The Coronavirus Effect

Humanity's First Invention that Changed our Species and the World - The Story of Fire

Mon, 25 Aug 2025 15:26:29 GMT

How humans stopped relying on evolution and became the controllers of their own destiny.

In this episode of 'How to Change the World,' Sam Webster Harris discusses the profound impact of fire on the evolution and societal development of humanity. From transforming our bodies and brains to influencing gender roles and social structures, fire has fundamentally reshaped our way of life. Harris delves into the historical, biological, and cultural significance of fire, exploring how it has served as a tool for cooking, safety, and community building. Tune in to discover how fire drove early human innovations and set the stage for future technological advancements.

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If you enjoy the episode and want more, Sam has launched his new show - "How to Change the World: The History of Innovation".

Chronologically studying every world-changing event in order and how they build upon themselves up to today.

Available on all podcast players:

Can't find it on your player?

RSS feed - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/682b3b86696b5d1232d698a8⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Find out more - www.changetheworldpod.com

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As we peer into the future, sometimes the best strategy is to look back into the past. The further and deeper we look, the more comprehensive our understanding of how technology and invention can shape the future.

The world's greatest minds didn't just innovate by accident. They studied the great thinkers before them and built upon their work. If you want to achieve greatness or understand what's going on around us, this podcast is your guide.

Chapters

00:00Introduction: Who is in control

03:51 The Role of Fire in Civilization

04:31 Fire's Impact on Predators and Prey

06:36 First Fire - 500 million years ago

10:00 Humans and fire - ~2 million years ago

12:12 The Discovery of Fire

13:44 When did we discover Fire

14:25 Stadium of Grandmothers

15:28 Fire's Influence on Human Biology

17:59 Fire and Human Digestion

20:18 Light and Campfires

22:27 Mealtimes

23:35 Fire's Role in Human Birth and Survival

25:26 Why Only Humans Mastered Fire

27:57 Fire, Social Structures & Gender Roles

29:00 Wrap up and subscribe to How to Change the World

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to Rank the Impact of an Innovation

Mon, 28 Jul 2025 23:00:00 GMT

Is Brexit more important than Bitcoin? How do we rank Buddhism vs TikTok?

The world changes, technology advances, but what really matters and how much? Sam explains the Innovation Richter Scale, a framework for understanding impact at every level of technology and what it means to society.

---

If you enjoy the episode and want more, Sam has launched his new show - "How to Change the World: The History of Innovation".

Chronologically studying every world-changing event in order and how they build upon themselves up to today.

Available on all podcast players:

Can't find it on your player?

RSS feed - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/682b3b86696b5d1232d698a8⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Find out more - www.changetheworldpod.com

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Chapters

00:00 Innovation Richter Scale

01:47 Why create a Scale?

04:32 Earthquake Metaphor

06:54 Invention, Innovation, Technology

06:54 Ranking Magnitude not Morality

08:01 The Innovation Richter Scale - Level 1 - 10

08:04 Level 1 - Shower thoughts

08:23 Level 2 - Actioned Idea (In private)

08:42 Level 3 - Public ideas (Not popular)

10:10 Level 4 - Popular and commercial ideas

11:01 Level 5 - Defining Brand

12:31 Level 6 - Innovation of the year

15:53 Level 7 - Innovation of the Decade

18:12 Level 8 - Innovation of the Century

21:22 Level 9 - Innovation of the Era

23:46 Level 10 - Species Epoch

28:24 Wrap up + Where to find part 2!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What Blocks Human Innovation and Progress?

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 03:00:00 GMT

Timeless lessons from the Stone Age and how to build innovation into our systems and solve global problems.

For 97% of human history, we barely had any technology. Innovation moved at a snail's pace because of 5 invisible forces shaping our world. Learn about how these forces still exist and what really drives world change

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If you enjoy the episode and want more, Sam has launched his new show - "How to Change the World: The History of Innovation".

Chronologically studying every world-changing event in order and how they build upon themselves up to today.

Available on all podcast players:

Can't find it on your player?

RSS feed - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/682b3b86696b5d1232d698a8⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Find out more - www.changetheworldpod.com

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Chapters

00:00 Coronavirus Effect - HTCW - 002 - 2 of 5 locks

01:52 The Hand Axe Conundrum

03:45 Episode Goals

05:01 #1 - SURVIVAL

05:40 Energy requirements

07:49 Time Scarcity

10:18 Risk and Psychological Safety

12:37 #2 - CULTURE

13:57 Culture in New Guinea

14:56 Results of trying ideas

16:41 The Grandmother Hypothesis

17:37 Widowhood statistics

19:02 Kaulong Tribe Widow killing

20:43 Catalhayuk - 1000 years of stasis

21:53 Wrap up and where to find the show

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A New Approach To Understanding How to Change The World

Mon, 30 Jun 2025 07:00:00 GMT

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If you enjoy the episode and want more, Sam has launched his new show - "How to Change the World: The History of Innovation".

Chronologically studying every world-changing event in order and how they build upon themselves up to today.

Available on all podcast players:

Can't find it on your player?

RSS feed - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/682b3b86696b5d1232d698a8⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Find out more - www.changetheworldpod.com

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This episode covers the premise of the show. How it will work, why you should listen, and some timeless lessons on psychology and innovation.

Chapters

00:00 Coronavirus effect - HTCW 001 - Promo

01:09 Introduction: The Dawn of Human Influence

03:31 A Journey Through Time: 10 years ago

03:52 A Century Back: The 1920s

04:19 A Millennium Ago: Medieval Times

04:40 10,000 Years Ago: The Agricultural Revolution

05:08 100,000 Years Ago: Early Human Innovation

05:21 A Million Years Ago: The First Pioneers

06:03 The Epic of Human Potential

06:20 The Plan for the Podcast

08:17 What counts as an innovation

09:40 Release Schedule

10:50 Beyond a history podcast

12:03 Why this point in history

13:43 A map is not a blueprint

15:34 Why am I doing this?

18:44 Why should you listen?

19:54 Psychology and Innovation

20:25 Bias and Hindsight

21:02 Illusion of obviousness

21:59 The Myth of Stability

23:07 Mission and sign off

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

UPDATE - How To Change The World: The history of innovation

Mon, 17 Mar 2025 00:00:00 GMT

Sam is launching a new show - How to Change the World: The History of Innovation

Starting from the dawn of civilization. Each series will cover an era of humanity and each episode will cover an individual innovation and / or innovator telling their story and impact on society.

In between episodes, we will have a shorter masterclass episode on an individual topic, mental model, or idea relating to the grand goal of changing the world.

First season is out now:

Can't find it on your player?

This is the RSS feed - ⁠⁠https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/682b3b86696b5d1232d698a8⁠

Find out more - www.changetheworldpod.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

9. National Care Force

Thu, 21 May 2020 07:00:00 GMT

Charles Armitage

Charles Armitage is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Florence. Florence is a marketplace that connects care homes to nurses and care workers looking for extra shifts.

Having started his career in the NHS, Charles entered the world of tech to help tackle some of the failures he witnessed. Charles loves sharing lessons from the frontline of building a platform business.

Discussion

Other than Florence, Charles and his partners developed National Care Force - a nationwide network of care providers, healthcare workers and volunteers, ready to support our social care services in looking after the most vulnerable members of society

With the covid-19 still looming, more and more citizens are greatly affected . In need of help and support, Florence and National Care Force is a response to the crisis with a commitment of helping care workers, health workers and volunteers reach out to vulnerable locals who depend on vital services.

Charles encourages people to sign up on their platforms and reach out to those in their community who are in need due to coronavirus.

Take Homes

People are resilient

Resilience is defined as the ability – and tendency – to “bounce back.” The goal of resilience is to thrive in a highly stressful situation or crisis. People who are more resilient are capable of adapting to adversity.

People who are resilient tends to be more aware of situations, their own emotional reactions and the behavior of those around them. In order to manage feelings, it is essential to understand what is causing them and why. By remaining aware, resilient people can maintain control of a situation and think of new ways to tackle problems.

Technology connects us together

Technology helps us connect beyond the social media aspect. With Florence and National Care Force, these platforms makes reaching out to health care more convenient.

It’s often said that technology drives us apart, but the reality is, technology has been keeping us all connected. With the recent crisis affecting our day-to-day activities, technology has been providing the solutions that allows us to live our "normal" lives.

---

If you enjoy the episode and want more, Sam has launched his new show - "How to Change the World: The History of Innovation".

Chronologically studying every world-changing event in order and how they build upon themselves up to today.

Available on all podcast players:

Can't find it on your player?

RSS feed - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/682b3b86696b5d1232d698a8⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Find out more - www.changetheworldpod.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

8. The Care Industry

Fri, 08 May 2020 19:00:00 GMT

James Townsend, the co-founder of Mobilise, is on a mission to transform the way the UK's growing number of informal carers access support.

James has over ten years of experience setting up and leading socially impactful organisations. He was formerly Teach First President, and set up the Church of England Foundation for Educational Leadership, facilitating 135,000 teachers, leaders and support staff into a learning community.

Discussion

In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Mobilise is an online platform where carers can meet for a chat over a “virtual cuppa” and access vital information about the outbreak from their homes. A number of unpaid carers are finding emotional support through the lockdown period by joining a new virtual community.

At a time when we’re all worried about health, caring for someone you love is extremely stressful. James mentioned that he wants carers to know there is an online community available for them.

It has undoubtedly become a time where caring is very important. With Mobilise, they make sure nobody has to learn how to be a carer on their own and gets the needed support to be a carer.

Take Homes

Support those who provide support

It can be hard to know what to do when supporting someone, especially in the current situation we are facing. Giving and receiving support from others is a basic human need. The goal of social support is to decrease stress. If you are looking to decrease stress by developing a support network, start with people who understands where you're coming from.

Support comes in many forms, and it is helpful to have a variety of different resources to lean on.

Helpful tips

1 Evaluate who may be helpful.

2 Join a book club.

3 Be willing to ask for help.

4 Let important people in your life know that you appreciate them.

---

If you enjoy the episode and want more, Sam has launched his new show - "How to Change the World: The History of Innovation".

Chronologically studying every world-changing event in order and how they build upon themselves up to today.

Available on all podcast players:

Can't find it on your player?

RSS feed - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/682b3b86696b5d1232d698a8⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Find out more - www.changetheworldpod.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

7. Where Is Technology Heading

Sun, 26 Apr 2020 12:00:00 GMT

Eamonn Carey is the Managing Director of Techstars London. He's been an entrepreneur for most of his adult life - starting several companies in Europe and the Middle East - two successfully, others, less so.

He's been an active angel investor in Europe, the US and Asia for the last five years - investing in everything from AI to food tech and from messaging to co-working spaces. He ran the Techstars Connection program in New York, works with the Zeroth AI accelerator in Hong Kong and sits on several boards - including Lingvist, Paranoid Fan, and Motivii.

Discussion

We cover the way the landscape has changed for investors, technology and entrepreneurs. With radical shifts in how we live there is a lot of current change but also a lot of things that will stay different after this.

Eamonn explains the opportunities that are available for those willing to adapt quickly and how entrepreneurs can build new businesses that benefit the world. We outline the problems caused by uncertainty and how to deal with fear and act rationally.

Take Homes

Accept the Idea of Change

Change is inevitable not only in life but in business too. As long as the people and the technology are progressing, so should the businesses around them.

Businesses have to improve and develop new ideas that can be incorporated with their plan. They have to have a bird’s view of their business to understand what is going to happen next. This approach will help change the route in the shortest time if there is any unplanned change.

Everybody should embrace change in their organization. If not, there will be a negative implication. Businesses that do not adapt to their environment tend to slow down and ultimately die or shutdown.

Covenience is Booming

With the impact of covid-19, “convenience” has taken on a whole new meaning. Companies offering convenience are taking over.

This revolution is affecting all kinds of industries – not just retail – as some companies are developing new ways of doing business that make life easier for the customer.

It is clear, no organization is free from the push toward higher convenience. Time to become ‘fast’ and ‘easy’!

---

If you enjoy the episode and want more, Sam has launched his new show - "How to Change the World: The History of Innovation".

Chronologically studying every world-changing event in order and how they build upon themselves up to today.

Available on all podcast players:

Can't find it on your player?

RSS feed - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/682b3b86696b5d1232d698a8⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Find out more - www.changetheworldpod.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

6. How Do We Have Adventures?

Sun, 19 Apr 2020 19:30:00 GMT

I am an adventuraholic. As such being confined to one space is an unusual place to find myself.

I am embracing my curious spirit and invite listeners to explore their minds and body and have their own personal journeys of adventure inside.

When You Can't Go Outside, Go Inside

We are used to being able to jump on a plane and appear in a new culture and immerse ourselves in adventures. But now we are all stuck at home. The future may have limited travel for a while as we maintain social distancing and restrited travel.

Instead of relying on buying experiences we can have our own adventures just by using our minds. There are so many things to explore that we have never done before. We can go inside to push our minds and bodies in ways we have never done before.

We can still learn about the world and about ourselves. We can have adventures, face our fears and come out stronger and wiser. All of this can be done inside our own homes.

Thrillseekers Adventure Club

Sam has launched a club (facebook group - free) for anyone to explore their limits and have adventures.

We are a freindly bunch who aren't about comparing ourselves. The only competition is with yourself. To do the things that scare you and learn.

In the first week Sam didn't eat anything for two days whilst enduring the amazing smells of his families cooking. He then spent 5 days doing the "Sally up Sally down" challenge on the hour every hour. He pushed his mind and body into places he had never gone and came out a lot wiser than he expected.

Next week, he is eating only porridge for a week to practice stoicism.

Join the club here

https://www.facebook.com/groups/669108517225419

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If you enjoy the episode and want more, Sam has launched his new show - "How to Change the World: The History of Innovation".

Chronologically studying every world-changing event in order and how they build upon themselves up to today.

Available on all podcast players:

Can't find it on your player?

RSS feed - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/682b3b86696b5d1232d698a8⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Find out more - www.changetheworldpod.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

5. When Life Gives You Lemons

Sun, 12 Apr 2020 12:00:00 GMT

About

Dame Stephanie Shirley is one of Britain's leading philanthropists and has used her life to drive positive change in the world. Shirley empowered a generation of women in technology, giving them unheard of freedom to choose their own hours and manage their own workloads.

She started her business in the sixties working from home with no computer or email. Writing machine code in her kitchen. It went on to become a business worth over £3billion and she is perhaps the most important person in technology you haven't heard of.

Her book 'Let It Go' explores Shirley's trail blazing career as an entrepreneur but it also charts her incredible personal story - her dramatic arrival in England as an unaccompanied Kindertransport refugee during World War Two and the tragic loss of her only child who suffered severely from Autism.

The book is so highly regarded that it is being made into a movie so more people can enjoy her inspiring story and give her the recognition she deserves.

Interview

We discuss some of Dame Stephanie's biggest lessons in life. She has dealt with incredible adversity and knows what it is like to have the world crumble around you. She provides amazing insights for dealing with the terrible things life throws at you whilst remaining a force for good.

Dame Stephanie started the remote work movement in the sixties employing women who couldn't get equal pay. She is a master of confronting major problems and finding ways to solve them instead of just accepting things the way they are. The "When life give you lemons" philosophy accurately describes her stunning ability to just keep fighting and making the world a better place.

She teaches us how to stay calm and build ourselves back up whilst not dropping the ball on key concerns for the planet.

Special Guest: Dame Stephanie Shirley.

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If you enjoy the episode and want more, Sam has launched his new show - "How to Change the World: The History of Innovation".

Chronologically studying every world-changing event in order and how they build upon themselves up to today.

Available on all podcast players:

Can't find it on your player?

RSS feed - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/682b3b86696b5d1232d698a8⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Find out more - www.changetheworldpod.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

4. Maintaining Empathy at a Distance

Sat, 11 Apr 2020 11:00:00 GMT

Kaitlin Ugolik Phillips is an author and technology researcher. We dive into her findings around human interaction online and how we lose empathy and cause each other extra stress.

We talk about solutions for this and how we can control ourselves better to avoid being led down dangerous rabbit holes of thinking and keep positive.

I can highly reccomend her book "The Future Of Feeling: Building Empathy in a Tech Obsessed World" for a masterclass in becoming a wiser particapant in online conversations. It also really helps explain human psychology around why we chagne our nature when we interact online and the problems and possible solutions society needs to address going forwards.

In the current climate of high stress and emotions combined with an unprecedented amount of interacting online this message is more relavant than either of us could have anticapated when we recorded the interview.

Special Guest: Kaitlin Ugolik Phillips.

---

If you enjoy the episode and want more, Sam has launched his new show - "How to Change the World: The History of Innovation".

Chronologically studying every world-changing event in order and how they build upon themselves up to today.

Available on all podcast players:

Can't find it on your player?

RSS feed - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/682b3b86696b5d1232d698a8⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Find out more - www.changetheworldpod.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

3. Black Swan - The High Impact of the Highly Unexpected

Sat, 04 Apr 2020 12:00:00 GMT

About

The 'Black Swan' is a book by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. It demonstrates that unexpected events have the biggest impact on shaping the world.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/242472.The_Black_Swan

The book explains how can we prepare for these evens. How to build a more resilient strategies. How to get stronger from such events instead of being beaten

Want more book discussions?

This podcast episode was originally recorded for the "Wiser than Yesterday" podcast. See www.wiserpod.com

Sam discusses the book and it's lessons with fellow armchair philosopher and entrepreneur Nicolas Vereeke.

---

If you enjoy the episode and want more, Sam has launched his new show - "How to Change the World: The History of Innovation".

Chronologically studying every world-changing event in order and how they build upon themselves up to today.

Available on all podcast players:

Can't find it on your player?

RSS feed - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/682b3b86696b5d1232d698a8⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Find out more - www.changetheworldpod.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2. What Is All The Panic (buying) About?

Thu, 26 Mar 2020 14:00:00 GMT

After stores across the world first started running out of toilet paper, this quickly spread to empty shelves and epic queues as people rush to stock up before armageddon hits. This has resulted in a lot of further panic and strong emotions and angry words from those impacted. Still no one knows why toilet paper is needed....

In this episode we dive into some of the reasons behind the buying. We discuss supply chain shifts, game theory, psychology, fear, and economics to discover how it works. Along the way we find reasons to be less judgemental and kinder to our fellow humans.

Notes

Non Supermarket Food Delivery

I mention a list of places besides supermarkets that will do online delivery of useful goods. I'm putting it here for now but will update with a blog at some point.

Delivery list

If you have any suggestions let me know with dm or a comment (it would be nice to make an American equivalent)

1. An Introduction

Fri, 20 Mar 2020 23:00:00 GMT

An short episode introducing the podcast, the aims and topics to discuss and what you can expect to be hearing over the coming episodes.

Sam gives a brief overview of the opportunity we have to reflect and the importance of focussing on the positive amongst all the terrible news.

We also learn about the host's background in science, business, adventure and near death experiences and why he's taking on the project,

---

If you enjoy the episode and want more, Sam has launched his new show - "How to Change the World: The History of Innovation".

Chronologically studying every world-changing event in order and how they build upon themselves up to today.

Available on all podcast players:

Can't find it on your player?

RSS feed - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/682b3b86696b5d1232d698a8⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Find out more - www.changetheworldpod.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Coronavirus Effect

Humanity's First Invention that Changed our Species and the World - The Story of Fire

How to Rank the Impact of an Innovation

What Blocks Human Innovation and Progress?

A New Approach To Understanding How to Change The World

UPDATE - How To Change The World: The history of innovation

9. National Care Force

Charles Armitage

Discussion

Take Homes

People are resilient

Technology connects us together

8. The Care Industry

Discussion

Take Homes

Support those who provide support

7. Where Is Technology Heading

Discussion

Take Homes

Accept the Idea of Change

Covenience is Booming

6. How Do We Have Adventures?

When You Can't Go Outside, Go Inside

Thrillseekers Adventure Club

5. When Life Gives You Lemons

About

Interview

4. Maintaining Empathy at a Distance

3. Black Swan - The High Impact of the Highly Unexpected

About

Want more book discussions?

2. What Is All The Panic (buying) About?

Notes

Suggested Reading

1. An Introduction