[49] Luke Kemp — Elites and the Collapse of Empires
Luke Kemp works at the Center for the study of existential risk at Cambridge University, the kind of place that works out how close humanity is to killing itself and what the strategies might be for avoiding this. In his new book, Goliath’s Curse — Pst and Future of Societal Collapse, he makes a brilliant case for the role of elites in hastening the end of empire. But how did empires and even states come about? Are they a natural state of human development? Not so, says Luke, and points to the fact that throughout history empire collapse was actually a good thing for most people, and that it was usually triggered through elites hogging resources and accumulating more an more wealth at the cost of everyone else. There are certain echoes with the present here, and our conversation pivots from the distant past into the not so distant future. Support the show
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1:10:36
[48] David Bell — Charismatic Leaders and Revolutions
David Bell is Professor for the Era of North American Revolutions at Princeton University. He has written a biography of Napoleon Bonaparte, and much of his research is focussed on the French Revolution, the history of the Enlightenment, and on the importance of charisma in political leadership. In our conversation we discuss what makes a charismatic leader and why some historical moments tilt the balance of power towards charismatic leaders, past and present. How much is the Enlightenment legacy of human rights, individualism and universalism under threat as democracy is on the retreat and universities, scientific research, institutions, freedom of speech, and human rights are being questioned? And was there really one Enlightenment, and was it not completely hijacked by capitalism, communism, and colonialism, to leave little more than a dry shell of empty slogans? Is the Enlightenment still an inspiration for today? Support the show
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1:12:48
[47] Tim Mackintosh-Smith: Being Arab Throughout History and Ibn Khaldoun
As a scholar of Arabic language and literature, Tim has made classic Arabic literature his life’s work, and has lived in Yemen until 2019. His special interest at the moment is the great scholar Ibn Khaldoun, who lived in the 14th century and who was one of the great thinkers about power, society, and, yes, being Arab, a concept linked to language more than to territory or ethnicity — or even religion. Ibn Khaldoun created an analytical lens through which societal dynamics and turning points become very clear. So, what does being Arab really mean, what did it mean at the time of the writing of the Quran, and what does it mean today? How did the love of the language influence the confrontation with new technologies such as printing with moveable type, and, lately, social media? What did it mean to be Arab for the demonstrators of the Arab Spring, and what can it mean in a time when language is so much shaped by social media? Support the show
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[46] Gerd Schwerhoff — Die Bauernkriege, ein Wendepunkt?
Im frühen 16. Jahrhundert erhoben sich im süddeutschen Raum tausende von Bauern, Bergwerksknappen und Bürgern gegen ihre adeligen oder kirchlichen Herren. Sie stürmten Burgen und Klöster und forderten mehr Rechte, weniger Frondienste, weniger Steuern und die freie Ernennung von Priestern. Gerd Schwerhoff hat diese Welle von Rebellionen, durch die innerhalb von wenig mehr als einem Jahr 70.000 Menschen zu Tode kamen, untersucht und nacherzählt. War dies die erste Sozialrevolution Europas oder nur eine Serie von gescheiterten Aufständen? Wie wichtig war die Reformation für die aufständischen Bauern und welchen Einfluss hatten die Abschaffung der Almenden und der Buchdruck? Geschichte, sagt man, wird immer von Siegern geschrieben. In diesem Falle ist es sicher so. Die meisten offiziellen Dokumente kommen von der Seite, die die Aufstände niederschlug und die Anführer oft grausam hinrichten ließ. Was können wir von der anderen Seite wissen, davon, was sie dachten, wie sie den Konflikt erlebten und wie sie sich daran erinnerten?Support the show
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[45] Laura Spinney — The First Human Language and How We Think
Once more a dive into deep history, this time into the question how languages developed, and how it is possible to reconstruct the history and genesis of languages, and with them of abstract thinking and civilisation. Laura Spinney is a distinguished and bestselling science writer. In her new book Proto she looks at the world of languages before the indo-european and sino-tibetan language families that today represent the bulk of the 7000 or so languages still spoken today. But apart from the mere question of history: how does language colour and influence the way we think about the world and we perceive it? How do we think about things for which we lack the vocabulary? This question has preoccupied philosophers for centuries and we try to apply Laura’s historical insights to throw a little light on the matter.Support the show
The BlomCast looks at turning points in history, which have always fascinated me. My name is Philipp Blom, I am a historian and broadcaster and author of many books about the Enlightenment, the story of modernity and climate history. The climate catastrophe places us at the greatest historical turning point hin human history. What, if anything, can we learn from moments in the past in which a model of life seemed to change, or had to change, in which whole societies were transformed?If you want to support my work:https://buymeacoffee.com/blomcasthttps://www.buzzsprout.com/2104173/supporthttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOowcMCQ_oJtdJeZu3oK6og/joinhttps://www.patreon.com/user?u=75561076&utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink
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