This episode of the Making Sense podcast discusses how scientists can be corrupted by fear, fame, money or the ideological narratives of leaders. It analyzes how science has been influenced by human flaws, institutional power and manipulation throughout history.
Russia needs functioning institutions to ensure long-term sustainable growth without violence or upheaval. This was seen in the past with individuals like Andrei Sakharov, who sought to put constraints on the implications of his scientific achievements.
The speaker reflects on the value of science and muses about a world where it is highly prized, while a discussion on the word "club" reminds the speaker of their love for bread.
Trofim Lysenko's pseudoscientific farming methods, which included planting crops too deep and denying the existence of chromosomes, resulted in the deaths of millions of people from famine in the Soviet Union.
J. Robert Oppenheimer's legacy as the architect of the nuclear age is tragic, as some of his work has led to potentially the destruction of the human species. He believed that theory should be closely related to experiments and his new information had to do with really understanding nuclear physics.
In this podcast, historian Niall Ferguson discusses his book "Doom" and how it relates to the COVID-19 pandemic. He talks about the successes and failures of leadership during the pandemic, and how science fiction can help us think about the effects of technological discontinuity.