Civilization Runs on Collective Fictions

This episode looks at how artificial intelligence is eroding the shared stories that have long held civilization together, from money and nation-states to the idea of a lifelong job. As AI weakens the link between labor and survival, we explore why human cooperation cannot function without common beliefs, and why a new social contract is required to avoid fragmentation and instability. The discussion introduces the idea of a “new mythos” to replace industrial-age narratives of productivity, one grounded in planetary stewardship, shared cultural heritage, and the commons. We examine what it means to separate human identity from economic output, and to treat AI-generated wealth as a collective dividend rather than private profit. The episode closes with a deeper question: in a world where intelligence is no longer uniquely human, can we consciously design new belief systems that support dignity, freedom, and human flourishing rather than control and surveillance?