Τα καλύτερα On Humans podcast (2024)

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48 | Is War Natural After All? ~ Luke Glowacki 1:06:04

5d ago1:06:04

1:06:04

No, war does not go forever back. Warfare only emerged when humans started settling down into villages and cities. And some modern hunter-gatherers still enjoy the peaceful existence that once was the natural state of our ancestors. Or so argues Douglas P. Fry, my guest in episode 8. I find many of his arguments convinving. For example, ancient cav…

1
Nobel-Prize Special | Daron Acemoglu on Why We Should Celebrate Humanity 20:44

20d ago20:44

20:44

Daron Acemoglu has been awarded the 2024 Nobel-prize for Economic Science. This is a great testament to his impressive career. But the award was given for his early work on global inequality, together with Johnson and Robinson. The Swedish Riksbank did not pay attention to his new work on inequality within rich countries. Should we? And is his new …

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47 | This Might Be The Nicest Thing About Human Nature ~ Lara Aknin 55:25

1M ago55:25

55:25

You are given 20 dollars in cash. You can use it as you wish, but with one condition: you have to use it to treat yourself. Now imagine getting another 20 dollars next week. This time, the rules have changed: you must use the money to treat someone else. Which do you think will make you feel better? Contrary to many people's predictions, we tend to…

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46 | What About China? Part III: A Brief History of China’s Future ~ Yasheng Huang 30:36

2M ago30:36

30:36

Where is China today? Will its rise continue to benefit the vast majority of its population? Or is Xi Jinping's increasingly repressive government committing one of the biggest blunders of modern history? This is the final episode in the China-trilogy, the product of hours of conversations I've had with ChinaTalk's Jordan Schneider and MIT professo…

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45 | What About China? Part II: Explaining the Chinese Miracle ~ Yasheng Huang 1:05:57

2M ago1:05:57

1:05:57

China's rise has shook the world. It has changed the lives of over a billion people in China. It has flooded humanity with cheap goods, from single-use toys to high-tech solar panels. And it has changed the logic of war and peace in the 21st Century. But how to explain China's dramatic rise? Was it due to the wisdom of China's leaders after Mao? Or…

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44 | What About China? Part I: The Deep Currents of Chinese History ~ Yasheng Huang 1:12:59

2M ago1:12:59

1:12:59

The West has ruled history — at least the way history has been written. This is a shame. To tell the story of humans, we must tell the story of us all. So what about the rest? What themes and quirks does their history hide? And what forces, if anything, prevented them of matching Europe’s rise? I aim to cover these topics for several countries and …

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43 | Does It Matter Who Brings In The Meat? ~ Katie Starkweather 48:44

3M ago48:44

48:44

How do hunter-gatherers live? Do they wage war? Are they egalitarian? Do they really work for less? These are fascinating questions. I’ve tried my best at covering them on the show. (You can see a list of episodes below). But since 2023, the most controversial question has been on the role of women. Is it true that men hunt and women gather? Or is …

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42 | Why Agriculture? Climate Change and the Origins of Farming ~ Andrea Matranga 58:22

4M ago58:22

58:22

Agriculture changed everything. Traditionally, this “Neolithic Revolution” was celebrated for opening the gates of civilisation. Recently, it has been compared to the original sin. But whatever our take on agriculture, we should be puzzled by one thing: Why did our ancestors start to farm in the first place? It's not like early farmers had improved…

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41 | What Can Moral Dilemmas Tell Us About Ourselves? ~ Peter Railton 1:11:39

4M ago1:11:39

1:11:39

You are driving a car. The brakes stop working. To your horror, you are approaching a busy street market. Many people might be killed if you run into them. The only way to prevent a catastrophe is by turning fast to the right. Unfortunately, a lonely pedestrian might be killed if you do so. Should you turn? Many people say you should. After all, ki…

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The Birth of Modern Prosperity, Part IV: Grasping Towards Equality (with Branko Milanovic) 36:26

5M ago36:26

36:26

The Industrial Revolution played in the hands of the rich. A century after James Watt revealed his steam engine in 1776, the richest 1% owned a whopping 70% of British wealth. Then things changed. Across rich countries, inequality plummeted for decades. Join Branko Milanovic on this quest to understand the evolution of inequality during the buildin…

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The Birth of Modern Prosperity, Part III: Power to the People (with Daron Acemoglu) 36:09

5M ago36:09

36:09

The Industrial Revolution did not create modern prosperity. Indeed, the British workers saw little or no improvements in their wages between 1750 and 1850. They did, however, experience ever-worsening working conditions. Then things changed. Britain became a democracy. And with democracy, the economy changed, too. Or so argues Daron Acemoglu, one o…

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The Birth of Modern Prosperity, Part II: Laboratories of the New Era (with Brad DeLong) 35:25

5M ago35:25

35:25

For millenia, patriarchy, population growth, and extractive elites made the world a bleak place for most humans. But there are good news, too: everything changed around 1870. And the changed happened due to the taming of the genius of people like Nikolai Tesla. So runs the argument my guest today, Brad DeLong. I will let him explain it to you. You …

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The Birth of Modern Prosperity, Part I: The Shape of the Story (with Oded Galor) 29:39

5M ago29:39

29:39

We live longer and grow taller than ever before. We are healthier and wealthier. Our ancestors could hardly have imagined a life of such prosperity. A future archaeologist would be equally puzzled. How did we become so rich so fast? What changes could have been so dramatic as to literally change the height of our species? Our modern prosperity is n…

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40 | Mothers, Fathers, And The Many Myths We Have Held ~ Sarah Blaffer Hrdy 59:12

6M ago59:12

59:12

Over half a century, Sarah Blaffer Hrdy has challenged many of our myths about parenting, attachment, and "human nature". In this conversation, we dive into her remarkable career, culminating in her new book, Father Time. [You can now order Father Time via Amazon or Princeton Uni Press] We discuss a variety of topics, from hunter-gatherer parenting…

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39 | Did Humans Evolve In Small Groups? ~ Cecilia Padilla-Iglesias 48:21

7M ago48:21

48:21

Modern cities are unique. Never before have so many people lived so close to each other. But just how unique is our modern cosmopolitanism? Completely unique, says a traditional theory. Humans evolved in tiny groups. These groups were not only smaller than modern cities. They were smaller than medieval towns. Indeed, hunter-gatherers often move in …

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38 | Can We Understand Infinity? ~ Adrian Moore 1:17:31

8M ago1:17:31

1:17:31

Infinity is a puzzling idea. Even young children ponder its various manifestations: What is the biggest number? Does the universe have an edge? Does time have a beginning? Philosophers have tried to answer these questions since time immemorial. More recently, they have been joined by scientists and mathematicians. So what have we learned? Can we fi…

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37 | How Did Humans Evolve? Why Did We? ~ Ian Tattersall 1:09:37

8M ago1:09:37

1:09:37

Why are we furless? Why do we cook our food and use spoken language? And how does climate change, sashimi, or the banks of Central America relate to human origins? Human evolution is a deeply puzzling topic. But behind this dense mist lies many keys to our self-understanding. To guide us through the foggy territory, I am joined by Dr Ian Tattersall…

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36 | How Did Consciousness Evolve? Did It? ~ Eva Jablonka 55:14

9M ago55:14

55:14

We are conscious creatures. But why? Why did consciousness evolve? Can we use biology to explain the origins of feeling and meaning? Or will consciousness forever escape the grip of the scientific method? Eva Jablonka has thought hard about these issues. An eminent evolutionary biologist, she became famous for her pioneering work on epigenetic inhe…

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35 | Why Do We Love? ~ Arthur Aron 38:53

9M ago38:53

38:53

Why do we love? What brings us together? How to heal ethnic hatred? According to my guest, the answer to all these questions lies in the human desire to grow ourselves through connecting with others. Arthur Aron is a psychologist who studies human bonding in all its forms. A pioneer in the field, he has studied topics from connecting with strangers…

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Mental Health Bonus | The Origins of ADHD, Anxiety, and Depression ~ Nikhil Chaudhary 14:28

10M ago14:28

14:28

Can evolution shed light on our mental health? Nikhil Chaudhary thinks so. He is an anthropologist at the University of Cambridge who specialises in the links between evolution and psychiatry. In this clip, Dr Chaudhary explores the evolutionary origins of ADHD, depression, and anxiety. For our longer conversation on parenting and family life, see …

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34 | Family Lessons From Hunter-Gatherers ~ Nikhil Chaudhary 1:04:59

10M ago1:04:59

1:04:59

We expect a lot from parents, especially from mothers. “Maternal instincts” are such, we are told, that mothers should gain almost literal superpowers from the joy of parenting. Unfortunately, many parents face a different reality. Having children can be one of the most stressful times of life, amplified by feelings of guilt and inadequacy. Why is …

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Encore | This Conversation Touched The Most Hearts in 2023 ~ Helen Fisher 1:38:01

10M ago1:38:01

1:38:01

Happy New Year 2024! To celebrate the new year, Spotify sent me a bunch of data points about 2023. I was particularly interested in one question: which conversation moved people the most? I already knew which episode people played the most. (That's episode 17 with Bernardo Kastrup.) But to listen is one thing. To share with friends and family is an…

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33 | Could Homo Floresiensis Be Alive Today? ~ Gregory Forth 1:02:03

11M ago1:02:03

1:02:03

This is the final episode of 2023. And it is a very odd episode. My guest is Gregory Forth. He is an anthropologist who specializes in the biological theories of indigenous peoples. Forth was doing this work on the Flores Island, Indonesia, during the 2003 discovery of a new hominin species: Homo floresiensis. This was an exciting discovery for man…

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32 | The Evolution of Inequality Under Capitalism ~ Branko Milanović 1:00:13

11M ago1:00:13

1:00:13

Capitalism can cause massive economic inequalities. Indeed, a century after Adam Smith wrote the Wealth of Nations, the richest 1% owned a record-breaking 70% of England’s wealth. Not surprisingly, this era saw the rise of a very different economic theorist: Karl Marx. [You can see this and many other graphs here.] But does capitalism have to incre…

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31 | Meaning of Life Beyond Space and Time ~ Donald Hoffman 33:22

12M ago33:22

33:22

The tension between science and religion is perhaps the greatest tension of our age. Is the world fundamentally made of atoms, quarks, and quantum fields? Or is the material world but a secondary realm, lesser in meaning to the kingdom of God? There are many iterations of this tension. But there are also bridge-builders; thinkers who want to bridge…

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30 | Could Consciousness Explain The Laws Of Physics? ~ Donald Hoffman 1:03:28

12M ago1:03:28

1:03:28

The world is governed by objective laws of physics. They explain the movements of planets, oceans, and cells in our bodies. But can they ever explain the feelings and meanings of our mental lives? This problem, called the hard problem of consciousness, runs very deep. No satisfactory explanation exists. But many think that there must, in principle,…

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29 | Did Men Hunt and Women Gather? ~ Cara Ocobock 1:28:36

12M ago1:28:36

1:28:36

How natural is a sexual division of labour? Very natural, claims a popular theory. Indeed, it was the secret to our success: men evolved to hunt, women to forage. This allowed women to focus on childcare while staying economically productive; after all, one can gather food with children. Men, on the other hand, could focus on high-risk hunting. At …

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28 | A Natural History of Equality ~ Sarah Brosnan 1:10:14

1y ago1:10:14

1:10:14

“Why do we care about equality? Is it an invention of the European Enlightenment? Or is it something rooted in human nature?” These questions launched episode 15 with philosopher Elizabeth Anderson. Titled “A Deep History of Equality”, our conversation ranged from Pleistocene hunter-gatherers to Chinese communism. Today’s episode continues the ques…

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27 | Is the Human Brain Special? ~ Suzana Herculano-Houzel 1:10:53

1y ago1:10:53

1:10:53

The human brain is sometimes called the "most complex thing in the universe”. It allows us to study ourselves, other animals, and the cosmos itself. Indeed, we often think of our brain as the pinnacle of animal evolution. But what do we actually know about the human brain? How different is it from the brain of an elephant? A chimpanzee? A raccoon? …

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Encore | How Love Synchronises Our Brains ~ Ruth Feldman 40:22

1y ago40:22

40:22

How literally can we be in "synch" with someone? Very literally, said my guest in episode 3. Originally titled “A Musical Biology of Love”, this was a fascinating episode with jazz musician and neuroscientist Ruth Feldman. We recorded the episode one year ago, almost to the day. I have thought a lot about it ever since. So here it is again, with re…

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26 | Do Machines Improve the Human Condition? ~ Daron Acemoglu 48:28

1y ago48:28

48:28

Machines allow us to do more work with less effort. They sound like an obviously good thing. But there is a tension here. New gadgets and new technologies - new simple “machines” - have been invented throughout history. But it looks like the living standard of the average person did not change for most of that time. So what happened to all the extr…

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Encore | Is War Natural For Humans? ~ Douglas P. Fry 1:15:19

1y ago1:15:19

1:15:19

To complete a trilogy on the anthropology of war, here is episode 8 from the archives. Enjoy! SUPPORT THE SHOW Please consider becoming a supporter of On Humans. Even small monthly donations can make a huge impact on the long-term sustainability of the program. Visit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon.com/OnHumans ⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get in touch: ilari@onhumans.org _______ Thomas Hob…

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25 | What Can Chimpanzees Tell Us About War and Peace? ~ Brian Ferguson 1:16:30

1y ago1:16:30

1:16:30

Is war natural for humans? This question launched episode 8 of this podcast. In that episode, anthropologist Douglas Fry argued that war is a new phenomenon. Yes, history is full of wars. But war arrived on stage only 10-15 thousand years ago – or in many areas, much later. And while war is undoubtedly part of human capacity, it is hardly our hardw…

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24 | How War Shapes Our Humanity ~ Greta Uehling 55:32

1+ y ago55:32

55:32

What does war do to the human psyche? It can traumatise. It can cause grief. It can normalise violence and make demons out of the enemy. But difficult times can also elevate our care and compassion. And while much of the new solidarity is focused on those on “our side”, the helping hand does not always stop at the border. Or so argues anthropologis…

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23 | Walking Towards the Human Condition ~ Jeremy DeSilva 1:22:29

1+ y ago1:22:29

1:22:29

Humans are odd in many ways. But perhaps the oddest of our features is our upright posture. We walk on two legs. And we are the only mammal to do so. So why do we walk upright? And why does it matter? Jeremy DeSilva is a fossil expert and a professor of paleoanthropology at Dartmouth College. He is also the author of a remarkable book, aptly titled…

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22 | Do Young Children Care About Others? Searching For The Seeds Of Human Morality ~ Amrisha Vaish 1:18:27

1+ y ago1:18:27

1:18:27

Here is a common view on human development: In the beginning, children can only think about themselves. Slowly, they learn to care about others — or more cynically, they learn to pretend that they care about others. Variations of this view have been promoted by thinkers from Sigmund Freud to Richard Dawkins. This view has then been used to make pre…

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21 | What Kind of Apes Are We? ~ Richard Wrangham 1:02:23

1+ y ago1:02:23

1:02:23

What would a Neanderthal think about our species? What about a chimpanzee? When compared to our cousins, how friendly or violent are we? Richard Wrangham is a chimpanzee expert and professor of human biology at Harvard. He is one of the most important evolutionary anthropologists alive and truly one of the dream guests for this podcast. It was a gr…

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Season Highlights ~ Living With True Egalitarians (with Vivek Venkataraman) 7:55

1+ y ago7:55

7:55

Season 2 is out this Saturday, 17th of June! In this final highlight from season 1, anthropologist Vivek Venkataraman talks to Ilari about living with Batek hunter-gatherers. The Batek live in the rainforests of Malaysia and are famous for being one of the most egalitarian society ever studied: things are shared, decisions are made together, and me…

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CAEP Capsule 23: Day 3 [E04] 24:43

1+ y ago24:43

24:43

In the final episode of the series, Sam Savard interviews Dr. Kevin Wasko on the power packed panel he hosted. Additionally, we highlight a member of the CanadiEM team who was featured in the conference.Από τον Sam Savard, Revathi Nair

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CAEP Capsule 23: Day 2 [E03] 13:51

1+ y ago13:51

13:51

The second day of CAEP truly embodied the essence of phrase "Work Hard, Play Hard." It was a jam-packed day filled with remarkable talks, enlightening presentations, and a thought-provoking plenary by Dr. Heather Patterson on using photography to cope with burnout.Tune in to our podcast, where our host, Sam Savard, provides a comprehensive summary …

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Season Highlights ~ Was Marx Right About History But Wrong About The Future? (with Brad DeLong) 13:03

1+ y ago13:03

13:03

Season 2 is kicking off on the 17th of June! In the meanwhile, we have time for a couple of more highlights. This one is from episode 18 with economic historian Brad Delong, author of Slouching Towards Utopia.

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CAEP Capsule 23: Day 1 [E02] 19:33

1+ y ago19:33

19:33

In this episode, our host, Sam Savard, conducts an insightful interview with Dr. Sunil Mangal to capture the essence of the remarkable first day at CAEP alongside a glimpse into the numerous other captivating sessions and discussions that took place throughout the day.Από τον Sam Savard

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CAEP Capsule 23: The Intro [E01] 2:56

1+ y ago2:56

2:56

As the highly anticipated annual CAEP conference approaches, we are thrilled to announce our partnership with CanadiEM to bring you "The CAEP Capsule," a dynamic podcast series that will give you a brief overview of each conference day. Get ready for insightful interviews, succinct summaries, and thought-provoking discussions, all designed to captu…

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Season Highlights ~ How Geography Shaped Patriarchy, Slavery, and Enlightenment Philosophy (with Oded Galor) 23:52

1+ y ago23:52

23:52

In this highlight from season 1, Ilari talks with economist Oded Galor about how factors such as soil quality can explain cultural differences, such as variations in the level of patriarchy. For the full episode and show notes, see episode 13. For the first episode with Galor, see episode 12. Season 2 is out in June! Do consider subscribing to stay…

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Season Highlights ~ What Makes Romantic Love Last? Plus: A Cautionary Note on SSRIs (with Helen Fisher) 14:27

1+ y ago14:27

14:27

In this highlight from season 1, Helen Fisher discusses her research with couples deeply in love after 20 years of marriage. The clip also includes Fisher's 7 science-based tips for fostering romantic relationships, and a cautionary note on SSRI (not SNRI) antidepressants. Dig deeper To read more about the possible effects of SSRIs on sex drive and…

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Season Highlights ~ How Climate Changes Brought Us Together (with Kristen Hawkes) 7:26

1+ y ago7:26

7:26

In this highlight from season 1, Kristen Hawkes presents an intriguing hypothesis about the human past. According to Hawkes, ancient climate changes pushed our ancestors away from the rainforests. On the savannas, teamwork was finally rewarded. For more notes and links, see the original episode 6 (Are Grandmothers the Key to Our Evolutionary Succes…

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Season Highlights ~ Why Is It So Difficult To Cure Mental Illness? (with Gregory Berns) 11:55

1+ y ago11:55

11:55

Season 1 is over. Season 2 is coming. In the meanwhile, please enjoy some highlights from the archives. This highlight revisits episode four, where Ilari talks with psychiatrist and neuroscientist Gregory Berns about his recent book, Self Delusion. In this flashback, Berns explains why he thinks psychiatry has been led astray by "medicine envy" and…

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20 | Distorting Darwinism, Or Why Evolution Does Not Prove That We Are Selfish ~ SOLO 14:56

1+ y ago14:56

14:56

In the final episode of season 1, Ilari addresses one of the underlying themes in many of the season's episodes: Darwinism. Is Darwinism dangerous? Is Darwinism linked to vicious ideologies? Does Darwinism prove that we are all selfish? These questions have been addressed in many of this season's episodes (most notably episodes 1 and 2, but also 6,…

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19 | How To Build A Free Society ~ Karl Widerquist 1:13:44

1+ y ago1:13:44

1:13:44

The idea of Universal Basic Income (UBI) is simple: Everyone should have an income. And that they should have it whether they work or not. Indeed, its simplicity has made UBI an attractive policy suggestion for many on both the left and the right. But sometimes the practical virtues of UBI can distract us from the deeper significance of this idea. …

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18 | Human Condition in the Long 20th Century; Or How Economics Changed Everything ~ Brad DeLong 1:19:06

1+ y ago1:19:06

1:19:06

Most histories of the 20th century focus on world wars and ideological conflicts. Others focus on the fall of European empires. Yet others focus on the slow but inevitable progress of social justice movements. Important themes. But according to Brad DeLong, the real story of “the long 20th century” (1870-2010) is an economic story. It is the story …

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