Utopias with Dr. Ramesh Srinivasan
Utopias with Dr. Ramesh Srinivasan explores hopeful, progressive visions for the planet’s future. Hosted by UCLA professor and public intellectual Dr. Ramesh Srinivasan, the show counters alarmism and crisis branding with conversations about creativity, empathy, and compassion. It brings together scientific, emotional, artistic, legal, poetic, musical, ecological, and spiritual perspectives. Through interviews with dreamers and innovators, the podcast imagines and advocates for better possible futures.
Episodes
34. Can We Still Make Humane Technology? Aza Raskin on Ethical AI & Tech Design
Aza Raskin is a technology ethicist and designer who graduated from the University of Chicago with a B.S. in Mathematics and Physics. He is the Co-Founder of the Center for Humane Technology which is focused on improving digital infrastructure to actually serve humanity, not exploit it. Raskin is also the founder of the Earth Species Project, an organization that is using AI to decode animal commu
33. UpScrolled Founder & CEO Issam Hijazi on the Future of Digital Platforms
Issam Hijazi is a Palestinian-Jordanian-Australian technologist and the founder and CEO of UpScrolled, a social media platform meant to give users a greater degree of personal control over their online experiences and interactions, free from dictatorial algorithms. With professional experience at IBM, Oracle, and Hitachi, Hijazi founded UpScrolled in direct response to concerns over censorship and
32. Understanding Afghanistan's Past, Present and Future with Journalist Habib Khan Totakhil
Habib Khan Totakhil is an Afghan journalist who has reported on the Afghan conflict for more than a decade with the Wall Street Journal, becoming one of the few reporters to have embedded with both government forces and the Taliban. His reporting has come at a steep personal cost, including being abducted and held by the Taliban. Totakhil was honored for "Courageous Journalism" by the Ea
31. Richard Wolff on Economic Futures in the Age of AI and the Decline of the American Empire
Richard Wolff is an economist and professor emeritus of economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Described by The New York Times Magazine as "America's most prominent Marxist economist," Wolff is known for his critiques of contemporary capitalism and his advocacy for alternative economic models, particularly worker-owned enterprises. Wolff is also a cofounder of Democra
30. Douglas Rushkoff
Douglas Rushkoff is an author and documentarian who studies human autonomy in a digital age. His twenty books include Survival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires and Team Human, which is also the name of his podcast. Douglas was named one of the "world’s ten most influential intellectuals" by MIT.This conversation was recorded on June 6, 2025. Follow Team Human on
29. Ethan Zuckerman
Ethan Zuckerman is a professor at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst where he teaches public policy, communication and information. He founded the Initiative for Digital Public Infrastructure, an organization that studies the civic and social role of internet platforms, and advocates for approaches to digital infrastructures that treat platforms as public goods, not purely as profit-making v
28. Yanis Varoufakis
Yanis Varoufakis is a renowned Greek economist and bestselling author. He served as the Minister of Finance in Greece and co-founded the political party Democracy in Europe Movement 2025 (DiEM25). His books include Another Now and Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism. This is Yanis’ second time coming on the show.This conversation – moderated by CNN Arabic Editor-in-Chief Caroline Faraj – was f
27. Kaiser Kuo
Kaiser Kuo is the founder and host of Sinica Podcast. He is a journalist for Beijinger magazine and a senior manager in public communications at Baidu. Kaiser also cofounded the Chinese rock band Tang Dynasty.Tulin Chang Maltepe joined me as a co-host for this interview. Tulin is a third-year undergraduate student at UCLA pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Public Affairs with a minor in Chinese
26. Peter Bloom and Erick Huerta
Peter Bloom is the founder and general coordinator of Rhizomatica, an organization that promotes new communication technologies that are community owned and managed. He is also the founder and ex-director of Juntos, a human rights organization for latino immigrants, and the founder of the Media for Justice Project in Nigeria. In 2015, he was named to the MIT Technology Review's "Innovato
25. Daron Acemoglu
Daron Acemoglu is an acclaimed economist, author, and professor at MIT. In 2024, he received the Nobel Prize in Economics and the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences. His research focuses on the field of political and economic development and the relationships between political power and institutions and prosperity. He has written six award-winning books about the intersection between eco
24. Andrew Yang
Andrew Yang is an American entrepreneur, lawyer, author and philanthropist, as well as a former 2020 Democratic presidential candidate and 2021 New York City mayoral candidate. He is the founder of the Forward Party and Humanity Forward, an organization that lobbies for anti-poverty measures in Washington DC. Andrew is the first two-time guest on Utopias! This conversation was recorded on July 11,
23. Astra Taylor
Astra Taylor is a documentary filmmaker, writer, and political organizer. Her works include the documentary What is Democracy? and the books The Age of Insecurity: Coming Together as Things Fall Apart and The People’s Platform: Taking Back Power and Culture in the Digital Age, which won an American Book Award in 2015. She is also the co-founder of the Debt Collective, a union for debtors fighting
22. Cory Doctorow
Cory Doctorow is an activist, journalist, and bestselling science fiction author. His books include The Lost Cause, Red Team Blues, The Internet Con, and Picks and Shovels. In 2020, he was inducted into the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. This conversation occurred on May 8, 2025, as part of a live event sponsored by UCLA DataX, an initiative focused on strengthening research an
21. Sayash Kapoor
Sayash Kapoor is a computer scientist and co-author of AI Snake Oil. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Princeton University's Center for Information Technology Policy. His work focuses on the societal impacts of AI. In 2023, he was named to Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in AI.” This conversation was recorded on February 27, 2025. Learn more about Sayash, AI Snake Oil, and R
20. Venerable Dr. Pooja Dabral
Venerable Dr. Pooja Dabral is a Buddhist monk and an assistant professor at Nalanda University in Rajgir, India, a university which originally dates back to more than 1500 years. Her research focuses on Buddhist 'middle path' philosophy and psychology and Buddhist Psychology. This conversation was recorded on January 28, 2025. Learn more about Ven. Dr. Dabral and Ramesh. Questions or com
19. Venerable Geshe Dorji Damdul
Venerable Geshe Dorji Damdul is the director of the Tibet House, the Cultural Center of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in New Delhi, India. He previously served as the English translator to His Holiness the Dalai Lama.This conversation was recorded on September 18, 2024. Learn more about Ven. Damdul and Ramesh. Questions or comments? Email podcastutopias@gmail.com. Keep up with Ramesh on X, YouTube,
18. Sandeep Vaheesan
Sandeep Vaheesan is the legal director at the Open Markets Institute and a former adviser to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. He is a staunch advocate for antitrust regulation and consumer protection. He is the author of Democracy in Power: A History of Electrification in the United States. This conversation was recorded in October 2023 and includes discussion about the FTC during the Bid
17. Yanis Varoufakis
Yanis Varoufakis is a renowned Greek economist and bestselling author. He served as the Minister of Finance in Greece and co-founded the political party Democracy in Europe Movement 2025 (DiEM25). His books include Another Now and Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism.This conversation was recorded in November 2024. Learn more about Yanis and Ramesh. Questions or comments? Email podcastutopias@g
16. Shane Boris and Sara Dosa
Sara Dosa is an award-winning documentary director and producer, and Shane Boris is an award-winning documentary writer and producer. Their most recent collaboration, Fire of Love, was nominated for Best Documentary Feature Film at the 2023 Academy Awards. This conversation was recorded in the spring of 2023. More about Sara. More about Shane. More about Fire and Love. Keep in touch with Dr. Sri
15. Nathan Schneider
Nathan Schneider explores the intersection of democracy and technology as a professor of media studies and the director of the Media Economies Design Lab at the University of Colorado Boulder. He is a founder of the platform cooperativism movement and Occupy Wall Street.This conversation was recorded in January 2024. More about Nathan: https://nathanschneider.info/ Keep in touch with Dr. Srinivasa
14. Elaine McMillion Sheldon
Elaine McMillion Sheldon is an Academy Award-nominated and Peabody and Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker. Much of her film work, including her most recent film King Coal, is rooted in the culture and environment of her home region of Appalachia. This conversation was recorded in October 2023. More about Elaine: https://www.elainemcmillionsheldon.com/about More about King Coal: https://www.k
13. Nipun Mehta
Nipun Mehta is a designer of large-scale social movements that are rooted in small acts of service. He is the founder of ServiceSpace, a global community working at the intersection of technology, volunteerism and gift culture. Mehta was honored as an Unsung Hero of Compassion by the Dalai Lama and appointed by President Barack Obama to a council addressing poverty and inequality in the U.S.This c
12. Maurice Mitchell
Maurice Mitchell has been the National Director of the Working Families Party since 2018, aiming to create a multi-racial working class movement across the United States. More generally, Mitchell is a nationally recognized social movement strategist and a prominent leader in the Movement for Black Lives. This interview was recorded in January 2024.More about Maurice: https://workingfamilies.org/ab
11. Maz Jobrani
Maz Jobrani is a comedian, actor, producer, and LA Times best-selling author of "I'm not a terrorist, but I've played one on TV." Jobrani also co-wrote, co-produced, and starred as the main character of indie film "Jimmy Vestwood: Amerikan Hero." His newest standup special, which is on YouTube, is called "The Birds and the Bees." Jobrani's other standup
10. Maja Göpel
Dr. Maja Göpel is a political economist, transformation researcher, speaker, and best-selling author. In April she released her newest book, “We Can Do Better: A Departure Into the World of Tomorrow."This interview was recorded in October 2023. Maja's website: https://www.maja-goepel.de/We Can Do Better book: https://scribepublications.com.au/books-authors/books/we-can-do-better-9781761
9. Kevin Roose
Kevin Roose is a technology columnist for the New York Time where he is the co-host of “hard fork” an NYT podcast about technology and the future. He is also an author of three bestselling books: Future Proof, Young Money, and the Unlikely Disciple. Recorded January 2024. For questions or comments email podcastutopias@gmail.comHard Fork: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hard-fork/id15285940
8. Kathleen Hanna
Kathleen Hanna is a musician, activist, zine writer, and punk legend who pioneered the feminist punk movement "riot grrrl" in the '90s. She was the lead singer of feminist punk band Bikini Kill from the early-to-mid '90s, and then founded the electronic band Le Tigre. She currently performs and releases music as the lead singer in the Julie Ruin. On May 14th Hanna released her
7. Jacques Servin
Jacques Servin is a media artist and co-founder of the “Yes Men”, originally an activist duo that aims to expose wrong-doings of massive corporations through producing fake spectacles, disrupting events, and destroying brands. Since then, the initiative has transformed into a non-profit which partners with other activist organizations and schools. Servin is also the writer, director, and producer
6. Roshi Joan Halifax
Roshi Joan Halifax is a Buddhist teacher, social activist, and author. She is the Founder, Abbot and Head Teacher of Upaya Zen Center in Santa Fe, New Mexico.This episode was recorded in July 2023. For questions or comments email podcastutopias@gmail.com Learn more about Roshi Joan Halifax: https://www.joanhalifax.org/ Learn more about Upaya Zen Center: https://www.upaya.org/ Keep in touch with D
5. Jordan Uhl
Jordan Uhl is a progressive activist, political commentator, writer, podcaster, and host of "Deep Dive with Jordan Uhl" on The Young Turks. He also runs Substack "I Hate It Here and Never Want to Leave" and co-hosts "The Insurgents " with Rob Rousseau.This episode was recorded April 5th, 2024. For questions or comments email podcastutopias@gmail.com Keep in touch with
4. Ana Kasparian
Ana Kasparian is the main host and producer of “The Young Turks,” the largest online news and politics show with over 6 billion views. As a commentator and journalist, Kasparian is best known for her honest and unfiltered reporting, and was on Forbes Magazine’s 2016 30 Under 30 list. She has won multiple awards for her web personality and show, including a Webby and Streamy. Kasparian's work
3. Representative Ro Khanna
Representative Ro Khanna is a leading progressive voice in the House working to restore American manufacturing and technology leadership, improve the lives of working people, and advance U.S. leadership on climate, human rights, and diplomacy around the world. Khanna represents California's 17th Congressional District, located in the heart of Silicon Valley, and is serving his fourth term. Pr
2. Andrew Yang
Andrew Yang an American entrepreneur, lawyer, book author and philanthropist, as well as a former 2020 Democratic presidential candidate and 2021 New York City mayoral candidate. He is the founder of the Forward Party and Humanity Forward, an organization that lobbies for anti-poverty measures in Washington DC. Humanity Forward: https://humanityforward.com/ Forward Party: https://www.forwardparty
1. Dr. Cornel West
Join Dr. Ramesh Srinivasan and Dr. Cornel West on the first episode of the Utopias Podcast. Dr. West teaches courses on the Philosophy of Religion, African American Critical Thought, classics, politics, cultural theory, literature, and music. He is the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Chair at Union Theological Seminary and the author of over 20 books, including his memoir Brother West: Living and Loving Out L
Introduction - The Utopias Podcast With Ramesh Srinivasan
What is Utopias all about? Listen to learn more.
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