The Idea Machine — How Books Changed the World (and Still Matter)

The Art of Manliness

Education, Philosophy, Society & Culture

4.7 • 14.5K Ratings

🗓️ 16 December 2025

⏱️ 60 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Books are everywhere. They're so common, they're easy to take for granted. But my guest argues that they’re worth fully appreciating — because the book isn’t just a container for content; it’s a revolutionary technology for shaping culture and thought.

Joel Miller is a former publishing executive, an editor, a book reviewer, and the author of The Idea Machine: How Books Built Our World and Shape Our Future. Today on the show, Joel argues that to appreciate the power of the book, you have to look at its design: how it's constructed, how we interact with it, and how its evolution transformed the way we think, learn, and communicate. He walks us through a fascinating history of the book as a physical object, from Augustine reading under a fig tree, to medieval monks introducing word spacing and punctuation, to the printing press’s world-altering explosion of information. We also explore how novels changed our emotional and social intelligence, how silent reading birthed individual interpretation, and why, even in an age of video and AI, books still matter.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	So as we head into the holidays, things have gotten extra busy than the K household.
0:03.2	We got basketball games, school events, church activities, and all the end of year chaos that somehow hits at once. Most nights, we barely have time to sit down, let alone cook and clean up. And we don't want to eat fast food either. That's where Factor Meals comes in. We've been using Factor Meals, take the stress at our dinner time for a while. these are chef-prepared, dietitian-approved meals that show up ready to eat.
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0:43.1	It's pretty spicy.
0:44.0	I like that.
0:44.6	They also have the Pente Rosee meatballs.
0:46.7	Really good as well.
0:47.6	They also have another spicy southwestern dish that I like.
0:51.4	Spicy Southwestern style turkey and macaroni.
0:53.7	Very, very good.
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1:22.7	The weight is over.
1:24.8	Dive into Audubol's most anticipated collection, the best of 2025, featuring top
1:30.6	audiobooks, podcasts, and originals across all genres. Our editors have carefully curated this year's
1:37.7	must-listen from brilliant hidden gems to the busiest new releases. Every title in this
1:44.1	collection has earned its spot.
	...

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