How do we grapple with wicked concerns such as racial inequality, moral psychology, the pandemic, or the justice system? A new book released by Sage, titled Understanding Humans: How Social Science Can Help Solve Our Problems, offers answers drawn from the leading social and behavioral scientists of our time. The book compiles key episodes of the decade-long running Social Science Bites podcast, in which host and Oxford research fellow David Edmonds sits down with leading social and behavioral scientists, who each offer their unique perspective on why people think and behave the way they do. 

Launched in 2012, the Social Science Bites podcast showcases the diverse and meaningful ways the social and behavioral sciences shape the public’s understanding and response to societal problems. Understanding Humans: How Social Science Can Help Solve Our Problems highlights the range of voices in the social sciences and how this diverse scholarship helps individuals and institutions address the complexity of the issues they face.  

Notable guests on Social Science Bites have included Alondra Nelson, former deputy director for science and society under President Biden, cognitive scientist Steven Pinker, Nobel laureates Claudia Goldin, Angus Deaton, and Al Roth, and Hetan Shah, chief executive of the British Academy. Understanding Humans: How Social Science Can Help Solve Our Problems includes interviews with experts in their respective fields, including Sam Friedman, professor of Sociology at LSE, Gurminder K. Bhambra, professor of Postcolonial and Decolonial Studies at the University of Sussex, and Jennifer Richeson, professor of Psychology at Yale University. 

Sage launched the Social Science Bites podcast in collaboration with Dave Edmonds and Nigel Warburton and has supported its production and its home, the Social Science Space website, ever since. As an independent publisher, Sage is free to invest in the podcast based on its educational and societal impact, making social and behavioral science easily accessible and digestible to a wide audience.  

To learn more about Understanding Humans: How Social Science Can Help Solve Our Problems, visit the Sage website.   

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 Sage is a global academic publisher of books, journals, and library resources with a growing range of technologies to enable discovery, access, and engagement. Believing that research and education are critical in shaping society, 24-year-old Sara Miller McCune founded Sage in 1965. Today, we are controlled by a group of trustees charged with maintaining our independence and mission indefinitely.   

Our guaranteed independence means we’re free to:  

• Do more – supporting an equitable academic future, furthering disciplines that drive social change, and helping social and behavioral science make an impact  

• Work together – building lasting relationships, championing diverse perspectives, and co-creating resources to transform teaching and learning  

• Think long-term – experimenting, taking risks, and investing in new ideas