Podcast from the Prairie

In this final episode of the first season of “Podcast from the Prairie,” Wes Jackson and Robert Jensen reverse roles. Jackson asks the questions about Jensen’s new book, The Restless and Relentless Mind of Wes Jackson: Searching for Sustainability, which summarizes key ideas from Jackson’s work over the past half-century. What led Jensen to write the book? Why did Jensen think Jackson’s ideas—which can be found not only in five books but in countless articles and lectures—needed to be...

In this penultimate episode of the first season of “Podcast from the Prairie,” Wes Jackson and Robert Jensen discuss Jackson’s new book, Hogs Are Up: Stories of the Land, with Digressions. The stories in the book move from Jackson’s childhood on a Kansas farm, through his academic career, to the founding and growth of The Land Institute. Jackson’s stories not only entertain but challenge us to think critically about society and ecology. Jackson reflects on his work in the movements to create...

In this episode of “Podcast from the Prairie,” Wes Jackson and Robert Jensen discuss the creativity of both humans and the larger living world. In addition to finding expression in art, human creativity also is essential in the scientific enterprise and is part of everyday life. The ecosphere is creative as well, making diversity out of the raw elements of the universe. A theologian even suggested that “serendipitous creativity” was an appropriate metaphor for God. Jackson, who brought many...

In this episode of “Podcast from the Prairie,” Wes Jackson and Robert Jensen will discuss the role of religion, both in Jackson’s life and in our human future. The title of this episode references something Jackson has said for years, “There’s Methodism in my madness,” which honors the church of his family growing up even though he’s no longer a believer. How does Jackson reconcile his life as a scientist with that tradition? How important is faith to the hope for a sustainable human...

In the first two episodes of “Podcast from the Prairie,” Wes Jackson discussed some of the key ideas he developed in his half-century career as an educator and activist in the movement for ecological sustainability, and reflected on the role of his rural upbringing on his career. In Episode 3, titled “Mad about Science,” Wes talks about how formal science differs from, and is similar to, the folk science he learned on the farm growing up. Wes earned degrees in biology, botany, and genetics...

In the inaugural episode of Podcast from the Prairie, Wes Jackson and Robert Jensen explored some of the key influences on Jackson’s distinctive philosophy, on how he came to embrace an ecological perspective and a “creaturely worldview.” In Episode 2, “Respecting Your Tools,” the focus is on the jobs Jackson has had in his life and what lessons he learned along the way. The story starts with work on farms and ranches while growing up, before Jackson became a welder to pay for college. After...

Welcome to “Podcast from the Prairie.” Wes Jackson, one of the founders of the sustainable agriculture movement, tells stories that take us from lessons learned growing up on a Kansas farm to the front lines of crucial debates about ecological crises and social struggles. Sparked by journalist Robert Jensen’s questions, Jackson reflects on science and history, technology and philosophy, ethics and politics, and how we chart a path forward.