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PODCAST

Human Nature Odyssey

Human Nature Odyssey: a podcast about humanity, civilization, and the fate of the world. You are living the latest chapter in a 10,000 year story. Join storyteller Alex Leff on a search for better ways to understand and more clearly experience the incredible, terrifying, and ridiculous world we live in. The first stop on our quest through a landscape of ideas and stories is the 1992 novel Ishmael by Daniel Quinn about a telepathic gorilla with great hope for humanity.

history

All Episodes

56:22

18 - Time Machine 2126 (Part 2): Techno-Utopia Or...

Human Nature Odyssey ·

2025/12/18

Picture the future 100 years from now. What do you imagine? Flying cars? Space colonies? AI talking toasters? But if we can't sustain an endlessly growing economy - even with a transition to green energy - what does a realistic and positive future look like? Alex joins the hosts of Crazy Town to imagine life in the 22nd century: walking from our family farms into communal villages, living off the land in a low-energy lifestyle, taming our pet donkeys, and resisting our local warlords. It's not the

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38:26

17 - Time Machine 2126 (Part 1): Has Green Energy...

Human Nature Odyssey ·

2025/12/04

What does a livable future look like 100 years from now? If we unlocked unlimited green energy, what would we actually do with it? And are our dreams of a renewable-energy utopia sometimes just as delusional as the fossil-fueled drill baby drill mentality? In this two-part series, Alex is joined by the hosts of Crazy Town—Jason Bradford, Rob Dietz, and Asher Miller—a research biologist, ecological economist, and Executive Director of the Post Carbon Institute, who bring a depth of knowledge as well

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31:00

Starting a Cosmic Commune: Inside Spaceship Earth and...

Human Nature Odyssey ·

2025/11/20

This is the first 30 minutes of a longer conversation. The full conversation is available on the Human Nature Odyssey Patreon. === In 1991, a group of artists, inventors, and visionaries set out to live inside a sealed desert enclosure for two years—a bold experiment to see if humans could survive in a self-contained environment. The project made headlines, sparked controversy, and became a cultural sensation. Spaceship Earth is the riveting documentary that tells the nuanced story of the people

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43:22

16 - How To Survive A Zombie Apocalypse

Human Nature Odyssey ·

2025/10/30

A horrific zombie apocalypse has ravaged the world—but hardly anyone seems to notice. One lone podcast sets out to interview those navigating this strange new reality: from people attending mindful zombie retreats and binging zombie media, to those stockpiling shotguns and fortifying bunkers, to others disappearing into the woods to build something entirely new. CREDITS This is an original script written by Alex Leff VOICE ACTING CREDITS Jason Bradford Rob Dietz Jake Gibson Maia Kinney-Petrucha

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35:02

Andor, Star Wars, Rebellion, and the Reality of Our...

Human Nature Odyssey ·

2025/10/16

This is the first 30 minutes of a longer conversation. The full conversation is available on the Human Nature Odyssey Patreon. === A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, there was an old Republic that, out of fear of a phantom menace, voted to consolidate authoritarian power—unknowingly sealing its own demise. It transformed into an Empire, bent on wielding its weapons of mass destruction to conquer all who dared resist. But don’t worry—this is just a story. It has nothing to do with us. After

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54:20

15 - Are Hunter-Gatherers Liberals or Conservatives?

Human Nature Odyssey ·

2025/09/25

Were hunter-gatherers the ultimate traditionalists—or proto-communists? Is it possible hunter-gatherers lived with greater equality and more political freedom than most societies today? And why do both communism and capitalism, despite being sworn enemies, rest on the same assumption of endless growth? Psychologist Jonathan Haidt argues that humans are wired with both liberal and conservative tendencies—and that societies function best when those forces stay in balance. Where can we find the

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31:56

And On The Eighth Day God Created AI

Human Nature Odyssey ·

2025/09/11

This is the first 30 minutes of a longer conversation. The full conversation is available on the Human Nature Odyssey Patreon. === Jake Marquez and Maren Morgan are fellow podcasters, filmmakers, and new friends. Starting today, the three of us are joining forces to create monthly bonus episodes where we’ll seek to better understanding this self-destructive civilizational 10,000 year predicament we find ourselves in. In this episode we discuss artificial intelligence. We found that despite all our

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01:12:16

Sex at Dawn, Civilized to Death, and Tangentially...

Human Nature Odyssey ·

2025/08/28

Christopher Ryan joins the odyssey to discuss human nature - shouldn’t be surprising - it’s in the name! What’s universal, what’s cultural, and what’s personal? Can we really change the culture we live in? And are some societies better suited to human well-being than others? Christopher Ryan is the New York Times bestselling author of Sex at Dawn: How We Mate, Why We Stray, and What It Means for Modern Relationships as well as the book Civilized to Death: The Price of Progress. He also hosts the

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01:02:30

14 - The King Is Dead, Now What? The 250-Year...

Human Nature Odyssey ·

2025/07/24

Breaking news: The Soviet Union has collapsed! The Berlin Wall has crumbled! Communism has fallen! Capitalism wins! USA! USA! But wait… what’s this? Russia has been overtaken by oligarchs and an authoritarian dictator. Oh no… Well, at least that could never happen in the United States. Right? This is the climactic Part Three of our three-part series on the history of the left/right political spectrum. After the youth protests of the 1960s failed to topple governments, left-wing radicalism shifted

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53:38

13 - The King Is Dead, Now What? The 250-Year...

Human Nature Odyssey ·

2025/06/26

In the The King Is Dead, Now What? we're exploring the history of the left / right political spectrum and the 250 year struggle for democracy. In Part 1 we started telling the story that began with the French Revolution of 1789, when those in favor of monarchy sat on the right wing of the national assembly room and those in favor of revolution sat on the left wing. In the wake of the 1848 revolutions, the struggle between left and right gave rise to three major political ideologies—conservatism,

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50:16

12 - The King Is Dead, Now What? The 250-Year...

Human Nature Odyssey ·

2025/05/22

How many people are happy with the way society is headed? There seems to be a general consensus - maybe the one thing we all agree on - that things are not right. But our different opinions on what’s wrong and what directions could be better too often fall on either side of a left vs right political spectrum. Where did we get this idea of a left wing and a right wing anyway? How is it in a world of such diversity of languages and traditions and religions there’s just two freakin’ wings? What are

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57:40

Genesis and the Rise of Civilization (Bonus Episode)

Human Nature Odyssey ·

2025/04/17

You are listening to a bonus episode of Human Nature Odyssey. This is a conversation with bible teacher and author J Snodgrass about his book "Genesis and the Rise of Civilization." You may remember from Episode 5 "Adam, Eve, and the Agricultural Revolution" that author Daniel Quinn theorized that the story of the Garden of Eden and Cain and Abel were originally told by hunter gatherers as a way to mythologically explaining the agricultural revolution they were witnessing around them. J Snodgrass,

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01:05:03

The Tower of Babel as Metaphor, Myth, or Reality...

Human Nature Odyssey ·

2025/03/20

You are listening to a bonus episode of Human Nature Odyssey. This is a conversation I had a little bit ago with D. Firth Griffith: farmer, author, and host of the Unshod podcast. Together we talk about the Tower of Babel as a metaphor for civilization, our relationship with technology, and whether humanity is the hero, victims, or villain of our global story. As Daniel wrote for the episode description: "The metaphor of the Tower of Babel serves as a philosophical lens through which we examine

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01:43:44

Death in the Garden with Jake Marquez and Maren...

Human Nature Odyssey ·

2025/02/20

If you are reading this that means you are about to listen to a special and temporary episode that in a month will only exist on the HNO Patreon. On our odyssey, we're going to need friends to help us along the way. Jake and Maren are exactly that - as well as hosts of their own podcast Death in the Garden. All you have to do is visit their website and you'll immediately know why I wanted to talk with them. In their own words, DITG is a "quest for ecological & cultural regeneration." In it they

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47:15

The LA Fires, Resilience, and a Special Announcement...

Human Nature Odyssey ·

2025/01/23

If you are reading this that means you are about to listen to a special and temporary episode that in a month will only exist on the HNO Patreon. Why? Well for two reasons. The first is I have a good announcement to make about the podcast and the second is because I needed to give myself a little more time to finish the next couple episodes I’m working on right now before releasing them soon. I figured it’d be nice to share something in the meantime. In this episode I share my reflections and

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58:21

Astrophysics for a New Stone Age with Tom Murphy

Human Nature Odyssey ·

2024/12/19

What will happen to our scientific knowledge if civilization collapses? Will astrophysics survive a future stone age? In this episode, we rest from our journey to talk with astrophysicist Tom Murphy, who’s been on an odyssey of his own—moving from academia to a growing concern about the collapse of civilization, to an ever expanding appreciation of the cosmos. Together we’ll gaze at the grandeur of the stars and marvel at the complexity of one of our oldest cousins: the amoeba. If you’re seeking a

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46:18

11 - Capitalism & Monopoly: Why The Best Board Games...

Human Nature Odyssey ·

2024/11/26

Looking for a game to play over the holidays? Why not try the real world global economy? Too late, you’re already playing it! In this episode, we use Immanuel Wallerstein’s World-Systems Analysis as our instruction manual to the game of colonization and exploitation. We explore how dominant countries rise and fall, the dance between capitalism and the state, and the unexpected truth about what real power looks like. Join us for a deep dive into empires, markets, mafias, and everyone’s favorite

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41:36

10 - Against Leviathan: An Anarchist Fairytale of the...

Human Nature Odyssey ·

2024/10/24

Gather around the campfire for a ghost story about the most destructive monster in history: civilization itself. In this episode, we delve into the countercultural writings of Fredy Perlman, whose strange 1983 book “Against His-Story, Against-Leviathan”—riddled with grammatical errors and misspellings—blends myth and history to explore the nature of power, subjugation, and the struggle between the rulers and the ruled. Our journey takes us back to ancient Sumer, where egalitarian hunter-gatherer

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45:52

Out of Society and Into the Wild: The Legend of...

Human Nature Odyssey ·

2024/09/19

In the spring of 1992, twenty-four-year-old Christopher McCandless left society behind, hitchhiking 3,000 miles into the Alaskan wilderness. Two years earlier, Chris had donated his entire life savings to Oxfam, burned his social security card, and headed west seeking life on his own terms - without telling a soul, particularly his parents. In this episode, we delve into Into the Wild's larger cultural implications, exploring the conflict between self and society, community and solitude

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55:58

Can We Escape Modern Civilization? A Conversation...

Human Nature Odyssey ·

2024/08/29

Is it possible to escape industrialism, capitalism, imperialism or are we trapped? Crazy Town podcast hosts Jason Bradford, Rob Dietz, and Asher Miller join us for a wide-ranging discussion of big topics like modern civilization’s converging crises, the concept of 'red pilling', and the 1993 Bill Murray classic film Groundhog Day. With equal parts humor and in-depth analysis, Asher, Rob, and Jason safeguard their sanity while probing crazy-making topics like climate change, overshoot, runaway

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31 results

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