This conversation was recorded on Feb. 25, 2018, at Eagle Harbor Book Company on Bainbridge Island, WA. Jeremy Lent is the author of The Patterning Instinct: A Cultural History of Humanity’s Search for Meaning (Prometheus Books, 2017).

The video has been organized as a series of 13 short, 2- to 6-minute clips, with a reading from the book by Jeremy and comments from David (#1 and #2), followed by discussion between Jeremy and David on a variety of related topics (see list below).

(After the first video plays, click on “Playlist (13)” and the series will play automatically.)

Video clips:

  1. Jeremy reads from his book, The Patterning Instinct
  2. David comments on Jeremy’s book
  3. Jeremy and David discuss…”Can we shift culture rapidly enough?”
  4. The cultural foundations of China’s Ecological Civilization
  5. How non-Western cultures emphasize human connectedness
  6. Recognizing our place in the Living Earth
  7. The perils, delusions, and hope of modern technology
  8. Human nature as fundamentally community oriented
  9. Learning from other cultures – without idealizing them
  10. What is the most important message you can offer to humanity?
  11. Does human history show moral progress?
  12. Are humans really unique in nature?
  13. What could a non-dualistic approach to technology look like?