21st Century Renaissance: our new podcast series

Pandemics. Geopolitical conflicts. Climate change. Ecological collapse.
Technological dystopia. Social upheaval. Culture wars. Nuclear threats.

Amidst zeitgeist of the early 21st Century, we search for harbingers of creative rebirth.

Taking cues from the European Renaissance, which emerged from the Dark Ages amidst plagues, trade, and wars, we fancy a new renaissance in the context of this century, as we confront a potent mix of humanity-level existential challenges. What might enable a desperately-needed renewal, and catalyze a profound transformation? What lessons can we learn from history? How can we shape the future for better trajectories? How will the changing world order hasten or hinder such trajectories? What inspirations can be drawn for personal renewal, whether or not a large-scale societal renaissance materializes?

Trans-disciplinary podcast 21st Century Renaissance will interview authors, thinkers, practitioners, artists, scientists, creative leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs who reimagine a world of possibilities, going beyond or even against prevailing narratives and methodologies. It showcases promising new explorations, approaches, and organizations, as well as those that have been on the fringe, daring to ask probing new questions, reframe problems, and reinvent systems for a creative rebirth.

The conversations are themed around what we imagine as cornerstones of a 21st Century Renaissance:

• The Da Vinci Way, in the age of CRISPR, space travel, and artificial intelligence
• Humanism redefined, vis-à-vis technology, nature, and spirituality
• Better understanding of the mind and consciousness. Embodied, not just embrained.
• Beauty re-embraced: aesthetics as important human value

But as the Chinese saying goes: 抛砖引玉 — “cast a brick to attract the jade”, the humble framework is to spur valuable discourse revealing greater wisdom and forces for human revival and flourishing.

BeiBei Song’s speech to Stanford Business School Executive Education participants last year, which elaborated on these themes, serves as pre-show Episode 0 of the podcast.

We have recently published Episode 1: The Other AI: Why Aesthetic Intelligence Matters, with Pauline Brown, former Chairman, LVMH North American and Founder, Aesthetic Intelligence Labs. Episode 2: Colors, Glass, and Seeing Anew, with Don McPherson, Inventor and Chief Science Officer of Enchroma, will be published shortly, to be followed by conversations with other thought-provoking guests.

Watch, read, and subscribe to be part of the discourse!