On this episode of Thinking Ahead, we’re discussing one of my favorite subjects, evolution. Bobby Azarian is a cognitive neuroscientist, a science journalist, and a true evolutionary. His book The Romance of Reality explores the evolution of the universe and life, purpose, complexity, and consciousness with rich vision that far transcends the all-to-common reductionistic view. I’m always interested in visions of evolution that open up new pathways for people to appreciate the magnificent journey of the cosmos, and Azarian’s work is a wonderful example of exactly that type of an approach to science. In this lively conversation, Azarian and I explore how life and consciousness evolved on this beautiful blue planet, and what the future might have in store for us all.

The topic of race is never far from our lips when we are talking about the American experience. And yet, the complexities, confusions, minefields, and missteps that often confront those who work to overcome America’s racial legacy can make this a subject that people shy away from. That’s why my guest today is such a breath of fresh air. He’s taken the opposite approach, exploring issues of race and diversity head on, and deeply incorporating them into his own work in the consulting world. As an executive coach and integral leadership expert, Amiel Handelsman has rarely been shy about diving into these difficult issues. It has been part of his DNA since he first started doing volunteer social work all the way back in his collegiate days. Now, with several decades of practice and experience under his belt, not to mention a deep background in integral philosophy, Amiel is working on the ground every day, pragmatically helping his clients negotiate these issues at organizations around the country.

Race and diversity in America has changed and evolved a tremendous amount, even in my lifetime, but there is still a long evolutionary path ahead of us to get to where we want to be as a country. I’m grateful to be able to explore this path forward by tapping into Amiel’s expertise on a subject that continues to be critical to the future success of the American political and cultural experiment.

Too often, the questions that we ask about our own time-period reflect a limited understanding of history. For example, consider the question: why is there still poverty and inequality? It’s a worthy question, but an even better one might be: How did so many societies, against all odds and without historical precedent, escape poverty and become wealthy? How have we come so far in our attempt to escape the "nasty, short and brutish" existence of our ancestors? Instead of just focusing on what we are still doing wrong, maybe we should also put some attention on how we managed to do so much right, for so long. How did we succeed beyond all hope and expectations? How did we raise our economic expectations so high that people think material abundance for everyone is even a possible goal, let alone a universal right?

In his new book Slouching Towards Utopia: An Economic History of the 20th Century, UC Berkeley professor Brad DeLong digs into the policies of the last century, exploring the hows and whys of the recent explosion in material and economic development. No one living in the 16th or 17th century would have imagined a future of such abundance. To them, it might seem close to a utopia, at least in some parts of the world. To us, there is still so much work to do, particularly to make that wealth global and more universal. Given that historical context, should we be optimistic about the next century, or have we reached the limits of this type of economic explosion? Is abundance in our future? Or stagnation? And what might we do to tip the scales?