Rethinking Rank and Privilege in Human Societies
By applying a concept widely used in mathematics and computer science, Carole Crumley has radically changed the way anthropologists see and study societies.
Society featured
Waste Not
When I talk about being an Earthling, I am not talking about symbolism. I am talking about work and care and the responsibility of being part of a healthy whole. This is what being part of the land means.
The World According to a Member of the Faceless Hoard: Reflections on Collapse, Resistance, and Art
We don’t do this because we believe we’ll win. We do it because survival is about more than resources—it’s about meaning. And meaning is what we leave behind.
After DeepSeek, AI developers are wrong that The Jevons Paradox will bail them out
The dramatic drop in the cost of AI demonstrated by Chinese upstart DeepSeek is great for buyers of AI tools, but very bad for the incumbent developers of those tools.
Learning New Ways of Becoming Human
As anticipated 50 years ago by the Club of Rome, tensions between our ever-expanding modes of exploitation and the finiteness of the planet’s resources have now become a critical factor in the evolution of human societies.
Simplicity and Complexity
But getting back to the matter of simplicity and complexity… the simpler, the more localized and embedded your life, the deeper and more extensive your relationships are.
Nursery Rhymes
Thus, I seek stories that teach humility, and how to live ecologically. The best avenue seems to be stories that come from the tried-and-true more-than-human world, not the self-flattering drivel we fabricate.
Responding to an age of rage
In At a Loss For Words: Conversation in an Age of Rage she breaks down the burning crisis of our time — the rise of authoritarian governments — and explains why we are letting it happen. Reading it, I find that she has helped me with my confusion and invigorated my weary mind.
Are we too smart for our own good?
Evolutionary biologist Ernst Mayr (1904-2005)—who, I’m told, was a very smart person—concluded, late in life, that high intelligence may be a lethal mutation. In this article, we’ll explore some reasons for this startling and paradoxical assessment.
Birgitte Bischoff: “Navigating International Crises: The Evolving Challenges for Humanitarian Organizations”
In this episode, Nate is joined by European Regional Director for The Red Cross, Birgitte Bischoff, to discuss her vision for the future of humanitarian work and the challenges and opportunities for more proactive and prepared planning.
Democratization of AI spurts ahead: More power to individuals for mischief
Empowering the individual has become a frequent slogan for today’s tech pioneers. As that empowerment grows, it makes it possible for an individual or a small group to threaten all of society. I have now posted my most
To confront the oligarchy, we need to build power at the community level
If social, economic, ecological and political breakdowns intensify, we will have created strong communities capable of weathering the storms. We cannot know if this will be enough. What we can know is that we will be pursuing the kind of future that leads to a world more in tune with the needs of people and nature. We have to try.
