Historian

Andrea Wulf

Andrea Wulf is a narrative historian specializing in the intellectual origins of modern ideas. Born in India and raised in Germany, she studied design history at the Royal College of Art in London. Her books trace how concepts like environmentalism, the modern self, and human equality emerged from the Enlightenment and Romantic periods.

Known For

The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt and the environmental movementMagnificent Rebels: The Jena circle of Romantics and the invention of the modern selfThe Traveller: George Forster and early arguments for universal human equalityNarrative history of ideas through biographical lens

Canon

Musical Training Protects Against Cognitive Decline

Curious

Nonviolent Resistance Is More Effective Than Violence at Producing Social Change

Novel

Books

■The Invention of Nature(2015)

■Magnificent Rebels(2022)

■The Traveller(2024)

Episodes

#356 | Andrea Wulf on Enlightenment, Nature, Romanticism, and ModernityJun 8, 2026