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.
[~70,000BCE] - Language: The Cognitive Revolution that gave us Words, Art, Religion, Shame and Execution
Saison 1 · Épisode 6
lundi 18 août 2025 • Durée 01:12:44
How complex language evolved during the cognitive revolution, changing humanity and the world.
Discover how language transformed from simple grunts and hand signals to complex communication, enabling us to cooperate, create cultures, invent stuff 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. In the process we are building out frameworks and mental models to think more coherently about global change and the future of technology.
The Laws of Nature: 3 Rules from History for the Success of Any Organism, Idea, Or Technology
Saison 1 · Épisode 5
jeudi 10 juillet 2025 • Durée 31:52
Why do some ideas and technologies proliferate across history, whilst others die painfully?
Innovations aren't just bound by 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's theory of evolution with a lens of human 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 Supersaurus
What causes unbridled Capitalism or Communism to fail
Is equality even good thing? And if so what do we do about it...
Come away with key mental models for understanding the future of innovation, technology and humanity.
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 and the future of technology.
Written, edited, recorded, and produced entirely by Sam Webster Harris.
(He also makes the music...)
Help from:
[~1.8 Mya] - Fire: The Innovation that Forged Humanity and Sparked World Domination
Saison 1 · Épisode 4
vendredi 27 juin 2025 • Durée 51:56
Do we really control fire? A curious fact about fire is that an individual human is completely dependent on it to survive. Furthermore, human society itself is built on fire and would collapse totally without it
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.
The ultimate innovator, it transformed us from ape-like creatures with a neat standing trick into the cunning apex predator of the world. Along the way, it upended both ecosystems, gender roles, and how we use energy.
Today, as we face the dawn of AI, we're seeing a similar pattern. Fire marked a huge leverage of energy that freed us up to think. AI uses energy to do our thinking for us, which frees us up for who knows what.
Three takeaways:
Transformative technologies change what we are, not just what we do
Dependency often disguises itself as control and mastery
The biggest innovations create irreversible psychological and social shifts
Ready to understand how fire forged the human mind and what it might mean for the future of technology and humanity?
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.
Written, edited, recorded, and produced by Sam Webster Harris. (incl the music)
Chapters
Innovation Richter Scale: How Much Do Technology and Ideas Change World History?
Saison 1 · Épisode 3
mercredi 4 juin 2025 • Durée 46:48
Innovations have huge impacts on humanity. But which ideas matter the most?
Sam W. Harris builds out a system to rank world change and compare the impact of technology and inventions.
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. It's time to sense check what matters to humanity and the future and what is just noise.
Headlines are beyond useless when everything seems so important these days:
This war will BREAK the economy
If you feed your toddler THIS, you don't deserve to be a parent
A new iPhone update changes EVERYTHING...
So it's time for a scale to measure global impact.
The Innovation Richter Scale: A 1 to 10 rating system to rank anything you can think of; from a Gillete safety razor to the future of AI
NOTE - This episode expands on the Technological Richter Scale proposed by Nate Silver.
ABOUT
How to Change the World is an independent podcast documenting 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 and the future of technology.
[Stone Age] - Innovation Locks: The 5 Progress Blockers for 97% of Human History
Saison 1 · Épisode 2
mercredi 21 mai 2025 • Durée 54:20
What lies at the core of human progress? This episode asks ancient history what created human innovation and what stopped it for so long?
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 inventions was let loose.
We study tribal life across the world from anthropological records and archeology of the stone age 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, technology 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 and inspire you to build the future of technology.
It is written, recorded, re-recorded, rewritten and re-re-recorded entirely by Sam Webster Harris.
Designs were crafted by Francisca Correia (Available to hire)
Podcast strategy from Jeremy Enns ()
Introduction to How to Change the World - Dissecting the History & Future of Innovation
Saison 1 · Épisode 1
mardi 20 mai 2025 • Durée 24:00
"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, "How to Change the World" is 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 podcast
Explain what the show is and isn't
Learn how we are going to navigate this journey
Answer 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. We connect dots in history from the cognitive revolution and invention of language to the future of AI. Learn to ask better questions and consider the existential patterns of humanity and where we're going next.
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
How to Change the World 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 and maybe pick up some idea on building the future of technology.
It is written, recorded, re-recorded, rewritten and re-re-recorded entirely by Sam Webster Harris.
How to Change the World in 2 minutes
Saison 1
lundi 19 mai 2025 • Durée 02:10
What is the best way to tackle the question "How to change the world"? Learn about our plan to dissect the history innovation and peer into the future of technology.
This show will dissect how the world really works and the impact of the biggest inventions that changed both the world and humanity for good. We'll also tell the stories of the greatest innovators from history and understand their mental models, mindsets and habits to help you build a guide for world change and innovation.
In this promo, Host Sam Webster Harris explains in 2 minutes what we'll be doing on this show for the next 10 years or more.
ABOUT
How to Change the World 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 and maybe pick up some idea on building the future of technology.
It is written, recorded, re-recorded, rewritten and re-re-recorded entirely by Sam Webster Harris.
Systems Thinking: How to Dance with Chaos and Innovate in a Changing World
Saison 1 · Épisode 7
mercredi 10 septembre 2025 • Durée 37:28
This episode explores Systems Thinking, it's impact on innovation across history and how to use it as we build the future of technology. 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.
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, from the future of AI to global politics, 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 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.
Written, edited, recorded, produced by Sam Webster Harris.
[~64,000BCE] - The Bow & Arrow: A Brief History of Stone Age Weapon Technologies and Their Impact on Humanity
Saison 1 · Épisode 8
mercredi 15 octobre 2025 • Durée 59:19
From Stone flakes to the Bow and Arrow. How Stone Age weapons innovation shaped humanity and triggered global extinction events. Three million years ago, we were semi-hairless apes hiding from lions. Today we're the apex predator of planet Earth.
This episode traces the entire weapons journey through Ancient History; sharp rocks, hand axes, spears, atlatls, and bows and arrows.
Learn how we became humans we know today as we outsourced biology to technology, trading muscle for tools, brute force for precision. We also changed socially as values of teamwork, trust and intelligence forged the mental models that would build civilization and transformed humanity forever.
Key takeaways:
Technology and humans co-evolved - every tool invention was matched by physical, intellectual, and social updates
Marginal advantages compound into existential differences over time - other hominids were wiped out as only sapiens remained
Wisdom takes time to catch up with out power
Discover how ancient innovation patterns still shape the future of technology 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.
Written, edited, recorded, produced by Sam Webster Harris.
Thinking in Primitives: A Mental Model for Building Creative Ideas, Civilization, and Intergalactic Lasagna
Saison 1 · Épisode 9
vendredi 31 octobre 2025 • Durée 29:17
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 you
Why the most valuable opportunities are the ones everyone uses but nobody sees
How to identify foundational building blocks in any industry before competitors do
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.
Written, edited, recorded, and produced by Sam Webster Harris.
Découvrez des podcasts liées à How to Change the World: The History & Future of Innovation. Explorez des podcasts avec des thèmes, sujets, et formats similaires. Ces similarités sont calculées grâce à des données tangibles, pas d'extrapolations !
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)
