The world in the year 15 hundred is very then to day's world. This is ha time period in which technological innovations are not very rapid. And as a result of it, the benefit of homogeneity in terms of social cohesiveness, dominates the adverse effect in terms of creativity and innovations. So this is the sweet spot level of diversity. But then what do we sae in the course human history? China is dominating the world in the middle ages, but ultimately it is europe that is taking over in the course of industrialization.
Oded Galor’s remarkable new book, The Journey of Humanity, can feel like seeing the world with fresh eyes. His analysis of the origins of wealth and inequality is compelling, original and, especially during these troubled times, refreshingly optimistic. Speaking across the political divide the book sets out a convincing blueprint for how a better life can be had by everyone on the planet. Galor, an economist at Brown University, upends many of our assumptions about human progress. For nearly all of human history humans lived a subsistence existence but something astonishing happened 200 years ago and the living standards of nearly all humans have skyrocketed – albeit unevenly – since then. Hosting the discussion is journalist, author and former BBC News Editorial Director, Kamal Ahmed.
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