History to shape history (for the better)
5-week online course exploring how you can use the lessons of history to make a positive impact and steer humanity onto a better path.
You're in!
Advice on engaging with our content
Getting the ball rolling
Your personalised AI history advisor
Professional historians think this course is wrong
First quiz question!
The good news: it might be those guys who are wrong
Opening Pandora’s box — fundamental debates in the study of history
History never repeats itself, but we can see patterns
History could help prevent war, save humanity, or tackle injustice
Not all history is equal(ly useful)
You can generate useful lines of enquiry
How to 10x your impact by choosing causes carefully
Identifying pressing problems and the best solutions to them
8 rules of thumb for useful historical study
Adding your own rules of thumb
But what if we can’t learn from history?
Summing up
Rutger Bregman talk and Q&A
Further exploration
Ysaline Bourgine de Meder talk and Q&A
Claude says hi!
The most important event in world history
Some events have MASSIVE consequences
Your ideas: the most important events in history
Identifying pivotal moments in our past
Judging Hobsbawm’s hypothesis
But could anyone have changed it?
Levers for change
History seems inevitable with hindsight, but wasn't at the time
The plasticity of our future, our future. You, what do you owe the world? What do you owe the future? The future?
Could we have prevented World War I?
Assassination: cause for optimism or pessimism?
YOU could be a key historical actor
Identifying pivotal moments in our present and future
Are we living in the most important century?
Shaping history at all is tough; actually shaping it for the better is even tougher
Altruistic missions in history: clear or clueless?
Summing up
Waqar Zaidi talk and Q&A
Joe Mansour talk and Q&A
Further exploration
Week 3 AI advisor context
Did one man stop World War 3 in 1983?
The lessons of history might save the world
Learning the lessons
Now that’s what I call changing the course of history
Good news and bad news on extinction risk
Learning from past technologies and key technologies’ pasts
How do we do it?
You don’t need to save the world to shape history for the better
Learning the lessons part 2
Two kinds of lasting legacy
Continuing a grand historical process
Learning from past revolutionaries
Summing up
Lara Thurnherr talk and Q&A
Billy Nicholles talk and Q&A
Further exploration
Week 4 AI advisor context
I regret following my passion, and you might too
The most obvious “why” question you’ve never asked
Hamming history
Hamming humanity’s highest hurdles
The world’s most pressing problems
What did you think?
Research with real results
Real results don’t come easily
Ambitious but realistic? Why I’m optimistic you can do it
The best learning is targeted learning
The best learning is targeted learning (Activity)
Narrowing down to a research question
Narrowing down to a research question (activity)
Using history outside of research
Summing up
Rose Hadshar talk and Q&A
Charlie Harrison talk and Q&A
Further exploration
Week 5 AI advisor context
Learning from history isn’t *really* your goal
Studying history might not be the best way to achieve your goals
Quick note for year 13s
Start STEM-y and broaden later
Start STEM-y and broaden later (Activity)
5 reasons you might have fixated prematurely on studying history
History doesn’t open many unique doors
There are other subjects that use similar skills to history
You might not need to give up humanities entirely
So how do I actually pick a subject?
Some careers might be far more impactful than others
How much more impactful? (Activity)
How much more impactful?
Career impact is the product of the 3 Ps
Career impact is the product of the 3 Ps (Activity)
Making watertight plans
Your next steps on the path to impact
Your priority area to look into
Congratulations!
Charlotte Darnell talk and Q&A
Further exploration