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

How To Change The World | Sam Webster Harris
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  • HISTORY
  • BIWEEKLY SERIES

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Season 1

  1. Introduction to How to Change the World - Dissecting the History & Future of Innovation

    EPISODE 1

    Introduction 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 Watts This 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 innovation Change 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. ABOUT This 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.com Designs were crafted by Francisca Correia (Available to hire) Podcast strategy from Jeremy Enns (Available to hire) CHAPTERS: 00:00 Introduction: The Dawn of Human Influence 02:21 A Journey Through Time 05:14 The Plan for the Podcast 07:11 What counts as an innovation 08:08 Release Schedule 09:08 Beyond a history podcast 10:03 A map is not a blueprint 11:35 Why am i doing this? 14:27 Why should you listen? 15:36 The Myth of Stability 16:31 7 Core Principles of the Show 16:40 #1 - Interdisciplinary Thinking 17:23 #2 - Systems Thinking 18:02 #3 - Understanding of knowledge 18:45 #4 - Context 19:50 #5 - No current affairs and politics 20:48 #6 - Side Quests 21:56 #7 - Optimism 22:59 Mission and sign off Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    24 min
  2. [Stone Age] - Innovation Locks: The 5 Progress Blockers for 97% of Human History

    EPISODE 2

    [Stone Age] - Innovation Locks: The 5 Progress Blockers for 97% of Human History

    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. ABOUT This 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.com Designs were crafted by Francisca Correia (Available to hire) Podcast strategy from Jeremy Enns (Available to hire) BOOKS The World Until Yesterday: What we can learn from traditional societies - Jared Diamond An 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. Everett Astonishing experiences and discoveries by missionary Daniel Everett in the Amazon jungle in 1977 CHAPTERS: 00:00 The Hand Axe Conundrum 01:53 Episode Goals 03:45 #1 - SURVIVAL 04:21 Energy requirements 06:30 Time Scarcity 08:59 Risk and Psychological Safety 11:17 #2 - CULTURE 12:41 Why people hate new ideas 15:25 The Grandmother Hypothesis 16:21 Widowhood statistics 17:46 Kaulong Tribe Widow killing 19:27 Catalhayuk - 1000 years of stasis 20:36 #3 - KNOWLEDGE 22:42 Losing knowledge 24:04 Maths 24:52 Communication and Language 25:53 Ice Age Picasso Paradox 27:06 #4 - MOBILITY CONSTRAINTS 28:05 Nomadism 30:22 Racism, war, and travel complications 32:07 Trade Issues 34:02 Feasting examples 35:51 #5 - POPULATION DENSITY 37:27 Evolution of Multicellular Life 39:54 Dunbars Number 41:25 Mortality Rates 42:46 Systems Feedback effects 44:31 LESSONS - How we beat the locks 48:00 Conclusion - Innovation isn't about Geniuses 50:50 What can you do Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    54 min
  3. Innovation Richter Scale: How Much Do Technology and Ideas Change World History?

    EPISODE 3

    Innovation Richter Scale: How Much Do Technology and Ideas Change World History?

    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. ABOUT How 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.com Written, 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) References Nate 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 Scale 01:47 Why create a Scale? 03:47 Earthquake Metaphor 06:16 Invention, Innovation, Technology 06:56 Ranking Magnitude not Morality 08:08 The Innovation Richter Scale - Level 1 - 10 08:11 Level 1 - Shower thoughts 08:29 Level 2 - Actioned Idea (In private) 08:49 Level 3 - Public ideas (Not popular) 10:17 Level 4 - Popular and commercial ideas 11:08 Level 5 - Defining Brand 12:38 Level 6 - Innovation of the year 15:59 Level 7 - Innovation of the Decade 18:19 Level 8 - Innovation of the Century 21:29 Level 9 - Innovation of the Era 23:53 Level 10 - Species Epoch 28:31 Part 2 - Using the scale 29:45 Weapons & Tools of Death - Brands, Categories and Concepts 33:58 Politics & Population Impact - Local, Continental and Global 38:00 Questions without answers 38:38 Sports & Religion - Emotional Impact and Purpose 41:01 Peter Thiel and Chess 41:47 Religion and Personal Beliefs in interpreting the scale 43:33 Roundup conclusions Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    47 min
  4. [~1.8 Mya] - Fire: The Innovation that Forged Humanity and Sparked World Domination

    EPISODE 4

    [~1.8 Mya] - Fire: The Innovation that Forged Humanity and Sparked World Domination

    Do we really control fire? While 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. The lesser-known 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 it 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. aren't tools we use; they're partners that reshape us from the inside out. 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 shifts Ready to understand how fire forged the human mind? ABOUT How to Change the World is an independent podcast on a mission. Written, 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) References Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human - Richard Wrangham A 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 Pyne Some 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 Burton The insights on the importance of light helped. Chapters00:00 Intro: The Role of Fire in Civilization 04:32 First Fire - 500 million years ago 07:56 Humans and fire - ~2 million years ago 10:08 The Discovery of Fire 12:21 Stadium of Grandmothers 13:24 Fire's Influence on Human Biology 15:55 Fire and Human Digestion 18:15 Light and Campfires 20:25 Mealtimes 21:32 Human Birth Woes 23:23 Why Only Humans Mastered Fire 25:55 Fire, Social Structures & Gender Roles 31:15 Adapting to the Information Age 33:17 Fire's Role in Human Expansion - 70,000 years ago 35:09 Terraforming with Fire 38:27 The Industrial Revolution and Fossil Fuel 42:00 The Race for Renewable Energy 43:11 Today - Reflecting on our lessons 44:28 AI: The Next Transformative Force 48:04 Reflections on Fire and the Future 49:06 Premium and Book resources Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    52 min
  5. The Laws of Nature: 3 Rules Governing the Success of Any Organism, Idea & Technology

    EPISODE 5

    The Laws of Nature: 3 Rules Governing the Success of Any Organism, Idea & Technology

    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 explore Why 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... ABOUT How 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.com Written, 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) REFERENCES The Lessons of History - Will and Ariel Durant An 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 Harari This 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 Harari The first chapter has a great section about Famine, Disease, and War. CHAPTERS 00:00 Is a hot dog a sandwich? 00:28 The Beginning of the Universe 01:10 The Story of Life on Earth 01:34 Three Rules of Biology 05:03 FIRST LAW: Life is Competition 09:54 SECOND LAW: Life is Selection 11:59 Inequality in Nature and Society 13:47 Balancing Freedom and Equality 16:48 THIRD LAW: Life Must Breed 18:34 Human Progress, Fire and Agriculture 19:10 Agricultural Revolution and Civilization 19:48 Fertility and Population Dynamics: Japan vs. Nigeria 21:12 Ideas and Religions: Survival of the Fittest 22:49 Horsemen of Apocalypse: Famine, Disease, and War 28:13 Modern Challenges and Fertility Trends 30:20 Conclusion and Future Episodes Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    32 min
  6. [~70,000BCE] - The Cognitive Revolution: Language and the birth of Art, Religion, Shame and Execution

    EPISODE 6

    [~70,000BCE] - The Cognitive Revolution: Language and the birth of Art, Religion, Shame and Execution

    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. ABOUT How to Change the World is an independent podcast documenting the entire history of innovation. One world-changing event at a time. Building a map of the past and blueprint for the future. Written, edited, recorded, and produced entirely by Sam Webster Harris. Help from: Francisca Correia - Designs (available to hire)Jeremy Enns - podcast mentor (available to hire) REFERENCES Richard 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(Out of space) CHAPTERS 00:00 The magic of co-operation 02:26 Welcome 05:09 The Compression problem 08:50 ACT 1 - COGNITIVE BASIS OF LANGUAGE 08:50 Biological history of languages 13:46 The Interconnected Brain 17:24 Complex words and stuff 21:11 Teamwork 22:08 ACT 2 - GOSSIP, MYTHS & RELIGION 22:08 Gossip and the glue of society 25:46 Myths and shared delusions 30:40 Early Religions - Animism, art and penises 33:37 ACT 3 - SELF-DOMESTICATION 33:43 Shame and Blushing 38:30 The Execution Hypothesis 43:21 Reactive vs Proactive Violence 46:55 Mealtimes Sharing and small town thinking 52:12 ACT 4 - EVOLUTIONS OF LANGUAGE 52:12 Language shifts 55:59 Shame and Society 58:49 Evolution of communication 01:01:33 Magical Wizard Hats (Brain Computer Interfaces) 01:03:58 Potential Limitations 01:07:38 Predicting the future 01:09:47 WRAP UP Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 13m
  7. Systems Thinking: How to Dance with Chaos and Build Hope in a Changing World

    EPISODE 7

    Systems Thinking: How to Dance with Chaos and Build Hope in a Changing World

    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. ABOUT How 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.com Written, 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) BOOKS Thinking in Systems: A primer - Donella Meadows A 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 Cabrera Simple rules for understanding and solving the most difficult problems in society. The Change World Order: Why nations succeed and fail - Ray Dalio Study of the cycles of world power over the last 500 years. Antifragile: Things that gain from disorder - Nassim N. Taleb How to think beyond resilience to build systems (and portfolios) that benefit from difficulty CHAPTERS 00:00 Systems and Families 01:43 Welcome 03:47 What is a System? 07:03 ACT 1 - 4 ELEMENTS OF A SYSTEM 07:03 #1 Stocks and Flows 08:32 #2 Feedback Loops 10:21 #3 Delays 11:32 #4 Boundaries 13:02 ACT 2 - MANAGING SYSTEMS 13:10 Leverage Points 16:17 Butterfly Effect 19:42 ACT 3 - PREVENTING COLLAPSE 20:07 Resilience in systems 21:52 Self-Organisation 23:08 Hierarchies 25:42 ACT 4 - LOOKING AT TODAY 26:32 Beyond GDP 29:11 Modern Political Systems 30:45 Can the UN Change the World? 32:12 Rewriting the Rules of a New Era 33:59 Take Homes and References Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    38 min

  8. SEASON 1 TRAILER

    How to Change the World in 2 minutes

    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.

    2 min

Trailer

4.6
out of 5
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About

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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