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

By How To Change The World | Sam Webster Harris

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Category: History

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Episodes: 10

Description

Sam Webster Harris chronicles the complete history of innovation from the Stone Age to the modern day. Learn how transformative ideas build upon each other to change the world and shape the future of humanity.


Every breakthrough that changes civilization begins with curiosity. From the first controlled fire to artificial intelligence. Follow the journey, step-by-step, tracing the evolution of human progress and society. On the way, uncovering the nerdy stories and fun facts behind world-changing inventions and the mental models that drive systemic change.


Each episode is a deep dive into innovation patterns and the threads that shape our world:

- From Leonardo Da Vinci dissecting human bodies to editing our own DNA

- Maritime Navigation sets the course for Interstellar exploration

- Hammurabi's legal code is relevant in algorithmic governance


Modern revolutions in technology and the future of AI are a continuation of core needs of their human creators. Our desire for leverage shows up time and again in the history of civilization.


Drawing insights from psychology, economics, and anthropology, we explore how change makers in history like Galileo, Newton, and Tesla didn't just discover big ideas. They transformed civilization itself. Their playbooks reveal timeless strategies for anyone seeking to understand how the world works.


This isn't surface-level history. It's intellectual history told through narrative learning—connecting past invention stories to the future of technology, future of society, and patterns of history that will define the Anthropocene.


Whether you're fascinated by the timeline of human history, founder stories, or the psychology of change, each episode delivers actionable mental models wrapped in engaging storytelling. Learn something new about human progress while discovering your own potential to change the world.


For the intellectually curious seeking to understand innovation, drive progress, and glimpse the future of humanity.


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Episode Date
Thinking in Primitives: A mental model to dissect the foundations of Civilization, Humanity & Creativity
Oct 31, 2025
[~64,000BCE] - The Bow & Arrow: A Brief History of Stone Age Weapon Technologies and Their Impact on Humanity
Oct 15, 2025
Systems Thinking: How to Dance with Chaos and Innovate in a Changing World
Sep 10, 2025
[~70,000BCE] - Language: The Cognitive Revolution that gave us Words, Art, Religion, Shame and Execution
Aug 18, 2025
The Laws of Nature: 3 Rules from History for the Success of Any Organism, Idea, Or Technology
Jul 10, 2025
[~1.8 Mya] - Fire: The Innovation that Forged Humanity and Sparked World Domination
Jun 27, 2025
Innovation Richter Scale: How Much Do Technology and Ideas Change World History?
Jun 04, 2025
[Stone Age] - Innovation Locks: The 5 Progress Blockers for 97% of Human History
May 21, 2025
Introduction to How to Change the World - Dissecting the History & Future of Innovation
May 20, 2025
How to Change the World in 2 minutes
May 19, 2025