Entanglements: a new Intellectual Forum podcast
Entanglements is a new Intellectual Forum podcast written, produced, and edited by 2023 IF intern Noah Rouse.
Human society has always been deeply entangled with nature. How has our relationship with nature changed over time? And how does our relationship with the natural world inform our sense of self?
Join Noah as he sits down with academics and influential figures to discuss these questions in a podcast that challenges and informs our relationship with the natural world.
The first three episodes were released on 10 October. The remaining five episodes will be released weekly on 17, 24, and 31 October and 7 and 14 November.
Listen on the Jesus College YouTube channel.
Episode #1 - Defining Nature
There are 24 separate and distinct definitions of 'nature' recorded in the Oxford English Dictionary. To begin to understand the human/nature connection, Noah first digs into what 'nature' really means.
- 0:01:33 – Dictionary definitions of nature
- 0:04:20 – The etymology of “nature”
- 0:10:25 – Nature and religion
- 0:14:26 – Ducarme and Couvet's three definitions of "nature"
- 0:16:28 – Three questions to ask yourself about how you're defining "nature"
Listen to "Defining Nature" on YouTube.
Listen to "Defining Nature" on Spotify.
Download the transcript for "Defining Nature".
Episode #2 - The Romantics
Are human beings part of nature? And, if not, can we be? With these questions in mind, Noah spoke to Dr Tess Somervell, a lecturer in English at Worcester College, Oxford, to consider how the Romantic poets viewed the natural world.
- 0:02:19 – Definition of Romanticism
- 0:08:59 – The sublime
- 0:15:39 – Romanticism's influence on the conservation movement
- 0:18:56 – The countryside versus the city
- 0:27:05 – Ecocriticism and Romanticism
Listen to "The Romantics" on YouTube.
Listen to "The Romantics" on Spotify.
Download the transcript for "The Romantics".
Episode #3 - The American Consciousness
In the previous podcast, Noah explored the Romantic view of nature. How else did writers view nature? Noah spoke with Dr Molly Becker about naturalism and the concept of the frontier in American literature.
- 0:08:31 – Naturalism
- 0:10:58 – The American frontier
Listen to "The American Consciousness" on YouTube.
