The Insightful Thinkers Podcast

Anatomically, humans have been the same for hundreds of thousands of years. Recent advances, then, are not due to biological changes in our species, but rather to cultural changes. The introduction of schooling is one of the cultural changes that played a role in these advances. For the first time, we were able to learn systematically and to facilitate transmission of knowledge to future generations of learners.

https://www.insightfulthinkersmedia.com/

References:

Thomas, G. (2021). Education: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press.

Naka, A. (2021). Education. Encyclopedia Britannica.

Humans have been experimenting with organisms since the agricultural revolution. Now, for the first time ever, we have created biological machines. These organisms, known as “xenobots,” are brand-new life forms: The world’s first programmable living organisms.

https://www.insightfulthinkersmedia.com/

References:

Coghlan, S., & Leins, K. (2020). “Living Robots”: Ethical Questions About Xenobots. The American Journal of Bioethics, 20(5).

Kriegman, S., Blackiston, D., Levin, M., & Bongard, J. (2020). A scalable pipeline for designing reconfigurable organisms. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(4), 1853–1859.

In 1791, Haiti had was one of the most ruthless slave societies in the New World. By 1793, the slave system on the island was destroyed, and the black population were free. How did this happen?

https://www.insightfulthinkersmedia.com/

References:

Popkin, Jeremy (2012). Concise History of the Haitian Revolution. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.

Discussions on the origins of the French Revolution often mention the role of the Enlightenment. The French Revolution was centered around Enlightenment principles, but can a direct causal link from the Enlightenment to the French Revolution be drawn? Maybe not.

https://www.insightfulthinkersmedia.com/

References:

Andress, D. (Ed.). (2015). The Oxford handbook of the French Revolution. New York: Oxford University Press.

Censer, J. R. (2018). Intellectual history and the causes of the french revolution. Journal of Social History, 52(3), 545-554. 

Porter, R. S. (1995). The enlightenment. London: MacMillan.

Stromberg, R. N. (1988). The philosophes and the French revolution: Reflections on some recent research. The History Teacher, 21(3), 321. 

For all of human history before 1800, there was no upward trend in income per person. The Industrial Revolution created sustained economic growth for the first time, birthing the modern world. This episode discusses why the Industrial Revolution happened, why it happened in Britain and how it spread throughout the world.

https://www.insightfulthinkersmedia.com/

Related Reading:

Allen, R. C. (2020). The Industrial Revolution. In Global economic history a very short introduction (pp. 27-40). New York: Oxford.

Clark, G. (2014). The industrial revolution. Handbook of Economic Growth, 217-262. doi:10.1016/b978-0-444-53538-2.00005-8

Until around 12,000 years ago, humans lived as hunter-gatherers. With the domestication of plants and animals, however, new dimensions for cultural evolution suddenly became possible. But why did our ancestors take up farming after thousands of years of successful hunting and gathering? This episode discusses the causes and effects of the agricultural revolution.

https://www.insightfulthinkersmedia.com/

Related Reading:

Barker, G. (2009). The agricultural revolution in prehistory: Why did foragers become farmers? Oxford Univ. Press

Diamond, J. M. (2017). Guns, germs, and steel: The fates of human societies. New York: W.W. Norton & Company

Svizzero, S., Tisdell, C. A. (2014). The Neolithic Revolution and Human Societies: Diverse Origins and Development Paths. Working papers on economics, ecology and the environment, Issue 19.

Napoleon once said, "China is a sleeping giant. Let her lie and sleep, for when she awakens she will astonish the world." A couple hundred years later, the giant is finally awake. This episode discusses China's failing economy under Mao prior to 1979 and the factors contributing to the country's rise in the last four decades.

Related reading: Morrison, W. M. (2019). China’s economic rise: History, trends, challenges, and implications for the United States; Hu, Z., & Khan, M. S. (1997). Why is China Growing So Fast? International Monetary Fund.

https://www.insightfulthinkersmedia.com/

Lord Acton said, "Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” But is this really the case? This episode discusses the difficulties in proving that power corrupts, the scientific studies and philosophical examinations of the issue, and indicators for corruption by power.

Related reading: Blaug, R. (2010). How power corrupts: Cognition and democracy in institutions. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

https://www.insightfulthinkersmedia.com/

A thematic analysis of Greta Gerwig's 2019 film, "Little Women." This film illustrates the challenges women face while navigating a society that  makes them feel "little." Since, for the 19th century woman, marriage is deemed more important than committing to talents and interests, it becomes difficult for women not to allow societal expectations and stereotypes to limit their dreams. Women are sometimes forced to live despite their nature to survive in a world where they are not meant to live doing what they desire. So often, and contrary to society's view, what women desire is not only love or only any other singular thing. Gerwig makes the point that women are multifaceted and have complex interests and desires, far from being unidimensional with a desire only for marriage. These complex desires and interests manifest uniquely in every woman. Therefore, rather than neglecting these unique experiences, their stories should be told. Sometimes, it is by giving credence to these stories in writing and in art, that their importance is conferred, making them not-so-little anymore.

Part 2 of a 2-part series.

https://www.insightfulthinkersmedia.com/

A thematic analysis of Greta Gerwig's 2019 film, "Little Women." This film illustrates the challenges women face while navigating a society that  makes them feel "little." Since, for the 19th century woman, marriage is deemed more important than committing to talents and interests, it becomes difficult for women not to allow societal expectations and stereotypes to limit their dreams. Women are sometimes forced to live despite their nature to survive in a world where they are not meant to live doing what they desire. So often, and contrary to society's view, what women desire is not only love or only any other singular thing. Gerwig makes the point that women are multifaceted and have complex interests and desires, far from being unidimensional with a desire only for marriage. These complex desires and interests manifest uniquely in every woman. Therefore, rather than neglecting these unique experiences, their stories should be told. Sometimes, it is by giving credence to these stories in writing and in art, that their importance is conferred, making them not-so-little anymore.

Part 1 of a 2-part series.

https://www.insightfulthinkersmedia.com/