Shows
Solving Gun ViolenceThe International Black Market for U.S. Firearms – Topher McDougal on how the illicit gun trade undermines safetyEditors note: This conversation makes briefreference to Venezuela and was recorded before the recent events in the country.This episode takes a deep dive into the illicit firearms trade between the United States and Mexico. We interview Professor Topher McDougal of San Diego's Kroc School of Peace Studies who studies the economics of gun violence through an international lens. In the conversation Dr. McDougal and student-host Andrew Chand explore the impact these markets have on public safety, what dynamics are driving the problem, and how you even measure a black market. Listen to learn more!...
2026-01-2937 min
History of Philosophy Audio ArchiveAcid Communism: Philosopher Emma Stamm on Mark Fisher's Unfinished Manuscript, Capitalist Realism, the Slow Cancellation of the Future, Joe Rogan, Critical Theory, AI, and Life in Para-AcademiaHemlock #42 - Support the History of Philosophy Audio Archive on Patreon, and follow William Engels's writing on Substack.I am joined on this episode by independent writer and philosopher Emma Stamm to discuss the late, great, Mark Fisher. Emma is a member of the theory collective LEPHT HAND, and she has a new online course enrolling soon/now on Mark Fisher's "Acid Communism." You can also follow Emma's writing (Elf Theory) on Substack.SHOW NOTES:Books and Articles Referenced:Books by Mark Fisher:Acid Communism (Unfinished Introduction, 2016)...
2026-01-051h 50
The Skeptic Metaphysicians | A Pragmatic Guide to Spiritual Awakening, Metaphysics & EnlightenmentIs Earth Waking Up? AI, Gaia & the Rise of Planetary Consciousness & #SpiritualAwakeningIs Earth literally waking up? Not in a poetic, mystical sense, but in a real, scientific, and possibly terrifying way. In this mind-bending episode of The Skeptic Metaphysicians, we dive into one of the most provocative conversations we’ve ever hosted: the possibility that the Earth is evolving into a planetary superconsciousness, powered by artificial intelligence, fiber-optic nerve systems, and global institutions acting as synapses in a technological brain. Our guest, Topher McDougal, is not your typical spiritual thinker. He’s a Professor of Economic Develop...
2025-11-2651 min
Kroc PodGaia Wakes: When Earth Grows a BrainWhat happens when Earth itself starts to wake up? In this episode, Kroc School Prof. Topher McDougal joins us to talk about his new book Gaia Wakes, where he explores the idea of Earth’s emergent consciousness and the possibility of a global AI-powered governance system. From the collision of economics and ecology to the Butlerian Jihad of the Dune series, McDougal pushes us to rethink humanity’s role in an AI-dominated future.In this wide-ranging episode, we dive into Luddites, the idea of a grand bargain between humans and AI, and what it really means to have...
2025-10-1357 min
Give and TakeEpisode 302: Is the Earth Growing a Brain?...with Topher McDougalOn this episode of Give and Take, I talk with Topher McDougal, author of Gaia Wakes: Earth's Emergent Consciousness in an Age of Environmental Devastation. In the book, McDougal explores the provocative idea that the planet itself might be waking up—that Earth, long treated as a backdrop to human drama, is revealing itself as a conscious, responsive system in the midst of ecological crisis.
We talk about what it means to think of the Earth as a living, even sentient, entity; how this vision challenges modern science and philosophy; and why embracing a more relational way of...
2025-09-0953 min
Sustainability In Your EarSustainability In Your Ear: Author Topher McDougal Asks If Earth Is Evolving A Planetary ConsciousnessWhat if Earth is developing a planetary collective intelligence emerging from the convergence of ecological crisis, new global information systems, and the data-crunching capabilities of artificial intelligence? This provocative question drives economist Topher McDougal's book, Gaia Wakes: Earth's Emergent Consciousness in an Age of Environmental Devastation. On this episode of Sustainability In Your Ear, explore McDougal's sweeping theory that our planet may be in the early stages of developing what he calls a "Gaiacephalos"—a planetary consciousness that could fundamentally reshape humanity's role in the global ecosystem. McDougal opens his book with a striking metaphor from Star Trek: The Next Ge...
2025-08-2540 min
The Conversation WeeklyThe trafficked American guns fuelling Mexico’s cartel violenceMore than two thirds of guns recovered at Mexican crime scenes originate in the U.S. For decades, Mexico has struggled with staggering levels of gun violence fuelled in large part by weapons trafficked across its northern border. Now an investigation published by The Conversation has arrived at a new estimate of the scale of this illicit gun trade between the U.S. and Mexico in 2022: 135,000 guns. Investigative journalist Sean Campbell and Topher McDougal, a professor of economic development at the University of San Diego, spent a year combing through multiple databases and court documents...
2025-05-2941 min
History of Philosophy Audio ArchiveHemlock #16: Gaia Wakes 2: Topher McDougal on Planetary Consciousness, AI Personhood and Risk, Economies of Predation and Production, Abolitionism for Sentience, and the Light at the End of the TunnelTOPHER'S BOOK:https://a.co/d/izl2PvHCome join the Patreon!https://patreon.com/c/HemlockPatreonBy the way here's what Google Gemini has to say about our conversation:In a conversation centered around author Topher McDougal's new book Gaia Wakes, McDougal and host William Engels delve into the complex relationship between humanity, technology, and the future of the planet. With the book's release imminent, McDougal notes increased media attention and requests to discuss his work. The discussion immediately touches upon the rapid, exponential growth of AI computing...
2025-05-181h 58
Feel The Thought-Provoking Full Audiobook Experience!Gaia Wakes by Topher McDougalPlease visithttps://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/2/audible/57804to listen full audiobooks.
Title: Gaia Wakes
Author: Topher McDougal
Narrator: Topher McDougal
Format: mp3
Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
Release date: 04-09-25
Ratings: Not rated yet
Genres: Science
Publisher's Summary:
Gaia Wakes presents a compelling new framework for understanding the past, present, and future of our planet. Starting from a strong foundation in economics and drawing on a vast range of multidisciplinary scholarship, Topher McDougal explores the possibility of a fifth transition towards an upgraded Earth: the development of a technologically enabled planetary brain capable of coordinating ecological functions and peering far into...
2025-04-0912h 17
History of Philosophy Audio ArchiveHemlock #12 - Gaia Wakes: My Conversation with Topher McDougal on AI, Climate Change, Nuclear Weapons, Planetary Consciousness, David Graeber, Gregory Bateson, Technological Lifeforms, and EvolutionFollow Topher's Work:https://tophermcdougal.com/Buy the book, Gaia Wakes:https://cup.columbia.edu/book/gaia-wakes/9781788218283Follow Topher on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/topherlmcdougalCome join me on Patreon:https://patreon.com/HemlockPatreonClarifications:Prokaryotes emerged 3.5-.3.8 billion years ago (BYA), eukaryotes/endocytosis emerged 2 BYA.Chapters(00:00:00)-Introduction to Gaia Wakes and Its Themes(00:09:06)-The Intellectual Clash of the Cold War(00:16:06)-The Dialectic of Predation and Domestication(00:50:01)-The Emergence...
2025-03-112h 47
At the Edge of it AllForensic Economics: Tracking the Impact of Black MarketsTopher McDougal, associate professor of economic development, talked to “At the Edge of it All” about his work researching illicit trade markets — like illegal gun sales. Without things like quarterly earnings reports to draw from, how do we figure out the economic scope of these underground industries and quantify their impact on society?
2023-03-0814 min