#496 Daniel Hoyer - Figuring Out the Past: The 3,495 Vital Statistics that Explain World History

<p>------------------Support the channel------------</p> <p>Patreon: <a href="https://www.patreon.com/thedissenter">https://www.patreon.com/thedissenter</a></p> <p>PayPal: paypal.me/thedissenter</p> <p>PayPal Subscription 1 Dollar: <a href="https://tinyurl.com/yb3acuuy">https://tinyurl.com/yb3acuuy</a></p> <p>PayPal Subscription 3 Dollars: <a href="https://tinyurl.com/ybn6bg9l">https://tinyurl.com/ybn6bg9l</a></p> <p>PayPal Subscription 5 Dollars: <a href="https://tinyurl.com/ycmr9gpz">https://tinyurl.com/ycmr9gpz</a></p> <p>PayPal Subscription 10 Dollars: <a href="https://tinyurl.com/y9r3fc9m">https://tinyurl.com/y9r3fc9m</a></p> <p>PayPal Subscription 20 Dollars: <a href="https://tinyurl.com/y95uvkao">https://tinyurl.com/y95uvkao</a></p> <p><br></p> <p>This show is sponsored by Enlites, Learning &amp; Development done differently. Check the website here: <a href="http://enlites.com/">http://enlites.com/</a></p> <p><br></p> <p>Dr. Daniel Hoyer currently holds a postdoctoral position working with Dr. Peter Turchin on the Deep Roots of the Modern World, part of the SESHAT: Global History Databank Project, a large-scale, interdisciplinary and comparative project hosted by the Evolution Institute and the University of Oxford. He is the author of Figuring Out The Past: The 3,495 Vital Statistics that Explain World History.</p> <p>In this episode, we focus on Figuring Out The Past. We start by discussing some possible limitations of (narrative) History, and what SHESHAT’s approach has to offer. We talk about many different kinds of patterns we find across societies and across time, and how societies are similar but also differ from one another. We discuss cultural evolution, how it works in different domains, and things like rates of innovation. We ask why societies rise and fall. We discuss the role religion plays in society. We also talk about how to make sense of some of the statistics presented in the book, particularly the ones related to standing armies, collective rituals, monuments, and cultural tools like cal