Doomer Optimism

James Pogue describes his experience in Africa with Chris Mott and Ashley, including his experience getting detained in the Central African Republic, the role of empire and the United States in a deglobalizing world, and what this means for preparing for the future. James Pogue:  I’m a Contributing Editor at Harper’s, and write about national politics for Vanity Fair. I’ve written for The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, and the London Review of Books, among many others. I was a 2022 Alicia Patterson Fellow, and have received support from from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting. I live in Los Angeles, where I help run a native plant nursery. My first book is called Chosen Country: A Rebellion in the West. I have appeared on Real Time With Bill Maher, All In With Chris Hayes, NPR’s Today Explained, and many other TV and radio shows or podcasts. Dr. Chris Mott is an international relations scholar focused on historical geopolitics, grand strategy, and the intersection of defensive realism and conceptions of sovereignty in an era of increasing multi-polarity. He holds a Ph.D. in International Relations from the University of St Andrews, an MA in International Relations from London Metropolitan University, and a BA in History from Rutgers University. He has published a book, “The Formless Empire: A Short History of Diplomacy and Warfare in Central Asia,” on the rise of indigenous forms of geopolitical strategy on the Eurasian steppe, as well as numerous peer-reviewed and general audience articles on foreign policy and historical topics in a variety of places. Dr. Mott is currently a fellow at Defense Priorities in Washington DC and a former researcher and desk officer at the U.S. Department of State. Chris writes at https://geotrickster.com

Simon @‌simoningall, Kara @‌karakara98, and Anarcho-Contrarian 2.0 @‌waysyoucanstay sit down to discuss building a local community. They work through the challenges of returning home again, new ways to build a community for the future, and different scenarios of how to build a community dependent on your neighborhood.

In this episode, Brendan (@brendangrahamd1)and Jason talk about the meaning of metamodernism and how it relates to permaculture, the interplay of various forms of meaning-making, and how it translates into a theory of change and pragmatic action. Brendan also talks about his work at the Sky Meadow Institute, a retreat center and permaculture homestead in Vermont Brendan Graham Dempsey is a writer, poet, farmer, and the director of Sky Meadow Institute, an organization dedicated to promoting systems-based thinking about the things that matter most. He holds a BA in religious studies from the University of Vermont and a master's in religion and art from Yale University. He is the author of the 7-volume Metamodern Spirituality Series and, most recently, Metamodernism: Or, The Cultural Logic of Cultural Logics. His primary interests include theorizing developments in culture after postmodernism, productively bridging the divide between science and spirituality, and developing sustainable systems for life to flourish. All of these lead through the paradigms of emergence and complexity, which inform all of his work He hosts the podcast Metamodern Spirituality which can be found here: https://www.brendangrahamdempsey.com/metamodern-spirituality

Ashley, Jason, Nate, and Josh host a panel and audience discussion as part of Limicon, a month long event bringing together different strands of the ‘Liminal Web’. Main themes include the sensibility and meaning of doomer optimism and the recent trend towards traditional religion as a response to the meaning and civilizational crisis

Andy and Keturah are exploring the possibilities of where to raise their future family. Ashley and Patrick, on the far side of 7 years in Uruguay, discuss the pros and cons, where to live, and why.

James Poulos joins Donald to talk about Tocqueville, McLuhan, Orthodoxy, and "the digital politics of spiritual war." James Poulos helps advance enterprises impacting American life in technological, spiritual, and political ways. He is the co-founder and editor of The American Mind at the Claremont Institute, the founder and editorial director of RETURN, acquired by Blaze Media, and the host of Zero Hour at BlazeTV. He is the author of The Art of Being Free, Human Forever, and the forthcoming Pink Police State. Over nearly twenty years as a prolific writer, his columns and essays have been featured in publications spanning the spectrum of mainstream and independent media. He has appeared on numerous audio and video programs and regularly addresses domestic and international audiences. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from Duke University and a Ph.D. in Political Theory from Georgetown University, both with distinction. He lives in Los Angeles. Links: The American Mind: americanmind.org RETURN: blazemedia.com/return Zero Hour: https://www.theblaze.com/podcasts/zero-hour-with-james-poulos Human Forever: https://canonic.xyz/p/1YV9yExbmJ9mgBXNM81TouJuDtqxH2PpL @‌jamepoulos on Twitter

In this episode Jonathan and Jason talk about Jonathan’s relationship to the South, his Orthodox faith and Interest in Islamic history, anarcho-agrarianism, the commons, and his current efforts helping to catalyze urban community food forests in Chattanooga, Tennessee Food Forest Organization: chattanoogafoodforests.org Substack: https://jonathanparkesallen.substack.com Twitter: @‌Mar_Musa

Donald asked Ashley to sit down to think out loud about the pros and cons of continuing to devote time to podcasts, as both a creator and as a listener. Please feel free to weigh in on this topic in the YouTube comments!

A panel discussion talking about the brilliant book Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy - how it relates to DO themes of agrarianism, relationship, religion, and much more

Gord and the two Ashleys discuss the modern state of leftism: what remains of it, and how to navigate the upside-down world where the professional-managerial elites have hijacked the conversation.

Ashley invites Tim and Jordan to both share stories about their recent conversions to Christianity. We discuss the limits to rationality and the importance of relationship, place and people.

Nate and Jeffrey Bilbro of Front Porch Republic sit down and discuss agrarianism. Rather than simply a general term for rural life, they discuss the economic, philosophical and moral aspects of agrarianism that make it a holistic approach to human individual and social life, distinct from the overly ideological -isms of capitalism and communism that have dominated 20th century social and political thought. Jeffrey Bilbro is an Associate Professor of English at Grove City College. He grew up in the mountainous state of Washington and earned his B.A. in Writing and Literature from George Fox University in Oregon and his Ph.D. in English from Baylor University. His books include Reading the Times: A Literary and Theological Inquiry into the News, Loving God’s Wildness: The Christian Roots of Ecological Ethics in American Literature, Wendell Berry and Higher Education: Cultivating Virtues of Place (written with Jack Baker), and Virtues of Renewal: Wendell Berry’s Sustainable Forms.

This is a syndicated episode where Grin and Jackson invited Ashley on their podcast, Campfire, to talk about Doomer Optimism and where it intersects with their project, Cabin, building a network of modern villages. https://campfire-by-cabin.simplecast.com/episodes/37-homesteading-homeschooling-and-home-economics-with-ashley-colby-fitzgerald-and-grin Campfire is produced by Cabin, which is comprised of internet friends building a global network of modern villages. Learn more at cabin.city Read more about the future of living at futureofliving.substack.com Ashley Colby Fitzgerald is a cohost of Doomer Optimism and founder of the Rizoma Field School. This episode explores how to prep for periods of instability, varying methods of homeschool, localism, agroecology, relationships in a time of crises, and integrating children into intentional communities. Cabin's technical lead (Grin) joins as cohost. Twitter: Ashley: @‌RizomaSchool Jackson Steger @‌JacksonSteger Grin: @‌grin_io

We speak with founder and editor-in-chief of Low Tech Magazine, Kris de Decker, about his work since 2007 highlighting technologies of yesteryear, developing simple and low-cost energy systems to run his apartment and publishing, building un-hackable websites powered completely off of solar, and advocating demand-side management as a superior approach to sustainability. https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com https://www.notechmagazine.com Support the work of Kris and his collaborators by purchasing low-tech versions of his online magazine, AKA books (compendiums of website content)!

Living Energy Farm is a pioneering off-grid project in central Virginia. They have developed relatively low-cost methods for taking advantage of solar energy in the form of passive solar-thermal systems for space heating and water heating as well as DC electricity. Their “DC microgrids” systems power household appliances and computers/phones, in addition to a wide array of hand tools and shop tools. This is accomplished by efficient “daylight drive” using power from PV panels to directly run DC motors, or by using energy stored in robust nickel-iron batteries. They have also prototyped an array of low-cost homestead technologies used for biogas systems, drying seeds and foodstuffs, harvesting crops and doing other “tractor work.” This fast-paced conversation outlines the technologies developed by LEF and contextualizes them in Alexis’ and community members’ philosophy of practical non-nonsense environmental technologies for achieving good quality of life as an antidote to typical, mainstream, middle class, bourgeois environmentalism. Learn more about their work: livingenergyfarm.org livingenergylights.com

Tessa Carman and Ashley reminisce about their time at the Front Porch Republic Conference before moving on to discuss the educational and life philosophy of Charlotte Mason. Tessa Carman writes and teaches in Maryland. With J.C. Scharl in 2022, she translated the Old English vision poem The Dream of the Rood. Her writing can be found at tessacarman.wordpress.com. Here are a few pieces that may be of interest to DO listeners: “Children Are Born Persons: Exploring Charlotte Mason’s First Principle of Education” “Nurturing Goodness: Exploring Charlotte Mason’s Second Principle of Education” “Authority and Docility: Exploring Charlotte Mason’s Third Principle of Education” “Fleeing the Ephemeral and Pursuing the Eternal,” Front Porch Republic, July 4, 2023 "Joining the Dance: Setting Aside Screens to Build the City,” Front Porch Republic, November 15, 2022 “Following Christ in the Machine Age: A Conversation with Paul Kingsnorth,” Mere Orthodoxy, September 13, 2022 “A Time to Replant, a Time to Rebuild,” Fare Forward, May 26, 2021

Welcome to a special roundtable milestone episode of Doomer Optimism. Ashley, Jason, Donald, Josh, Simon, Nate, and Tres get together to reflect on the journey of the podcast, where it is at now, and where they and the podcast are headed next.

Join us in this episode as Ashley and Nate delve into reforming agriculture with Greg Gunthorp. Greg reflects on the evolution of agriculture and his dedication to reforming the industry alongside Ashley and Nate. Greg Gunthorp is a proud independent family farmer at Gunthorp Farms. With a deep-rooted commitment to sustainable and high-quality farming practices, Greg continues the family legacy of rearing pasture-raised pigs. His unwavering dedication to preserving traditional values while navigating the challenges of the modern agricultural landscape sets him apart as a resilient and forward-thinking steward of the land.

Ashley, Donald and Josh discuss what would happen in the case of a digital apocalypse and how to embrace lower technologies from landline phones to family poetry readings.

Tres Crow and Sim Gooder talk with Kevin Espiritu about Epic Gardening, food production maxing, inspiring your neighbours, critical mass of small-scale food production, and running a seed business in the age of the internet. Kevin Espiritu is the founder and CEO of Epic Gardening, the world’s most-followed gardening brand and online garden store. As a self-taught gardener, Espiritu has spent over a decade producing educational gardening content across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, the Epic Gardening podcast, and the Epic Gardening website. He’s amassed over 3.6 million social media followers, 11 million podcast downloads, and 42 million blog visits. Additionally, Espiritu has authored two books, ‘Field Guide to Urban Gardening: How to Grow Plants, No Matter Where You Live” and “Grow Bag Gardening: The Revolutionary Way to Grow Bountiful Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, and Flowers in Lightweight, Eco-friendly Fabric Pots.” Kevin currently lives in San Diego, California, at his Epic Homestead. His favorite plants are beans and peas.