
Hosted by Ramesh Srinivasan · EN
The Utopias Podcast with Dr. Ramesh Srinivasan
In the wake of an era where alarmism and crisis branding sells - whether in relation to climate change, new technologies, or polarization, we have a huge opportunity to embrace our capacity for innovation, empathy, and compassion towards one another. To get there it is high time to have creative, productive, and truly progressive conversations about our planetary future, and approach such from every discipline and perspective we can.
Hosted by UCLA professor and public intellectual Ramesh Srinivasan, the “Utopias” podcast presents a new narrative, a vision of life futures based on a set of conversations that celebrate the work and perspectives of “dreamers”, or those who represent and care deeply for the endless potential for human creativity, expression, and optimism. We share the stories of those who believe in the potential for our planet, and are doing the important work to try to empower our tomorrow in a way that we can all benefit from.
This podcast brings back the realms of the scientific, emotional, artistic, legal, poetic, musical, ecological, and spiritual into conversation with one another as together, we imagine and advocate for futures for our planet and species that lift us all up. Dr. Srinivasan’s guests shall run the gamut, bringing artists, journalists, politicians, scientists, environmentalists, monks and religious practitioners, and scholars together. Utopias shall inspire listeners to imagine new futures defined by compassion, an appreciation of diversity alongside unity, and the recognition that we live in an extraordinary time where we are all in ‘it’ together.
Produced by Tulin Chang Maltepe. Music by Albert Ortega

Cory Doctorow is an activist, journalist, and bestselling science fiction author. His books include The Lost Cause, Red Team Blues, The Internet Con, and Picks and Shovels. In 2020, he was inducted into the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. This conversation occurred on May 8, 2025, as part of a live event sponsored by UCLA DataX, an initiative focused on strengthening research and education in data science and critical data studies. The event was titled Beyond Broligarchy: The Fight for a Better Future. Learn more about Cory and Ramesh. Follow Cory on Bluesky, X, and LinkedIn. Questions or comments? Email podcastutopias@gmail.com. Keep up with Ramesh on Bluesky, X, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and LinkedIn.This podcast may contain explicit language and content that is not suitable for all audiences.

Sayash Kapoor is a computer scientist and co-author of AI Snake Oil. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Princeton University's Center for Information Technology Policy. His work focuses on the societal impacts of AI. In 2023, he was named to Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in AI.” This conversation was recorded on February 27, 2025. Learn more about Sayash, AI Snake Oil, and Ramesh. Follow Sayash on Bluesky, X, and LinkedIn. Keep up with Ramesh on X, YouTube, Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok and LinkedIn. Questions or comments? Email podcastutopias@gmail.com. References: The Fallacy of Inscrutability by Joshua A. Kroll. Technology and the Rise of Great Powers by Jeffrey Ding. Machine Bias by Julia Angwin, Jeff Larson, Surya Mattu and Lauren Kirchner.This podcast contains explicit language and content that may not be suitable for all audiences.

Venerable Dr. Pooja Dabral is a Buddhist monk and an assistant professor at Nalanda University in Rajgir, India, a university which originally dates back to more than 1500 years. Her research focuses on Buddhist 'middle path' philosophy and psychology and Buddhist Psychology. This conversation was recorded on January 28, 2025. Learn more about Ven. Dr. Dabral and Ramesh. Questions or comments? Email podcastutopias@gmail.com. Check out this list for definitions of technical terms used in the conversation.Keep up with Ramesh on X, YouTube, Instagram, Bluesky, TikTok, and LinkedIn.This podcast contains explicit language and content that may not be suitable for all audiences.

Venerable Geshe Dorji Damdul is the director of the Tibet House, the Cultural Center of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in New Delhi, India. He previously served as the English translator to His Holiness the Dalai Lama.This conversation was recorded on September 18, 2024. Learn more about Ven. Damdul and Ramesh. Questions or comments? Email podcastutopias@gmail.com. Keep up with Ramesh on X, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn.

Sandeep Vaheesan is the legal director at the Open Markets Institute and a former adviser to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. He is a staunch advocate for antitrust regulation and consumer protection. He is the author of Democracy in Power: A History of Electrification in the United States. This conversation was recorded in October 2023 and includes discussion about the FTC during the Biden administration. Learn more about Sandeep and Ramesh. Follow Open Markets on X. Questions or comments? Email podcastutopias@gmail.com. Keep up with Ramesh on X, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn.

Yanis Varoufakis is a renowned Greek economist and bestselling author. He served as the Minister of Finance in Greece and co-founded the political party Democracy in Europe Movement 2025 (DiEM25). His books include Another Now and Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism.This conversation was recorded in November 2024. Learn more about Yanis and Ramesh. Questions or comments? Email podcastutopias@gmail.com. Keep up with Ramesh on X, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn.

Sara Dosa is an award-winning documentary director and producer, and Shane Boris is an award-winning documentary writer and producer. Their most recent collaboration, Fire of Love, was nominated for Best Documentary Feature Film at the 2023 Academy Awards. This conversation was recorded in the spring of 2023. More about Sara. More about Shane. More about Fire and Love. Keep in touch with Dr. Srinivasan!Website: www.rameshsrinivasan.orgX: @rameshmediasInstagram: @rameshmediasYouTube: @rameshmediasTikTok: @rameshmedias

Nathan Schneider explores the intersection of democracy and technology as a professor of media studies and the director of the Media Economies Design Lab at the University of Colorado Boulder. He is a founder of the platform cooperativism movement and Occupy Wall Street.This conversation was recorded in January 2024. More about Nathan: https://nathanschneider.info/ Keep in touch with Dr. Srinivasan!Website: www.rameshsrinivasan.orgX: @rameshmediasInstagram: @rameshmediasYouTube: @rameshmediasTikTok: @rameshmedias

Elaine McMillion Sheldon is an Academy Award-nominated and Peabody and Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker. Much of her film work, including her most recent film King Coal, is rooted in the culture and environment of her home region of Appalachia. This conversation was recorded in October 2023. More about Elaine: https://www.elainemcmillionsheldon.com/about More about King Coal: https://www.kingcoalfilm.com/Keep in touch with Dr. Srinivasan!Website: www.rameshsrinivasan.orgX: @rameshmediasInstagram: @rameshmediasYouTube: @rameshmediasTikTok: @rameshmedias

Kevin Roose is a technology columnist for the New York Time where he is the co-host of “hard fork” an NYT podcast about technology and the future. He is also an author of three bestselling books: Future Proof, Young Money, and the Unlikely Disciple. Recorded January 2024. For questions or comments email podcastutopias@gmail.comHard Fork: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hard-fork/id1528594034Kevin's website: https://www.kevinroose.com/Keep in touch with Dr. Srinivasan!Website: https://www.rameshsrinivasan.org/X: @rameshmediasInstagram: @rameshmediasYouTube: @rameshmediasTikTok: @rameshmedias