A Future Fit for Our Future Selves – Bobby Fishkin (SolarPunk futurist, playwright) Ep. 40

Futurist Bobby Fishkin collaborates with AI to explore how we might create a future “fit for our future selves,” drawing from a framework of systemic nurture and optimism to approach real-world challenges. As co-founder of CrowdDoing, Bobby leads an interdisciplinary volunteer initiative that scales social innovation. His joint initiative mobilizes high-skilled volunteerism for projects like wildfire prevention, reducing stress through food and herbs, designing living walls for hospitals, creating zero-subsidy affordable housing, and rethinking economic models. With a background in philosophy (Yale University) and playwriting, Bobby’s work in systems change spans AI ethics, deliberative democracy, and regenerative development. He has shared insights at TEDx on his father’s work in Deliberative Polling, won the Texas Young Playwrights Festival for Mocha Latte or Cookie Dough, and co-produced a historically accurate Richard the Third at the Bloomsbury Theater in London. A polymath at heart, Bobby balances diverse projects and is actively shaping a vision for “Regenerative AI.” In this episode, we define SolarPunk and explore why it’s a guiding inspiration for Bobby. We discuss the gap between what is achievable and what we have the imagination to aspire to. Bobby explains the importance of finding your Ikigai—the intersection of what you love, what you’re exceptional at, and what the world needs. The conversation delves into AI’s potential not just as a tool but as a co-creator, helping shape sustainable futures, establish new fields of knowledge, design institutions, and provide roles tailored to individuals’ skills and passions. Bobby also highlights the importance of curating AI output, sharing stories of guiding models away from misguided responses. Steven discusses the rapid growth of large language models and asks, “Is it conscious?” We also dive into Bobby’s early work as a playwright, the influence of improvisation on his leadership, and how his grandfather, an expert in applied creativity, wrote one of the earliest books on intuition. Bobby’s work exemplifies how optimism, creativity, and collaboration are essential to building the world we want. As he puts it, “Some things we create need to exceed the boundaries of what one human lifetime can achieve.” When we dream together boldly, we unlock the true potential of what we can create. * Many of the AI models we discussed have improved exponentially since the recording of this episode, but the principles covered are still relevant.  ** The first half of this interview was originally aired on The Spaceship Earth Mission Log podcast: https://spaceshipearthmissionlog.substack.com/p/mission-log-1-bobby-fishkin Guest: Bobby Fishkin CrowdDoing.world ReframeIt #SystemsChange Dialogue (Clubhouse App) TEDxHayward - A Global Deliberative Society (YouTube) https://soundcloud.com/bobby-fishkin Episode References  Novel AI Backcasting (betterevaluation.org) Leibniz (Wikipedia) Ryan and Deci’s Self-Determination Theory (Wikipedia) Solar Punk (Wikipedia) The ingenious living bridges of India (BBC) Building With Living Trees: The Story Behind Garden House (YouTube) Bosco Verticale (Wikipedia) Solar Punk Reddit Community Tikkun olam (Wikipedia) Moral Imaginations w/ Phoebe Tickell (YouTube) Learning to Human Well... Together l Alexander Laszlo, Ph D (YouTube) Derek Parfit  (Goodreads) Stephen Bau (bauhouse.ca) Stephen Bau on The Language of Creativity Podcast (Ep. 17 | Ep. 18) Janine Benyus and Biomimicry (Biomimicry Institute) Warm Data – Nora Bateson (Warm Data Labs) Social Capital Markets Conference (SOCAP) Language of Creativity episode 30 – Open Heart, Linda Riber (Podbean | Substack) Milton Fisher’s Book: Intuition (Amazon) Buckminster Fuller Institute (BFI.org) Forest Bathing (Wikipedia) Attention Restoration Theory (Wikipedia) AMA on LaMDA AI w/ Blake Lemoine (Clubhouse App) Deliberative Polling by James Fishkin (Wikipedia) Ikegai – Japanese Concept of Purpose (Wikipedia) Richard Florida Creativity Group (CreativeClass.com) Intrinsic Motivation Survey – Clary and Snyder’s volunteer function inventory scale (document) Solipsism (Merriam-Webster) You Have It All album by Lobate Scarp (BandCamp) Enviu (enviu.org) Donella Medows (donellameadows.org) Welsh Cynefin curriculum (Wikipedia) Mark Smith – Noosphere.earth (Substack) Spider House Coffeehouse, Austin TX (TripAdvisor) "Brechtian": A Clarification (4thwalldramaturgy.byu.edu) About the host Language of Creativity’s host Steven Leavitt enjoys discussing the ins and outs of all aspects of creating, creativity, and life with his fellow creators: artists, inventors, designers, producers and more. Along the way he hopes to gain perspective and multiply our understanding of what we share in common while creating, living, and learning. www.stevenleavitt.com Join our mailing list on Substack and consider supporting the show with a membership. Please review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Amazon, and Spotify to help other creatives find their tribe! Production Credits: This podcast was produced by I Create Sound Edited by Sam Levine Featured Music: Soothing Innovations Ambient (from the Descript music library) Travel-Within-Ourself (spoken word) performed by Bobby Fishkin mixed with Analog Romance (from the Descript music library). Tags #futurism #solarpunk #regenerativeAI #moralimagination #livingbridges #systemicnurture #biomimicry #buckminsterfuller #benjaminfranklin #attentionrestorationtheory #forestbathing #deliberativepolling #selfdeterminationtheory #ikigai #venturelab #volunteerism #socialimpactstockexchange #socialcapitalmarkets #futureofwork #sustainability #indigenouswisdom #creativesolutions #systemschange #plays #theater #creativeclass #intuition #dreams #richardflorida #anthroresilience #philosophyoffuture #reframeit #Kaitiakatanga #benfranklin #webdebois #noosphere #MarkSmith #biodesign #permaculture #neurodivergence #neuralnet #ar #vr #artificialintelligence #chatGPT #NovelAI #largelanguagemodels #planetaryhealth #systemsthinking #paradigmshift #deliberativedemocracy #heartbraincoherence #complexsystems #ethicalAI #backcasting #JanineBenyus #BioMimicry #DerekParfit #JeanJacobs #MarkTwain #EdwardBellamy #NoraBateson #PhoebeTickle