Podcast

The Great Simplification with Nate Hagens shines a light on the foundations of the human predicament, revealing how energy, the environment, economics, human behavior, and systems science intertwine.

The Great Simplification

The Great Simplification with Nate Hagens shines a light on the foundations of the human predicament, revealing how energy, the environment, economics, human behavior, and systems science intertwine.

Frankly

This series serves as a beacon, revealing the interconnected challenges facing society and guiding the way through Nate Hagens’ broader work on The Great Simplification.

Reality Roundtables

A guiding light within The Great Simplification Podcast, where experts converge to shed light on global challenges—highlighting the complexities of energy, ecology, economics, human behavior, and systems synthesis.

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Energy Systems
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A World On the PrecipiceWith Art BermanThe Great SimplificationEp 220 | Art Berman

In this episode, Nate welcomes back petroleum geologist Art Berman to break down the timeline of the looming oil shortages stemming from the Strait of Hormuz crisis and just how severe they could become within a tightly coupled, complex global system.

Watch nowMay 13, 2026
Frankly#141 | Wide Boundary News: Sacrificing Wilderness, Oil Data Propaganda, and Feeding the Superorganism’s Brain

This week’s Frankly is another edition of Wide Boundary News, where Nate invites listeners to view the constant churn of headlines through a wider-boundary lens.

Watch nowMay 8, 2026
Why Each American Lives Like a 40-Ton WhaleWith Tad PatzekThe Great SimplificationEp 219 | Tad Patzek

In this episode, Nate is joined by earth scientist and thermodynamicist Tad Patzek for a deep dive into the mathematics and physics driving humanity's energetic and material predicament.

Watch nowMay 6, 2026
Frankly#140 | A Perspective From Lebanon: Who Will We Be When Things Get Hard?

In this week’s Frankly, Nate steps away from analysis and reflects on a call that reframed his thinking. He shares a recent conversation with a close friend living in Lebanon, who amid ongoing daily violence and loss has been hosting displaced families and leading meditation practices in her community.

Watch nowMay 1, 2026
This War Changes EverythingWith Rory JohnstonThe Great SimplificationEp 218 | Rory Johnston

In this episode, Nate is joined by oil market analyst Rory Johnston to discuss how the Strait of Hormuz closure has led to the largest oil supply shock in history, and what the exact numbers and cascading effects are.

Watch nowApr 29, 2026
Frankly#139 | How to Think About the Future (Part 2): Four Variables Shaping the Coming Decades

This week’s Frankly is part two of the series How to Think About the Future. Today, Nate expands on the case for holding a distribution of possible futures rather than a single preferred one, and walks through a structured scenario-building exercise.

Watch nowApr 24, 2026
Wisdom in a World in CrisisWith Iain McGilchristThe Great SimplificationEp 217 | Iain McGilchrist

In this episode, Nate is rejoined by philosopher and neuroscientist Iain McGilchrist for discussion on how our left-brain dominance obscures our sense of value, especially for abstract qualities such as truth, goodness, and beauty.

Watch nowApr 22, 2026
Frankly#138 | How to Think About the Future (Part 1): Changing the Future Starts with How You Think

In this week's Frankly, Nate opens a new series called How to Think About the Future. He begins with some comments he’s heard repeatedly on this platform: why cover nuclear, plastics, renewables, or climate when something else is the real issue?

Watch nowApr 17, 2026
Reality RoundtableReality Roundtable The Fantasy of Space Colonization: The Spaceship We’re Already On

In this episode, Nate welcomes back astrophysicist Tom Murphy and eco-interventionist DJ White, two longtime friends with deep roots in both space science and ecological reality, to examine the surging cultural fascination with space mining and off-world colonization.

Watch nowApr 15, 2026
Frankly#137 | Oil 301: The World After Cheap Energy

Today’s Frankly is the final installment in a three-part series on the role oil plays in modern civilization, prompted by the recent flow disruptions and geopolitical conflict surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.

Watch nowApr 11, 2026
Frankly#136 | Oil 201: What Happens When the Oil Stops Flowing

This week’s Frankly is the second in a three-part series on the role oil plays in modern civilization, prompted by the recent flow disruptions and geopolitical conflict surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.

Watch nowApr 10, 2026
Frankly#135 | Oil 101: What You Actually Need to Know About Oil

This week’s Frankly is the first in a three-part series on the role oil plays in modern civilization, prompted by the recent flow disruptions and geopolitical conflict surrounding the Strait of Hormuz.

Watch nowApr 9, 2026

That’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

30 min overview

The Great Simplification Animated Series is a 32-minute animation – in four acts – describing the backdrop for an economic and cultural transition beginning in the not-too-distant future. Energy Blind reveals how fossil fuels shaped our world, while The Human Superorganism shows their impact on economies and ecosystems. The Human Being examines the psychology behind our short-term thinking, and The Great Simplification encourages a systems-thinking approach to future challenges. With detailed notes and transcripts, this series offers a thought-provoking look at our past, present, and future. You can also enjoy all four parts together in our Animated Movie.

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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.

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