Illuminating a path for future generations
Navigating uncertainty through understanding. Building a resilient future together.
Check out the podcast
Introduction
The Great Simplification is a sensemaking platform that faces the world’s complexities with curiosity and honesty. We don’t offer false hope or easy answers. Instead, we provide the insights needed to understand the systems at play, giving you the tools to make informed choices and navigate uncertainty. We believe real change comes when people are equipped with knowledge and can engage at various scales, even when the answers aren’t clear. We don’t promise certainty, but empower you to respond with confidence, knowing that moving forward starts with facing tough truths and asking the right questions.
Podcast
Skye Cielita Flor and John Seed
Reality Roundtable #17 — Moving from Apathy to Action: How Facing Grief Can Help Us Navigate a World in Crisis
Moving from Apathy to ActionWith Skye Cielita Flor and John SeedThe Great SimplificationEp 17Watch nowConnor Leahy
Connor Leahy — Algorithmic Cancer: Why AI Development Is Not What You Think
Algorithmic CancerWith Connor Leahy
The Great SimplificationEp 184Watch nowRod Schoonover
Rod Schoonover — The National Security Risks We’re Not Prepared For: Adapting In an Age of Actorless Threats
The National Security Risks We’re Not Prepared ForWith Rod Schoonover
The Great SimplificationEp 183Watch nowNate Hagens
The Systems Science Behind Our Global Crises: How Energy Drives Economics, Ecology, and Our Future | The Great Simplification Movie
The Systems Science Behind Our Global CrisesWith Nate HagensThe Great SimplificationEp 182Watch nowHelena Norberg-Hodge
Helena Norberg-Hodge — Globalization End Game: How Localization Builds Resilient Communities & Economies
Globalization End GameWith Helena Norberg-Hodge
The Great SimplificationEp 181Watch nowZak Stein
Zak Stein — AI’s Unseen Risks: How Artificial Intelligence Could Harm Future Generations
AI’s Unseen RisksWith Zak Stein
The Great SimplificationEp 180Watch nowThat’s very understandable because with left hemisphere thinking, one of the problems is that you see everything as a series of problems that must have solutions. Iain McGilchrist Neuroscientist and Philosopher
What we’re seeing is probably the largest mass movement of marine life, at least in the last 10,000 years, towards the poles. Malin Pinsky Associate Professor
The worst thing you can do to people is make them feel that whatever they do, it doesn’t matter. What we call in psychology “helplessness” — or even stronger, learned helplessness. Maren Urner Professor, Sustainable Transformation
We can’t have hundreds and hundreds of real relationships that are healthy because that requires time and effort and full attention and awareness of being in real relationship and conversation with the other human. Nate Hagens Executive Director ISEOF
Community
Whether you’re looking to deepen your knowledge, share insights, or connect with others who value systemic thinking, this group fosters meaningful dialogue in an open and respectful environment. By joining, you become part of a network dedicated to exploring big-picture ideas and providing a platform to explore the challenges of our time.
2022 Podcast Debuted
300 Hours of Content
#1 Rated globally in Earth Sciences
Our Host
Nate Hagens is the Director of The Institute for the Study of Energy & Our Future (ISEOF), an organization focused on educating and preparing society for the coming cultural transition. In conversation with leading ecologists, energy experts, politicians, and systems thinkers, ISEOF explores how human societies can adapt to lower throughput lifestyles.
Resources
Rooted in science and systems thinking, we offer more than surface-level information.
Publication
Economics for the Future: Beyond the Superorganism
Rooted in science and systems thinking, we offer more than surface-level information
Short course
Human Predicament
Rooted in science and systems thinking, we offer more than surface-level information
Presentation
Earth and Humanity:
Myth and Reality
Rooted in science and systems thinking, we offer more than surface-level information
Institute
The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future (ISEOF) is dedicated to exploring the intricate relationships between energy, human behavior, economics, and the environment. ISEOF emphasizes the pivotal role of energy in shaping human systems and the natural world, highlighting how fossil hydrocarbons like coal, oil, and natural gas have become integral to modern society.
