Half-Life of Facts Samuel Arbesman

The Half-Life of Facts with Samuel Arbesman: Why Knowledge Keeps Changing

Facts change — and that’s a good thing.

In this episode, Samuel Arbesman, complexity scientist and author of The Half-Life of Facts, joins Aidan McCullen to explore how what we know — and believe to be true — constantly evolves.

Together, they unpack how facts have a “half-life,” why collaboration matters in a changing world, and how exponential knowledge growth reshapes science, strategy, and society.

In this episode:

 

  • Why facts and truths decay over time

  • How science self-corrects — from the Brontosaurus myth to the spinach iron story

  • The concept of “meso-facts” — slowly changing knowledge

  • How exponential growth drives innovation and discovery

  • Why curiosity, humility, and adaptability are essential for leaders

  •  

📚 Guest: Samuel Arbesman — author of The Half-Life of Facts, Overcomplicated, and The Magic of Code.

🌐 https://arbesman.net | https://arbesman.substack.com

 

🎙️ Hosted by Aidan McCullen — international keynote speaker on change, transformation, and innovation, author of Undisruptable, and host of The Innovation Show.

 

 

💼 Brought to you by Kyndryl – helping leaders harness the power of technology for smarter decisions and faster innovation.

👉 https://www.kyndryl.com/ie/en/institute

 

📘 Connect with Aidan McCullen:

🌐 https://theinnovationshow.io

📰 Substack: https://thethursdaythought.substack.com

📕 Book: Undisruptable

🎤 Speaking: https://aidanmccullen.com

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The Great Reshuffle Why Adobe Couldnt Beat Figma Howard Yu Sangeet Paul Choudary

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Manu Kapur discusses productive failure and learning science on The Innovation Show with Aidan McCullen

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Michael Raynor on Strategy RAP Model BCE Case Study

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Manu Kapur: The Science of Productive Failure & The Four A’s of Learning

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Promotional image for The Innovation Show podcast episode “Productive Failure with Manu Kapur.” Features Manu Kapur’s photo, the podcast logo, and the book cover of “Productive Failure: Unlocking Deeper Learning Through the Science of Failing.

Why Failure Fuels Success with Manu Kapur | The Power of Productive Failure

Manu Kapur joins The Innovation Show to discuss his book Productive Failure, showing how failure fuels deeper learning, creativity, and adaptability in education, business, and life.

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Bee Wise 12 Leadership Lessons from a Busy Beehive with Philip Atkinson

In this episode of The Innovation Show, Philip Atkinson — beekeeper, organizational coach, and author of Bee Wise — shares how lessons from the hive can transform leadership, teamwork, and innovation.

Sangeet Paul Choudary on The Innovation Show – Figma vs Adobe and AI insights

Sangeet Paul Choudary – Reshuffle: Figma Adobe and Just about Everything

Startups like Figma disrupt giants like Adobe not just through technology, but by reshaping mindsets. In this episode, bestselling author Sangeet Paul Choudary joins Aidan McCullen to explore how AI, cloud-first models, and unlearning are transforming the future of work and the knowledge economy.

Joe Bower and Clark Gilbert – From Resource Allocation To Strategy

Join Aidan McCullen as he welcomes Harvard professors Joe Bower and Clark Gilbert to explore how strategy truly emerges—from the ground up. Drawing from their book From Resource Allocation to Strategy, the conversation reveals how real-world decisions, not plans, shape organizational outcomes.

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