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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Frankly#163 | 5 Things That Keep Us Whole: Staying Grounded in an Unraveling World

In this week’s Frankly Nate unfurls a metaphorical “ladder” that traces the systems-oriented forces shaping the economic Superorganism.

Watch nowOct 23, 2026
Earth's Oldest TeachersWith Robin Wall KimmererThe Great SimplificationEp 239 | Robin Wall Kimmerer

In this episode, Nate welcomes back Indy Johar, co-founder of Dark Matter Labs, for an exploration of how coupled systemic risks are reshaping capital, institutions, and what it means to invest for the future.

Watch nowOct 15, 2026
Frankly#162 | 7 Rungs of a Runaway System: How Civilization Descended Into Crisis

In this week’s Frankly Nate unfurls a metaphorical “ladder” that traces the systems-oriented forces shaping the economic Superorganism.

Watch nowOct 16, 2026
Optionality CollapseWith Indy JoharThe Great SimplificationEp 238 | Indy Johar

In this episode, Nate welcomes back Indy Johar, co-founder of Dark Matter Labs, for an exploration of how coupled systemic risks are reshaping capital, institutions, and what it means to invest for the future.

Watch nowOct 14, 2026
Frankly#161 | Humanity’s Icarus Moment: The Wings, the Sea, and the Sun of AI

This week Nate examines artificial intelligence through the metaphor of Icarus, asking what risks arise when a civilization injects trillions of cognitive workers into a civilization that’s already in resource overshoot.

Watch nowOct 9, 2026
A World-Changing EventWith Art BermanThe Great SimplificationEp 237 | Art Berman

In this episode, Nate welcomes back petroleum geologist Art Berman for a follow-up to their May conversation, to take stock of what's changed since the war upended Middle East energy flows.

Watch nowOct 7, 2026
Climate UncertaintyWith Zeke HausfatherThe Great SimplificationEp 236 | Zeke Hausfather

In this episode, Nate is joined by climate scientist Zeke Hausfather to break down the numbers and metrics within climate science, and translate what they will actually feel like for humanity.

Watch nowSep 30, 2026
Frankly#160 | A State of the World Address: The Climate Speech We’ll Probably Never Hear

On the heels of Climate Week, Nate poses a thought experiment: What would a world leader’s speech sound like if the difficult truths underpinning global heating – which are politically unsayable due to donors, borders, electoral campaigns, and other incentives – were laid bare to the public?

Watch nowSep 25, 2026
The Escalation TrapWith Robert PapeThe Great SimplificationEp 235 | Robert Pape

In this episode, Nate welcomes military historian and political scientist Robert Pape for an in-the-moment breakdown of the Iran war's trajectory.

Watch nowSep 23, 2026
Frankly#159 | The Real Work: Four Things We Can’t Afford to Get Wrong

This week, Nate zooms out from recent headlines about climbing diesel prices, a thinning U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and inflationary bond markets to ask the deeper question: what is the real work that’s required of us as the systems that underpin modern life begin to buckle?

Watch nowSep 18, 2026
Radical SimplicityWith Sarah WilsonThe Great SimplificationEp 234 | Sarah Wilson

In this episode, Nate is joined by philosopher and author Sarah Wilson for an exploration of the emotions that come from learning about, processing, and then embodying the full extent of the metacrisis.

Watch nowSep 16, 2026
Frankly#158 | The Human Predicament: What Would Change My Mind?

This week’s Frankly begins with a deceptively simple question Nate was asked in conversation: what would change his mind about The Great Simplification thesis?

Watch nowSep 11, 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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