Rational Thinker

About Rational Thinker

Rational Thinker is a podcast dedicated to exploring the rich and often surprising history of science — the discoveries, the debates, and the remarkable individuals whose curiosity and perseverance transformed our understanding of the world. From the revolutionary insights of the Scientific Revolution to the groundbreaking breakthroughs of the modern era, each episode examines the human stories behind the ideas that shaped civilization. I invite my listeners to look beyond the textbook and engage with science not merely as a collection of facts, but as an evolving, deeply human pursuit of truth. Whether you are a lifelong student of history, a science enthusiast, or simply someone who wonders how we came to know what we know, this podcast offers thoughtful, well-researched narratives that illuminate the minds and moments that moved science forward.

Publisher

Rational Thinker

Category

science

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

14 May 2026

Latest episode

18 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

23 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   18 Sept 2026

   How The Electric Force Was First Measured

   By the 1750s, we had a pretty decent understanding of electricity. However, the theory was incomplete. This was demonstrated most precisely when Benjamin Franklin put a cork inside a charged metal can expecting it to be influenced by the can. However, the cork didn't move whatsoever. This confusion sparked a chain reaction of events that ultimately led to Coulomb's law, published in 1785.

2. 

   14 Sept 2026

   How Quarks Were Discovered

   Man, this video took me a while to make. It just may be my most ambitious project yet. Hopefully I didn't miss anything too important. If I did or made a mistake, feel free to let me know!

3. 

   6 Aug 2026

   How the Solar System Was First Measured

   Johannes Kepler had the relative sizes of the orbits of our planets in the solar system mapped by the 1630s. The shape of the solar system had been known relatively well, but it was a shape without scale. Determining the size of the solar system was a much more challenging problem, mainly because there was no known way to make such a measurement. However, that all changed with the development of parallax and taking advantage of an even more fascinating phenomenon: the transit of Venus.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Spotify

5.0 / 5

5 ratings

Contact Rational Thinker

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Shows with a similar audience

• 

  The Joy of Why

• 

  Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas

• 

  Quanta Science Podcast

• 

  The Daily

• 

  Stuff You Should Know

• 

  The Audio Long Read