How to Change the World: The History & Future of Innovation

What is the best way to tackle the question "How to change the world"? Learn about our plan to dissect the history and future of innovation.This show will dissect how the world really works and the impact of the biggest inventions that lead to a step change. We'll also tell the stories of the greatest innovators from history and understand their mental models, mindsets and habits.In this promo, Host Sam Webster Harris explains in 2 minutes what he'll be doing for the next 10 years. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it" - Alan WattsThis opening episode invites you on a journey, not just through time, but through perspective.From fire-starting hominids to spacefaring technologists, we are going to trace the ripples of human imagination that turned tools into empires, and sparks into systems.In this introduction episode:Set the tone for the podcastExplain what the show is and isn'tLearn how we are going to navigate this journeyAnswer who the hell is this 'Sam Harris' (the host)Explain our 7 principles for exploring history and innovationChange is rarely neat or obvious, but this podcast is here to help us understand it. You'll start to connect the dots that are all around you.History isn't just a study of the past, it is also our present. As we live through unprecedented innovation, it's a perfect time to study the forces of tectonic shifts and how to guide them.If you're curious, optimistic, and even a little lost. You're in the right place.ABOUTThis show is an independent podcast on a mission to document the most important inventions in history in chronological order. We hope you join us for the ride to learn how the world changes.It is written, recorded, re-recorded, rewritten and re-re-recorded entirely by Sam Webster Harris.(He also makes the music.)Find out more or contact the show - ChangeTheWorldPod.comDesigns were crafted by Francisca Correia (Available to hire)Podcast strategy from Jeremy Enns (Available to hire)CHAPTERS:00:00 Introduction: The Dawn of Human Influence02:21 A Journey Through Time05:14 The Plan for the Podcast07:11 What counts as an innovation08:08 Release Schedule09:08 Beyond a history podcast10:03 A map is not a blueprint11:35 Why am i doing this?14:27 Why should you listen?15:36 The Myth of Stability16:31 7 Core Principles of the Show16:40 #1 - Interdisciplinary Thinking17:23 #2 - Systems Thinking18:02 #3 - Understanding of knowledge18:45 #4 - Context19:50 #5 - No current affairs and politics20:48 #6 - Side Quests21:56 #7 - Optimism22:59 Mission and sign off Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What lies at the core of human progress? This episode sets the scene for all human innovation.For 3.5 million years, humans and our ancestors were stuck in the Stone Age until 10,000 years ago we finally broke out of it and all manner of invention was let loose.We study tribal life across the world from anthropological records and archeology to reconstruct the lifestyle of our ancestors and the forces against them. From personal pressures to global currents, we trace the blocks on human development. The answers hold many insights for today when we think about innovation and how to make progress..We cover:What were we busy with for 97% of our existence?Why were we so slow at innovating?How did we eventually overcome these fundamental forces?This episode is ground zero as we begin our expedition through history and the creation of our modern world.ABOUTThis show is an independent podcast on a mission to document the most important inventions in history in chronological order. We hope you join us for the ride to learn how the world changes.It is written, recorded, re-recorded, rewritten and re-re-recorded entirely by Sam Webster Harris.(He also makes the music.)Find out more or contact the show - ChangeTheWorldPod.comDesigns were crafted by Francisca Correia (Available to hire)Podcast strategy from Jeremy Enns (Available to hire)BOOKSThe World Until Yesterday: What we can learn from traditional societies - Jared DiamondAn overview of the world last uncontacted tribes and their ways of live compared to today.Don't Sleep, There Are Snakes: Life and language in the Amazonia jungle - Daniel L. EverettAstonishing experiences and discoveries by missionary Daniel Everett in the Amazon jungle in 1977CHAPTERS:00:00 The Hand Axe Conundrum01:53 Episode Goals03:45 #1 - SURVIVAL04:21 Energy requirements06:30 Time Scarcity08:59 Risk and Psychological Safety11:17 #2 - CULTURE12:41 Why people hate new ideas15:25 The Grandmother Hypothesis16:21 Widowhood statistics17:46 Kaulong Tribe Widow killing19:27 Catalhayuk - 1000 years of stasis20:36 #3 - KNOWLEDGE22:42 Losing knowledge24:04 Maths24:52 Communication and Language25:53 Ice Age Picasso Paradox27:06 #4 - MOBILITY CONSTRAINTS28:05 Nomadism30:22 Racism, war, and travel complications32:07 Trade Issues34:02 Feasting examples35:51 #5 - POPULATION DENSITY37:27 Evolution of Multicellular Life39:54 Dunbars Number41:25 Mortality Rates42:46 Systems Feedback effects44:31 LESSONS - How we beat the locks48:00 Conclusion - Innovation isn't about Geniuses50:50 What can you do Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Innovations have huge impacts on humanity. We build out a system to rank world change.Everything seems so important these days:This war will BREAK the economyIf you feed your toddler THIS, you don't deserve to be a parentA new iPhone update changes EVERYTHING...We sense check what matters to humanity and what is just noise.It's easy to tell that the invention of Writing itself is more important than Velcro. But...Is Netflix more important than Baseball?Has TikTok changed the world as much as the Longbow?Was Steve Jobs more impactful than Henry VIII?History has opinions.So it's time to build a scale that lets us rationally measure global impact.Introducing the Innovation Richter Scale. A 1 to 10 rating system that lets you rank absolutely anything you can think of.NOTE - This episode expands on the Technological Richter Scale proposed by Nate Silver.ABOUTHow to Change the World is an independent podcast on a mission to document the entire history of innovation. One world-changing event at a time. In the process we are building out frameworks and mental models to think more coherently about global change.Learn more and contact us - ChangeTheWorldPod.comWritten, edited, recorded, and produced by Sam Webster Harris. (incl the music)Help from:Designs - Francisca Correia (available to hire)Mentorship - Jeremy Enns (available to hire)ReferencesNate Silver - One The Edge (2024)Nate's book is about risk analysis and the future of AI. The final chapter proposes a Technological Richter Scale, with a page on how to use it.Zvi Mowshowitz - AI and the Technological Richter Scale (2025)A good summary of Nate's ideas, on how the scale applies to AI. Also quotes Nate's page guide for each level and argues a few changes.Chapters:00:00 Innovation Richter Scale01:47 Why create a Scale?03:47 Earthquake Metaphor06:16 Invention, Innovation, Technology06:56 Ranking Magnitude not Morality08:08 The Innovation Richter Scale - Level 1 - 1008:11 Level 1 - Shower thoughts08:29 Level 2 - Actioned Idea (In private)08:49 Level 3 - Public ideas (Not popular)10:17 Level 4 - Popular and commercial ideas11:08 Level 5 - Defining Brand12:38 Level 6 - Innovation of the year15:59 Level 7 - Innovation of the Decade18:19 Level 8 - Innovation of the Century21:29 Level 9 - Innovation of the Era23:53 Level 10 - Species Epoch28:31 Part 2 - Using the scale29:45 Weapons & Tools of Death - Brands, Categories and Concepts33:58 Politics & Population Impact - Local, Continental and Global38:00 Questions without answers38:38 Sports & Religion - Emotional Impact and Purpose41:01 Peter Thiel and Chess41:47 Religion and Personal Beliefs in interpreting the scale43:33 Roundup conclusions Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do we really control fire? The lesser-known fact of fire is that an individual human is completely dependent on it to survive. Furthermore, Society itself is built on fire and would collapse totally without itWhile you're patting yourself on the back for lighting that barbecue, fire has been pulling the strings for 2 million years, reshaping our anatomy, rewiring our brains, and dictating our social structures.It transformed us from ape-like creatures that had a neat standing trick into the cunning apex predator of the world. Along the way, it upended both ecosystems and gender roles but most importantly, made us human.Today, as we face the dawn of AI, we're seeing the same pattern. Fire marked a huge leverage of energy that freed us up to think. AI promises to do our thinking for us, which frees us up for who knows what.Three takeaways:Transformative technologies change what we are, not just what we doDependency often disguises itself as control and masteryThe biggest innovations create irreversible psychological and social shiftsReady to understand how fire forged the human mind?ABOUTHow to Change the World is an independent podcast on a mission to document the entire history of innovation. One world-changing event at a time. In the process we are building out frameworks and mental models to think more coherently about global change.Learn more and contact us - ChangeTheWorldPod.comWritten, edited, recorded, and produced by Sam Webster Harris. (incl the music)Help from:Designs - Francisca Correia (available to hire)Mentorship - Jeremy Enns (available to hire)ReferencesCatching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human - Richard WranghamA great overview of fire and human anthropology (apes etc...). I can highly recommend listening/watching some of interviews Richard Wrangham on other podcasts (Lex Friedman, Modern Wisdom, Jordan Peterson)The Pyrocene: How We Created An Age Of Fire - Stephen PyneSome good ideas on the different eras of human fire use: Cooking food -> Cooking land -> Cooking the planet.Fire: The Spark That Ignited Human Evolution - Frances BurtonThe insights on the importance of light helped.Chapters00:00 The Role of Fire in Civilization04:32 First Fire - 500 million years ago07:56 Humans and fire - ~2 million years ago10:08 Discovery of Fire12:21 Stadium of Grandmothers13:24 Fire's Influence on Human Biology15:55 Fire and Human Digestion18:15 Light and Campfires20:25 Mealtimes21:32 Human Birth Woes23:23 Why Only Humans Mastered Fire25:55 Fire, Social Structures & Gender Roles31:15 Adapting to the Information Age33:17 Fire's Role in Human Expansion - 70,000 years ago35:09 Terraforming with Fire38:27 The Industrial Revolution and Fossil Fuel42:00 The Race for Renewable Energy43:11 Today - Reflecting on our lessons44:28 AI: The Next Transformative Force48:04 Reflections on Fire and the Future49:06 Premium and Book resources Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why do some ideas and technologies proliferate, whilst others die painfully?Innovations aren't just bound merely the laws of Physics, but also the powerful laws of Nature and Biology.In the "Lessons of History", Will and Ariel Durant propose the 3 Laws of Biology. Extending on the work of Charles Darwin with a lens of history. They explain the rules that govern life on earth and how it applies to humanity. In this episode, Sam extends the concept whilst also explaining a brief history of life on Earth whilst he's at it.In it, you'll learn the fundamental rules of competition, selection and reproduction that govern the success of any organism, idea or technology.We'll exploreWhy did Julius Caesar care so much about fertility rates?Your secret past life as the most epic dinosaur, the SupersaurusWhat causes unbridled Capitalism or Communism to failIs equality even good thing? And if so what do we do about it...ABOUTHow to Change the World is an independent podcast on a mission to document the entire history of innovation. One world-changing event at a time. In the process we are building out frameworks and mental models to think more coherently about global change.Learn more and contact us - ChangeTheWorldPod.comWritten, edited, recorded, and produced entirely by Sam Webster Harris.(He also makes the music...)Help from:Designs - Francisca Correia (available to hire)Mentorship - Jeremy Enns (available to hire)REFERENCESThe Lessons of History - Will and Ariel DurantAn epic overview of the lessons these authors learnt in the process of writing their series, covering every era of humanity.Sapiens: A Brief History of Humanity - Yuval Noah HarariThis episode only used the first paragraph... But some of the topics of the history of life are also in the first chapter.Home Deus: A History of Tomorrow - Yuval Noah HarariThe first chapter has a great section about Famine, Disease, and War.CHAPTERS00:00 Is a hot dog a sandwich?00:28 The Beginning of the Universe01:10 The Story of Life on Earth01:34 Three Rules of Biology05:03 FIRST LAW: Life is Competition09:54 SECOND LAW: Life is Selection11:59 Inequality in Nature and Society13:47 Balancing Freedom and Equality16:48 THIRD LAW: Life Must Breed18:34 Human Progress, Fire and Agriculture19:10 Agricultural Revolution and Civilization19:48 Fertility and Population Dynamics: Japan vs. Nigeria21:12 Ideas and Religions: Survival of the Fittest22:49 Horsemen of Apocalypse: Famine, Disease, and War28:13 Modern Challenges and Fertility Trends30:20 Conclusion and Future Episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How language and cooperation shaped our world and human society.Discover how language transformed from simple signals to complex communication, enabling us to cooperate, create cultures, and build civilizations. We explore the evolution of human imagination, the role of gossip, the development of societal morals, and the paradoxical nature of human violence and compassion.Additionally, we discuss the future of communication technology and the potential mind-blowing implications of brain-computer interfaces. Packed with insights from anthropology, psychology, and neuroscience, this episode provides a comprehensive understanding of our past and a glimpse into our possible future.ABOUTHow to Change the World is an independent podcast on a mission to document the entire history of innovation. One world-changing event at a time. In the process we are building out frameworks and mental models to think more coherently about global change.ChangeTheWorldPod.comWritten, edited, recorded, and produced by Sam Webster Harris.Help from:Designs - Francisca Correia (available to hire)Mentorship - Jeremy Enns (available to hire)REFERENCESRichard Wrangham: Ape society lessons in human cooperation and violence - The Goodness Paradox | Demonic MalesNicholas Shea: How we make and use concepts - Concepts as Plug and Play Devices | Concepts at the InterfaceSteven Mithen: Evolution of the brain and language - Prehistory of the Mind | The Language PuzzleYuval Noah Harari: Cognitive revolution and myths - SapiensChristopher Boehm: How morals shape society - Moral OriginsTim Urban: Future of brain computer interfaces - Neuralink and the Brains Magical Future(See website for more)CHAPTERS00:00 The magic of co-operation02:26 Welcome05:09 The Compression problem08:50 ACT 1 - COGNITIVE BASIS OF LANGUAGE08:50 Biological history of languages13:46 The Interconnected Brain17:24 Complex words and stuff21:11 Teamwork22:08 ACT 2 - GOSSIP, MYTHS & RELIGION22:08 Gossip and the glue of society25:46 Myths and shared delusions30:40 Early Religions - Animism, art and penises33:37 ACT 3 - SELF-DOMESTICATION33:43 Shame and Blushing38:30 The Execution Hypothesis43:21 Reactive vs Proactive Violence46:55 Mealtimes Sharing and small town thinking52:12 ACT 4 - EVOLUTIONS OF LANGUAGE52:12 Language shifts55:59 Shame and Society58:49 Evolution of communication01:01:33 Magical Wizard Hats (Brain Computer Interfaces)01:03:58 Potential Limitations01:07:38 Predicting the future01:09:47 WRAP UP Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode explores systems thinking and it's impact on innovation. Most problems in the world aren't random accidents, they're built into the systems we live in. They drive the currents that change the world.Systems Thinking is a key idea in science, politics and business, but it knows no boundaries as systems show up everywhere. When challenges overwhelm us instead of giving up hope and blaming the mysterious 'system', we can learn what's going on and what to do about it.In every era of humanity we created new systems in politics, law, technology and economics to deal with the problems of the day. As new challenges arise in the 21st century, it is up to humanity to build new systems to overcome them.Systems thinking invites us to discover the threads that bind our actions, cultures, and destinies into unexpected tapestries:Stop firefighting and get to the root cause.Search for leverage points where small acts create outsized impact.Reframe crisis from an isolated disaster to an interconnected opportunity.Fun fact - It's the UN's 80th birthday. Look out for other podcasters talking about sources of hope today.ABOUTHow to Change the World is an independent podcast on a mission to document the entire history of innovation. One world-changing event at a time. In the process we are building out frameworks and mental models to think more coherently about global change.Learn more - ChangeTheWorldPod.comWritten, edited, recorded, and produced entirely by Sam Webster Harris.(He also makes the music...)Help from:Francisca Correia does the designs (available to hire)Jeremy Enns is our incredible podcast mentor (available to hire)BOOKSThinking in Systems: A primer - Donella MeadowsA masterclass on all things systems. (Many graphs, don't get the audiobook)Systems Thinking Made Simple: New hope for solving wicked problems - Derek and Laura CabreraSimple rules for understanding and solving the most difficult problems in society.The Change World Order: Why nations succeed and fail - Ray DalioStudy of the cycles of world power over the last 500 years.Antifragile: Things that gain from disorder - Nassim N. TalebHow to think beyond resilience to build systems (and portfolios) that benefit from difficultyCHAPTERS00:00 Systems and Families01:43 Welcome03:47 What is a System?07:03 ACT 1 - 4 ELEMENTS OF A SYSTEM07:03 #1 Stocks and Flows08:32 #2 Feedback Loops10:21 #3 Delays11:32 #4 Boundaries13:02 ACT 2 - MANAGING SYSTEMS13:10 Leverage Points16:17 Butterfly Effect19:42 ACT 3 - PREVENTING COLLAPSE20:07 Resilience in systems21:52 Self-Organisation23:08 Hierarchies25:42 ACT 4 - LOOKING AT TODAY26:32 Beyond GDP29:11 Modern Political Systems30:45 Can the UN Change the World?32:12 Rewriting the Rules of a New Era33:59 Take Homes and References Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.