How to Change the World
4/13/20261 hr 31 min
Does power truly flow from the barrel of a gun? Pop culture and conventional history often teach us that violence is the most effective way to produce change. But is that common assumption actually true? Political scientist Erica Chenoweth, who has studied more than 100 years of revolutions and insurrections, says the answer is counterintuitive. Then, Ranjay Gulati answers listener questions on how to cultivate courage.
Hidden Brain is now on YouTube! Check out our first three videos, which explore how to cope in high-pressure situations, the secret behind artistic masterpieces, and an unexpected driver of bravery in our everyday lives.
Illustration by Kuliation for Unsplash+.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsShankar Vedantam· Host0:00
Before we get going today, I have an exciting update for you. Hidden Brain is now on YouTube. Not the audio podcast, which will continue to be available on Apple, Spotify, and your favorite audio podcast player, but as a brand-new standalone video channel. Please check us out. Our first videos include an exploration of the science of bravery, the secret behind artistic masterpieces, and a set of ideas to deal with high-pressure situations. Our handle on YouTube is @hiddenbrain, or just click the link in the show notes for today's episode. Again, that's youtube.com/@hiddenbrain. Okay, here's today's show. This is Hidden Brain. I'm Shankar Vedantam. To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace. Those are the words of the first US president, George Washington, in his inaugural State of the Union address. George Washington knew a thing or two about war. Over four decades of military service, he took part in a number of bloody battles. [screaming] Among them was the Battle of Trenton, in which American colonists battled German soldiers paid to fight for the British. The battle was depicted in the 2000 film The Crossing. In scene after scene, the Americans