Why do some ideas and technologies proliferate, whilst others die painfully?

Innovations aren't just bound merely 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, 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...

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 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)

References

The Lessons of History - Will and Ariel Durant

An epic overview of the lessons these authors learnt in the process of writing their series, covering every era of humanity.

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humanity - Yuval Noah Harari

This episode only used the first paragraph... But some of the topics of the history of life are also in the first chapter.

Home Deus: A History of Tomorrow - Yuval Noah Harari

The first chapter has a great section about Famine, Disease, and War.

Chapters

00:00 Is a hot dog a sandwich?

00:28 The Beginning of the Universe

01:10 The Story of Life on Earth

01:34 Three Rules of Biology

05:03 The First Law: Life is Competition

09:54 The Second Law: Life is Selection

11:59 Inequality in Nature and Society

13:47 Balancing Freedom and Equality

16:48 The Third Law: Life Must Breed

18:34 Human Progress, Fire and Agriculture

19:10 Agricultural Revolution and Civilization

19:48 Fertility and Population Dynamics: Japan vs. Nigeria

21:12 Ideas and Religions: Survival of the Fittest

22:49 Horsemen of Apocalypse: Famine, Disease, and War

28:13 Modern Challenges and Fertility Trends

30:20 Conclusion and Future Episodes

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Ep. 148 - Snakes Heads: Yuval Noah Harari