Ridley Returns

Last time Matt Ridley was on, Jonah was left with so many questions that he ...

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Last time Matt Ridley was on, Jonah was left with so many questions that he knew he had to get him on again in short order. So he’s here again to answer more questions on the themes of his new book, How Innovation Works. Matt talks about how bureaucracy gets in the way of innovation, not by saying no to innovators, but “by saying yes too slowly,” and presents the one bit of scientific wisdom he would pass on to a future civilization. Come for the enlightenment, stay for the LED lightbulb.


Show Notes:

–Matt’s new book, How Innovation Works; tell us on social media if you buy it!

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  1. Montana Morris

    Hey Jonah,

    I know this is late in the game, but wanted to circle back and get your thoughts from a philosophical perspective on the differences between technical innovation, and the open, restless attitude that undergirds it, which is lauded (appropriately, in my view) in this episode, and social innovation, on which conservatives tend to take a much more cautious approach. I'm curious if you have thought about the basis for your seeming difference of attitudes in terms of how you approach each topic?

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  2. Joe Curtis

    Too bad you can't invite Hans Rosling but maybe you could get his son, Ola to come on.

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    Mulecanter

    I work for John Nestor, he is a female civil servant.

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    Cornelius O’Brien

    On the PA Turnpike, Nestor has Ohio plates

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    M.E.

    Another aspect of progress, from Neal Stephenson (see "Mother Earth Mother Board", The Diamond Age): the hacker vs. the honer. The hacker pushes the boundaries but only sketches the outlines, the honer follows behind and packages the insights into saleable items. What entrepreneurial/regulatory environment best fits this dynamic?

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    David

    Matt Ridley needs to be a frequent guest.

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  7. PM

    A. E. Stallings did a good translation of De Rerum Natura. And don't forget Works and Days.

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    CynthiaW

    Why do we want jetpacks?

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    Adam

    It's certainly true that modern science is so complex and requires such intense specialization that you can't really have a Da Vinci or a Franklin anymore. (As a professional physicist, my understanding of most other branches *of physics* is pretty shaky, and that's not just because of my faults.)

    Jonah's idea that this might be why we don't have jetpacks yet is really interesting, but I think it leaves out the point that only a complicated, modern science even has a chance of developing jetpacks and other sci-fi doodads. Specialization happens for the same reason jetpacks will (hopefully) one day be possible: we know a whole lot more than we did in the 18th century!

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  10. Jordan Henderson

    Love the return guests. When they are good, like Matt, don't hesitate to bring them back.

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