The Great Simplification with Nate Hagens
Nate Hagens
The Great Simplification is a podcast that explores the systems science underpinning the human predicament. Through conversations with experts and leaders hosted by Dr. Nate Hagens, we explore topics spanning ecology, economics, energy, geopolitics, human behavior, and monetary/financial systems. Our goal is to provide a simple educational resource for the complex energetic, physical, and social constraints ahead, and to inspire people to play a role in our collective future. Ultimately, we aim to normalize these conversations and, in doing so, change the initial conditions of future events.
Episodes
Mentioned books
31 snips
Mar 27, 2026 • 12min
Iran, U.S., and the Rest: The Unavoidable Pig in the Python | Frankly 133
A timely look at how disruptions to fossil fuel flows ripple through global supply chains and economies. Discussion of who is most exposed, from California to nations in Asia, Europe, and Africa. Reports of early conservation and rationing measures abroad. Stories of people adapting on the ground. A warning that financial signals may decouple from material realities, forcing new types of preparation.
63 snips
Mar 25, 2026 • 1h 51min
Ending the AI Arms Race: Why Safer Futures Are Still Possible & What You Can Do to Help with Tristan Harris
Tristan Harris, co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology and former Google design ethicist, advocates aligning AI with human wellbeing. He recounts insider warnings that sparked a pivot to AI safety. Conversation covers economic disruption, surveillance, loss-of-control risks, race-to-the-bottom incentives, policy tools like scorecards and boycotts, global cooperation, and practical actions to steer AI toward safer futures.
180 snips
Mar 20, 2026 • 53min
What to Do as the World Falls Apart: A Framework for Action | Frankly 132
A practical framework for action as systemic risks accelerate. Short-term inner work like calming the nervous system and grief work is presented as a foundation. Building trusted local networks and shared language is prioritized. Six intervention fronts are outlined: infrastructure, poverty and displacement, ecological defense, civic resilience, culture and meaning, and economic transition. A three-phase timeline for sequencing action is introduced.
27 snips
Mar 18, 2026 • 1h 19min
The Plastic Detox: Reducing Endocrine Disruptors for Better Fertility and Human Health with Shanna Swan & Sian Sutherland | RR 23
Shanna Swan, an environmental and reproductive epidemiologist known for research on declining sperm counts; Sian Sutherland, entrepreneur and campaigner behind Plastic Free Babies. They explore a real-world plastic intervention, sources of endocrine disruptors in everyday products, surprising roles of fragrance and cosmetics, measured drops in chemical markers and sperm improvements, and policy and design paths to reduce exposures and protect early-life health.
72 snips
Mar 13, 2026 • 14min
Uncomfortable Questions in Unsettled Times: Iran Effects, Local Preparedness, and End of Empire?
A series of probing questions about how geopolitical shocks translate into supply chain strain, rising prices, and fear. Prompts to distinguish what in modern life is essential versus merely familiar. An inquiry into whether U.S. decline would help or harm the world. Exercises to imagine your town in 2050 and practical steps to prepare with a few neighbors.
60 snips
Mar 11, 2026 • 1h 18min
Questioning Human Exceptionalism: How Rethinking Our Place in the Web of Life Could Change Our Global Crises with Christine Webb
Christine Webb, primatologist and NYU animal studies professor and author of The Arrogant Ape, challenges the idea that humans are inherently superior. She draws on primate fieldwork to show shared traits like empathy and culture. The conversation explores ethical risks of decoding animal minds, how culture shapes exceptionalism, and practical ways to reframe systems and everyday attention to other beings.
61 snips
Mar 10, 2026 • 27min
Wide Boundary News: The Iranian War, Rising Gas Prices, and the Single Point Failure | Frankly 130
A wide-boundary take on the Iran conflict and the global ripple effects of a closed Strait of Hormuz. Exploration of how energy underpins all economic activity and creates hidden dependencies. Tracing second- and third-order risks from sulfur and LNG to fertilizers, metals, and food security. Examination of military stock‑and‑flow imbalances, aging oil-field risks, and the role of religious end-times narratives in escalating conflict.
127 snips
Mar 6, 2026 • 27min
A Guide to Staying Human (Part 1): Desperately Seeking Agency | Frankly 129
A new series about reclaiming personal agency amid global turbulence. Discussion of how modern systems train learned helplessness and fragment attention. Exploration of tiny habits and kept promises as ways to rebuild self-trust. Practical practices like screen speed bumps and protecting intentional time. A challenge to treat agency as something you practice, not wait for.
41 snips
Mar 4, 2026 • 1h 36min
Could the West Lose the Resource Wars? AI, Rare Earths, and Economic Statecraft with Michael Every & Craig Tindale | RR 22
Craig Tindale, private investor and ex-tech/infrastructure exec with deep rare-earth and China supply-chain know-how. Michael Every, Rabobank global strategist versed in geopolitics and economic statecraft. They discuss China’s rare-earth choke points, Western refinery shortfalls, AI’s material demands, industrial hollowing, and how geopolitics reshapes resource and alliance choices.
80 snips
Feb 27, 2026 • 24min
Ultra-Processed Information: AI and the Coming Deluge of Noise | Frankly 128
A dive into how AI is about to flood our feeds with polished but hollow content. A comparison between ultra-processed food and ultra-processed information. Why authenticity, judgment, and true relevance will become rare currencies. Practical mental filters and daily practices to protect attention and prevent cognitive atrophy in an age of algorithmic persuasion.
