Entanglements podcast: Nature Connectedness
2023 Intellectual Forum intern Noah Rouse speaks to Dr Sam Gandy, an independent researcher working in the field of nature recovery, about how we all can deepen our individual connections with the natural world.
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?
Across eight episodes of Entanglements, Noah sits down with academics and influential figures to discuss these questions in a podcast that challenges and informs our relationship with the natural world.
With the release of "Nature Connectedness", the final episode of Entanglements, all eight episodes have now been released and are available to listen to on Spotify and YouTube. You can find links to each individual episode, as well as time stamps for important moments in each conversation, below.
Listen to Entanglements on the Jesus College YouTube channel.
Listen to Entanglements on Spotify.
Episode #8 - Nature Connectedness
In this episode, Noah talks with Dr Sam Gandy about the positive mental and physical benefits that come from nature connectedness and how we as individuals can be more aware of the natural world.
- 0:01:41 – What is nature connectedness?
- 0:06:14 – The relationship between nature connectedness and well-being.
- 0:13:00 – How did the Covid-19 pandemic affect nature connectedness?
- 0:16:57 – "Three things in nature" practice for increasing nature connectedness.
- 0:31:28 – Noah's final reflections on Entanglements.
Listen to "Nature Connectedness" on YouTube.
Listen to "Nature Connectedness" on Spotify.
Download the transcript for "Nature Connectedness".
Episode #7 - Farming
In this episode, Noah talks with Philip Lymbery about the negative impact factory farming has on our natural environment and his mission to bring about a world that is compassionate and respectful to animals.
- 0:03:26 – Philip's history with Compassion in World Farming.
- 0:04:32 – Why factory farming is environmentally damaging.
- 0:11:05 – How do the products of factory farming make it to our shelves and what can we do about it?
- 0:14:27 – Connection with animals.
- 0:21:51 – What can we as citizens do to be more environmentally mindful when we purchase and consume food?
Listen to "Farming" on YouTube.
Listen to "Farming" on Spotify.
Download the transcript for "Farming".
Episode #6 - Economics
In this episode, Noah talks with economist Kate Raworth about how traditional mainstream economic theory has often neglected the natural world.
- 0:01:35 – What does Kate mean when she calls herself a "renegade economist"?
- 0:10:32 – How does the natural world fit into traditional economics?
- 0:17:24 – The relationship between unmonetized labour and economics.
- 0:17:50 – Doughnut Unrolled.
- 0:32:58 – The relationship between local and global environmental responsiblity.
Listen to "Economics" on YouTube.
Listen to "Economics" on Spotify.
Download the transcript for "Economics".
Episode #5 - Conservation
How are wildlife conservation and the health of local communities related to each other?
In this episode, Noah talks with Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, Uganda's first wildlife veterinarian and founder of Conservation Through Public Health, a grassroots NGO and non-profit that promotes holistic conservation.
- 0:01:39 – Dr Kalema-Zikusoka's background with animals and in conservation
- 0:05:06 – The One Health approach
- 0:15:21 – Gorilla Conservation Coffee
- 0:17:50 – How have Dr Kalema-Zikusoka's views on conservation changed over the course of her career?
Listen to "Conservation" on YouTube.
Listen to "Conservation" on Spotify.
Download the transcript for "Conservation".
Episode #4 - Mathematics
Would mathematics exist without humans? Is an objective view of nature possible?
To think about these questions, Noah spoke with Professor Marcus du Sautoy, Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford.
- 0:07:22 – The relationship of mathematics to the natural world
- 0:10:12 – Would mathematics exist without humans?
- 0:22:20 – Mathematics and creativity
Listen to "Mathematics" on YouTube.
Listen to "Mathematics" on Spotify.
Download the transcript for "Mathematics".
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.
Listen to "The American Consciousness" on Spotify.
Download the transcript for "The American Consciousness".
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 #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.
