We're the kind of people who'd lick a glacier just to say we’ve “explored it cold.” No matter what we're talking about—be it cheese, space travel, or ancient plumbing—we’ll somehow loop it back to the environment. And yes, between two questions, we casually teleport 11,000 miles—from croissants in Paris to kiwis in the Bay of Plenty. Our carbon footprint is basically a world tour.

Margot, from Paris, France is the listener setting the first question today. “What is the significance of pilgrimage in different religions?”

Alex thinks pilgrimages are just fancy holidays with extra soul-searching. Stuart’s like, “Pilgrimage? Could be a museum binge or a walk to your nan’s—whatever moves you.” William treats Finland like his personal Zen dojo. Alex says you don’t even need to leave your sofa—just vibe deeply. Stuart reckons all pilgrimages, religious or not, are just brain space with a passport. William’s in it for the emotional detox. Environmentally? Alex hugs trees locally. Stuart reads the fine print before jumping on the eco-bandwagon. William wants pilgrimages with less carbon and more conscience.

Ryan, from Bay Of Plenty, New Zealand sets the next question. “Does the concept of fate or destiny play a role in the meaning of life and choices we make?”

Alex treats destiny like a cosmic suggestion box—no proof, but hey! Stuart’s into fate with a side of free will, like life’s a GPS with optional detours. William’s not buying it—he’s Team DIY Life Plan. Alex likes spreadsheets over spontaneity. Stuart says embracing life’s chaos is liberating, like nihilism but with better PR. William, after hearing the others, realizes he’s never properly Googled “destiny” and might give it a second thought. Eco twist? Alex says ponder fate while hugging a tree. Stuart suggests debating destiny to save the planet. William wants to slow-cook his existential crisis and see if it’s compostable.

The video link of the race William refers to which was when Australian Steven Bradbury won gold medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUi4-H6hfw8

What do you make of this discussion? Do you have a question that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by sending an email to ⁠thepeoplescountryside@gmail.com

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This podcast's overall themes are nature, philosophy, climate, the human condition, sustainability, and social justice.

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Since COVID, this podcast has pretty much been all about the questions that you, the listener, have sent in for Stuart ‘The Wildman’ Mabbutt and William Mankelow, the two co-hosts, to conversate around.

In every episode, two of these listener questions are discussed, and by sheer coincidence, both questions in today’s episode, have come from the same person; Elodie in Brittany, France.

The first of Elodie’s questions is as follows: “What does the ideal form of government look like, and why?”

From this question the conversation begins with an exploration of what constitutes an ideal form of government. Stuart advocates for a system that is fair, progressive, and breaks free from traditional constraints, even referencing John Lydon's controversial support for Donald Trump, as an example of challenging the establishment. William counters with a stark reality check, arguing that Trump causes real harm to working people and asserting that no truly ideal government can exist, due to inherent human disagreement and dissent.

The discussion evolves into a fascinating examination of power dynamics, with William drawing unexpected parallels between government structures and the music industry's shift from record label dominance to streaming platform control. Both hosts ultimately agree that effective governance requires balance - strong leadership willing to make difficult decisions, paired with robust opposition ready to find middle ground through reconciliation.

The second question from Elodie is “How do names and labels influence our perceptions and reality?

William expresses discomfort with gendering non-human objects like hurricanes and ships, leading to a broader conversation about the difference between grammatical gender and sexual identity. Stuart provocatively argues that society's obsession with labeling - whether by profession, sexuality, or identity - may actually hinder progress, rather than advance it.

The hosts examine the LGBTQ+ movement through different lenses, with William viewing it as necessary activism against those who deny gender diversity, while Stuart questions whether continued focus on gender categories prevents true social evolution.

What do you make of this discussion? Do you have a question that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by sending an email to ⁠thepeoplescountryside@gmail.com

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We like to give you an ad free experience. We also like our audience to be relatively small and engaged, we’re not after numbers.

This podcast's overall themes are nature, philosophy, climate, the human condition, sustainability, and social justice.

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We cover two listener questions in today’s episode, with two guests once again in the Listener’s Chair, those being Alex Kauffmann and Suzi Darrington, who sit alongside the regular co-hosts Stuart ‘The Wildman’ Mabbutt and William Mankelow.

The two questions up for discussion are: “How do technological advancements alter scientific methodologies?” which was sent in by Floss in Gimli, Manitoba, Canada, and “Can ethical consumption ever exist in a capitalistic society?” which was posed by Paul in Queensland, Australia.

From Floss’s question, Alex feels that technology evolves to become more accurate and precise over time, forcing scientific methodologies to adapt accordingly. Suzi sees positive AI applications in science (early breast cancer detection for example) but is concerned about how it’s being used in the creative fields, while Stuart advocates for technology to enhance rather than replace human skills and awareness. William emphasizes viewing AI as a tool rather than a master, for example it can be useful for mentoring when human mentors aren't accessible. He feels it all comes down to how AI is used.

Then from Paul’s question, William attempts to define ethical consumption by encouraging you to "stop buying crap and just buy what you actually need to exist", while Suzi posits the idea that “ if consumption is ethical, it would have to be good, not just neutral. But she thinks when people criticize consumption under capitalism, the suggestion is that it's not only not ethically good, it's actually ethically bad because it relies on someone's exploitation.” Meanwhile Alex believes that pure ethical consumption under capitalism is impossible, and advocates to be conscious of your environmental impact in consumption decisions. Stuart questions whether anyone is truly outside the capitalist system - he asks "aren't we all in the system?"

What do you make of this discussion? Do you have a question that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by sending an email to ⁠thepeoplescountryside@gmail.com

We like to give you an ad free experience. We also like our audience to be relatively small and engaged, we’re not after numbers.

This podcast's overall themes are nature, philosophy, climate, the human condition, sustainability, and social justice.

Help us to spread the impact of the podcast by sharing this link with 5 friends podfollow.com/ThePeoplesCountrysideEnvironmentalDebatePodcast , support our work through Patreon patreon.com/thepeoplescountryside⁠. Find out all about the podcast via this one simple link: linktr.ee/thepeoplescountryside

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We don't necessarily talk about the countryside on this podcast as much as we used to or should do, maybe. You, the listeners, now send in questions for us to conversate around. We don't see the questions until we press record, and we always try to spin it back to the environment in some way.

In this episode we have two guests in the listener’s chair, the first guests in a long while, or should we say chairs? One returning guest, and one podcast newbie, those being Suzi Darrington, and Alex Kauffmann.

Jess, from Bishop’s Tatchbrook, Warwickshire, England asks the first question - “Can we trust our memories, or do they alter our perception of reality in the moment and over time?”

Stuart kicks off with two oldies, two newbies—this’ll be fun!. He suspects age might split opinions.

Suzi, the memory maestro, says perception’s shaped by memories but isn’t totally unreliable (even if your brain sometimes edits like a bad film director).

Stuart wonders if we can trust memories at all.

Alex chimes in: nostalgia is basically Photoshop for the past.

William notes childhood memories are fuzzy, recent ones clearer—but we all cherry-pick.

They all agree: memory messes with reality, but it’s still useful. Final takeaway? Use your warped recollections to fuel eco-action. Just don’t trust them to find your lost keys.

Unity, from Paddock Wood, Kent, England sets todays second question - “What role does genetics play in the debate between free will and determinism?”

Suzi wonders if we’re just meat robots running on genetic Wi-Fi.

Alex compares determinism to infinity—huge, mysterious, and not great dinner party material.

William shrugs: He acts like he has free will, even if he’s just a well-dressed algorithm.

Stuart brings up Zimbabwe’s hyperinflation to prove some things are just too bonkers to grasp.

Suzi asks: if we’re coded, can we still be blamed for binge-watching reality TV?

Tribalism and cognitive dissonance get a shoutout—because ignoring facts is basically a hobby.

Alex muses that evolution is slow genetic editing.

William says we’re built to adapt, even to climate chaos.

Final takeaway? Whether you’re free or pre-programmed, use your mysterious powers for good—especially for the planet.

What do you make of this discussion? Do you have a question that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by sending an email to ⁠thepeoplescountryside@gmail.com

We like to give you an ad free experience. We also like our audience to be relatively small and engaged, we’re not after numbers.

This podcast's overall themes are nature, philosophy, climate, the human condition, sustainability, and social justice.

Help us to spread the impact of the podcast by sharing this link with 5 friends podfollow.com/ThePeoplesCountrysideEnvironmentalDebatePodcast , support our work through Patreon patreon.com/thepeoplescountryside⁠. Find out all about the podcast via this one simple link: linktr.ee/thepeoplescountryside

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You could rewind the podcast, listen in reverse, and Stuart (co-host) would still sound like he's decoding alien transmissions. People keep saying we should be 'industry voices'—but the world has plenty of self-appointed sages peddling their predictable patter. We’d rather stay unpredictable than be another echo in the expert chamber.

Vinroy, from Linstead, Jamaica sets the first listener question today - “Would a multiverse be compatible with our current understanding of reality?”

William (your other co-host) ponders, what even is reality? Stuart shrugs and suggests reality’s just a dodgy software update away from collapsing. Cue William, citing His Dark Materials, where every time you pick tea over coffee, another universe spins off with deeply confused baristas. Stuart steers things into, if it feels good, it’s probably carbon neutral territory, while William counters, change hurts. Stuart argues life shouldn't feel like an eco bootcamp. William admits his internal habits committee is... inefficient. The multiverse? Tempting. But for now, this one’s tricky enough.

Scott, Arisaig, Scotland - “Can we ever claim to have absolute knowledge about anything? The human brain can’t conceive the notion of nothingness. Before the big bang, there was nothing. What did that look like? Can a human brain ever conceive of that.”

William isn’t buying Scott’s nothing before the Big Bang theory—he reckons there was probably something, even if it was just cosmic awkward silence. Stuart thinks time is just our brains trying to make calendars feel important. William drops in 14 billion years like it’s a fun fact; Stuart counters with do we really know why water’s wet? Before spiraling into Newtonian conspiracy. William argues for concrete truths—like sogginess—and Stuart, mid-meditation, wonders if truth is just our neurons doing improv. William challenges listeners to imagine nothing. Stuart wants the Dalai Lama’s take. William just wants anyone’s.

What do you make of this discussion? Do you have a question that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by sending an email to ⁠thepeoplescountryside@gmail.com

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This podcast's overall themes are nature, philosophy, climate, the human condition, sustainability, and social justice.

Help us to spread the impact of the podcast by sharing this link with 5 friends podfollow.com/ThePeoplesCountrysideEnvironmentalDebatePodcast , support our work through Patreon patreon.com/thepeoplescountryside⁠. Find out all about the podcast via this one simple link: linktr.ee/thepeoplescountryside

If you’re listening to this podcast, you've officially run out of things to do with your life.

Now we’ve got your attention, here’s the first of two listener questions, your co-hosts Stuart ‘The Wildman’ Mabbutt, whose known for his willingness to challenge mainstream perspectives, and William Mankelow who always tries to anchor the discussion with thoughtful reflections, that blend aesthetics with reality. But most of the time, they are both trying their best not to swear.

The first question then comes from Rithipol in Phnom Penh, Cambodia - “When you look back, those creatures considered most intelligent, dominated less intelligent species, and maybe even contributed to their demise and extinctions. Considering this against the upsurge in AI, if we are considering inventing something that could in some ways be more intelligent than ourselves, are we signing our own death warrant?”

From Rithipol’s inquiry, Stuart focuses on questioning fundamental assumptions about AI and intelligence. He challenges whether AI is truly "new" by drawing parallels to genetically modified crops, which had been around for decades before public awareness peaked. He questions the consistency of arguments about intelligence - if humans claim to be the only intelligent species, then other animals causing extinctions can't be attributed with intelligence, but if other species are intelligent, then humans aren't unique.

William takes a balanced perspective on AI as being a transformative but double-edged technology. He acknowledges that fear around AI stems from it being new and unknown, while recognizing its potential as one of the most important developments in human history that will inevitably be used for both good and bad purposes.

The second question is from Fred in St Just, Cornwall, England - “Stuart you say we should do one thing well before moving on to the next. That would be a good thing to do during the ongoing process of human evolution don’t you think? Or would it have held us back with hidden consequences? I’d add to your statement Stuart - we should be the best at the stuff that needs no talent, and build from there".

Here’s what Stuart made of this question that was directed at him.

Stuart believes in doing one thing well before moving to the next, viewing this as essential for avoiding the common mistake of spreading ourselves too thinly across multiple areas. However, he makes an important distinction between individual and collective action - while individuals should focus on mastering one thing at a time, as a species we need to pursue multiple endeavors simultaneously because this diversity drives evolution and progress.

What do you make of this discussion? Do you have a question that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by sending an email to ⁠thepeoplescountryside@gmail.com

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This podcast's overall themes are nature, philosophy, climate, the human condition, sustainability, and social justice.

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There is quite a bit to unpack in this, the latest episode of The People’s Countryside Environmental Debate Podcast. Where conversations serve as springboards for deeper discussions that weave through nature, philosophy, climate, the human condition, sustainability, and social justice, all with the starting point of a question sent in by a listener.

In today’s episode your co-hosts discuss two such questions, the first coming from Ray, Sauk Centre, Minnesota, USA - “The Biden and Trump administrations worked together as one came to an end and the other started. Should the two parties power share and work together as a better version of future US politics? 77 million voted for Trump and 75 million, I think, voted for Harris. The country is split so is it time to share?”.

Off the back of Ray’s question Stuart comes up with an action: if you went to kindergarten or you went to nursery school. When you think about how your life progressed in school and you ceased to share, and it was about self gain, self gratification, getting grades, and all the rest of it was just me, me, me, me, me .Think if the sharing had continued through your education, and on into your adult life, how would it have looked different?

And William’s action: Realize that we are polarized in our thinking, that what you think is true for yourself, is not necessarily right, it can just be your opinion, not fact. And be mindful of that, and be ready to have your mind changed.

The second question comes from Vinroy, Linstead, Jamaica - “A million Earths could fit into the space taken up by our Sun. With that concept in mind, do our problems, issues, disagreement, fashions etc etc etc, really mean anything?”

For such a BIG question which Vinroy has raised here, your co-hosts come up with two big actions.

Stuart’s action: look at a problem you've got today and set it against the enormity of the universe. Any issues long term, or short term that you may have, your friends, may have , the people around you may have. Does it matter? Is it of anything of significance? Be it disagreements and fashions? They're just like a blip. Does any of this really mean anything?

William’s action: he encourages you  to go out there and, and lead a good life, and actually just be kinder to people that are around you. And if you operate from that point of view, and you see that somebody else is actually having struggles themselves. You are only gonna make the world a better place.

During the discussion of this question, William mentions the Hubble Telescope Deep Field, you can find out more about this with the following link: Hubble Telescope Deep Field

What do you make of this discussion? Do you have a question that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by sending an email to ⁠thepeoplescountryside@gmail.com

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 Stuart and William don't see the listener questions before they press record. They don't really have guests. They explore these topics cold without preparation. Not trying to be the go-to experts as they feel there are enough out there already, they see themselves as the go-to guys who are willing to explore things cold.

Scott, Arisaig, Scotland - “What are your biggest challenges personally in 2025, and what are the biggest culturally?”

Stuart marched into 2025 armed with flipcharts, fire in his belly, and a dream of accessible fields for all. But by March, the flipcharts were supporting a sad-looking houseplant, and his greatest obstacle was not uneven terrain, but patience and acceptance toward his own ill-health. He’d tried yoga, herbal tea, and shouting at ducks—none worked.

Meanwhile, William’s job title changed so often it needed a loyalty card. One day consultant, next day “freelance strategist of vibes.” He embraced the chaos like a man at a buffet who forgot what he came for.

Culturally, both were baffled. Stuart declared British culture was invisible but everywhere—like damp. William wondered if he was English, British, or just someone who owned a teapot and too many socks.

Their shared mission? End othering, talk to strangers, and dismantle the great wall of cultural confusion one biryani-powered chat at a time. Because progress starts with a ramp—and maybe a really good biscuit.

Jess, Bishop’s Tatchbrook, Warwickshire, England - “Unless it's on the edge of disaster and on the precipice, humanity never seems to want to change, adapt and evolve. Discuss”.

Stuart insists that “change,” “adapt,” and “evolve” are not synonyms, despite what motivational posters and management consultants would have us believe. Change, he says, is swapping oat milk for cow’s milk and pretending it’s just as good. Adapt is realising your oat milk curdles in tea but drinking it anyway. Evolve is becoming lactose-intolerant and being smug about it.

William thinks the climate crisis is like waiting for a Hollywood meteor—we want a big dramatic moment before reacting. Meanwhile, Europe is quietly crisping like the forgotten toast languishing in the bottom of a bag belonging to a fellow Speedway supporter of Stuart’s. He points out we've already had the disaster movie, we just missed the trailer.

They agree: humanity is great at adapting... often in ways that make things worse. Evolution won’t save us—it takes millennia, and we’ve barely got until next Thursday. But if individuals act, influence leaders, and maybe stop voting for people who think climate change is just “weather being moody,” there’s hope.

What do you make of this discussion? Do you have a question that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by sending an email to ⁠thepeoplescountryside@gmail.com

We like to give you an ad free experience. We also like our audience to be relatively small and engaged, we’re not after numbers.

This podcast's overall themes are nature, philosophy, climate, the human condition, sustainability, and social justice.

Help us to spread the impact of the podcast by sharing this link with 5 friends podfollow.com/ThePeoplesCountrysideEnvironmentalDebatePodcast , support our work through Patreon patreon.com/thepeoplescountryside⁠. Find out all about the podcast via this one simple link: linktr.ee/thepeoplescountryside

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