Nora Bateson: Living Systems, Warm Data & the Ecology of Communication
Tue Jul 29 2025
In this episode, Julien Devaureix speaks with Nora Bateson, filmmaker, writer, and president of theInternational Bateson Institute. Together they explore how to navigate today’s complex world through systems thinking, relational approaches, and Nora’s concept of warm data. Drawing from her book Combining, Nora shares why solutions can’t be isolated, how identity and intergenerational living shape our future, and why cultivating an ecology of communication is key to creating authentic hope and thriving life.Episode timestamps
00:00 Introduction & Nora’s background; perceiving interdependencies in living systems
04:14 The “meadow” metaphor and the relational nature of complexity
16:59 Problems of reductionism in education and society
34:25 Excerpts from Combining: the idea of combining vs. combined
43:26 Rethinking problems and solutions; cultivating an ecology of communication
54:02 Double binds, transcontextual issues, and aiming for possibility & vitality
01:00:50 Warm data and the lost art of intergenerational living
01:06::06 False hope vs. real hope; culture and unexpected change
01:10:05 The role of art, weirdness, and creativity in shaping the future
01:15:23 Closing poem Mama Now: reflections on parenting, integrity, and uncertainty
Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.
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In this episode, Julien Devaureix speaks with Nora Bateson, filmmaker, writer, and president of theInternational Bateson Institute. Together they explore how to navigate today’s complex world through systems thinking, relational approaches, and Nora’s concept of warm data. Drawing from her book Combining, Nora shares why solutions can’t be isolated, how identity and intergenerational living shape our future, and why cultivating an ecology of communication is key to creating authentic hope and thriving life.Episode timestamps 00:00 Introduction & Nora’s background; perceiving interdependencies in living systems 04:14 The “meadow” metaphor and the relational nature of complexity 16:59 Problems of reductionism in education and society 34:25 Excerpts from Combining: the idea of combining vs. combined 43:26 Rethinking problems and solutions; cultivating an ecology of communication 54:02 Double binds, transcontextual issues, and aiming for possibility & vitality 01:00:50 Warm data and the lost art of intergenerational living 01:06::06 False hope vs. real hope; culture and unexpected change 01:10:05 The role of art, weirdness, and creativity in shaping the future 01:15:23 Closing poem Mama Now: reflections on parenting, integrity, and uncertainty Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.