Blind Insights

A recent episode of The Mikhaila Peterson Podcast has inspired David to discuss the human side of self-help and the dangers of devoting life learnings to one source. Peterson himself will admit that he is not the source of all knowledge, and in this case isn't qualified to prescribe drugs, so it comes as no surprise that during the chaos of his life that he was prescribed with a hell of a drug cal...

This episode of Blind Insights discusses the masterful book that touts being part biography and part political and economic commentary by Zach D. Carter , a reporter at the Huffington Post in the US. "The Price of Peace: Money, Democracy, and the Life of John Maynard Keynes" is a fantastic read for anyone, no economics interest or understanding required. Though the book tells a riveting story abou...

In this episode of Blind Insights, David and Tim are joined by James Nestor, author of Deep: Freediving, Renegade Science, and what the Ocean Tells Us About Ourselves David has been fascinated by James Nestor's work in a part science, part anthropology, part philosophy, and utter genius book that is a fantastic social commentary and looks into the fascinating sport of freediving. The book draws on...

Inspired by Timothy Wilson's Social Science experiment involving a voluntary 15 minutes of boredom in a plain room or an electric shock, a 'shocking' amount of people, especially men, chose the pain option over sitting with their thoughts for a short time. With the many possible causes and implications of these findings, David and Tim just had to talk about it and consider the dangers of distracti...

Civil-military relations can seem like daunting jargon to most civilians, but it refers to how the military engages with the public it defends. In the case of America, the largest military force in the world, it is very important what civil-military relations are like, and it is even more important when ex-military leaders talk about politics. For a traditionally taboo subject for military leaders...

While chaos plagues the streets of the US in the name of justice for George Floyd and for seriously disaffected black Americans we could be on the brink of serious change for America. This begs the question, what should we change in order to lift people out of disadvantage and suffering in a western democracy like Australia or the US where black populations experience radically different opportuni...

Through following Penny Locaso's LinkedIn page David noticed some very admirable and interesting ideas about connecting people through the strange period of the COVID-19 crisis. We knew that we had to get Penny back on the podcast to discuss the merits of such an exercise. Penny, David, and Tim discuss how we as humans adapt to the unfamiliarity of the world we live in through restrictions and wha...

It's been 6 weeks and David is finally allowed outside after 6 weeks of isolation. The mental maps and habitual practices that go unconscious for normally abled folk are pivotally important for David as he navigates through familiar territory with the distant memory of the journey ahead. In this bonus episode, David tells us about his first experience in the new world of loosened restrictions with...

Boys are growing up without fathers, getting addicted to drugs, doing worse in schools, getting incarcerated, and committing suicide. With all the inequality in the world, how do we tackle these issues? How are men meant to establish a sense of meaning while their traditions are being torn down from their patriarchal heritage? Warren Farrell and Philip Zimbardo have written some excellent literatu...

Gabrielle Bond and Steven Hail of the Just Transition Action Group asked David to give a Q&A forum vis Zoom moderated by Tim. The central point of discussion was about the comparatively fluid and cohesive undertaking of advice surrounding the COVID-19 crisis as opposed to the societal attitudes towards Climate Action, especially in Australia. With a focus on what individuals and groups can do...

The fourth estate is an indirect and significant form of influencing the democratic process, so who and what we listen to is incredibly significant. So our broad society is controlled by journalists, and more aptly, editors who dictate the conversations we have, so why isn't the media held accountable? Can the media be held accountable? What can we do as a grassroots podcast to change the media la...

Nations around the world are trying a variety of policy settings to cope with the unique set of economic circumstances that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused. In Australia we have guaranteed payments to a large portion of the population, and provided welfare to those affected at previously inconceivable levels. The neoliberal establishment is going to have a hard time returning to status quo after...

In this raw episode get an inside look at how to calculate the expenses of inaction on climate with a candid and minimally-produced conversation with Ecological Economist at the University of Adelaide, Phil Lawn. For context, this conversation was recorded in late 2019, so Tim and David met with Phil in the studio to gain a very insightful and descriptive basis for Phil's work. We often talk about...

Live from the quarantine bunkers (via the wonders of the internet) David and Tim explain what's worth worrying about and what we can do to calm the masses of very vulnerable and terrified people. Despite the complexity and bleakness of days ahead, there is a lot to feel opportunistic about, but fear has taken the driver's seat for most of us. Why? There's a lot of science and ancient ideas to back...

COVID-19 has brought about a socially depraved new world, but the health crises have consequences in ways not all of us have considered, and not all of us are appropriately reacting to. Tim and David ruminate on the consequences socially and economically, then the security issues caused by COVID-19 and address some of the health scares and hysteria. We are not health professionals, please seek hea...

Fairly tumultuous times have occurred throughout history, but few compare to WWI, so why does David think it gave way to the golden age of human development? Australia and many other countries are facing crises that are likely to last for a long time and have consequences we haven't even thought about - but there's a lot to look forward to if that's the case. We're not being sadistic, Tim and Davi...

As a shorter, more shareable update on the COVID19 pandemic, David has recorded an announcement from home to update listeners on best practice. We are not health professionals, but we have thoughtful and well-read responses to the threats that face our communities. We need to be thoughtful about our actions in the world and be considerate of those most at risk. If you have any thoughts, questions,...

How are we as a society dealing with #coronapocalypse? The toilet paper company stocks might suggest we aren't coping well at all. Between Australia's media, Government, and cultural practices the Novel Corona Virus has highlighted a lot of problems for us to deal with now and into the future. The world has a lot on its plate but the point is to be alert and not alarmed. Tim and David discuss what...

Dr Liz Elliott is an academic cartoonist & author concerned with sustainable economies. She has opposed treaties, Big Banks & centralization ideas, and supported localisation & Love for many years. Her book A New Way Now is a diagnosis for Australia and a progressive prescription for individuals and society to do and feel better. This podcast doesn't specifically tackle MMT, but instea...

In light of all that David and Tim learned at the 2020 sustainable prosperity conference, it seems like change is needed, but is it possible? There is a lot to like about the world we live in by comparison with even 50 years ago, but there's a lot we could do better, and yet it feels harder to make changes. What is the health of western democracy in 2020, and how did we get here? Is there another...

Bill Mitchell is a founder of Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) and a leading academic in the campaign for full employment. He is a co-author of Reclaiming the State: A Progressive Vision of Sovereignty for a Post-Neoliberal World and has several honours and academic positions internationally, including being the director of the Centre of Full Employment and Equity (CofFEE). If you don't already unders...

Andrés Bernal is an Advisor to U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Andrés' research focuses on the political economy and policy design of the Green New Deal as well as the intersection of functional finance with democratic institution-building and the social/solidarity economy. Andrés is a well-regarded proponent of MMT in the United States of America, and a signific...

Robert Costanza is an ecological economics professor and the Vice Chancellor's Chair in Public Policy at the Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University. Professor Costanza is the author or co-author of over 600 scientific papers and 27 books . Bob is incredibly concerned with the importance of natural and social capital and brings several disciplines together to assess...

Labour underutilisation, or unemployment, is not an acceptable state for Martin Watts an Emeritus Professor at the University of Newcastle. Despite being retired, Martin is also a Research Associate at the Centre of Full Employment and Equity ( CofFEE ). Martin is a proponent of the Job Guarantee, an important part of the Just Transition or Green Transition proposed throughout the conference. Mart...

Dr James Juniper is a lecturer in economics at the University of Newcastle, and an expert in the insufficiencies of neoclassical models, as demonstrated in his book The Economic Philosophy of the Internet of Things . The ecological economics approach to MMT that James brings to the sustainability conversation takes the MMT lens away from infinite growth models and toward expanded resource-based th...