50 min
272 - Ada Palmer on Learning From the Past and the Future Getting Smart Podcast
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- Education
In today’s interview, the Getting Smart team is talking to Ada Palmer, a history professor at the University of Chicago. As a historian, Ada studies the long-term evolution of ideas and the history of religious radicalism, science, and freethought, especially in the Italian Renaissance, Enlightenment, and Classical Greece and Rome. In addition to being a historian, Ada is also a composer and an award-winning science fiction author.
In Tom and Ada’s conversation, they discuss how we can learn from the past and the future. Ada shares her insights on historical pandemics; how society has changed; how history may influence the future; how sci-fi can help society integrate new, ethical frameworks; and how investigating the past and the future can help us navigate the complex here and now.
Key Takeaways:
[:10] About today’s episode.
[:41] Tom welcomes Ada to the podcast!
[:48] As a historian at Chicago, what does Ada believe that history can teach us about a world that’s currently going through a pandemic as well as the current BLM movement?
[6:05] Donald Ferguson has said that historians study crisis. Does Ada think about studying history in this way?
[8:21] Ada shares her thoughts on what the Golden Age really means and why it is so incredibly important to study.
[12:19] Ada talks about her passion for space exploration, space launches, and the space program and what it all means to her.
[13:19] How true social change actually happens (using examples through history).
[24:15] About Getting Smart’s resource on equity work.
[24:51] Ada shares about her role as a teacher and how she thinks about learning. In particular, she highlights her teachings about the Italian renaissance and why she has her college students reenact the fateful Conclave of 1492.
[32:50] Why Ada writes science fiction, particularly ‘big ideas’ science fiction.
[35:05] How science fiction can help us create new ethical frameworks and dynamic frameworks for changing the world.
[38:10] Ada’s take on the rise of synthetic content such as deep fakes.
[40:32] What an ideal high school curriculum looks like to Ada.
[48:51] Tom thanks Ada for joining the podcast!
Mentioned in This Episode:
Ada Palmer’s Blog
GettingSmart.com/EquityWork
1492 Conclave
Ada Palmer’s Books
Who Owns the News?: A History of Copyright, by Will Slauter
Get Involved:
Check out the blog at GettingSmart.com.
Find the Getting Smart Podcast on iTunes, leave a review and subscribe.
Is There Somebody You’ve Been Wanting to Learn From or a Topic You’d Like Covered?
To get in contact: Email Editor@GettingSmart.com and include ‘Podcast’ in the subject line.
The Getting Smart team will be sure to add them to their list!
In today’s interview, the Getting Smart team is talking to Ada Palmer, a history professor at the University of Chicago. As a historian, Ada studies the long-term evolution of ideas and the history of religious radicalism, science, and freethought, especially in the Italian Renaissance, Enlightenment, and Classical Greece and Rome. In addition to being a historian, Ada is also a composer and an award-winning science fiction author.
In Tom and Ada’s conversation, they discuss how we can learn from the past and the future. Ada shares her insights on historical pandemics; how society has changed; how history may influence the future; how sci-fi can help society integrate new, ethical frameworks; and how investigating the past and the future can help us navigate the complex here and now.
Key Takeaways:
[:10] About today’s episode.
[:41] Tom welcomes Ada to the podcast!
[:48] As a historian at Chicago, what does Ada believe that history can teach us about a world that’s currently going through a pandemic as well as the current BLM movement?
[6:05] Donald Ferguson has said that historians study crisis. Does Ada think about studying history in this way?
[8:21] Ada shares her thoughts on what the Golden Age really means and why it is so incredibly important to study.
[12:19] Ada talks about her passion for space exploration, space launches, and the space program and what it all means to her.
[13:19] How true social change actually happens (using examples through history).
[24:15] About Getting Smart’s resource on equity work.
[24:51] Ada shares about her role as a teacher and how she thinks about learning. In particular, she highlights her teachings about the Italian renaissance and why she has her college students reenact the fateful Conclave of 1492.
[32:50] Why Ada writes science fiction, particularly ‘big ideas’ science fiction.
[35:05] How science fiction can help us create new ethical frameworks and dynamic frameworks for changing the world.
[38:10] Ada’s take on the rise of synthetic content such as deep fakes.
[40:32] What an ideal high school curriculum looks like to Ada.
[48:51] Tom thanks Ada for joining the podcast!
Mentioned in This Episode:
Ada Palmer’s Blog
GettingSmart.com/EquityWork
1492 Conclave
Ada Palmer’s Books
Who Owns the News?: A History of Copyright, by Will Slauter
Get Involved:
Check out the blog at GettingSmart.com.
Find the Getting Smart Podcast on iTunes, leave a review and subscribe.
Is There Somebody You’ve Been Wanting to Learn From or a Topic You’d Like Covered?
To get in contact: Email Editor@GettingSmart.com and include ‘Podcast’ in the subject line.
The Getting Smart team will be sure to add them to their list!
50 min