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In Search of the Third Attractor (part1) | Daniel Schmachtenberger
Timestamps
- 00:00:01 Introduction
- 00:02:10 Sensemaking
- 00:06:09 The Two Attractors
- 00:09:01 Existential Hope?
- 00:14:33 Interconnectedness
- 00:18:33 Failures Of Activism
- 00:25:08 Catastrophic Risk
- 00:38:40 The Post Ww2 System
- 00:45:02 Exponential Destructive Technology
- 00:50:48 Near-Term Risks
- 00:58:10 The Energy Trap
- 01:03:54 Perverse Incentives
- 01:09:38 Private Gains, External Losses
- 01:14:13 Biotech Risks
- 01:19:29 Artificial Intelligence
- 01:29:03 Multipolar Traps
- 01:46:54 Corporations Versus Individuals
- 01:53:27 New Governance Systems
- 01:58:41 Network Dynamics
- 02:06:51 Solving Multi-Polar Traps?
- 02:17:47 Centralising Power
- 02:33:00 Collective Intelligence
Where are we headed as a species? What is the landscape of risks and challenges that we need to confront over the next decades, and are there a small number of key factors that we need to solve to avoid catastrophe?
As he describes it, the power of ever-increasing technological capacity (exponential tech) means that both destructive and creative capacities are increasing exponentially. Two of the most likely outcomes (attractors
) are either some kind of chaotic breakdown or the development of powerful control systems in response to oppressive authoritarian control.
Given this, what does a third option, a ‘third attractor’, look like?
Credit: Adapted from Rebel Wisdom
The Third Attractor Video Series
- In Search of the Third Attractor (part 1) Daniel Schmachtenberger (2022)
- In Search of the Third Attractor (part 2) Daniel Schmachtenberger (2022)
Posts: Daniel Schmachtenberger (3)
Videos: Daniel Schmachtenberger (8)
- Emergence Daniel Schmachtenberger (2016)
- How to Change Your Thinking with Daniel Schmachtenberger Aubrey Marcus
- In Search of the Third Attractor (part 2) Daniel Schmachtenberger (2022)
- The War on Sensemaking I Daniel Schmachtenberger (2019)
- The War on Sensemaking II Daniel Schmachtenberger (2019)
- The War on Sensemaking III, the Infinite Game Jamie Wheal (2020)
- The War on Sensemaking IV, Pandemic & Conspiracy Daniel Schmachtenberger (2020)
- The War on Sensemaking V Daniel Schmachtenberger (2020)
Blog Posts: Daniel Schmachtenberger (4)
- Dialogue Begins with Connection Daniel Schmachtenberger on the conditions for better conversation
- In Search of the Third Attractor Daniel Schmachtenberger
- The Consilience Project Making better sense of the world
- The Risks Posed by Artificial Intelligence A conversation between Nate Hagens and Daniel Schmachtenberger
Image Credits: Midjourney
(Public Domain)
In-person, 7–11 September 2026
Warbrook House, Hampshire, UK
We are living and working in conditions of uncertainty, complexity, and rapid change. This week-long workshop offers a space to practise Conversational Leadership as a shared, lived experience.