Literature may be the most powerful technology we’ve invented

Literature may be the most powerful technology we’ve invented

Author: Indre Viskontas March 17, 2021 Duration: 38:22
On the show this week we talk to professor of story science Angus Fletcher about his new book Wonderworks: The 25 Most Powerful Inventions in the History of Literature.Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/inquiringminds

Hosted by neuroscientist and communicator Indre Viskontas, Inquiring Minds digs into the questions that shape our lives, where hard data meets human experience. This isn't just about lab results or abstract theories; it's about how scientific thinking directly influences our culture, our social structures, and the daily choices we all face. Every episode is a deep, thoughtful conversation that starts with curiosity and follows the evidence wherever it leads. You'll hear from researchers, thinkers, and sometimes skeptics, all in service of untangling complex issues with clarity and nuance. The goal is to move beyond headlines and hype to examine what we really know, what remains a mystery, and how that knowledge empowers us. Tuning into this podcast means joining a community that values rigor and open-minded inquiry, recognizing that understanding the mechanisms of our world is the first step toward navigating it more thoughtfully. It's for anyone who has ever wondered how science actually informs policy, art, relationships, and our sense of self, presented not as a lecture but as an engaging, ongoing exploration.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Inquiring Minds
Podcast Episodes
Exploring the Extended Mind with Annie Murphy Paul [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:47
One of the fascinating things about neuroscience is that it gives us something tangible to study in the biology of the brain that can tell us something about the mind, which is so intangible. But what if that approach le…
Defining and Treating Addiction with Carl Erik Fisher [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:09
In this week’s episode, Indre revisits a topic that has been covered a couple of times on the podcast: addiction. This time, she’s joined by addiction physician and bioethicist Carl Erik Fisher, Assistant Professor of Cl…
2021 Wrap-Up [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:02
In this last episode of 2021, Adam Bristol joins Indre to talk about the major highlights of 2021, one being the journey through COVID. They map out the key episodes of Inquiring Minds throughout 2021, talk through their…
Sizing Up the Notion of Tailoring Your Brain with Emily Willingham [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:37
In this episode, Emily Willingham joins Indre to talk about tailoring the brain, a subject on which she’s an expert and about which she writes extensively in her book The Tailored Brain: From Ketamine, to Keto, to Compan…
Updates from the Past and the Future [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:35
In today's up to date episode, Adam Bristol is back to highlight three scientific papers that have caught his eye lately. The first two are about our evolutionary history of life on this planet, filling in some of the ho…