The Web of Meaning with Jeremy Lent

Produced by KSQD90.7FM

“The Web of Meaning” on "Be Bold America!" April 15, 2021

Who am I? Why am I? How should I live? These are some of the oldest questions humans have grappled with. In our modern, high-tech society we may seem to have the answers. After all, hasn’t science shown that humans are hardwired for selfishness? That we are separate from nature (which is ours to exploit)? That we do best when left alone to pursue our own individual goals? In his new book, “The Web of Meaning: Integrating Science and Traditional Wisdom to Find Our Place in the Universe,” award-winning author Jeremy Lent answers with a resounding “no”—not because he doesn’t like these conclusions, but because the latest science shows them to be false.

This groundbreaking new book weaves together the latest scientific findings and age-old philosophical insights to show how some of our most ingrained beliefs about human nature and the world are mistaken—and offers a powerful alternative to help us heal a planet in peril.

Interview Guest:

Jeremy Lent, described by The Guardian journalist George Monbiot as “one of the greatest thinkers of our age,” is an author and speaker whose work investigates the underlying causes of our civilization’s existential crisis, and explores pathways toward a life-affirming future. Born in London, England, Lent received a BA in English Literature from Cambridge University, an MBA from the University of Chicago, and was a former internet company CEO. His award-winning book, The Patterning Instinct: A Cultural History of Humanity's Search for Meaning, explores the way humans have made meaning from the cosmos from hunter-gatherer times to the present day. He is founder of the nonprofit Liology Institute, dedicated to fostering an integrated worldview that could enable humanity to thrive sustainably on the Earth, and he writes topical articles exploring the deeper patterns of political and cultural developments at Patterns of Meaning. He lives with his partner in Berkeley, California. Learn more by visiting: www.jeremylent.com.

“One of the most brilliant and insightful minds of our age, Jeremy Lent has written one of the most essential and compelling books of our time. TheWeb of Meaning invites us to rethink at the deepest level who we are as a species and what we might become.”—David Korten, author, When Corporations Rule the World and The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community