How to rank the impact of innovations on humanity and how much they really changed the world.
Everything seems so important these days:
- A new iPhone update changes EVERYTHING
- This war will BREAK the economy
- If you feed your toddler THIS, you don't deserve to be a parent...
Learn to rationally understand 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. (see references)
ABOUT
How to Change the World is an independent podcast on a mission.
It is written, edited, and recorded entirely by Sam Webster Harris. (He also makes the music)
Designs were crafted by Francisca Correia.
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.
Grant Lichtman - Innovation: Are We Overlooking "Magnitude" With "Frequency" (2013)
A short blog that suggests it might be nice to use a logarithmic Richter scale or a Madonna curve to measure innovation.
Chapters:
00:00 Innovation Richeter 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
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