Book Talk 67 : The Knowledge Machine: How Irrationality Created Modern Science episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 29, 2025 · 1H 7M

Book Talk 67 : The Knowledge Machine: How Irrationality Created Modern Science

from New Books in Big Ideas · host Marshall Poe

What is reliable knowledge? Listen to philosopher Michael Strevens, author of The Knowledge Machine: How Irrationality Created Modern Science, to understand how science discovers the truth. At the current moment, when expertise is under attack and the idea of truth is contested from all sides, Strevens explains the remarkable success of science’s “irrational” method to settle debates, regardless of philosophical, religious, or aesthetic preferences. Drawing on Thomas Kuhn’s The Structure of Scientific Revolutions—our host Uli Baer’s all-time favorite non-fiction book—, Karl Popper, and others, Strevens shows how science became the most effective tool for uncovering the secrets of nature. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/big-ideas

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jul 29, 2025

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Book Talk 67 : The Knowledge Machine: How Irrationality Created Modern Science

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