Great simplification pulsing lines

Ep 116  |  Riane Eisler

Riane Eisler: “Domination and Partnership in Society”

Check out this podcast

TGS116 Riane Eisler The Great Simplification

Show Summary

On this episode, Nate is joined by systems scientist Riane Eisler to discuss her decades of work studying ‘domination’ and ‘partnership’ societies throughout history and what it might mean to transition to more sustainable societies in the future. What we value at the individual and family level directly translates to the way we frame our governance systems – societies that emphasize empathy and caring also implement the same types of policies and values. How could we foster the more cooperative side of our humanity across all scales to create empowered communities and balanced decision making? What societies – past and present – lean towards a partnership paradigm and what benefits do their people receive? Is it possible to move away from violence and control oriented systems and into ones that value wide boundaries of empathy and understand the vital nature of care work?

About Riane Eisler

Riane Eisler is the President of the Center for Partnership Systems, which provides practical applications of her work, and Editor in Chief of the online Interdisciplinary Journal of Partnership Studies published at the University of Minnesota. Eisler’s innovative whole-systems research offers new perspectives and practical tools for constructing a less violent, more egalitarian, gender-balanced, and sustainable future. She is author of many books, including The Chalice and the Blade, now in its 57th US printing and 27 foreign editions, The Real Wealth of Nations, and Nurturing Our Humanity co-authored with Douglas P. Fry. For more information, see www.rianeeisler.com and www.centerforpartnership.org.

In French, we have a motto that says that a simple drawing is often better than a long explanation. Jean-Marc Jancovici Carbone 4 President

That’s very understandable because with left atmosphere thinking, one of the problems is that you see everything as a series of problems that must have solutions. Iain McGilchrist Neuroscientist and Philosopher

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 Director of ISEOF

This is the crux of the whole problem. Individual parts of nature are more valuable than the biocomplexity of nature. Thomas Crowther Founder Restor

Show Notes & Links to Learn More

00:00 – Riane Eisler works + Info, www.centerforpartnership.org

02:59 – Systems Theory

03:22 – RAND Corporation, Systems Development Corporation

05:37 – Voyage of the Damned

06:31 – Nurturing our Humanity

07:47 – Impact of the first 5 years on the rest of life, impacts of time in the womb

08:45 – Darwin

08:50 – David Loye

09:48 – Biocultural

09:58 – Taliban, Nazi Germany, Stalin’s Soviet Union, Russian government, Iranian government

11:16 – Nazi Germany gender roles

11:38 – Russian law reducing punishment for family violence in 2017

11:57 – Correlation of strongman family and strongmen state

14:33 – Gender Studies, Child Development

15:08 – The Chalice and the Blade

17:56 – Nature vs Nurture

18:43 – Positive Feedback Loops

19:36 – Empathy and caring in evolution

20:24 – Teduray/Tiruray of the Philippines, studied by Stu A Schlegel

20:50 – Minangkabau and East Sumatra

21:32 – There’s no such thing as a matriarchy

25:06 – America First Party

25:33 – High intelligence children are more empathetic

26:19 – Collective Action

26:58 – Lizards that eat their young

27:22 – Studies of Bonobos vs Chimpanzees

28:28 – Multi-level selection, E.O. Wilson, David Sloan Wilson + TGS Podcast

31:50 – Shia and Sunni

32:40 – Nordic Societies, economy, caring policies

33:27 – The Real Wealth of Nations

36:35 – Gender equity in Nordic Countries, ~45% of Parliaments are female

38:13 – Nordic laws that prohibit physical discipline of children

43:19 – Nordic countries pioneered the first peace studies

45:10 – ACE Studies, prevalence of trauma

46:12 – Origins of capitalism and socialism

46:30 – Mercantilism, Bourgeoisie

47:31 – Marx, Smith

48:03 – A wife could not sue for injuries negligently inflicted, only her husband could

50:22 – Nordic countries invest proportionally more foreign aid than any other country

51:44 – Religious stories of Eve, Pandora, Elders of Zion

53:21 – Çatalhöyük, Ian Hodder

54:28 – Self-assessment tool

55:10 – Douglas P. Fry

57:01 – Democrats proposed Paid Family Leave but ultimately compromised

57:28 – Australia study that the care economy would constitute 50% of GDP

59:37 – Gary Barker, TED Talk

1:04:08 – Advances against child labor and other human rights

1:05:40 – Teaching pattern recognition

1:06:03 – Chaos Theory

Download transcript
Back to episodes
Challenging Monopoly PowerWith Stacy MitchellThe Great SimplificationEp 198 | Stacy Mitchell

Monopolistic business practices have been illegal in the United States for more than a century. Yet, monopoly power continues to accelerate in our modern commercial landscape. Large, powerful corporations edge out smaller businesses, often citing scale, “efficiency”, and lower costs as their reasons for success. But looking more closely reveals a reality that is far different. Small businesses are more cost-effective and deliver better results to the people they serve than giant corporations. Furthermore, they form the backbone of engaged and connected communities. So what is actually preventing small businesses (and communities) from flourishing, and what can individuals do today to build economic power in their communities? 

Watch nowOct 22, 2025
Will Coral Reefs Be Gone by 2050?With Ove Hoegh-GuldbergThe Great SimplificationEp 197 | Ove Hoegh-Guldberg

Twenty-five years ago, a landmark paper warned that the world’s coral reefs could vanish by 2050. Now, halfway to that projected date (and amid ever more frequent coral bleaching events), that grim prediction feels increasingly close to reality. What is the current state of Earth’s coral reefs, and what would happen to our planetary home without them?

Watch nowOct 15, 2025
Is the U.S. Electric Grid Stable?With Meredith AngwinThe Great SimplificationEp 196 | Meredith Angwin

For many people in the modern world, electricity powers everything we do. Yet we take for granted how power flows in the background, seemingly always accessible to us just by flipping a switch. In fact, most of us are completely unaware of what it takes to generate and transmit the power we so deeply rely on, let alone the policy decisions shaping our electrical grids – or how they might affect reliable access to power. How do today’s electrical grids actually work, and do they align with our long-term goals for human and planetary well-being?

Watch nowOct 8, 2025

Subscribe to our Substack

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future (ISEOF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, founded in 2008, that conducts research and educates the public about energy issues and their impact on society.

Support our work
Get in touch
x