Charles C. Mann is the author of three of my favorite history books: 1491. 1493, and The Wizard and the Prophet.
We discuss:
* why Native American civilizations collapsed and why they failed to make more technological progress
* why he disagrees with Will MacAskill about longtermism
* why there aren’t any successful slave revolts
* how geoengineering can help us solve climate change
* why Bitcoin is like the Chinese Silver Trade
* and much much more!
Timestamps
(0:00:00) -Epidemically Alternate Realities
(0:00:25) -Weak Points in Empires
(0:03:28) -Slave Revolts
(0:08:43) -Slavery Ban
(0:12:46) - Contingency & The Pyramids
(0:18:13) - Teotihuacan
(0:20:02) - New Book Thesis
(0:25:20) - Gender Ratios and Silicon Valley
(0:31:15) - Technological Stupidity in the New World
(0:41:24) - Religious Demoralization
(0:43:24) - Critiques of Civilization Collapse Theories
(0:48:29) - Virginia Company + Hubris
(0:52:48) - China’s Silver Trade
(1:02:27) - Wizards vs. Prophets
(1:07:19) - In Defense of Regulatory Delays
(1:11:50) -Geoengineering
(1:16:15) -Finding New Wizards
(1:18:10) -Agroforestry is Underrated
(1:27:00) -Longtermism & Free Markets
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