Ep378 - Lewis Dartnell | Being Human: How our Biology Shaped World History
Sep 5, 2023
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Lewis Dartnell, author and research scientist, discusses how our biology has shaped our relationships, societies, economies, and wars throughout history. He explores the impact of psychoactive substances on the brain, the British trade in opium, the opioid crisis, and cognitive biases. Dartnell also delves into the influence of biology on human history and the role of cognitive biases in decision-making.
Human biology shapes both our exceptional abilities and our flaws, influencing our relationships, societies, economies, and wars.
The interplay between biology and human progress is evident in the role of oxytocin, dopamine, and addictive substances in shaping our behavior and history.
Deep dives
The Biological Essence of Being Human
Human beings are endowed with exceptional communication and innovation skills, which have shaped our civilization. However, our flaws, such as diseases and cognitive biases, have also influenced our decisions and actions. Louis Darnell explores the contradictions of being human and how our biology has shaped our relationships, societies, economies, and wars throughout history. He delves into topics like the evolutionary development of bipedalism and intelligence, the biological basis of human family structures, and the impact of addictive substances like opium on human history. Darnell emphasizes the interplay between biology and human progress, challenging conventional narratives and providing novel perspectives.
The Power of Oxytocin and Dopamine
One aspect of human biology that has profound implications is the role of oxytocin and dopamine in shaping our behavior. Oxytocin, often associated with the bonding between mothers and infants, also forms a biological contract between parents, ensuring mutual support and investment in child rearing. Dopamine, the brain's pleasure compound, is released in the mesolimbic pathway, motivating behaviors that trigger pleasure, learning, and addiction. Darnell notes that humans seek to alter their state of mind through various means, including psychoactive substances like caffeine, alcohol, and opium. These substances hijack the brain's reward system, providing short-term pleasure but also leading to addiction.
The Influences of Geography and Biology on History
Darnell highlights the geographical and biological factors that have shaped human history. He explores the impact of plate tectonics, continental drift, and the availability of natural resources on the rise and fall of civilizations. Additionally, he discusses diseases, both endemic and pandemic, and their effects on societies. The Spanish Habsburg dynasty serves as an example of how inbreeding due to strategic royal marriages led to the collapse of one of the most powerful ruling families in Europe. Furthermore, Darnell examines the use of psychoactive substances, like opium, as tools of domination and subjugation by imperial powers.
Cognitive Biases and Their Effects on Decision-Making
Humans are not immune to cognitive biases, which can impact decision-making and historical outcomes. Darnell discusses the availability bias, confirmation bias, and other cognitive glitches that affect human perception and behavior. These biases can lead to overemphasizing certain information, discounting contradictory evidence, and making decisions based on flawed reasoning. However, he also highlights ongoing efforts to minimize biases and improve decision-making processes through research and awareness. By understanding and addressing these biases, humans can strive for greater objectivity and rationality in shaping their future.
Author and research scientist Lewis Dartnell visits Google to discuss his book “Being Human: How our Biology Shaped World History.” The book explores how our biology has shaped our relationships, our societies, our economies and our wars, and how it continues to challenge and define our progress. Powerful yet dextrous, instinctive yet thoughtful, humans are expert communicators and innovators. Our exceptional abilities have created the civilization we know today. But we're also deeply flawed. Our bodies break, choke and fail, whether we're kings or peasants. Diseases thwart our boldest plans. Our psychological biases have been at the root of terrible decisions in both war and peacetime. This extraordinary contradiction is the essence of what it means to be human - the sum total of our frailties and our faculties. And history has played out in the balance between them. Now, for the first time, Lewis Dartnell tells our story through the lens of this unique, capricious and fragile nature. He explores how our biology has shaped our relationships, our societies, our economies and our wars, and how it continues to challenge and define our progress.