Deviate with Rolf Potts · Monday, September 7, 2026
Luke Richardson introduced the acronym 'WEIRD' (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic) to describe a particular worldview. Rolf Potts suggested that moving away from these 'WEIRD' assumptions, particularly when encountering non-modern lifeways or disaster scenarios, can lead to experiences that feel stranger than fiction.
“It means Western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic. And I think, you know, in the West and the industrialized world, we have this assumption that life is like this, you know, it's more individualistic, it's more, um, arm's length, it's not really your lifeways are not tied to a specific environment.”
“I think anytime you go to a place that has non-modern lifeways, you open up to this strange then fiction type situation.”