At a Distance

Marion Weiss and Michael Manfredi, co-founders of the New York–based architectural design firm Weiss/Manfredi, talk with us about creating environments that encourage slowing down, why all five senses matter in architecture, and the surprising ways in which public spaces serve and support people in times of crisis.

Somerset, England–based farmer Chris Smaje, author of the new book “A Small Farm Future: Making the Case for a Society Built Around Local Economies, Self-Provisioning, Agricultural Diversity, and a Shared Earth,” discusses incentivizing a new generation of farmers, the problems inherent with cheap food, and how reconnecting people with nature could impact the “bullshit jobs” phenomenon.

Jess Scully, deputy lord mayor of Sydney, Australia, and author of the new book “Glimpses of Utopia: Real Ideas for a Fairer World,” speaks with us about bringing indigenous knowledge into modern society, how increased citizen participation in politics could transform government policy, and why caring and creating are the economy’s most future-proof skill sets.

Poet and essayist Elisa Gabbert, author of the new book “The Unreality of Memory: And Other Essays,” talks with us about why the 24-hour news cycle fuels a demand for disasters, how false memories are created, and the emotional difficulty of responding to big, invisible threats like the climate crisis.

Ben Adida, executive director of the nonprofit Voting Works, discusses how to build more resilient voting systems, the reason for paper ballots, and why the best response to digital warfare is a slower, more considered approach to consuming information.

British philosopher Kate Soper, author of the new book “Post-Growth Living: For an Alternative Hedonism,” speaks with us about why people reject the idea of an absolute truth, how alarmist narratives fail the climate conversation, and slowing down and downsizing as a means for a more satisfying life.

Walter Hood, founder and creative director of Hood Design Studio and co-author of the forthcoming book “Black Landscapes Matter,” talks with us about how his new proposal for Washington, D.C.’s National Mall Tidal Basin could facilitate unity, why spaces that elicit discomfort are a step toward reconciliation, and the importance of investing in people and places that society takes for granted.

London-based economist Paola Subacchi, author of the new book “The Cost of Free Money: How Unfettered Capital Threatens Our Economic Future,” discusses the financial impact of the coronavirus, similarities between trade and currency, and how wealth inequality is fueling the United States’s current political climate.

Regan Ralph, founding president and CEO of the Fund for Global Human Rights, speaks with us about the importance of “trust-based philanthropy,” funding decentralized movements, and what social-change organizations can learn from local activists.

Cuban-born, Los Angeles–based artist, author, and former scientist Enrique Martínez Celaya talks with us about the problematic relationship between the art market and artists’ practices, the consciousness-raising power of science, and finding clarity in moments of uncertainty by looking in the mirror.

Gregg Buchbinder, CEO of the American furniture maker Emeco, discusses the motivation behind the company’s recently launched carbon footprint calculator, why planned obsolescence should be illegal, and how his team transformed plastic bottles into a series of recyclable chairs.

Self-described “fermentation fetishist” Sandor Katz, author of the new book “Fermentation as Metaphor,” speaks with us about how the pandemic has revealed our food systems’ vulnerabilities, why fermentation is integral to human culture, and what he learned from eating “stink heads” in Alaska.

Composer, artist, and writer Paul D. Miller talks with us about social media’s “computational propaganda,” the need to trust science over belief, and how his multimedia project “Quantopia” unpacks the history and evolution of the internet.

Artist, aesthetics expert, and writer Leonard Koren, author of the new book “Musings of a Curious Aesthete,” discusses the psychological benefits of bathing, how “action intellectuals” harness life’s experiences, and the enlightenment that comes from looking at things from a new perspective.

Physicist and climate researcher Dr. Friederike Otto, author of the new book “Angry Weather: Heat Waves, Floods, Storms, and the New Science of Climate Change,” speaks with us about the nuances of understanding real-time weather data, why climate change is a social issue, and how suing fossil fuel companies can help change their business models, regardless of the legal outcome.

Writer and journalist Hari Kunzru, author of the new novel “Red Pill” and host of the Into the Zone podcast, talks with us about the unsettling concept of “hyperstition,” how isolation exacerbates feelings of unreality, and the fine line between the logical and the illogical.

Switzerland-based designer Ini Archibong, whose pavilion for the African diaspora will debut at the London Design Biennale in 2021, discusses his personal definition of Black privilege, why hurting others only hurts yourself, and the social responsibility that stems from recognizing that everything is interconnected.

Bina Venkataraman, editorial page editor of The Boston Globe and author of the book “The Optimist’s Telescope: Thinking Ahead in a Reckless Age,” speaks with us about replacing short-term metrics with milestones, the power of imaginative empathy, and the need for newspaper opinion sections to prioritize evidence-based thinkers over ideological diversity.

Attorney, political activist, and antitrust and corruption expert Zephyr Teachout, author of the new book “Break ’Em Up: Recovering Our Freedom From Big Ag, Big Tech, and Big Money,” talks with us about the parallels between America’s tech giants and organized crime, why boycotting doesn’t equal political action, and voting as a tool to achieve meaningful ends.

Sound therapist and meditation teacher Sara Auster speaks with us about how trauma helped her become a more empathetic educator, the real definition of a “healer,” and why sound baths can facilitate a deeper sense of self.

Journalist Erin Geiger Smith, author of the book “Thank You for Voting: The Maddening, Enlightening, Inspiring Truth About Voting in America,” talks with us about the fallacy of voter fraud, how the complications of voting by mail differ from state to state, and the missed opportunities of political conventions.

Fashion journalist Dana Thomas, author of the book “Fashionopolis: The Price of Fast Fashion and the Future of Clothes,” discusses how the pandemic promotes a more conscious approach to dressing, why overproduction remains the clothing industry’s biggest problem, and the environmental damage caused by the binge-and-purge cycle of “fashion bulimia.”

Dr. Christine Montross, author of the new book “Waiting for an Echo: The Madness of American Incarceration” and an associate professor at Brown University, speaks with us about developing a more empathic understanding of isolation, the resilience that comes with collectively undergoing a harrowing experience, and the misconceptions that form when prison inmates are seen as “other” by society.

Angela Glover Blackwell, founder in residence of the research and advocacy institute PolicyLink and host of the Radical Imagination podcast, talks with us about how the pandemic has put a magnifying lens on the correlation between racism and poverty, the power of asking for what you want, and why solving problems for those most left behind in society benefits everyone.