COP28 and the Smoke Under the Door | Frankly #50

WHAT IF - there was a technology that allowed people in a room to ask completely anonymous questions, with no recourse to their reputation or job or status?

Humans are social primates -we REALLY care about social appearance, status and public perception. Our default mode when we see a novel event is to look to others -if they are agitated, then we become so, if they are unconcerned, then so are we. This was highlighted in the 'Smoke Under the Door' study where 90% of people failed to react/report smoke coming under a door in their room if two other (confederate) humans seemed unconcerned.

The upshot -in our modern lives, we end up using social sorting mechanisms to solve physical world problems. This is evidenced at the current COP28 in Dubai - where the REAL questions can't be stated aloud due to a social glass ceiling on what can be said. With an anonymous tech that removed this 'glass ceiling', what might some of the questions be at COP28? And how might this 'stretching the Overton window of what can be said' affect the accelerating human predicament?  This weeks Frankly is a thought experiment on this theme, both for COP/climate and for broader sensemaking/conversations on the human predicament. (13 minutes)

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In case you missed it…

For last week’s 100th episode, I was interviewed by my friend and colleague in the metacrisis space, Kate Raworth. The conversation is a reflection on the past two years of podcasting – and how my worldview has evolved because of it. What fundamental concepts could help us better understand the trends happening around us and the potential futures they point to? With so many moving pieces, how can we begin to create a coherent story of the world around us and - even more difficult - start preparing responses to coming challenges? What should individuals aware of these converging crises be thinking about in order to prepare themselves, their families, and their communities for a materially smaller future?

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