The player is loading ...
The Human Idea: Exploring Nature’s Newest Ecosystem w/Anne Riley
Is it possible to know the nature of humans without the benefit of religion or philosophy?
Sean’s Monologue: The 2024 Election
Today Coup Save America welcomes Anne Riley, author of the upcoming book The Human Idea: Nature's Newest Ecosystem and the brilliant mind behind the “ideasphere.” Ideas are a human concept, and Anne is confident that we can design collaborative systems – such as governments, institutions, and tax and elections systems – that will serve our country better if we use similar structures to the ones nature uses to keep her own long-lasting and proven collaborative systems functioning.
Anne talks about the fifty years she’s spent pondering the question of where human beings fit into the scheme of nature and how Michael Rothschild’s book Bionomics, Economics as Ecosystem helped her to think in a new direction and solidify her own ideas. Anne describes government as a coordinating mechanism in both humans and nature, how that works, and why it’s important.
Anne explains the deceptively simple nature of life & how it complies with the ecosystem around it, then goes on to tell us that “choice” is the human superpower – both for better and for worse. Anne and Sean discuss how choice is different from free will and they explore the reasons why people hang on to bad ideas. Anne believes that the whole job of young adulthood is to unlearn everything we’ve learned and figure out which human ideas actually work for us.
Anne helps us to understand that our government does not function well because it defies the rules of nature. She tells us how democracy came about, why it was such a great idea, and what other ideas have gotten in the way of it. Anne’s one basic tenant for having healthy societies is “Hey, do what you want, but don’t harm others in the process.” What is harm and how can harm be regulated? And how does AI fits into the ideasphere?
Anne shares her vision of the “idealsphere” – the perfect combination of nature’s systems with an ability to make choices. If society could work in a way similar to how the human body functions, how would this address issues like education and income inequality? Listen to Anne’s well thought out proposal for a 4th branch of government & how it would work to improve democracy.
Unlike many Coup Save America guests, Anne is a proponent of capitalism. Listen to hear her reasons for supporting capitalism and why she feels this system can maximize choice while minimizing harm. Anne explains how institutions evolved within the ideasphere, then the conversation turns to some of Sean’s favorite subjects - hunter/gatherer societies and life in Nordic countries. The episode concludes with a discussion of the “wild west” we’ve been haplessly thrown into – the Internet and social media. Anne cringes at how humans were not prepared for an informational tool so vast, and she talks about how we as a society need help learning how to manage and navigate the Internet, and especially tools to help us discern lies from the truth online.
The Human Idea: Nature's Newest Ecosystem will be available soon wherever books are hold + you can learn more about the ideasphere by following Anne on social media:
https://www.facebook.com/anne.riley.16144606/
Anne Riley
Anne Riley is an MBA with experience in multiple industries. She has been on a lifelong quest to understand how humans logically fit into life's panorama.
Studying the works of Charles Darwin, Stephen Jay Gould, and Michael Rothschild among many others, set her on the course of discovery.
Immersing herself in the basic knowledge of physics, chemistry, biology, economics, and government, gave her the foundation for a new way of thinking about humans.
And COVID gave her the time to hammer out the structure and details of a brand new theory of human ideas.
She is the author of The Human Idea which will be published in November of 2024, as well as three other books available on Amazon: DINA: Nature's Case For Democracy, Aerie, and Elusive.
She lives in the midwest, is married to her high school sweetheart, and has three children and two lovely granddaughters.
Listen On
