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On Humans

Ilari Mäkelä

Education

Frequency: 1 episode/13d. Total Eps: 109

Where do we come from? How did we get here? And what kinds of creatures are we? On Humans features conversations with leading scholars about the human story, making new research about humanity more accessible to everyone and more meaningful to the big questions about who we are. In addition to regular episodes, the show now includes longer series on some of the greatest arcs in the journey of our species, covering everything from the evolution of apes to the making of the modern economy. https://onhumans.substack.com/about

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🇺🇸 USA - education
20/06/2026
#98
🇨🇦 Canada - education
19/06/2026
#81
🇺🇸 USA - education
19/06/2026
#63
🇨🇦 Canada - education
18/06/2026
#68
🇺🇸 USA - education
18/06/2026
#50
🇨🇦 Canada - education
02/06/2026
#98
🇨🇦 Canada - education
30/05/2026
#81
🇨🇦 Canada - education
27/05/2026
#46
🇨🇦 Canada - education
26/05/2026
#54
🇨🇦 Canada - education
25/05/2026
#37

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https://forms.gle/h5wcmefuwvD6asos8
17 shares
https://onhumans.substack.com/
10 shares
https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/research/centres/cage/news/podcasts/
10 shares

http://patreon.com/OnHumans%E2%81%A0
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https://www.patreon.com/onhumans
9 shares
https://patreon.com/onhumans
5 shares

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What About China? Part II: Explaining the Chinese Miracle ~ Yasheng Huang

Season 3 · Episode 5

Thursday, September 19, 2024 • Duration 01:05:57

China's rise has shook the world. It has changed the lives of over a billion people in China. It has flooded humanity with cheap goods, from single-use toys to high-tech solar panels. And it has changed the logic of war and peace in the 21st Century.

But how to explain China's dramatic rise? Was it due to the wisdom of China's leaders after Mao? Or was it all about foreign investors searching for cheap labor?

Both and neither, argues MIT professor Yasheng Huang. Yes, the Chinese leaders learned from the mistakes of Mao. And yes, foreign money made a difference.

But there is a hidden story behind China’s rise - a story which merits our attention. This is a story with deep roots in history, but with the main act being played in the Chinese countryside during 1980’s. It is also a drama whose characters have never recovered from the tragedy that took place on the streets around Tiananmen Square during a warm summer night in 1989.

This is part 2 of this 3-part mini-series "What About China", hosted by me, Ilari Mäkelä, together with ChinaTalk’s Jordan Schneider. Part 1 looked at China's deep history. Part 3 will look at China's present and future.

In this part 2, we sketch the story of China's rise, meeting many colorful characters and discussing fascinating themes, such as:

How did Mao shape the direction of Chinese history?
Why did China become richer than India?
Why was 80's a golden era for liberal Chinese?
How did the 1989 crackdown at Tiananmen square paved the way for China today?

MENTIONS

Modern scholars

Meijun Qian | Amartaya Sen | Branko Milanovic (ep. 32) | Zheng Wang (auth. Never Forget National Humiliation)

CCP Old Guard

Mao Zedong 毛泽东 | Deng Xiaoping 邓小平 | Xi Zhongxun 习仲勋 | Chen Yun 陈云 | Li Xiannian 李先念

CCP liberals of the 1980’s

Hu Yaobang 胡耀邦 | Zhao Ziyang 赵紫阳

CCP leaders after 1989

Jiang Zemin 江泽民 | Hu Jintao 胡锦涛 | Xi Jinping 习近平.

LINKS

You can read my essays and get the On Humans Newsletter at OnHumans.Substack.com.

Are you a long-term listener? Join the wonderful group of patrons at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Patreon.com/OnHumans⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

For other episodes on economic history, see my series on the ⁠⁠⁠Birth of Modern Prosperity⁠⁠⁠, with Daron Acemoglu, Oded Galor, Brad DeLong, and Branko Milanovic.

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What About China? Part I: The Deep Currents of Chinese History ~ Yasheng Huang

Season 3 · Episode 4

Monday, September 2, 2024 • Duration 01:12:59

The West has ruled history — at least the way history has been written. This is a shame. To tell the story of humans, we must tell the story of us all.

So what about the rest? What themes and quirks does their history hide? And what forces, if anything, prevented them of matching Europe’s rise?

I aim to cover these topics for several countries and cultures over the next year. But I wanted to start with China. To do so, I’ve teamed up with Jordan Schneider, the host of ChinaTalk.

Our guest is MIT professor Yasheng Huang (黄亚生). Huang is the author of Rise and Fall of the EAST – one of my all-time favorite books on China’s past and present.

In this episode, we explore the deep currents shaping China’s history.

We trace the forces shaping China's early mastery of technology to its falling behind Europe in the modern era. We also discuss the surprising role that standardized exams have played in Chinese history, and why certain democratic elements in China’s past actually bolstered the emperor’s authority.

The episode covers all of Chinese imperial history, ending with a brief note on the early 20th Century. In part 2, will zoom into China’s economic miracle and its uncertain future.

NOTES

A Rough Timeline of Chinese history:

Pre–221 BCE: Disunity (e.g. Warring States)

221 BCE – 220: Unity (Qin & Han dynasties)

220 – 581: Disunity (“Han-Sui Interregnum”)

Did Humans Evolve In Small Groups? ~ Cecilia Padilla-Iglesias

Season 2 · Episode 19

Tuesday, April 16, 2024 • Duration 48:21

Modern cities are unique. Never before have so many people lived so close to each other. But just how unique is our modern cosmopolitanism?

Completely unique, says a traditional theory.

Humans evolved in tiny groups. These groups were not only smaller than modern cities. They were smaller than medieval towns. Indeed, hunter-gatherers often move in bands of 25 people or so. These bands might draw people from a "meta-group" of 150 people — but not more. And so, 150 people is the "maxiimum" group size natural for humans. Or so the theory goes.

My guest today thinks that this is wrong.

Cecilia Padilla-Iglesias is an evolutionary ecologist who studies hunter-gatherer societies. And her work points to a very different conclusion. Yes, hunter-gatherers spend much of their time in small bands. But these bands can form much larger groups of connections, extending further and further away, even to areas with different languages. Even in the rainforest, cosmopolitanism is the norm.

So what do hunter-gatherer societies look like? And are they really good models of our deep past? We discuss these and other topics in this episode, touching upon topics such as:

(04:00) Living with hunter-gatherers

(10:30) Fluid societies

(14:20) Dunbar’s mistake

(17:20) Dawkins’ mistake

(21:20) Ancient DNA of hunter-gatherers

(23:20) What made H. Sapiens special?

(25:40) Mobility, diversity, and technology

(28:20) Sympathy and xenophobia

(34:00) Ancient DNA (again)

(41:30) Jungle cosmopolitanism

(43:40) Was agriculture a mistake?

Can We Understand Infinity? ~ Adrian Moore

Season 2 · Episode 18

Monday, March 25, 2024 • Duration 01:17:31

Infinity is a puzzling idea. Even young children ponder its various manifestations: What is the biggest number? Does the universe have an edge? Does time have a beginning?

Philosophers have tried to answer these questions since time immemorial. More recently, they have been joined by scientists and mathematicians.

So what have we learned? Can we finally understand infinity? And what has this quest taught us about ourselves?

To explore this topic, I am joined by philosopher Adrian W. Moore.

Professor Moore is a special guest for two reasons. First, he is a world expert on infinity, known for an excellent BBC series, "History of the Infinite". More personally, he is the head tutor of Philosophy at St Hugh’s College, Oxford, where I studied my BA in Philosophy and Psychology. It has now been ten years since Prof Moore interviewed me and, for whatever reason, accepted me as a student. I feel honoured to mark the occasion with this episode.

In this episode, we discuss:

(02:35) Why infinity fascinates

(12:20) Greeks on infinity

(20:05) A finite cosmos?

(25:00) Zeno’s paradoxes

(32:35) Answering Zeno

(42:35) Measuring infinities? Georg Cantor

(54:05) Infinity vs human understanding

(66:20) Mystics on infinity

As always, we finish with Prof Moore’s reflections on humanity.

LINKS

Want to support the show? Checkout ⁠⁠Patreon.com/OnHumans⁠⁠

How Did Humans Evolve? Why Did We? ~ Ian Tattersall

Season 2 · Episode 17

Tuesday, March 12, 2024 • Duration 01:09:37

Why are we furless? Why do we cook our food and use spoken language? And how does climate change, sashimi, or the banks of Central America relate to human origins?

Human evolution is a deeply puzzling topic. But behind this dense mist lies many keys to our self-understanding. To guide us through the foggy territory, I am joined by Dr Ian Tattersall, a curator emeritus at the American Museum of Natural History (New York).

In this episode, Dr Tattersall and I discuss:

(04.00) An ancient climate change

(07:20) First humans

(11:20) Fire

(17:50) Fish

(21:40) Rocks

(24:00) Evolution vs Innovation

(25:30) Brain growth

(36:10) Children

(39:50) Language

(48:20) Why?

As always, we finish with Dr Tattersall's reflections on humanity.

LINKS

Want to support the show? Checkout ⁠Patreon.com/OnHumans⁠

Want to read and not just listen? Get the newsletter on ⁠OnHumans.Substack.com⁠

MENTIONS

Names: Richard Wrangham (see ep. 21), Susan Schaller, Ildefonso, Jane Goodall, Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, Yuval Noah Harari

Books: Masters of the Planet (Tattersall),(Schaller), (Harari)

How Did Consciousness Evolve? Did It? ~ Eva Jablonka

Season 2 · Episode 16

Wednesday, February 14, 2024 • Duration 55:14

We are conscious creatures. But why? Why did consciousness evolve? Can we use biology to explain the origins of feeling and meaning? Or will consciousness forever escape the grip of the scientific method?

Eva Jablonka has thought hard about these issues. An eminent evolutionary biologist, she became famous for her pioneering work on epigenetic inheritance. More recently, she has produced very original work on the evolution of consciousness with her colleague, neuroscientist Simona Ginsburg. So invited him on the show to discuss the evolution of consciousness, or what she beautifully calls "the sensitive soul".

In this episode, we discuss themes such as:

(03:00) What is consciousness?

(10:45) Four links between evolution and consciousness

(27:30) Are robots conscious? Consciousness and vulnerability

(30:45) Which animals are conscious? Consciousness and the Cambrian Explosion.

(34:30) Can science fully explain consciousness?

(48:00) The future of consciousness

As always, we end with Jablonka’s reflections on humanity.

LINKS

Want to support the show? Checkout Patreon.com/OnHumans

Want to read and not just listen? Get the newsletter on OnHumans.Substack.com

MENTIONS

Books: Evolution of the Sensitive Soul, Picturing the Mind (both my Eva Jablonka & Simona Ginsburg)

Terms: Sensitive soul, phenomenal consciousness, intentionality (i.e. "aboutness"), the Cambrian explosion, cephalopods, anthropods, vertebrates

Aristotle, Simona Ginsburg, Jonathan Birch, Antonio Damasio

Why Do We Love? ~ Arthur Aron

Season 2 · Episode 15

Thursday, February 1, 2024 • Duration 38:53

Why do we love? What brings us together? How to heal ethnic hatred?

According to my guest, the answer to all these questions lies in the human desire to grow ourselves through connecting with others.

Arthur Aron is a psychologist who studies human bonding in all its forms. A pioneer in the field, he has studied topics from connecting with strangers to maintaining romance in life-long marriages. And many of his findings are ultimately hopeful.

In this conversation, we discuss topics such as:

(4:30) Why we love

(12:50) Tools to cultivate love

(24:30) Friendships with the ethnic "other”

(31:30) Are we naturally xenophobic?

MENTIONS

Names: Elaine Aron, Helen Fisher, Stephen Wright

Articles: For links to videos, articles, and the 36 Questions, see https://onhumans.substack.com/p/links-for-episode-35

MORE LINKS

Read the On Humans newsletter at OnHumans.Substack.com

Support On Humans at Patreon.com/OnHumans

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Mental Health Bonus | The Origins of ADHD, Anxiety, and Depression ~ Nikhil Chaudhary

Tuesday, January 23, 2024 • Duration 14:28

Can evolution shed light on our mental health?

Nikhil Chaudhary thinks so. He is an anthropologist at the University of Cambridge who specialises in the links between evolution and psychiatry. In this clip, Dr Chaudhary explores the evolutionary origins of ADHD, depression, and anxiety.

For our longer conversation on parenting and family life, see episode 34 of the On Humans Podcast.

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Family Lessons From Hunter-Gatherers ~ Nikhil Chaudhary

Season 2 · Episode 14

Monday, January 15, 2024 • Duration 01:04:59

We expect a lot from parents, especially from mothers. “Maternal instincts” are such, we are told, that mothers should gain almost literal superpowers from the joy of parenting.

Unfortunately, many parents face a different reality. Having children can be one of the most stressful times of life, amplified by feelings of guilt and inadequacy.

Why is this? Is this an inevitable part of the human condition? Or is the fault in our modern society? And how would we know the answer?

To address these questions, anthropologists have started comparing family lives in industrial societies with those of the last remaining hunter-gatherers.

Nikhil Chaudhary is one such anthropologist. A researcher at the University of Cambridge, he recently co-authored a remarkable paper on what we have learned about the family lives of hunter-gatherers. I invited him on the show to discuss the findings and their implications.

So what is family life like amongst hunter-gatherers? Chaudhary's research paints a fascinating picture. Indeed, industrial societies can learn a lot from them. But not everything is easy for them, either.

In addition to parenting, our conversation touched upon themes from monogamy and polyamory to parental grief, health spending, and the stark contrast between human and chimpanzee mothers.

MORE RESOURCES

If you enjoy our conversation and want to learn more about hunter-gatherer studies, see episode 14 with Vivek Venkataraman. For more information on the anthropology of monogamy and beyond, see episode 11 with Helen Fisher.

For written content on this and other conversations, subscribe to the newsletter at OnHumans.Substack.com.

Encore | This Conversation Touched The Most Hearts in 2023 ~ Helen Fisher

Sunday, January 7, 2024 • Duration 01:38:01

Happy New Year 2024!

To celebrate the new year, Spotify sent me a bunch of data points about 2023. I was particularly interested in one question: which conversation moved people the most? I already knew which episode people played the most. (That's episode 17 with Bernardo Kastrup.) But to listen is one thing. To share with friends and family is another.

The most shared episode was my conversation with Helen Fisher, titled "A Cultural Biology of Sex, Love, and Monogamy". It was one of my favourite conversations, too. Fisher offered a sweeping take on romantic love, combining fascinating anthropology with practical tips about maintaining passion in relationships. She even convinced my parents to re-design their TV arrangement...

Perhaps it deserves one more share. So here you go!

___

ORIGINAL SHOW NOTES

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)

On Humans – Details, episodes & analysis

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On Humans – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

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Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

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Amazon19

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Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Other99+

Patreon6

Amazon19

Apple Podcasts

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