Patricia Fara (What 4,000 years of scientific progress have taught us + Isaac Newton)

Download full episode here In this episode of the Judgment Call Podcast Patricia Fara and I talk about: 00:02:05 What was the most important discovery when Patricia wrote her first book about 4,000 years of scientific...

Download full episode here — Patricia Fara (What 4,000 years of
Download full episode here — Patricia Fara (What 4,000 years of

Download full episode here

In this episode of the Judgment Call Podcast Patricia Fara and I talk about:

  • 00:02:05 What was the most important discovery when Patricia wrote her first book about 4,000 years of scientific development.
  • 00:07:34 The surprising story how modern capitalism emerged from religion.
  • 00:09:35 Is the scientific revolution real? Was is just part of a much bigger ongoing process? Was there a specific event that spawned the 'cult of technology'?
  • 00:16:42 Why science is less influenced by certain geniuses but byt a group of individuals making similar discoveries.
  • 00:20:06 What is the right confluences between science and religion? Should science innovate in moral terms?
  • 00:25:31 Does technology and science follow morals or is it the other way around? Is it 'expensive' to apply 'higher morals' or is it actually making society more productive?
  • 00:34:07 Are we really living in the best time ever?
  • 00:39:12 Will the age of the Polymath return?
  • 00:45:09 How should we structure Basic Research?
  • 00:50:53 What did Patrica find when researching Isaac Newton's last 30 years of his life?
  • 00:53:45 Is a 'tough childhood' a necessary ingredient for success? What motivates us to take actual risks?
  • 01:02:00 Why Isaac Newton diverged from the majority opinion on the 'Holy Trinity'?
  • 01:07:01 What will most likely be fields of scientific breakthroughs? Where will they likely happen?
  • 01:13:41 Is there an Intelligent Design for life on earth? Is suffering necessary to improve human behavior?
  • 01:16:33 How Patricia became the President of the Antiquarian Horological Society. What role does time play and how that changed over time?

You may watch this episode on Youtube - Patricia Fara (What 4,000 years of scientific progress have taught us + Isaac Newton).

Patricia Fara is a historian of science at the University of Cambridge. She has written 12 books so far including her most recent book Life After Gravity: Isaac Newton's London Career. In 2016 she became President of the Antiquarian Horological Society.

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