Shows
How to Change the World: The History & Future of Innovation[~52,000BC] The Eyed Needle: The History of Clothes, Fashion, Beauty and Status GamesHow humanity invented clothes. In the process, accidentally warping our psychology, sparking civilization, and changing what it means to be human forever.A fish doesn’t know it’s wet, and a human doesn’t know they are hiding. But every morning, you participate in a ritual that separates you from nature, and your own biology.For 90% of human history, we were naked. Then, in a blink of evolutionary time, we decided to cover up. This episode of How to Change the World challenges the standard narrative of invention stories.We’ll explore:
2025-12-031h 02
How to Change the World: The History & Future of InnovationMembership - Giving you more history, more science and more mind bending facts about naked chimpanzees (us)Behind the scenes access to extra content and surprising stories. Sam reveals all sorts of chaos from the weird pages of history, science and the even stranger insides of his mind...You can support the show and claim your place in history by joining the VIP members club.What's occurring? As every episode has a lot research that goes unused, we're making an extra sister episode for all every main history episode.We'll also give extra updates on what's going on and chances to vote on topics....
2025-11-1704 min
How to Change the World: The History & Future of InnovationThinking in Primitives: A mental model to dissect the foundations of Civilization, Humanity & CreativityThe most important innovations are invisible. Yet they are reliable building blocks of creativity that fuel human imagination.The same 26 letter alphabet lets Shakespeare write a play, a researcher publish science or you can text your mum.A standardised screw thread lets you build a house, a car or a space station.This is the story of primitives; the fundamental components that make everything else possible. We explore how Jeff Bezos coining the term "Thinking in Primitives" as he invented AWS to the building blocks of the universe and life in...
2025-10-3129 min
How to Change the World: The History & Future of Innovation[~64,000BCE] - The Bow & Arrow: A Brief History of Stone Age Weapon Technologies and Their Impact on HumanityFrom Stone flakes to the Bow and Arrow. How Stone Age weapons innovation shaped humanity and triggered global extinction events. Three million years ago, we were semi-hairless apes hiding from lions. Today we're the apex predator of planet Earth.This episode traces the entire weapons journey through Ancient History; sharp rocks, hand axes, spears, atlatls, and bows and arrows.Learn how we became humans we know today as we outsourced biology to technology, trading muscle for tools, brute force for precision. We also changed socially as values of teamwork, trust and intelligence forged...
2025-10-1559 min
How to Change the World: The History & Future of InnovationSystems Thinking: How to Dance with Chaos and Innovate in a Changing WorldThis episode explores Systems Thinking, it's impact on innovation across history and how to use it as we build the future of technology. 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.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...
2025-09-1037 min
The Coronavirus EffectHumanity's First Invention that Changed our Species and the World - The Story of FireHow humans stopped relying on evolution and became the controllers of their own destiny.In this episode of 'How to Change the World,' Sam Webster Harris discusses the profound impact of fire on the evolution and societal development of humanity. From transforming our bodies and brains to influencing gender roles and social structures, fire has fundamentally reshaped our way of life. Harris delves into the historical, biological, and cultural significance of fire, exploring how it has served as a tool for cooking, safety, and community building. Tune in to discover how fire drove early human...
2025-08-2530 min
How to Change the World: The History & Future of Innovation[~70,000BCE] - Language: The Cognitive Revolution that gave us Words, Art, Religion, Shame and ExecutionHow complex language evolved during the cognitive revolution, changing humanity and the world.Discover how language transformed from simple grunts and hand signals to complex communication, enabling us to cooperate, create cultures, invent stuff 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...
2025-08-181h 12
The Coronavirus EffectHow to Rank the Impact of an InnovationIs Brexit more important than Bitcoin? How do we rank Buddhism vs TikTok?The world changes, technology advances, but what really matters and how much? Sam explains the Innovation Richter Scale, a framework for understanding impact at every level of technology and what it means to society.---If you enjoy the episode and want more, Sam has launched his new show - "How to Change the World: The History of Innovation".Chronologically studying every world-changing event in order and how they build upon themselves up to...
2025-07-2929 min
The Coronavirus EffectWhat Blocks Human Innovation and Progress?Timeless lessons from the Stone Age and how to build innovation into our systems and solve global problems.For 97% of human history, we barely had any technology. Innovation moved at a snail's pace because of 5 invisible forces shaping our world. Learn about how these forces still exist and what really drives world change---If you enjoy the episode and want more, Sam has launched his new show - "How to Change the World: The History of Innovation".Chronologically studying every world-changing event in order and how...
2025-07-1523 min
How to Change the World: The History & Future of InnovationThe Laws of Nature: 3 Rules from History for the Success of Any Organism, Idea, Or TechnologyWhy do some ideas and technologies proliferate across history, whilst others die painfully?Innovations aren't just bound by 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's theory of evolution with a lens of human 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...
2025-07-1031 min
The Coronavirus EffectA New Approach To Understanding How to Change The WorldAs we peer into the future, sometimes the best strategy is to look back into the past. The further and deeper we look, the more comprehensive our understanding of how technology and invention can shape the future.---If you enjoy the episode and want more, Sam has launched his new show - "How to Change the World: The History of Innovation".Chronologically studying every world-changing event in order and how they build upon themselves up to today.Available on all podcast players:SPOTIFY - https://open.spotify.com/show/1F...
2025-06-3024 min
How to Change the World: The History & Future of Innovation[~1.8 Mya] - Fire: The Innovation that Forged Humanity and Sparked World DominationDo we really control fire? A curious fact about fire is that an individual human is completely dependent on it to survive. Furthermore, human 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.The ultimate innovator, it transformed us from ape-like creatures with a neat standing trick into the cunning apex predator of the world. Along the way, it...
2025-06-2751 min
How to Change the World: The History & Future of InnovationInnovation Richter Scale: How Much Do Technology and Ideas Change World History?Innovations have huge impacts on humanity. But which ideas matter the most?Sam W. Harris builds out a system to rank world change and compare the impact of technology and inventions.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. It's time to sense check what matters to humanity and the future and what is...
2025-06-0446 min
How to Change the World: The History & Future of Innovation[Stone Age] - Innovation Locks: The 5 Progress Blockers for 97% of Human HistoryWhat lies at the core of human progress? This episode asks ancient history what created human innovation and what stopped it for so long?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 inventions was let loose.We study tribal life across the world from anthropological records and archeology of the stone age to reconstruct the lifestyle of our ancestors and the forces against them. From personal pressures to global currents, we trace the blocks on...
2025-05-2154 min
How to Change the World: The History & Future of InnovationIntroduction to How to Change the World - Dissecting the History & Future of Innovation"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, "How to Change the World" is 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...
2025-05-2024 min
How to Change the World: The History & Future of InnovationHow to Change the World in 2 minutesWhat is the best way to tackle the question "How to change the world"? Learn about our plan to dissect the history innovation and peer into the future of technology.This show will dissect how the world really works and the impact of the biggest inventions that changed both the world and humanity for good. We'll also tell the stories of the greatest innovators from history and understand their mental models, mindsets and habits to help you build a guide for world change and innovation.In this promo, Host Sam Webster Harris explains...
2025-05-1902 min
The Coronavirus EffectUPDATE - How To Change The World: The history of innovationSam is launching a new show - How to Change the World: The History of InnovationStarting from the dawn of civilization. Each series will cover an era of humanity and each episode will cover an individual innovation and / or innovator telling their story and impact on society.In between episodes, we will have a shorter masterclass episode on an individual topic, mental model, or idea relating to the grand goal of changing the world.First season is out now:Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1Fj3eFjEoAEKF5lWQx...
2025-03-1703 min
The Garrett Ashley Mullet ShowUnequal Weights and Measures, and the Prosecution of Donald Trump"Yahweh called Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of livestock from the herd or from the flock."- Leviticus 1:1-2"For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of Yahweh, he has also rejected you from being king.”- 1 Samuel 15:23”The poor use entreaties, but the rich answer roughly."- Proverbs...
2023-04-051h 23
The Coronavirus Effect9. National Care ForceCharles ArmitageCharles Armitage is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Florence. Florence is a marketplace that connects care homes to nurses and care workers looking for extra shifts.Having started his career in the NHS, Charles entered the world of tech to help tackle some of the failures he witnessed. Charles loves sharing lessons from the frontline of building a platform business.DiscussionOther than Florence, Charles and his partners developed National Care Force - a nationwide network of care providers, healthcare workers and volunteers, ready to...
2020-05-2116 min
The Coronavirus Effect8. The Care IndustryJames Townsend, the co-founder of Mobilise, is on a mission to transform the way the UK's growing number of informal carers access support.James has over ten years of experience setting up and leading socially impactful organisations. He was formerly Teach First President, and set up the Church of England Foundation for Educational Leadership, facilitating 135,000 teachers, leaders and support staff into a learning community.DiscussionIn response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Mobilise is an online platform where carers can meet for a chat over a “virtual cuppa” and access vital info...
2020-05-0836 min
The Coronavirus Effect7. Where Is Technology HeadingEamonn Carey is the Managing Director of Techstars London. He's been an entrepreneur for most of his adult life - starting several companies in Europe and the Middle East - two successfully, others, less so.He's been an active angel investor in Europe, the US and Asia for the last five years - investing in everything from AI to food tech and from messaging to co-working spaces. He ran the Techstars Connection program in New York, works with the Zeroth AI accelerator in Hong Kong and sits on several boards - including Lingvist, Paranoid Fan, and Motivii.
2020-04-2646 min
The Coronavirus Effect6. How Do We Have Adventures?I am an adventuraholic. As such being confined to one space is an unusual place to find myself.I am embracing my curious spirit and invite listeners to explore their minds and body and have their own personal journeys of adventure inside.When You Can't Go Outside, Go InsideWe are used to being able to jump on a plane and appear in a new culture and immerse ourselves in adventures. But now we are all stuck at home. The future may have limited travel for a while as we...
2020-04-1916 min
The Coronavirus Effect5. When Life Gives You LemonsAboutDame Stephanie Shirley is one of Britain's leading philanthropists and has used her life to drive positive change in the world. Shirley empowered a generation of women in technology, giving them unheard of freedom to choose their own hours and manage their own workloads.She started her business in the sixties working from home with no computer or email. Writing machine code in her kitchen. It went on to become a business worth over £3billion and she is perhaps the most important person in technology you haven't heard of.Her book 'Let I...
2020-04-1227 min
The Coronavirus Effect4. Maintaining Empathy at a DistanceKaitlin Ugolik Phillips is an author and technology researcher. We dive into her findings around human interaction online and how we lose empathy and cause each other extra stress.We talk about solutions for this and how we can control ourselves better to avoid being led down dangerous rabbit holes of thinking and keep positive.I can highly reccomend her book "The Future Of Feeling: Building Empathy in a Tech Obsessed World" for a masterclass in becoming a wiser particapant in online conversations. It also really helps explain human psychology around why we chagne our...
2020-04-1118 min
The Coronavirus Effect3. Black Swan - The High Impact of the Highly UnexpectedAboutThe 'Black Swan' is a book by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. It demonstrates that unexpected events have the biggest impact on shaping the world. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/242472.The_Black_SwanThe book explains how can we prepare for these evens. How to build a more resilient strategies. How to get stronger from such events instead of being beatenWant more book discussions?This podcast episode was originally recorded for the "Wiser than Yesterday" podcast. See www.wiserpod.com Sam discusses the...
2020-04-0444 min
The Coronavirus Effect2. What Is All The Panic (buying) About?After stores across the world first started running out of toilet paper, this quickly spread to empty shelves and epic queues as people rush to stock up before armageddon hits. This has resulted in a lot of further panic and strong emotions and angry words from those impacted. Still no one knows why toilet paper is needed....In this episode we dive into some of the reasons behind the buying. We discuss supply chain shifts, game theory, psychology, fear, and economics to discover how it works. Along the way we find reasons to be less judgemental and...
2020-03-2623 min
The Coronavirus Effect1. An IntroductionAn short episode introducing the podcast, the aims and topics to discuss and what you can expect to be hearing over the coming episodes.Sam gives a brief overview of the opportunity we have to reflect and the importance of focussing on the positive amongst all the terrible news.We also learn about the host's background in science, business, adventure and near death experiences and why he's taking on the project,---If you enjoy the episode and want more, Sam has launched his new show - "How to...
2020-03-2113 min
Spiraken Review PodcastSpiraken Mini Movie Review: Spider-man Far From Home (Spoiler Free)In this SPOILER FREE mini movie review episode, Xan reviews the latest live action version of Spider-Man? Sit back and enjoy as our host reviews the 23rd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Far From Home, directed by Jon Watts and starring Tom Holland alongside Samuel L. Jackson, Zendaya, Cobie Smulders, Jon Favreau, J. B. Smoove, Jacob Batalon, Martin Starr, Marisa Tomei, and Jake Gyllenhaal.
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As with our other mini reviews, this is not an official review, and our Host talks about the overall performance from Tom Holland and...
2019-07-0214 min
The Peace Revolution PodcastPeace Revolution episode 070: How the Mind is Harnessed to Create Human Resources
Click here to download this episode, or use the download link at the bottom of the notes for this episode.
Notes, References, and Links for further study:
Tragedy and Hope dot com
Invitation to the Tragedy and Hope online community (link expires monthly)
Log in page for the Tragedy and Hope online community
Peace Revolution primary site (2009-2012)*
Peace Revolution backup stream (2006-2012)*
Includes the 9/11 Synchronicity Podcast (predecessor to Peace Revolution)
*These 2 podcasts and lectures amount...
2013-03-1700 min