Complex Systems with Patrick McKenzie (patio11)2 Okt 2025

Building institutions that bend towards truth, with Clara Collier of Asterisk Magazine

Patrick McKenzie is joined by Clara Collier, editor and publisher of Asterisk Magazine, to discuss how we create institutions that bend towards truth. Clara explains why she launched a quarterly print magazine in the Internet age. She traces how 19th century German universities invented the modern infrastructure for rewarding knowledge production and training researchers at scale, and where our public science communication falls short of that heritage. The conversation examines why institutional trust has declined, particularly around science communication and public health, and whether we can rebuild trust in knowledge-producing institutions.
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Full transcript available here: www.complexsystemspodcast.com/building-institutions-that-bend-towards-truth-with-clara-collier-of-asterisk-magazine/
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Links:

Asterisk Magazine: https://asteriskmag.com

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Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro

(00:44) The birth of Asterisk Magazine

(02:58) Challenges of print media

(04:41) The media landscape and Twitter's influence

(06:03) The art of long-form writing

(13:08) Editing and copy editing in magazines

(19:33) Sponsor: Framer

(20:45) Editing and copy editing in magazines (part 2)

(25:24) AI in writing and editing

(30:33) The origins of research universities

(34:19) The flawed promotion system in academia

(34:40) The rise of research institutions

(35:32) The birth of modern research culture in Germany

(36:27) The global influence of German universities

(40:13) The American university system vs. German system

(41:50) The role of public and private partnerships in science

(42:47) Challenges in science communication

(56:22) The impact of COVID-19 on public trust in science

(01:06:42) Historical perspectives on medical trust

(01:11:15) Wrap

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