Dwarkesh Podcast

Charles C. Mann - Americas Before Columbus & Scientific Wizardry

Sep 14, 2022

Charles C. Mann, author of influential history books like "1491," delves into the collapse of Native American civilizations and questions why they lagged in technological progress. He critiques traditional views on slave revolts and discusses how geoengineering might tackle climate change. Mann intriguingly compares Bitcoin to the historical Chinese silver trade, emphasizing our ever-evolving relationship with currency. With insights on societal trends and technological stupidity, his conversation is rich with thought-provoking perspectives.

01:31:28

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Episode guests

Charles C. Mann

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Episode notes

Intro

3min

Conquest, Resistance, and Evolution of Societal Change

14min

Architectural Parallels and Cultural Intersections

31min

The Persistence of Colonial Ambitions: Reasons for Continued Support of the Virginia Company

4min

Monetary Systems and Technological Evolution

24min

Philanthropy in the 1960s: Identifying Effective Causes

2min

Challenges in Agricultural Research and Productivity

4min

Contaminants, Diet, and Sustainability

7min

Reflections on Pre-Columbian Insights and Upcoming Works

2min

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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