46)-The Burning Man Model
(43:00)-Mixed Economies
(45:53)-Killing The Incentives or Kill The Organism?
(50:59)-The Miracle of Evolutionary Success
(54:03)-Finding Hope 
(56:21)-Spreading Awareness To Defeat Moloch
(59:58)-Why Burning Man?

Links

♾️ Kristian’s New Book
♾️ Kristian’s Bio
♾️ Liv’s TED talk on Moloch
♾️ Reputational Markets
♾️ Episode Transcript

Credits

♾️  Hosted and Produced by Liv Boeree
♾️  Post-Production by Ryan Kessler

The Win-Win Podcast:

Poker champion Liv Boeree takes to the interview chair to tease apart the complexities of one of the most fundamental parts of human nature: competition. Liv is joined by top philosophers, gamers, artists, technologists, CEOs, scientists, athletes and more to understand how competition manifests in their world, and how to change seemingly win-lose games into Win-Wins.

#WinWinPodcast #TheDarwinianTrap #Moloch 

Up next
Aug 13
#46 - Isabelle Boemeke - Why Nuclear Power Is The Rad Future We Need
Energy is the lifeblood of civilization. Is nuclear power the source of abundant clean energy that's been under our noses this whole time?In this episode of the Win-Win Podcast, Liv sits down with Isabelle Boemeke (founder of Isodope & energy expert) to tackle the debate between ... Show More
2h 16m
Jul 30
#45 - Dominic Cummings - Stagnation, Corruption & Rebooting The System
Dominic Cummings is one of the most polarizing figures in Britain. He's a political strategist who masterminded the main campaign for Brexit. He was also Chief Advisor to Prime Minister Boris Johnson for some of his term, including through COVID. He even had Benedict Cumberbatch ... Show More
2h 20m
Jul 10
#44 - Dean Spears - Population Decline Is Worse Than You Think
The world is having fewer babies than ever. But how bad is this, really? What's causing it? Is there a win-win solution out there that can help people have more babies, if they want them?In this special "Win-Win Live" event, I speak to Professor Dean Spears - a demographer and ec ... Show More
1h 40m
Recommended Episodes
May 2024
Yogi Hendlin (Part 1) - Shifting Individual & Corporate Values: Acknowledging Our Sensitivity & Interconnectedness in an Age of Corporate Malfeasance & Forever Chemicals
Ep. 128 (Part 1 of 2) | Environmental philosopher, public health scientist, and corporate malfeasance researcher Dr. Yogi Hendlin is dedicated to understanding, communicating, and addressing the psychological, social, political, and economic barriers that keep us from treading a ... Show More
44m 10s
Jun 2023
The Depopulation Bomb: Stephen J. Shaw
Stephen J. Shaw is a data scientist & demographer. He is the writer and director of ‘Birthgap - Childless World’, a documentary exploring the global decline in birth rates. Check out part one here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6s8QlIGanA SPONSORED BY: EasyDNS - domain name re ... Show More
1h 7m
Aug 2024
Sabastian Enges Explains Why 40% of Americans Fear Civil War
🎙️ Welcome to the latest episode of "I Wish You Knew" with Adam Lane Smith and Sebastian Angus, a motivational coach and consultant with extensive experience in building successful sales teams and analyzing market dynamics. This week, we’re diving into a compelling discussion on ... Show More
1h 9m
Sep 2023
How the Media Creates Delusional Tribes - Tim Urban
Tim Urban is a blogger who writes about a wide range of topics, from science and technology to psychology and philosophy. He is known for creating minimalist stick-figure illustrations to help explain complex concepts in a simple way. His musings are collected on his website, ‘Wa ... Show More
59m 32s
Jun 16
Forget hustle culture. Behold the Artist Corporation | Yancey Strickler
Kickstarter cofounder Yancey Strickler unveils a radical new economic model that could transform how creative people build sustainable careers, amass collective wealth and escape the burnout of hustle culture. Hear his vision for how artists can pool resources, share profits and ... Show More
11m 33s
Nov 2019
S3 EP7: Epilogue: The Quest to Shape a Life That Ripples with Impact
We’ve spent this season on the podcast exploring the beauty of an excellent life. And our listener-heroes have some difficult questions about the process of daring to excel. You asked: What role does FEAR play in advancing our best work? Is the rise of entrepreneurship bringing w ... Show More
46m 9s
Jun 27
638. Are You Ready for the Elder Swell?
In the U.S., there will soon be more people over 65 than there are under 18 — and it’s not just lifespan that’s improving, it’s “healthspan” too. Unfortunately, the American approach to aging is stuck in the 20th century. In less than an hour, we try to unstick it. (Part three of ... Show More
54m 53s
Aug 2024
How Evolutionary Forces Impact Your Success | Kristian Rönn
In today's episode, we discuss the hidden forces that shape human behavior and global challenges with Kristian Rönn, a leading thinker in sustainability and evolutionary psychology. As the CEO and cofounder of Normative, Kristian revolutionized how businesses approach sustainabil ... Show More
1h 4m
Feb 2025
What’s The Value In Community?
JVN sits down with Dr. Lakeysha Hallmon—educator, entrepreneur, and founder of The Village Market—to unpack one of the biggest myths of our time: being self-made. In a culture that glorifies individual success, Dr. Key challenges us to rethink the power of community. Together, th ... Show More
49m 36s
Aug 2024
The Professor Banned From Speaking Out: "We Need To Start Preparing! The Terrifying Lessons Of Covid We’re Ignoring!" - Bret Weinstein
Are humans an endangered species? Just what can we do to survive extinction level challenges such as the sun, AI, or a nuclear war?  Dr Bret Weinstein is an evolutionary biologist and former professor at Evergreen State College. He is the co-host of the podcast, ‘DarkHorse’, and ... Show More
2h 50m