In episode 7 of Mutations podcast, I am joined by paleontologist-futurist Michael Garfield. 

Michael is an artist, podcast host (Future Fossils), musician, painter, philosopher--am I missing anything? Like me, Michael wears many hats.

We recorded a back-to-back episode. This is part one. You can find part two on Future Fossils. 

Michael and I offer philosophical and existential reflections on the “Deep Adaptation” movement, popularized by Jem Bendell’s recent climate report paper, and Daniel Thorson’s Emerge podcast interview, by considering what we can learn from evolutionary and cultural catastrophes throughout history. While we don’t arrive at easy answers, I sense that there is a way of thinking and relating that is emerging in the age of the Anthropocene, as Sean Kelly writes, “beyond hope and despair.” This way of thinking and being leaves open the possibility of a hyper-illuminated dark age... as a way of seeing, like the owl-eyed Athena, into the dark places.

LINKS:

Michael Garfield on Twitter

Santa Fe Institute

Michael’s Homepage

The Lindisfarne Tapes

Sean Kelly, Living in End Times: Beyond Hope and Despair (Revelore Press)

MUSIC: 

Artist: Billy Mays III / Infinite Third. 

Album: Channel(s)

Tracks: "Vision(s)" for intro/outro, "In(to)" for intermezzo

PATREON: 

Join the Mutations Patreon community here for access to our Discord channel, Zoom salon calls, early podcasts and featured writing content.

ARTWORK:

Featured art by Archan Nair.