7 episodes

Can the history of science help us to confront the challenges of our time? In each episode, researchers and experts discuss how human knowledge has evolved through the ages, and how such knowledge can guide us across the dawn of a new epoch: the Anthropocene. Featuring interviews from leading thinkers from multiple disciplines, the Evolution of Knowledge podcast is realized in cooperation with the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science and SISSA - International School for Advanced Studies.

The Evolution of Knowledge The Evolution of Knowledge

    • Science

Can the history of science help us to confront the challenges of our time? In each episode, researchers and experts discuss how human knowledge has evolved through the ages, and how such knowledge can guide us across the dawn of a new epoch: the Anthropocene. Featuring interviews from leading thinkers from multiple disciplines, the Evolution of Knowledge podcast is realized in cooperation with the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science and SISSA - International School for Advanced Studies.

    VI - Surviving the Anthropocene

    VI - Surviving the Anthropocene

    While still not being officially recognized, the Anthropocene is regarded as a new geological epoch definted by the profound and lasting impact of human activities on the Earth system. There is much debate about its roots and when exactly it started, but a quick look at current events is enough to admit that something has indeed changed.

    In this final episode climatologist Riccarda Winkelmann and historian of science Giulia Rispoli discuss the present day, the undeniable climate change the planet is undergoing and the different ways scholars have tried to explain humanity’s impact on the environment. With an end word from Professor Jürgen Renn.

    “The Evolution of Knowledge” is a podcast created by SISSA-ILAS and the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science. Written and produced by Diego Visintin, Sophia Grew and Lorenzo Carta. Music by Gregor Quendel.

    • 33 min
    V - When scientists meet

    V - When scientists meet

    Science and technology play an increasingly important role in the geopolitical arena. Topics such as climate change, nuclear power and space explorations stand at the intersection between science and policy, requiring input from both. Meanwhile scientific collaborations and conferences can be occasions to enhance relationships not only between single scientists, but among nations.

    In this episode, historians Maria Diogo and Ana Simoes introduce us to the concept of science diplomacy, touching on its emergence and increasing relevance in global society and explaining why political discussions and international relations can’t be separated from the scientific enterprise.

    “The Evolution of Knowledge” is a podcast created by SISSA-ILAS and the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science. Written and produced by Diego Visintin, Sophia Grew and Lorenzo Carta. Music by Gregor Quendel.

    • 29 min
    IV - A brief history of globalizations

    IV - A brief history of globalizations

    Globalization is a contemporary term, but not a uniquely contemporary phenomenon. New research shows that cultural and scientific exchanges took place regularly starting all the way back in ancient and even pre-historic times. Just as there is only one history of life on this planet, there is also only one history of knowledge. Of course, there have been major losses of knowledge and innumerable new beginnings, and there may be as many perspectives on knowledge as there are cultures. But variety, contingency and catastrophic interruptions are also familiar from the history of life on our planet. In both cases, what we discover is that there is a thread of historical continuity on a global scale, with self referential, cumulative effects.

    In this episode historians of science Sonja Brentjes and Pietro Daniel Omodeo discuss the long history of knowledge transmission in the Mediterranean basin and beyond, touching on the social, cultural and political aspects of such complex processes and their repercussions to the present day.  

    “The Evolution of Knowledge” is a podcast created by SISSA-ILAS and the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science. Written and produced by Diego Visintin, Sophia Grew and Lorenzo Carta. Music by Gregor Quendel.

    • 30 min
    III - The tools of the trade

    III - The tools of the trade

    Material instruments have a central role in the evolution of human knowledge, but at least as important are the many symbols, diagrams, and formulas passed down in writing. These “paper tools” can not only represent, but also simulate and model processes, opening up new avenues of scientific inquiry.

    In this episode, historian of science Ursula Klein recounts the story of Jacob Berzelius, the inventor of the modern chemical notations, we discuss the revolutionary new opportunities presented by the use of a scientific lingua franca, and the abstract tools still in use in today’s research environment.

    “The Evolution of Knowledge” is a podcast created by SISSA-ILAS and the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science. Written and produced by Diego Visintin, Sophia Grew and Lorenzo Carta. Music by Gregor Quendel.

    • 24 min
    II - Thinking out loud

    II - Thinking out loud

    One of the most important transitions in the history of human knowledge was the emergence of language. But why did it appear in the first place? Was it to allow hominids to communicate with each other or is it a byproduct of an already existing internal thought process?  

    In this episode, social scientist and linguist Stephen C. Levinson tells us about the complex relationship between language and thought, we dive deep into the many ways in which our native language can have an impact on our cognition, and discuss the consequences of adapting spoken words to the written form.  

    “The Evolution of Knowledge” is a podcast created by SISSA-ILAS and the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science. Written and produced by Diego Visintin, Sophia Grew and Lorenzo Carta. Music by Gregor Quendel.

    • 28 min
    I - Farewell to the Holocene

    I - Farewell to the Holocene

    Farewell to the Holocene  

    There is a consensus forming that we’ve entered the Anthropocene, a new geological age shaped by humanity’s impact on the planet. While our accumulated knowledge has allowed us to achieve incredible feats, science and technology have also caused irreversible damage to the environment around us.   

    In this episode, historian of science Jürgen Renn and biologist Manfred Laubichler discuss their work in trying to understand the structures of cultural evolution that brought us to this point, what the field of historiography can learn from evolutionary theory, and how their joint efforts eventually led to Professor Renn’s recent book.  

    “The Evolution of Knowledge” is a podcast created by SISSA-ILAS and the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science. Written and produced by Diego Visintin, Sophia Grew and Lorenzo Carta. Music by Gregor Quendel.

    • 29 min

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