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How to Change the World: The History & Future of InnovationTrue stories of world changing innovation from humanity's greatest inventors - in chronological order. Tracing every revolution in human society from ancient history to the modern day, allowing us to peer into the future of technology and civilization. Author: How To Change The World Sam Webster Harris
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 governanceModern 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 learningconnecting 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&nb Language: en Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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Thinking in Primitives: A mental model to dissect the foundations of Civilization, Humanity & Creativity
Episode 9
Thursday, 30 October, 2025
The most important innovations are invisible. Yet they are reliable building blocks of creativity that fuel human imagination.The same 26 letter alphabet lets Shakespeare write a play, a researcher publish science or you can text your mum.A standardised screw thread lets you build a house, a car or a space station.This is the story of primitives; the fundamental components that make everything else possible. We explore how Jeff Bezos coining the term "Thinking in Primitives" as he invented AWS to the building blocks of the universe and life in it.Join our tour through the weird and wonderful ideas of history as we gather ideas for how to build the future of humanity, space technology and anything you can imagine.You'll learn:By breakthroughs depends on invisible primitives created by someone before youWhy the most valuable opportunities are the ones everyone uses but nobody seesHow to identify foundational building blocks in any industry before competitors doABOUTHow 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.comWritten, 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)Resources10 Greatest Mental Models of Jeff BezosSam explains the best mental models of Jeff Bezos on his Growth Mindset Psychology podcast.CHAPTERS00:00 Intergalactic Planetary... Lasagna01:40 A mental models episode about building blocks03:11 #1 - THINKING IN PRIMITIVES: JEFF BEZOS, AMAZON and AWS04:03 The API Memo04:39 What is a Primitive?04:57 How Amazon launched AWS05:36 The impact of AWS and cloud servers06:18 #2 - THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF LIFE07:18 How are humans built?08:09 Mitochondria and energy production09:39 HOX genes and the animal building instruction manual11:06 How primitives become essential foundations12:35 #3 - CIVILIZATION AND HIDDEN INVENTIONS14:02 The Essential Ingredients of Early empires15:42 Standardisations that make the world work17:54 #4 - PRIMITIVE LESSONS19:37 Market timing and innovation mistakes21:31 Just do stuff23:00 #5 - FUTURE OF TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION23:19 CRISPR and Casgevy25:19 Space and Orbital Refuelling27:14 Wrap up Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
