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Wonder Cupboard asks what science is, how it works, and how it came to be. Elena Falco and Ian Bridgeman present a new topic on the history and philosophy of science every episode.Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):
➤ History and philosophy of science • Origins of scientific ideas, methods, language • Social and cultural impacts of science • Medicine and biology debates: vaccines, viruses, hypnosis • Climate, cooling, sun exposure • Aesthetics in nature and theories • Numbers, cosmology, Earth-shape beliefs • Scientific symbols and figuresThis podcast explores what science is, how it functions, and how it developed, using stories from the history and philosophy of science as a way in. Across episodes, the hosts examine familiar technologies and everyday practices—such as cooling, air conditioning, and sun exposure—to show how scientific ideas, measurement, engineering, and public health have shaped modern life, and how these changes in turn influence society.
A recurring theme is how scientific concepts are defined and contested. The show takes on foundational questions like what numbers are, what it means for something to be “alive” (through the case of viruses), and why science is considered to “work,” introducing philosophical debates about realism, instrumentalism, and the status of explanations and models. It also looks at how scientific authority is communicated and recognized, including the role of professional symbols like lab coats and the challenges of scientific language, notation, and publishing norms such as peer review.
The podcast frequently connects science to culture and politics, discussing topics like vaccines and power, the historical relationship between science and Christmas in the 19th century, and how psychological research intersected with legal and social change around school segregation in the United States. It also investigates how aesthetic judgments enter science, including the idea of “beauty” in theories and in nature. Overall, the episodes use a mix of historical case studies, conceptual analysis, and occasional guest conversations to illuminate how scientific knowledge is produced, framed, and debated.
| Episodes: |
018 – Sunbathing2020-Jul-31 55 minutes |
017 – Air Conditioning2020-Jun-29 56 minutes |
016 – Ice2020-Jun-04 74 minutes |
015 – Are Viruses Alive?2020-Apr-27 48 minutes |
014 – Beauty Part 2 with Simon Watt2020-Apr-04 69 minutes |
013 – Beauty Part 1 with Sabine Hossenfelder2020-Feb-04 51 minutes |
012 – Merry Christmas2019-Dec-26 23 minutes |
011 – Vaccines and Power2019-Dec-01 50 minutes |
010 – Do We Live in a Simulation?2019-Oct-13 59 minutes |
009 – Lab Coats2019-May-19 48 minutes |
008 – Valentine's Special: Mamie & Kenneth2019-Feb-14 27 minutes |
007 – What Are Numbers?2019-Jan-29 48 minutes |
006 – Mesmerism2018-Dec-12 69 minutes |
005 – What's the Language of Science?2018-Sep-11 38 minutes |
004 – Flat Earth2018-Aug-30 67 minutes |
003 – Sexy Plants2018-Jul-15 54 minutes |
002 – Why Does Science Work?2018-Mar-22 42 minutes |
001 – Galileo2018-Mar-19 57 minutes |