Hypothesis

Ira McIntosh

Hypothesis is a podcast for academics and anyone who is curious. Join us each week as we discover new things and explore new ideas! Our host, Ira McIntosh, sits down with PhD students, Masters students, professors, and those well on their way to journey through their research and demystify academia. Break down the culture of misinformation with us!

  1. -5 дн.

    From My Desk 3

    Research with Purpose It’s a question academics hear constantly. Why spend years studying one kind of pottery, one television show, one tiny feature of a language, or one incredibly specific historical community? What are you actually going to do with that knowledge? But there’s a problem with that question: how can we know what knowledge will be useful before we’ve discovered it? In this episode of From My Desk, Ira makes the case for curiosity-driven research. We explore how funding and expectations of “impact” can shape the questions researchers are allowed to ask, why unexpected results can sometimes be more valuable than the results we were looking for, and how a prepared, curious mind can turn accidents into discoveries. Along the way, we revisit conversations with astrophysicists Dr. Erika Hamden and Dr. Moiya McTier and consider two important possibilities: we can’t always predict where curiosity will lead—and curiosity doesn’t necessarily need to lead anywhere else to have value. Historical knowledge doesn’t need to become an app. A philosophical argument doesn’t need a patent. Archaeological research doesn’t need to increase GDP. Sometimes knowing something we didn’t know yesterday should be the outcome. And for this week’s Office Hours: if money, job prospects, admissions committees, and practicality didn’t matter, what absurdly specific thing would you study? Welcome back to the office. Follow Hypothesis on Instagram and TikTok: @HypothesisPod Questions for Office Hours? Email podcasthypothesis@gmail.com or send us a voice note at SpeakPipe.com/HypothesisPodcast. And, as always: let’s stop the spread of misinformation together.

    From My Desk 3

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Hypothesis is a podcast for academics and anyone who is curious. Join us each week as we discover new things and explore new ideas! Our host, Ira McIntosh, sits down with PhD students, Masters students, professors, and those well on their way to journey through their research and demystify academia. Break down the culture of misinformation with us!