In the Dust of This Planet | Radiolab Podcast

From the Radiolab podcast: Horror, fashion and the end of the world — the undercurrents of thought that link nihilists, philosophers, Jay-Z and "True Detective." In this episode, first aired in 2014, but maybe even more relevant today, things get weird as we explore a pessimistic puzzle. In 2011, Jad Abumrad’s brother-in-law Eugene Thacker wrote a book called "In The Dust of This Planet." It’s an academic treatise about the horror humanity feels as we realize that we are nothing but a speck in the universe. For a few years nobody read it. But then it seemed to show up on "True Detective." Then in a fashion magazine. And then on Jay-Z's back. How? We talk nihilism with Eugene, philosopher Simon Critchley and On the Media host Brooke Gladstone; leather jackets with costume designer June Ambrose; and climate change with international relations professor David Victor. 🎧 Subscribe to Radiolab wherever you listen to podcasts: https://bit.ly/3trXDLe 🔎 Subscribe to Radiolab on YouTube: https://bit.ly/3I9KI53 🌱 Check out Radiolab's Starter Kit Playlist: https://bit.ly/3sX8f4P 👍 Like this video ✏️ and leave us a comment! Follow Radiolab: Instagram —   / radiolab   Twitter —   / radiolab   Facebook —   / radiolab   Support Radiolab by becoming a member of The Lab today: https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/... Also, check out the On the Media episode "Staring into the Abyss." In it Brooke Gladstone and Jad Abumrad continue their discussion of nihilism and its place in history: https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/... You can find Eugene Thacker's "In The Dust of This Planet" at Zero Books: https://www.johnhuntpublishing.com/ze... Video by Kim Nowacki and Andrea Latimer.