The History of Being Human

Ok, so it wasn't a world-historical level disaster, or maybe even close to the dumbest thing humans have ever believed. But it was pretty stupid. Nations gripped by a fear of covens of witches, repressed memories of ritual Satanic abuse, demonic rock-and-roll, ouija boards stealing your soul, and don't forget those blue-as-death animated corpses, the Smurfs!  All, of course, without any credible evidence whatsoever. If you wonder where the Q phenomenon began, and how it can possibly have legs, look no further than the Satanic Panic. This is an interview I did with Paul Corupe (http://www.paulcorupe.com/) since I seem to mostly interview men named Paul(?!). It was originally produced for the series on mob behaviors and mass delusions but I am releasing it now due to some sound glitches that took me a while to correct (and since it applies to this series also). Buy the book: https://www.amazon.com/Satanic-Panic-Pop-Cultural-Paranoia-1980s/dp/1903254868 Cover Art by Ian Armstron      Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-history-of-being-human--5806452/support.

Today we embark down a very ignoble road and consider a few of the most dismal failures in history.  We begin with a big one -- something that failed spectacularly, at a very high cost, creating misery and infamy in its wake: The People's Crusade of 1095-6! Index of this episode, in case you want to skip to the juicy parts: 0:00      Intro: The Three Poisons 5:20     Why and When the Crusades? Intro to Crusading, Pilgrims; The Houses of Abbas, Fatimids, and Seljuks; Pope Urban II and Alexius I Komnenos. 25:57     The Council of Clermont and Urban's Call to Arms 30:31     Peter the Hermit Inflames the Yokels 33:48     What was the People's Crusade? 34:20     Walter sans Avoir Sets Off for Glory 37:32     The Vicious Little Count and His Holy Goose Crusaders 46:15      Peter the Hermit Storms Anatolia 56:09     Cost:Benefit Analysis of the People's Crusade, or What Does it Take to Be One of the Dumbest Things in History?          Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-history-of-being-human--5806452/support.

Today we discuss the mystery of 3Q15 -- also known as the Copper Scroll. One of the most mysterious, and potentially valuable finds, in archeology.  An enigmatic and totally unique document, scratched onto copper, that hints at the locations of over 2 billion USD worth of hidden treasure, left in a cave almost 2000 years ago. Who wrote the copper scroll? Is the treasure real? If so, whose treasure was it? And why, after decades of searching, has none of the treasure been found? Since we can't definitively answer any of those questions, we will detour into the history of the Essenes, the commune and caves at Qumran, the finding and controversies around the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the defeat and subsequent victory of the Romans in the first Jewish War.     Graphic Artwork by Ian Armstrong Music Icy Vindur by A. Himitsu  Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-history-of-being-human--5806452/support.

The whole world seems pretty down on 2020. And let's face it, so far 2020 has not distinguished itself for outstanding achievements in the field of excellence.   But is it, as some have argued, the worst year ever? And if it is not, which year carries that dubious honorific?  Which year in history was the worst ever to be a human? Which year in the bigger history of forever was the worst ever to simply be a life form? And why? Many historians have thrown in on this question. Here are some of their answers, and the current consensus champ of the worst historical year ever to be human. At the end I offer my contender for worst year to be a life form ever. Graphic Art: Ian Armstrong  Music: Icy Vindur by A. Himitsu and Hard Times by John Lee Hooker  Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-history-of-being-human--5806452/support.

In today's episode we get heroically pummeled by one of the most intractable -- and maybe insoluble -- mysteries of our existence. A topic that strikes at the core of who we are and what it means to be human.   A short intro to and history of the problem of consciousness. What it is, what it does, how it can (possibly, ever?) be explained, and why it is such a perplexing phenomenon. 'Graphic The History of Being Human by Ian Armstrong Contact me at thobhpodcast@gmail.com  Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-history-of-being-human--5806452/support.

In this episode we square off against some of the many, many puzzles remaining about who and when we came from, including: 0:00  -  0:58   Intro 0:58  -  4:30   The Hominins 4:30  -  6:52   The Earliest Ancestral Human 6:52  - 22:50   The Mystery and Controversy of H. naledi 22:50 - 41:40  The Walking Anachronisms of Red Deer Cave 41:40 - END    The Final Fate of the Neanderthals      Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-history-of-being-human--5806452/support.

Rushing in again where angels fear to tread. This time into the deep end of the mysterious life of arguably the most influential person in the history of the West, if not the entire world. Who was Jesus? What did he think about himself? Where did he come from, what did he do, how did he die and why?  What were his influences? Was he a disciple of John or not?  Was he married or not? What happened after his death? How do we know any of this? Although not even close to exhaustive, there is a wealth of information in this episode about some of the episodes in the life of Jesus, about what we can and do know about the times and place he lived, about his motivations and influences, and about what happened after his death to vitalize a movement that would take over the Western World.    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-history-of-being-human--5806452/support.

In this episode I cover: --The Brutal Roman Siege of Jerusalem in 70 CE --Christ Mythicism, or can we know whether Jesus of Nazareth ever existed? --Mysteries about the genealogies of Jesus --Questions about the location of Jesus' birth    --Especially what on earth were two natives of Nazareth doing in  Bethlehem?   --Was there ever a time that Cesar declared that "all the earth should be taxed"? --What year was Jesus of Nazareth born?  What decade? Art: The History of Being Human by Ian Armstrong Debate on "Christ Mythicism":  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzjYmpwbHEA Song: Done too Soon by Neil DiamondBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-history-of-being-human--5806452/support.

In this episode we rush into a mystery where angels fear to tread and search for the Jesus of History.  We visit Palestine of the 1st Century and discuss: --its brutal Roman occupation --its geopolitical situation --the various sects and parties vying for power --Herod and the Herodians --slaughter at the temple --Pontius Pilates complex persona --and even a little Roman intrugue. Now that's something everyone can enjoy!  Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-history-of-being-human--5806452/support.

In this edition of the History of Being Human we present our list of the most uncanny, improbable, and influential coincidences in history.  Events that make you wonder at times if there are hidden springs turning the wheels of history that we have yet to discover.   We peek into the into the troubled minds of conspiracy theorists and their followers for a few enlightening moments and also ask the question of how much volitional control we can exert over the moment of our deaths. Art: Oz by Ian Armstrong End song: 1904 by The Tallest Man on Earth email: thobhpodcast@gmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-history-of-being-human--5806452/support.