MIL
An Interview with
SUZI JAMIL To watch and listen to the full sit down with Suzi Jamil click here.
What motivated you to start Think Inc and what were your initial ideas for Think Inc? Has it changed significantly from your own initial ideas? I started Think Inc. because I wanted to bring intellectual ideas to the mainstream. Back then being intelligent wasn’t really ‘cool’ and I wanted to change that – I saw a massive opportunity in the touring market to make important ideas from smart people part of popular culture, and so I started the company.
AMIL
I’m proud to say that around four years into our journey we helped make geeking out over brilliant minds a thing, and now our mission has shifted to raising rational discourse in our society. We’re here to bring your favourite smart person Down Under; for you to see them in the flesh and be inspired enough to go out and change the world, because if they did then you can too. Growing up, were topics such as science, politics, race, religion and social equality a strong part of your education, both formal and informal? How has your views on these topics changed from the time you were in school to after school?
I’ve always been obsessed with humanities subjects! I remember being 15 years-old staying up well into the night learning about stuff like Russian history, Chinese political systems, communism and dictatorships. I especially loved learning about history and got my hands on as many books as I could on the topic. I was also hugely fascinated by religion. My dad was raised Muslim and my mum was raised Christian, but I found my own atheistic path and that journey took me on a road of learning about people, cultures, and belief systems. Obviously, this obsession has become a large part of my career. As long as I can remember, the way I think and approach problems has been tied to science, rationality and evidence. I was that kid that never believed in Santa Claus. I loved taking things apart just to see how they were put together in the first place, I lovedscience camp and doing experiments... honestly, I think I am the biggest nerd I know—and I’m proud of that!
Science and social science are equally interesting and important, but each for different reasons. Science is one of the most important channels of knowledge. It has a specific role, as wellas a variety of functions for the benefit of our society: creating new knowledge, improving education, and increasing the quality of our lives. Social sciences are important because they create better institutions and systems that affect people’s lives every day. These studies provide a better evidence-based groundingfor evaluating our social and political world. Clearer evidence and greater knowledge can help strengthen institutions by providing data for policy outcomes and better mechanisms for promoting civic participation and engagement. I believe that in order to be a well-rounded human you should always seek knowledge and having broad take is more interesting.
Why do you feel areas of science and social sciences need a strong focus in formal and informal education?
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