Death in The Garden

On this episode of “Death in The Garden,” we discuss Finite and Infinite Games: a Vision of Life as Play and Possibility by the late professor of religion, James P. Carse. We wanted to discuss this book because there’s a great difference between the pop-culture reception of this book and some of the deeper themes, which pertain profoundly to worldviews and how they cause us to interface with the living world in one way or another. We discuss the issues with some of the pop-culture explanations, as popularized by Simon Sinek, and delve deeper into the lesser known topics that are touched on in the book. We discuss a more nuanced understanding of finite and infinite games, players, and the worldviews associated with each. We talk about how death is conceived within each worldview, as well as how Carse is inconsistent on this topic within the book. We discuss artistry, poeisis, and what it means to be a infinite player, inspiring people to express their genius rather than “winning” the game of creativity. We go over the difference between society and culture; what waste represents; and how our relationship with nature is oppositional under the finite worldview. We talk about the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, as well as sharing a few personal stories. Ultimately, we discuss the difference between the machine and the garden within this framework (and how that applies to our project), and we really try to expand on what people typically understand as finite and infinite games to give this framework the gravity it deserves.

To listen to the full episode, upgrade your subscription to “paid” for only $5 a month or join us on Patreon. It’s the best way to support the podcast, our short films, and the writing we’re producing. It takes a lot of expense, time, and energy to produce this project, so every bit helps! Thank you to everyone who is already supporting us.

Death in The Garden is a listener-supported project. To support the us, consider becoming paid subscriber.

Use coupon code DITG20 for 20% off your order, and try out The Beekeeper’s Granddaughter Whipped Tallow Balms today!

We’re for hire! Check out our videography website to check out our show reel and connect with us about video and documentary work.

Mentions:

On this episode of “Death in The Garden,” we discuss the incredibly fascinating, profound, and instructive book, The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World by Iain McGilchrist. Following a similar structure to the book, we first talk about what brain lateralization is; what the difference between the left and right hemisphere is (along with the misconceptions); the importance of attention, metaphor, and theory of mind; and then we talk about why this concept of left brain dominance (with right brain primacy) is so important. We then dive into the history as McGilchrist lays it out in his expansive book, showing the oscillation between the right hemisphere being respected, and the left hemisphere taking control. Always orienting towards the distinction between manifestions of right and left hemisphere attitudes and behaviors, we discuss antiquity, Ancient and Classical Greece, Rome, the Renaissance and Reformation, the Enlightenment, Romanticism and the Industrial Revolution, Modernism and Postmodernism, ending on today, where the left hemisphere (which governs our impulse towards mechanical thinking, control, quantification, objectivication, among so many other qualities) has taken dominion, leaving our humanity and earth systems imperiled. Of course, we talk about death, and the fear of death, and its profound role in all of this, as the left hemisphere abhors death and all that is uncertain. We then discuss what we might be able to do in the face our awareness of this incredibly potent phenomenon, and how we might again, allow the right hemisphere to resume its rightful place as Master.

This book is profoundly important (perhaps one of the most important books of our time), so please buy it, read it, and come to your own conclusions.

To listen to the full episode, upgrade your subscription to “paid” for only $5 a month. It’s the best way to support the podcast, our short films, and the writing we’re producing. It takes a lot of expense, time, and energy to produce this project, so every bit helps! Thank you to everyone who is already supporting us.

Use coupon code DITG20 for 20% off your order, and try out The Beekeeper’s Granddaughter Whipped Tallow Balms today!

We’re for hire! Check out our videography website to check out our show reel and connect with us about video and documentary work.

Mentions:

On this episode of “Death in The Garden,” we discuss what we can learn from the Luddites and how the true meaning of what they stood for can be instructive for how we deal with the rise of A.I. and in our time. In addition to discussing the Luddites, we discuss other works of fiction from the industrial age. We talk about humanity’s proximity to technology, toolmaking, and therefore, machines, and what that means for us moving forward in a tech-entangled world. We discuss the problem of striving for efficiency at all costs, and how humans, and nature, are not “efficient”… and shouldn’t be. We discuss the virtues of “adequate technology” or, as the Luddites put it, “technologies of commonality.” We talk about the awkward tradeoffs that come with all technology, and discuss which lines we personally don’t want to cross in the A.I. age. We talk about the mythic qualities of A.I. and the ancient stories it conjures, such as Prometheus, Kabbalistic Golems, Frankenstein, and the Sorcerer’s Apprentice. We discuss the pseudo-religious reasons for the development of A.I., the idea of creating a “divine” intelligence, and the apocalyptic fantasies that inspire some of the leaders of the field.

To listen to the full episode, upgrade your subscription to “paid” for only $5 a month. It’s the best way to support the podcast, our short films, and the writing we’re producing. It takes a lot of expense, time, and energy to produce this project, so every bit helps! Thank you to everyone who is already supporting us.

Use coupon code DITG20 for 20% off your order, and try out The Beekeeper’s Granddaughter Whipped Tallow Balms today!

Sources:

Rebels Against the Future: The Luddites and their War on the Industrial Revolution by Kirkpatrick Sale, 1995

Erewhon by Samuel Butler, 1872

The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster, 1909

“Why Artifical Intelligence Must Be Stopped Now” by Richard Heinberg, 2024

“The AI Boom Could Use a Shocking Amount of Electricity” by Lauren Leffer, 2023

“Darwin Among the Machines” by Samuel Butler, 1863

“The New AI-Powered Bing Is Threatening Users. That’s No Laughing Matter” by Bill Perrigo

Can Myth Teach Us Anything About the Race to Build Artificial General Intelligence? With Josh Schrei - Your Undivided Attention Podcast

“AI Ethics Surpass Human Judgment in New Moral Turing Test” by Georgia State University

“On the Dangers of Stochastic Parrots: Can Language Models Be Too Big?” by Emily M. Bender, Timnit Gebru, Angelina McMillan-Major, and Margaret Mitchell, 2021

“I Wrote What? Google's AI-Powered Libel Machine” by Matt Taibbi, 2024

On this episode of “Death in The Garden” we are sharing our conversation with Alex Leff, which was co-released for his podcast subscribers. Alex Leff is the creator and visionary behind Human Nature Odyssey, which is a cinematic audio journey through the fantastic and iconic book, Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. He is also the creator of a beautiful film called Cycle of Memory, which takes the viewer on an intimate and compassionate journey through his family’s experience of their patriarch suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. We had an expansive conversation, discussing and admiring each other’s projects while also deepening our understanding of why we all find ourselves to be so curious about civilization and how to make the world a better place.

Check out his podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and please leave him a 5-star rating!

Paid subscribers should get the full audio and free subscribers should only get a preview of this conversation. If you’d like to listen to this podcast in full, as well as have access to our upcoming surprises, please become a paid subscriber today! You can support us for only $5 a month. We can only continue doing this project with your support!

(We know some of our free subscribers on Substack support us on Patreon - do not fret. You find the video here).

On this episode of “Death in The Garden,” Maren is reading her recent piece, The Tales that Really Matter - Part I. In this audio essay, you’ll hear tracks and clips from The Lord of the Rings films by Peter Jackson, and music composed by Howard Shore. Additionally, you’ll hear original synth soundscapes inspired by Howard Shore’s compositions, from the songs “In Dreams”, “The Road Goes Ever On…, Pt. 1”, and “Samwise the Brave”.

All credit for movie clips and songs used goes to Peter Jackson et al. and Howard Shore.

This podcast is sponsored by The Beekeeper’s Granddaughter Whipped Tallow Balms. If you are in the market for clean, natural, and nourishing moisturizing healing balms for dry skin or other skin conditions, you have to try these tallow balms. Use coupon code DITG20 for 20% of your order! Try yours today.

If you’d like to keep DITG going, please consider becoming a paid subscriber on Substack for only $5 a month. This will give you access to bonus material (some of which is very exciting and currently very secret) and allow us to continue doing this project. Thank you for being here.

Writing & Editing: Maren Morgan

Mastering: Jake Marquez

Songs used: “Gollum”, “Forth Eorlingas”, “Samwise the Brave”, “Caras Galadhon/ ‘Lament for Gandalf’”

Welcome back to the “Death in The Garden” podcast! A lot changed for us over the past 4 months, and we’ve needed to take some time to figure out how to proceed with the film/podcast/writing project in light of a change in resources. But we’re back!

As a preface to what is to come, we’re sharing today a reading of a short myth-inspired tale that Maren wrote last year, which was inspired by the works of Daniel Quinn. The podcast, to follow, will be centered around audio essays, produced with original and licensed music and soundscapes, sound effects, and other audio elements, such as snippets of interviews we conduct. While conversational interviews will continue to happen, those interviews will be released only for paid subscribers on Substack and Patreon, though we plan to phase out Patreon in the coming months.

HOUSEKEEPING:

If you want to support the project, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription on Substack.

The Beekeeper’s Granddaughter

Additionally, we are now sponsored by Jake’s parent’s small-business, The Beekeeper’s Granddaughter, which makes handmade grass-finished, pasture-raised whipped tallow balms - the best, all-natural skincare we’ve ever used! Use coupon code DITG20 at check-out to receive 20% off your order.

Check out The Beekeeper’s Granddaughter website (designed by us!).

If you’ve never tried tallow for skincare or are unsure which scent is your favorite, try out our .5 oz Starter Pack! This pack comes with all 6 of our scents, 1 of which has yet to be released in the other sizes.

Follow our Instagram for more info about tallow and deals (but, let’s be honest, our listeners get the best coupon regardless). We’re the media team for the business, so your support of Jake’s parents supports us, too!

ARQETYPE MEDIA

We have recently released a show reel, so if you’d like to check that out, head to our website, ARQETYPE MEDIA, for more info about how to work with us!

We have a lot of really cool things in the works right now (particularly for The Lord of the Rings nerds, but we’ll say no more on that), and can’t wait to release and share more about our upcoming projects as they unfold. Thank you for sticking around with us through all of the changes.

Before you leave, please, we beg of you, listen to this song by Nothing But Thieves:

In fact, just do yourself a favor and listen to every song by Nothing But Thieves.

Audio editing: Jake Marquez and Maren Morgan

Soundscapes: Jake Marquez and Maren Morgan

On this episode of “Death in The Garden,” we spoke to author and farmer Chris Smaje about his new book Saying No to a Farm-Free Future which was written in response to George Monbiot’s book Regenesis. We talk about the dangers of the ecomodernist worldview, about how the narrative of progress inhibits practical solutions, and we discuss at length the importance of moving towards agrarian localism as a lifeway in order to weather the coming storms. We talk about the precariousness of urbanization, and how moving toward a more rural, local society offers resiliency. We talk about the issue of decoupling humans from nature, and how it’s imperative that we re-couple humans with nature in order to create a sustainable society. We talk about the problems with precision fermentation, as well as transitioning to a carbon-free society under the high-energy lifestyles we have today. We discuss at length what it means to become a good keystone species, and how doing so simultaneously heals our spiritual and cultural ills while also healing the environment. We discuss all of these topics in relation to Maren’s essay, The Quantitative Cosmology.

Check out Chris’ blog and be sure to order his books, Saying No to a Farm-Free Future: The Case for an Ecological Food System and Against Manufactured Foods and A Small Farm Future: Making the Case for a Society Built Around Local Economies, Self-Provisioning, Agricultural Diversity and a Shared Earth. Also, follow Chris on Twitter.

If you want to support the project, please consider upgrading your subscription from free to paid on Substack or join our Patreon. To support us in another way, consider buying a print from our brand new Print Shop! Use code PRINTSHOP at check-out for 10% off until the end of September. For now, prints are only available in the United States and Canada.

Come see us at the Crestone Energy Fair!

Editing: Jake Marquez and Maren Morgan

Music: “Missed the Boat” by Modest Mouse

On this episode of “Death in The Garden” we are joined by James Connolly, producer of the film series and dear friend, to discuss this recent “Barbenheimer” phenomenon to accompany the piece Maren wrote on the subject last week in her piece below:

On this far reaching discussion, we discuss both films and what they represent to each of us, as well as what they both say about the broader culture. We really allowed ourselves to riff and let the conversation lead where it needed to, which allowed us to discuss the historical background of Oppenheimer that comes from American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin. We discussed our differing points of view about the effectiveness of Oppenheimer. We talked at length about the social-justice fraudulence that is Barbie, and the importance of critical thinking. We talked about how humans are ideological, and how we have be constantly vigilant so as to not become dogmatic. We also discussed at length the Luddites, as well as the early 20th century scientists, psychologists, educators, and engineers that (under the pretense of rationalism and morality) precipitated the “chain reaction” that will most likely lead to the collapse of civilization.

If you enjoyed this podcast, please like and share with the people in your life. If you’d like to continue the conversation in the comments below, we’d love to hear your thoughts on the Barbenheimer phenomenon. Thank you to everyone for listening, and a special thanks to all of our Patrons and paid subscribers for continuing to help support the work. If you’d like to support the film/podcast/writing project, please consider upgrading your subscription from free to paid.

Give James a follow on Instagram and Twitter.

Editing: Jake Marquez and Maren Morgan

Music: “The 1975” by the 1975

On this episode of “Death in The Garden,” we had a conversation with Rune Hjarnø Rasmussen of Nordic Animism, a project which aims to recover Euro-traditional animist knowledge and share it with a contemporary audience as a means of understanding ourselves, our kinship relations with other-than-humans, and ultimately working towards a resilient future for all life on earth. Rune is a Danish historian of religion, which an extensive background of fieldwork studying contemporary animist religions. Nordic Animism “bridges scholarship with cultural activism,” and Rune discusses many of the social issues that are most relevant in our times through an animist and mythic lens.

We talked about what animism is, and what it means to be in kinship relationships with the rest of the living community. We discuss the role of violence, death, and eating as something we can’t avoid, even within kinship relations, and the challenges that brings. We discuss the desacralization of our relationships with animals and plants which once held totemic value, and how that played a role in opening us up for the industrialization of food production. We discuss ecofascism, and the importance of uplifting heritage and cultural uniqueness consciously. We talk about the entanglement of white supremacy and colonialism in our collective histories, and how to engage with Euro-traditional ecological knowledge with consideration of the modern context. We break down the difference between cultural exchange and cultural appropriation, discussing how conscious cultural exchange is imperative in the globalized world that we all now live in. We talk about the complexity of being descendants of settlers, and how to be respectful of history while still seeking belonging in the places we live. Finally, we talk about Ragnarok and the Year of Aun, two Nordic myths that can help us understand our current societal and ecological predicaments.

Follow Rune on Instagram and Twitter, but especially check out his YouTube Channel. To get you started, check out the video below, which we mentioned in the episode:

Please like, subscribe, and share this podcast if you enjoyed it. If you’d like to financially support the multimedia project Death in The Garden, please consider becoming a paid subscriber on Substack, or joining our Patreon.

Editing: Maren Morgan & Jake Marquez

Music: “Helvegen” by Wardruna

On this episode of “Death in The Garden,” we’re sharing a more produced podcast version of the recording of The Quantitative Cosmology: The Historical Precedent for George Monbiot's Worldview and its Implications Today for our podcast listeners who might not be subscribed to our Substack.

In this essay, I (Maren) explore the historical roots of the mechanistic, reductionistic, and ultimately quantitative worldview that undergirds society today and dictates how we understand the world. I use George Monbiot and his book Regenesis as a jumping off point to discuss how this worldview was first concieved by Plato, Pythagoras, and Aristotle; was gestated in the thousands of years following with Ptolemaic mathematics; was ultimately born through Kepler and Galileo; and was raised lovingly by Bacon and Descartes. I break down how this worldview has disenchanted and abstracted our connection to life itself, to the point where we deny our own felt experience if it isn’t backed up by numbers and data, as was evident (to me) in reading Monbiot’s book. At the end, I discuss the utility of this worldview, and deeply question the path we’re on, which is taking for granted this worldview as the only way of understanding the world, and our place within it.

We hope you enjoy this reading, and please, if you haven’t, subscribe to our Substack. Consider becoming a paid subscriber so we are more able to produce essays and researched content like this in the future. Or if you’d prefer, consider joining our Patreon community. We just created a new tier for $3 a month, which is less than a cup of coffee and helps cover some of Patreon’s fees! Editing: Jake Marquez & Maren Morgan

Music: “Dusty Room” by Evgeny Grinko