Award-winning Future Hindsight podcast launches 16th season: 'The Social Contract'

On October 21, 2021, Future Hindsight launches its 16th season, centering on the theme of “The Social Contract.” On its first episode, host Mila Atmos interviews Princeton political philosophy professor Melissa Lane about what the social contract is, setting the stage, and why it is a necessary lens to apply to our understanding of policy and action. The season is especially timely as we approach November elections and the onset of 2022 -- the year of midterm elections.

The podcast has been nominated for the 2019 American Civic Collaboration Award and won a Golden Crane Award for best interview for their episode with Shoshana Zuboff on Surveillance Capitalism. It was originally created during a time when many folks did not know how to make a real impact on a local or national level and when many people were (and continue to) feel overwhelmed about the insurmountable changes and challenges that have come about in the last four years and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mila states the new season’s trailer, “I wanted to find out what it actually would take to become civically engaged. And really make a difference, short of running for office but more than voting.” She acknowledges the barriers many people feel to entry and creates conversations that ultimately make engagement more accessible and realistic. She does it in a way that inherently becomes not just a call-to-action but a blueprint for action.

“At some point I realized that the problems that we’re facing as a society can really only be solved if we all rolled up our sleeves and get into it. If you just decide that somebody else has to take care of it, then somebody else won’t,” Mila continues.

The podcast is a weekly podcast that takes big ideas about civic life and democracy and turns them into action items for everyday people. Host Mila Atmos shares in-depth conversations with citizen changemakers, helping listeners realize the power they have to make real change. Some upcoming guests will include:

• Minouche Shafik, Director of the London School of Economics.
• Michele Goodwin, Chancellor’s Professor of Law and Director, Center for Biotechnology and Global Health Policy at University of California, Irvine School of Law
• Lee McIntyre, philosopher and author of the new book How to Talk to a Science Denier.