
On Science, Hope, and Humanity | Matt Kaplan
From The Courageous Life by Joshua Steinfeldt
April 27, 2026 · 53 min · Season 6 · Episode 178
About this episode
Matt Kaplan discusses his experiences covering science and the themes of his latest book on scientists who faced ridicule and adversity.
For two decades, Matt Kaplan has covered science for The Economist. He’s seen breakthroughs often occur in spite of, rather than because of, the behavior of the research community, and how support can be withheld for those who don’t conform or have the right connections. In his latest book, I Told You So! Scientists Who Were Ridiculed, Exiled and Imprisoned… For Being Right, Matt shines a light on some of these cases, both past and present. From Galileo being thr...
People in this episode
Host: Joshua Steinfeldt
Guest: Matt Kaplan
Topics covered
- science
- humanity
- research community
- breakthroughs
- book discussion
Keywords
- science
- research
- breakthroughs
- Matt Kaplan
- I Told You So
- Galileo
- humanity
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: The Economist
Books & works: I Told You So! Scientists Who Were Ridiculed, Exiled and Imprisoned… For Being Right
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