Forest of Thought

"Crisis" was a topic that came up many times in this season of the podcast, in discussions on everything from pandemics, to climate change, to spiritual transformation, and healing. In this episode, wandering host Ingrid Rieser offers a personal reflection on the true meaning of crisis. Find a transcript of this episode at www.forestofthought.com  LINKS: Quotes on Egyptian mythology from Temple of...

Felix Marquardt used to enjoy a jet-setting lifestyle, advising CEOs and heads of state, and mingling at elite gatherings like the World Economic Forum in Davos. Now he is on a slow journey of recovery from substance abuse, and has recently published The New Nomads – a unique perspective on migration in our time. In this episode we talked about how patterns of addiction are playing out in all part...

Might harmful norms around masculinity be at the root of both men’s violence against women and the degradation of nature? In this episode we look more closely at men’s relationships their – to themselves, to other humans (especially women), to nature, and we ask the question: what becomes possible when men connect to what they most deeply long for? Vidar Vetterfalk is psychologist and expert in ma...

Does it still make sense to talk about climate change? This seems a strange question to ask, for someone who has spent much of his adult life talking to people about climate change, but it is the question writer Dougald Hine has found himself wondering about lately. When we talk about climate change, we are entering into a conversation that is framed by science, yet climate change also asks us que...

What is trauma? When we experience suffering or hardship we often feel this as a physical sensation in our bodies – we are “heartbroken” or have experienced something “gut-wrenching” or “bone-chilling”. The latest research is confirming that trauma and stress always have a bodily dimension – which is why therapies based on talking are not always enough. In this episode I’m joined by trauma consult...

What can the covid pandemic teach us about handling the climate crisis? We’ve seen that governments have not hesitated to take bold action when faced with this virus, by going into lockdowns and declaring states of emergency. Should we respond in a similar way to climate change? Or does emergency politics risk narrowing our field of view and undermine our democracies? Joining us in the Forest of T...

What is the true task of the architect? In this episode we talk to Peter Lynch about what the role of architecture really is. Can we create spaces that are more hospitable to both humans and other living beings? How can we truly get to know places – and the mysteries hidden beneath them? What is architecture's hidden spiritual dimension, and what does it take to create spaces more beautiful than w...

Words like culture and aesthetics make us think of grand museums and concert halls. But what if there is a deeper meaning to these words that we’ve forgotten? Meanings that are more grounded, more sensual and somehow related to the song of earthworms at work in our soil? And how do you learn to speak the secret language of microbes? We explore all of this and more in this episode with artist and c...

When our societies are faced with challenges we often call on science to provide us with the best course of action; we strive to make evidence-based decisions. But what assumptions are hiding behind this recipe for decision-making? And how can taking control of a situation reduce our capacity for responding with care? We delve back into the Forest of Thought today with Andy Stirling, Professor of...

Goodbye 2020, hello 2021. How do we start to make sense of one of the most turbulent, transformative and chaotic years in recent history? We’re always telling – and listening to – stories in order to make sense of the world around us. In this episode we explore how those narratives take shape and evolve over time, with the help of a journey to Ukraine. We also ask how we become better navigators i...

The US has been through several extremely turbulent months, and we’ve been yearning for deeper and more genuine conversations on these developments. What does this time of upheaval and polarization mean for the USA? How do questions of race and class connect? What are we learning about power and corruption – and what does it really mean to be free? In this special edition of the Forest of Thought...

What are really good conversations made of? And how is a dialogue similar to a work of art? In this episode I speak to facilitator, theatre director and writer Pernilla Glaser to explore the transformative power conversations, and discuss why we’re both obsessed with them. Pernilla Glaser runs the company Boiler and works at RISE (Research Institutes of Sweden), developing methods and leading proc...

It’s always hard to talk about our connection to "nature" because the wording already implies that nature is something other than ourselves. In this episode we talk to eco-philosopher Per Ingvar Haukeland about what a deeper engagement with the world would mean, and how we bring the aliveness of life itself into everything we do. We also delve into the power of trees, the deep ecology movement, an...

A wide-ranging conversation with astrophysicist Prof. Ulf Danielsson on how we understand this universe and why we keep confusing our maps with the territory. We also hear about a life-changing comet, a secret promise and why conscious machines are highly unlikely. Ulf Danielsson is professor of theoretical physics at Uppsala University, with a special research interest in dark energy and string t...

What is this this mysterious thing we call “an idea”? What is its nature and power? We posed these questions to human ecologist and historian of ideas Per Johansson, who had some unexpected and intriguing answers. Join us in our latest adventure into the Forest of Thought! Per has a PhD in human ecology, and a BA in the history of science and ideas. In 2007 he left his post as senior lecturer at L...

The big story of never-ending Progress has captured our imaginations for hundreds of years. But now we seem to be witnessing its unravelling. The search for other stories is no longer a fringe activity, but taking place in all parts of society. What do we want to keep from this story, and what do we leave behind? In this episode we explore the idea of Progress together with writer Dougald Hine. Te...

“The Future." We say the words all the time, but what do we really mean? How do our stories about yesterday and today help shape tomorrow? Could a different idea of the future change the present? And how are we all entangled in the mysterious process of bringing the future into being?! Join us for a session of playing with time, with Professor Keri Facer. Keri Facer is Professor of Educational and...

What is the corona crisis revealing to us – about our societies and about ourselves? Join us in conversation with activist and ecologist Pella Thiel as we discuss the deeper meaning of apocalypse, and how it is interwoven with hope and desire. Share and subscribe! Share your thoughts and stay in touch via FB , IG or at forestofthought.com LINKS TO THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT: About Pella: pellathiel.se...

Welcome to the new podcast, Forest of Thought! We hope to have conversations that explore the ideas we live by – re-examining the familiar and catching glimpses of the new. Read more at forestofthought.com. In today's episode we speak to economist Tim Parrique to explore what the mode of thinking called "economic rationality" really means, and how the logic of our economies might be changing as we...