Mark Olly discusses his book Revealing the Green Man.

Listen to the full show on Legalise Freedom Dot Com

To many, The Green Man is little more than a chubby face peering through a veil of leaves. Sometimes cute, sometimes vaguely sinister, he is nonetheless widely regarded as merely a meaningless symbol from an age long lost. In reality, however, he could rather be said to be the esoteric embodiment of the very essence of life itself, an ancient archetype once known the world over.

On a journey through myths and legends, magic and folklore, we explore the mystery of The Green Man. From the time of the Celts and Druids, the rise of the Roman Empire, the Anglo-Saxon annals, and the descent into the Dark Ages and beyond, we meet with Robin Hood, Herne the Hunter, King Arthur, and many other colourful characters along the way. It is a tale pregnant with arcane symbolism, cultish rites, the perennial wisdom of 'as above - so below', and the final revelation of the Earth's eternal cycle of destruction and rebirth.

Thousands of years ago, man went to war with nature, and thus to war with himself. Lost to the land as once was, he became Master of the World, for a while. Blinded by arrogance, hobbled by hubris, and emboldened by his technological toys, he brought the biosphere to the brink of oblivion, to exalt himself at the Earth's expense. This is our story, and we are not as clever as we might like to believe. In a timely re-learning of The Green Man's lessons, in the twilight of the industrial age, we are being invited, perchance for the final time, to change our ways, or perish.

Bumper music: Cliff Martinez 'Traffic OST' Clannad 'Herne'

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In a follow-up to our previous interview Transhumanism: Man's Scientific Rise to Godhood, Aaron Franz returns to discuss transhumanism and popular culture. This is a two part interview. Part two is here

Whether prophecy, predictive programming or outright propaganda, cinema, television and literature both past and present are rife with visions of a future in which humanity is transformed, enslaved or even annihilated by technology run amok. Science fiction, fantasy and other speculative forms foresee a time when robots, cyborgs and genetically engineered supermen manipulate the masses, artificial intelligence arises to rival and even surpass human intelligence, and humanity finally merges with machines to achieve Godlike immortality. It's a dream to some, a nightmare to others. From Brave New World to Blade Runner, from The Machine to Metropolis, and from Star Trek to The Six Million Dollar Man, we explore the hopes, fears, threats and promises of a future in which being human may no longer be enough.

www.theageoftransitions.com

Bumper music: Cliff Martinez 'Traffic OST' Brad Fiedel 'Terminator 2' OST Hawkwind 'Utopia'

Aaron Franz discusses his book Revolve: Man's Scientific Rise to Godhood.

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Artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, implantable chips, and life extension. These and many other technologies are being promoted as the way for humanity to become something radically different. The transhumanist movement claims that by applying such technologies to our biology, we will become post-human. But behind this techno-utopian vision lurk the spectres of eugenics, mind control, police state propaganda, the end of privacy, and maybe even the end of the human race itself.

A new religion for a new age is being born, arising from a scientific and increasingly sinister quest for eternal life. The Philosopher's Stone of the alchemists now appears to be within reach, as man strives to transcend Earthly limitations and merge at last with the Godhead itself. In Revolve, Franz moves beyond the typical Singularity sales pitch and artificial intelligence hype to bring us face to face with something far more profound, disturbing, and ancient.

www.theageoftransitions.com Humanity+

Bumper music: Cliff Martinez 'Traffic OST' Brad Fiedel 'Terminator 2' OST Lee Rosevere 'The Machine That Won the War'