{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/683f0798c966cde736234a29/6960c84eb8712e7ba2eaef61?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Elle Griffin on researching the ideal society, from utopian books to real-world examples","description":"<p>While dystopian fiction dominates our screens and bookshelves, Elle Griffin is busy researching how things might actually go right. She wanted to write a utopian novel and realized she needed a better understanding of what an ideal society could look like.&nbsp;</p><p>In our conversation, we discuss how her favorite utopian literature influenced her views on a well-designed society. But we also explore practical ideas on how we could improve our systems:</p><ul><li><strong>Tax autonomy:</strong> Why giving states and cities the power to collect their own taxes would allow them to fund the specific services their citizens actually want.</li><li><strong>A la carte federations</strong>: A model where cities and states choose to join specific agreements, like a \"fishing EU\" or a \"healthcare EU,\" instead of being forced into one large, centralized government that manages every aspect of life.</li><li><strong>The Mondragon model:</strong> What we can learn from a massive network of worker-owned cooperatives in Spain that provides its own unemployment insurance and university.</li><li><strong>Who should control AI:</strong> Why giving voting authority to the employees who write the code (rather than investors or nonprofit boards) might be the best way to prevent unethical shortcuts.</li><li><strong>Singapore’s land model:</strong> How the government acts as a landlord to fund public services, allowing for lower income taxes while still providing universal social support.</li><li><strong>Fixing the Internet:</strong> How to use personal data and AI to make us wiser, rather than letting algorithms push us toward fast fashion and political radicalization.</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Chapters:</p><ul><li>Cold open (00:00:00)</li><li>Introducing Elle Griffin (00:01:27)</li><li>How writing a novel turned into a research project (00:02:27)</li><li>Elle’s current work: From print pamphlets to \"We Should Own the Economy\" (00:04:21)</li><li>The setup of Elle’s upcoming utopian novel (00:05:06)</li><li>From gothic literature to utopian literature (00:06:30)</li><li>Three classic utopian novels and their recurring lessons (00:15:42)</li><li>Building a \"future Asia\" through mythology and technology (00:22:02)</li><li>What if US States had the same autonomy as EU countries? (00:23:49)</li><li>\"A la carte\" federalism: moving toward a modular government (00:28:11)</li><li>The Mondragon model: a blueprint for worker-owned economies (00:32:54)</li><li>Why the smallest government is the best government (00:36:18)</li><li>The global monoculture and the rise of micro-cultures (00:44:29)</li><li>Who should control AI? The case for employee-led governance (00:53:02)</li><li>Fixing the Internet and using AI to make us wise, not just efficient (01:01:06)</li><li>Why Victor Hugo’s \"Les Misérables\" is the ultimate masterpiece (01:06:14)</li><li>An existential hope vision for the future (01:08:09)</li></ul><p><br></p>","author_name":"Foresight Institute"}