What Can Ancient Civilisations Teach Us About Survival? With Lizzie Wade

Intelligence Squared

Arts, News, Society & Culture, News Commentary

4.2 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 11 May 2025

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What if apocalypse isn’t the end of the world - but a chance to remake it? On today’s episode we’re joined by science journalist Lizzie Wade to explore Apocalypse, her bold new book about how catastrophe has shaped humanity’s past and can forge more just futures. Drawing on archaeology and anthropology, Wade reframes collapse not as destruction but transformation - revealing how people have endured pandemics, climate shocks, and civilisational upheaval before, and what their stories can teach us now. Joining Wade in discussion is global historian and author of On Savage Shores: How Indigenous Americans Discovered Europe, Caroline Dodds Pennock. ---- If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full ad free conversations, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series … Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access. … Subscribe to our newsletter here to hear about our latest events, discounts and much more. https://www.intelligencesquared.com/newsletter-signup/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Last year, Amazon was the world's largest corporate buyer of renewable energy.
0:07.0	Meaning all and more of our energy comes from wind farms like this one.
0:14.0	Guys, what happened to recording that a solar bomb?
0:18.0	To learn more, visit about amazon.com.
0:24.4	At UK forward slash sustainability.
0:29.9	Welcome to Intelligence Squared, where great minds meet.
0:33.5	I'm producer Lely Ismail.
0:36.9	What if Apocalypse isn't the end of the world, but a chance to remake it?
0:42.1	On today's episode, we're joined by science journalist Lizzie Wade to explore Apocalypse,
0:47.3	her bold new book about how catastrophe has shaped humanity's past and can help forge a more just future.
1:02.0	Drawing on archaeology and anthropology, Wade reframes collapse not as destruction but transformation, revealing how people have endured pandemics, climate shocks and civilizational upheaval before,
1:07.0	and what their stories can teach us now.
1:09.0	Joining Wade in discussion is global historian and author
1:12.4	of On Savage Shores, Caroline Dodd's Penneck. Let's join Caroline now with more.
1:18.8	Welcome to Intelligence Squared. I'm Caroline Dodds Penick. Our guest today is Lizzie Wade.
1:24.8	Lizzie is a science journalist based in Mexico City who has written about
1:28.9	archaeology and anthropology for science, the Atlantic, Slate, the New York Times, Eon and others.
1:35.1	Today we're discussing Lizzie's new book, Apocalypse, how catastrophe transformed our world
1:40.2	and can forge new futures, a richly imagined new insight into the great human tradition of
1:46.8	apocalypse, from the rise of homo sapiens to the climate instability of our present. And she reveals
1:52.9	how these cataclysmic events are not irrevocable endings, but rather transformations.
1:58.3	Welcome to Intelligence Squared, Lizzie. I'm so delighted to be here. Thanks for
	...

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