On Humans

Oded Galor, an esteemed economist known for his insights into economic history, dives into humanity's journey towards wealth and inequality. He explores the puzzling stagnation before the recent wealth boom and reflects on whether agriculture was indeed humanity's worst mistake. The conversation touches on how education played a pivotal role in escaping the Malthusian trap and the transformational impact of the Industrial Revolution in shaping economic standards. Galor's perspectives challenge traditional narratives and shed light on the roots of today's economic disparities.

Ilari is taking some time off for Christmas and New Year. Instead of new episodes, this holiday season features some highlights from this fall's conversations. This highlight revisits episode 1, where Ilari and Patricia Churchland discuss free will and neurophilosophy. For links and references, see the original episode.

Ilari is taking some time off for Christmas and New Year. Instead of new episodes, this holiday season features some highlights from this fall's conversations. This highlight revisits episode 3, where Ruth Feldman explores the tricky relationship between the neurobiology of love and xenophobia. The discussion also touches upon early attachment as a source of our capacity to bond with others.  This discussion includes studies on building relationships between Israeli and Palestinian youth, as well as studies on the capacity of fathers, including gay fathers, in providing equal care as primary caregivers. For links and references, see the original episode.

Ilari is taking some time off for Christmas and New Year. Instead of new episodes, this holiday season features some highlights from this fall's conversations. This highlight revisits episode 2, where Philip Kitcher explores the relationship between secular humanism and religion. For links and references, see the original episode. 

Why do we love? And how much does our culture shape the way we do so?In this episode, Ilari talks with Helen Fisher about the powers that drive and shape our romantic relationships. Ilari and Professor Fisher discuss: Is romantic love a modern invention? Is monogamy a social invention?  Do men care more about sex? Do women care more about romance? Why agriculture, especially with the plough, caused havoc in romantic relationships. Why divorces might be on the decline. A science-based guide for maintaining romantic relations (based on couples who are still in love after 25 years) Why (certain) antidepressants can kill the sex drive and blunt romantic love (to read more, see the end of the notes) How common is polygamy or polyandry? Where in the world do we find most "free love"? Why did homosexuality evolve?Names mentioned Irenäus Eibl-Eibesfeldt (as recounted by Alison Gopnik in her The Gardener and the Carpenter) Bill Jankowiak Robert Sternberg (see episode 7) Anderson Thompson Bertrand Russell Technical terms and ethnic groups mentioned Ventral tegmental area VTA Hypothalamus Dopamine, testosterone, oxytocin, vasopressin, serotonine Monogamy (serial or lifelong; social or biological) Polygamy (several wives) and polyandry (several husbands)  Tlingit (the polyandrous Inuit society with wealthy women) Oneida community (in New York State)Dig DeeperAntidepressants: To read more about the possible effects of SSRIs on sex drive and romantic love, see ⁠⁠Tocco and Brumbaugh (2019)⁠⁠. Remember that this is for information only, and is not health advice. Always discuss with your doctor before making decisions about your medication.Polyamory: In the episode, Professor Fisher suggests that many Amazonian tribes have informal polyandry, i.e. women have many partners, albeit only one formal husband. However, there are non-academic sources suggesting that formalised polyandry is common in the Zo’é community in Amazon. For some of these photos of Zo’é and other Amazonian tribes, many of whom exhibit remarkably liberal attitudes to sex, see the recent Amazonia exhibition in the London Science Museum.

Philosopher of science, Anna Alexandrova, discusses the science of happiness, including what happiness questionnaires measure, the Easterlin paradox, diverse measures of happiness, and the validity of the World Happiness Report. The podcast also explores the role of experts in society and the crisis of expertise.

What is it like to be a non-human animal? Can neuroscience tell us the answer?In one of the most famous philosophy essays of the 20th century, Thomas Nagel suggested that we can never use science to know what it is like to be another animal, say, a bat. Neuroscience can describe bat physiology. But it can never tell us “what it is like to be a bat”.Gregory Berns is an animal neuroscientist. As you might guess, he disagrees with Nagel.Berns is a pioneer in using fMRI scanning on dogs (who in his lab, participate voluntarily). And Berns believes that studying the dog brain can tell us what it is like to be a dog - or at least, give us a hint.In this discussion, Ilari and Prof Berns discuss: Do dogs love their owners? The origins and findings of the Dog Project. Would Nagel actually disagree with Berns’ conclusions? Is attributing human emotions to dogs a form of anthropomorphism? The Panksepp vs Barrett debate in affective neuroscience: Are emotions hardwired to our brain? Or are they dependent on concepts and language? Animal welfare and speciesism: Are some species "special" in relevant ways? How do Prof Berns and Ilari approach the issue of animal welfare in their diets?Names mentioned Rene Descartes (French philosopher, 1596-1650) Thomas Nagel (20th Century, 1937-) Jeremy Bentham (British philosopher & utilitarian, 1748-1832) Jaak Panksepp (Estonian-American neuroscientist, 1943-2017) Lisa Feldman Barrett (American neuroscientist, 1963-) Hal Hertzhog (anthrozoologist)Technical terms mentioned fMRI (brain scanning technology) PET (brain scanning technology) Chemotaxis Claustrum Brain stemExtra points Get in touch: email makela.ilari@outlook.com or form https://on-humans.podcastpage.io/contact Ilari’s bonus recommendation (not a paid promotion): Gourmet-level insect foods from YumBug https://www.yumbug.com/shop

Douglas P. Fry, an anthropologist and expert on the origins of war, challenges the notion that conflict is innate to humans. He discusses the archaeological evidence for war's recent development, arguing that many hunter-gatherers are actually peaceful. Fry critiques misleading narratives about historical violence, comparing modern assumptions with ancient data. He also reflects on the complexities of aggression in mammals, particularly in relation to human nature and societal structure, advocating for a nuanced understanding of conflict.

We often treat love as a single emotion. But simple questions like “how much do you love me?” can be misleading. Love is not a single dimension. It is a multitude. To really understand romantic bonds, a more nuanced vocabulary is needed.Robert Sternberg is famous for creating such vocabulary.Sternberg is a professor at Cornell University, where he teaches legendary classes on topics like intelligence (beyond IQ), wisdom, creativity, and of course, love and hate. But he is more than your average psychology professor: he is the 2nd most cited psychologist alive.*In this discussion, Sternberg joins Ilari and his co-host, Blake Robertson, to discuss the elements of love and hate, and how to use these insights to create a better world.Names & technical terms mentioned John Bowlby’s attachment theory Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences Alison Gopnik (quoted from conversation with Ezra Klein) Agatha Christie Joan Crawford Anthony Ray Hinton, the author of The Sun Does Shine Henry Hays, the only KKK member in the 20th Century to suffer capital punishment due to lynchings by the KKK. References The Triangular Theory of Love (1986 paper) Triangular Theory Tested in 25 Countries (2021 paper) LoveMultiverse.com (website by Karin & Robert Sternberg) Dutton & Aron high bridge -experiment (1974 paper) Nature of Hate (book by Robert Sternberg & Karin Sternberg)* After Martin Seligman, excluding neuroscientists and behavioural economists. Based on Google Scholar profiles in November 2022.

Humans live long, much longer than any of our closest relatives. For human females, this means living a large part of adulthood without being able to produce new offspring. This is an evolutionary puzzle. Indeed, menopause is exceedingly rare in the animal kingdom, typical only in humans and some species of whales.Kristen Hawkes has a theory to explain this puzzle. Hawkes is an evolutionary anthropologist, best known for her pioneering role around the so-called “grandmother hypothesis”.In this episode, Ilari and Professor Hawkes discuss two aspects of the grandmother hypothesis. First, why would humans have evolved to survive menopause? And second, why is this a big deal? What were the cascading changes that surviving the menopause arguably triggered?The conversation touches upon many topics, such as: Grandmother hypothesis: the basics Rapid birth intervals in humans Pair bonding and romantic partnerships Role of fathers (and grandfathers) Brain size and brain development The “social appetite” in humans Humans vs chimpanzees: why are humans less competitive and more cooperative Climate changes and human originsTechnical terms & ethnic groups mentioned The Hadza (Tanzania) The Ache (Paraguay) Pliocene (5.3 million – 2.6 million years ago) Australopithecus (Wikipedia) Altricial (undeveloped, immature) vs precocial (well-matured early on) (Wikipedia) Mau Mau rebellion (a 1950’s rebellion against British rule in Kenya which included systemic torture by British colonial officers, Wikipedia)Names mentioned Jane Goodall  Nicholas Blurton Jones James (Jim) O’Connell Geoff Parker Richard Wrangham Sherwood Washburn Sarah Blaffer Hrdy Barbara FinlayReferences A 1998 overview of the grandmother hypothesis (by Kristen Hawkes)  Calories produced by mothers and grandmothers in the Hadza (by Kristen Hawkes) Distorting Darwinism (by Ilari)