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A Brief History of Humanity Mind Map
From the cognitive revolution, the agricultural revolution, to the scientific revolution and the biotechnology revolution, this picture introduces how we stepped onto the world stage and became the spirit of all things. Friends who are interested can collect the picture below and read it!
Edited at 2021-09-05 21:27:21
- One Hundred Years of Solitude Character Relationship Chart
One Hundred Years of Solitude is the masterpiece of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Reading this book begins with making sense of the characters' relationships, which are centered on the Buendía family and tells the story of the family's prosperity and decline, internal relationships and political struggles, self-mixing and rebirth over the course of a hundred years.
- One Hundred Years of Solitude Character Relationship Chart
One Hundred Years of Solitude is the masterpiece of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Reading this book begins with making sense of the characters' relationships, which are centered on the Buendía family and tells the story of the family's prosperity and decline, internal relationships and political struggles, self-mixing and rebirth over the course of a hundred years.
- Project Management Process Template
Project management is the process of applying specialized knowledge, skills, tools, and methods to project activities so that the project can achieve or exceed the set needs and expectations within the constraints of limited resources. This diagram provides a comprehensive overview of the 8 components of the project management process and can be used as a generic template for direct application.
A Brief History of Humanity Mind Map
- One Hundred Years of Solitude Character Relationship Chart
One Hundred Years of Solitude is the masterpiece of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Reading this book begins with making sense of the characters' relationships, which are centered on the Buendía family and tells the story of the family's prosperity and decline, internal relationships and political struggles, self-mixing and rebirth over the course of a hundred years.
- One Hundred Years of Solitude Character Relationship Chart
One Hundred Years of Solitude is the masterpiece of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Reading this book begins with making sense of the characters' relationships, which are centered on the Buendía family and tells the story of the family's prosperity and decline, internal relationships and political struggles, self-mixing and rebirth over the course of a hundred years.
- Project Management Process Template
Project management is the process of applying specialized knowledge, skills, tools, and methods to project activities so that the project can achieve or exceed the set needs and expectations within the constraints of limited resources. This diagram provides a comprehensive overview of the 8 components of the project management process and can be used as a generic template for direct application.
- Recommended to you
- Outline
A brief history of mankind
PART1 Cognitive Revolution
Chapter 1 Human: An animal with nothing special about it
Characteristics of Homo sapiens
Walking upright on two legs
Advantages: Facilitates the evolution of hands to make and use tools
Effortless movement over long distances
The sun exposure area is less than that of four legs, cooling down quickly
Africa transforms from rainforest to savanna, coming out
Back pain, stiff neck
Women face risk of death during childbirth
Have the ability to think
Performance: Big brain
Eating hallucinogenic mushrooms can make you talk
Consumes 25% more energy
Spend more time looking for food
muscle degeneration
subtopic
Use fire to move people from the middle to the top of the food chain
Secret family history
Four Studies
About 13.5 billion years ago, after the "Big Bang", the matter, energy, time and space of the universe were formed and became "physics".
After about 300,000 years, matter and energy formed atoms, which further formed "molecules" and became "chemistry".
About 3.8 billion years ago, molecules joined together to form organisms, which became "biology."
About 70,000 years ago, Homo sapiens created culture and it became "history".
three revolutions
About 70,000 years ago: The cognitive revolution.
Homo sapiens has embarked on the path of "cultural evolution", no longer staying in the biological category of "genetic evolution", but entering history.
About 12,000 years ago, the agricultural revolution occurred.
About 500 years ago: The Scientific Revolution.
history
About 2.5 million years ago, Australopithecus appeared.
From about 2 million years ago to about 10,000 years ago, there were many different human species in the entire world: Neanderthals, Homo erectus, Homo Thoreau, Homo floresiensis, Denisovans, Rudolfus, Homo sapiens.
cost of thinking
The brain volume increases, the brain consumes more energy and needs to spend more time looking for food; the muscles degenerate and atrophy.
Humans walk upright on two legs, which makes it easier to free their hands and make tools; babies are born early; they develop outstanding social skills and form a race with strong social relationships.
By 300,000 years ago, the use of fire had become commonplace for the ancestors of Homo erectus, Neanderthals, and Homo sapiens. Benefits: When you start cooking, you can shorten your intestines, reduce energy consumption, and make your brain bigger.
100,000 years ago, Homo sapiens jumped to the top of the food chain.
Control the world several times more than dinosaurs
About 70,000 years ago, Homo sapiens expanded from East Africa to the Arabian Peninsula, and soon swept across Eurasia.
Most of the war is that the new story is different from the old story, and it is impossible to agree with it and make everyone believe it.
Where have the other races gone?
The theory of hybrid reproduction: two human races breed with each other and merge into one.
Alternative theories: genocide, purification campaigns.
Chapter 2 The Tree of Knowledge of Evil and Good
cognitive revolution
认知能力：得以集结大批人力，合作形成组织，应对快速的挑战，调整社会行为
一面是现实发散感知，另一面是意识统一
"There is a lion by the river" theory
Able to convey a greater amount of information about the environment around Homo sapiens, plan and execute complex plans, such as avoiding lions and hunting bison.
‘Fictional stories’ are the basis for large-scale human cooperation
Fictional stories: Ability to convey information about fictional concepts such as tribal guardianship, nations, limited companies, and human rights.
Far-reaching impact: cooperation among a large number of strangers, rapid innovation in social behavior.
Many fictional stories
Justice: Legal Stories
Church: Religious Stories
Country: National Story
Fictional stories are the secret to Homo sapiens crossing the "150" threshold
Double reality:
objective reality, materialism
imagine reality, idealism
Chapter 3 A day in the life of Adam and Eve, the theory of cause and effect inspires higher wisdom
primitive lifestyle
The "Gluttonous Gene" theory, the "Ancient Commune" theory, the Wood Age...
primitive affluent society
Small tribe life: tens to hundreds of people.
About 15,000 years ago, Homo sapiens domesticated dogs.
Homo sapiens cooperated with each other: exchanging members, hunting together, exchanging rare luxuries, forming alliances, and celebrating festivals.
There are seasonal gathering places.
Homo sapiens tribes were constantly on the move.
Collecting food raw materials and "knowledge" (understanding the natural environment and plant habits), the brain capacity of Homo sapiens is gradually increasing.
Homo sapiens worked short hours and had a varied diet.
Problems: There are shortages of supplies, difficult seasons, and high child mortality.
gathering tribe
Ancient foragers generally believed in pantheism, believing that everything has its own consciousness and emotions and can communicate directly with humans.
30,000 years ago, Homo sapiens had already invented some social and political norms. eg: A boy and a girl were found in a 30,000-year-old cemetery in Songhir, Soviet Union. They were rich in burial objects, including a large number of ivory beads and fox teeth.
Forager societies may have different religious and social structures, as well as different tendencies toward violence.
Chapter 4 The devastating human flood
About 45,000 years ago, Homo sapiens colonized Australia, and Australia's large animals became extinct.
Before humans invented the wheel, writing, and iron tools, Homo sapiens has caused about half of the world's large mammals to return to the West and become extinct.
Large animals reproduce slowly.
Homo sapiens mastered the technology of fire farming.
Influence of climate factors.
Humans arrived in Japan approximately 35,000 years ago.
Humans arrived in Taiwan, China, about 30,000 years ago.
About 16,000 years ago, around 14,000 BC, Homo sapiens arrived in the Americas on foot, and American species declined.
About 1,500 years ago, humans entered Madagascar and large animals disappeared.
In 1500 BC, a wave of species extinction occurred in the Pacific Ocean.
Three waves of species extinction
Wave One: The Expansion of the Gatherers.
Second wave: expansion of farmers.
Third wave: industrial activity.
PART2 Agricultural Revolution
Chapter 5 The biggest scam in history
agricultural revolution
Agriculture developed independently and blossomed in various places at the same time.
The total amount of human food increases, the population explodes, and elites are produced.
Essence: Increase the number of copies of the Homo sapiens genome in the world
The criterion for measuring the evolutionary success of a species is the number of copies of its DNA helix in the world. The essence of the agricultural revolution is to increase the number of copies of the Homo sapiens genome in the world
Once started, it's irresistible
The agricultural revolution began with the domestication of wheat or other grains. At first, I just wanted to eat enough without having to collect food everywhere. But then we began to rely on a single food source, and we had to spend time cultivating crops; once the gears of historical evolution started, they could not be stopped. Once a tribe settled down and started farming, the trend toward agriculture was irresistible. Since agriculture can promote rapid population growth, the gathering tribes have only two choices left. The first is to escape; the second is to pick up a hoe and join the agricultural industry.
Trap: All efforts to make life easier actually bring endless troubles to people.
Inspiration from the Agricultural Revolution
The evolutionary success of a species does not necessarily reflect individual happiness.
Some people think that mankind is moving towards prosperity and progress, while others think that it will eventually lead to destruction. For the latter, the Agricultural Revolution was a turning point, allowing Homo sapiens to abandon their close symbiotic relationship with nature and stride towards greed.
For domesticated livestock, the Agricultural Revolution was a terrible disaster.
Domestication history
Reverse domestication: settlement, related diseases, reduction of staple food types, triggering violent conflicts, and traps of luxurious life.
小麦驯化人类
互联网出现，随便一个在吗都需要回复
有人享受有人苦，不平等
animal domestication
9000 BC, sheep
4000 BC, horses
3500 B.C. Camels
plant domestication
9000 B.C. Wheat
8000 BC, peas and lentils
5000 BC, olive tree
3500 BC, grapes and cashew nuts
9000 BC to 3500 BC Wheat, rice, corn, potato, millet and barley
Chapter 6 Building the Pyramid
after the agricultural revolution
The coming of the future
Impact of the Agricultural Revolution
Increased importance of “future”
Farmers think about the future and serve the future.
There are factors of production seasonal cycle.
Food reserves are needed.
Fundamental uncertainty in agriculture
Settlement, artificial island.
The matter of "settling" has greatly reduced the scope of activities of most people. Farmers have established a very strong connection with the "home" they construct. This revolution is of far-reaching significance, not only affecting architecture, but also affecting psychology. After the Agricultural Revolution, humans became far more self-centered creatures than in the past, closely connected to "home" but drawing boundaries from other species around them.
The emergence of rulers and elites
order constructed by imagination
Examples of fictional stories
The Code of Hammurabi from 1776 BC, a collaborative manual for hundreds of thousands of ancient Babylonians.
Declaration of Independence
The United States' Declaration of Independence in 1776 AD is a manual for cooperation among hundreds of millions of modern Americans.
Most Famous Passage: We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
Writing from a biological, scientific perspective instead: We hold these truths to be self-evident: All people evolve differently and are born with certain variable characteristics, including life and the pursuit of pleasure.
How to be convincing
The existence of "objective" affairs is not affected by human consciousness and beliefs.
The existence of "subjective" affairs depends on the consciousness and beliefs of a single person.
The existence of "intersubjective" things depends on the connection network between many individual subjective consciousnesses. Even if someone changes his mind or even passes away, it will not have a big impact on this matter. But if most people in this network die or change their minds, this "intersubjective" thing will change or disappear. Many of the most important drivers in history have been this kind of intersubjective conceptual idea: law, money, God, the state.
You have to really believe in it and keep putting a lot of effort into it.
Add elements of violence and coercion.
imagined order
Closely integrated with the real world.
You can never jump out of one another
Shaping people’s desires.
The connection of ideas that exists between people
Such as romanticism, consumerism, nationalism, capitalism and humanism, etc.
true believer
As human beings, we cannot break away from the order constructed by imagination
In order to change the existing order constructed by imagination, we must first use imagination to construct another set of order. Every time we think we have broken down the prison wall and are heading towards freedom, we are actually just arriving at another bigger prison, slightly expanding the scope of our activities.
Why should we believe in fictional stories and imagination?
We believe in a certain order, not because it is an objective fact, but because we believe it can improve the efficiency of cooperation and create a better society. This is the only life-saving elixir that allows human beings to cooperate.
Chapter 7 Memory Overload
Why do we need words?
Thousands or even millions of people need to cooperate
The amount of information that needs to be stored and processed is extremely large
1. The brain has limited capacity. 2. Human beings are bound to die. 3. The human brain has gradually become accustomed to storing and processing only specific types of information, and its ability to accurately store numbers has weakened.
Limitations of the human brain
Thousands of years after the Agricultural Revolution, human social networks were still relatively small in scale, mainly limited by the human brain's memory and information storage and processing capabilities.
summary
The birth of “written words”
The Agricultural Revolution produced a large amount of data and information that needed to be recorded, giving rise to the creation of "writing"
summary
invent words
From 3500 BC to 3000 BC, the Sumerians in southern Mesopotamia invented writing, which could only partially express meaning.
From 3000 B.C. to 2500 B.C., Sumerian writing was able to fully convey meaning and formed cuneiform writing.
Andes mountain language
The first text in human history: financial documents in knotted language
The Inca Empire reached its peak
egypt ancient egyptian hieroglyphs
In 1200 BC, China developed complete ideograms
1000 BC - 500 BC, complete ideograms of development offices in Mesoamerica
Before the 9th century, Indians invented Arabic numerals
Text is a way of storing information using physical symbols
The first texts in human history were boring financial documents, recording various taxes, debts, and property ownership.
The influence and function of words
Changed the way humans think and view the world. The past free connections and holistic thinking have transformed into bureaucracy and segmented thinking.
The miracle of bureaucracy
Writing is an important foundation for the birth of bureaucracy
The Greek epic poem "The Iliad" in the Bible, the Indian long narrative poem "Mahabharata", and the Buddhist "Tipitaka" were all oral works at the beginning. Even if writing was not invented, these works would continue to be passed down. But tax registration and complex bureaucracy had to wait until some ideographic words appeared.
It is not enough to record, you also need to be able to catalog and retrieve the data. What's special about Sumer, ancient Egypt, ancient China, and the Inca Empire is that these cultures all developed good technology to archive, catalog, and retrieve written records, and they also invested in cultivating talents to be responsible for copying, copying, and copying. Data management and accounting matters.
Chapter 8 There is no justice in history
Use fictional imagination to differentiate between classes: free/slave, white/black, rich/poor
With class, strangers don't have to waste time and energy to truly understand each other, but they should also know how to treat each other. Class regulates the relationships of millions of people.
A few high-level factions, a vicious circle
indian caste system
Concepts of "clean" America: African slave trade; racism; the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
Sexism
Muscle theory: It is believed that men are stronger than women and rely on muscles to force women to submit.
Men and women develop different survival and reproduction strategies
Gangster Theory: Men have an aggressive personality.
Men compete to get women pregnant. As time goes by, male genes are passed down to future generations and they are the most ambitious, active and competitive men.
Patriarchal gene theory: Men’s genes tend to be ambitious, competitive, and good at politics and business; women’s genes tend to seek good fortune and avoid disaster.
Patriarchal Normality-Female Freedom in the Future
Men are stronger and can monopolize jobs that require more physical effort, and control food production, which in turn translates into political influence.
, evolution also ensures that highs recede quickly. If the orgasm lasts forever, you can imagine that the man will be very happy, but he will not even have the motivation to find food, and will eventually die of hunger, and he will not be interested in finding another woman who can reproduce.
Chapter 9 The Direction of History
After the Agricultural Revolution, humans were surrounded by fictional stories and concepts to think a certain way, behave according to certain standards, want certain things, and adhere to certain norms. This was culture.
The general direction of culture: If we unite for a long time, we must divide; if we divide for a long time, we must unite.
In 10,000 B.C., there were thousands of human civilizations on Earth
2000 B.C., hundreds to two to three thousand at most
In 1450 AD, the numbers dropped sharply
Four worlds of considerable size and complexity
Central America, Andes, Australia, Atlantic Ocean
same set of geopolitics
economy
law
science
There are only two in the future, religion and science
Although global culture is single, it is not homogeneous
During 1000 B.C., three global orders emerged
economic monetary order
political imperial order
religious global order
PART3 After the Agricultural Revolution
Integration and unity of humankind
Chapter 10 The Taste of Money
money history
Shells, horns, hides, salt, cigarettes...
In 3000 BC, the earliest money system in history: the Sumerian "wheat dollar" system
In 2500 BC, the silver shekel system appeared in Mesopotamia.
In 640 BC, the Kingdom of Lydia in western Turkey minted the first coins in history.
ancient rome dynasty silver coin
How money works
trust
以物易物存在局限，人类发明“钱”的概念。
Money is the most universal and efficient mutual trust system ever created
Because "trust" is so critical, we can understand why the financial system is so closely linked to political, social and ideological systems, why financial crises are often triggered by political developments, and why stock traders alone one morning Feelings can affect the rise and fall of the stock market.
Their value is entirely due to culture.
The imprint on a coin represents certain political powers that ensure the coin's value.
Two Principles of the Money System
Everything is replaceable
Believed by all
golden faith
The focus of religious belief is what you believe, but the focus of money belief is "others believe."
Of all the belief systems created by mankind, only money can cross almost all cultural divides and does not discriminate on the basis of religion, gender, race, age and sexual orientation. Because of the money system, people can work together even if they don't know each other or don't know each other's character.
Chapter 11 The Vision of Empire
important features of an empire
Different ethnic groups and different cultures bring about cultural diversity.
The territory is flexible and can be expanded almost infinitely.
independent change territory
There does not necessarily have to be an autocratic emperor, and scale is not the point.
criticism of empire
Original Sin: Almost all empires are built on blood and maintain power through oppression and war.
Conquering different ethnic groups makes it difficult to rule efficiently.
Ethnic diversity has been significantly reduced.
This is immoral. Every ethnic group has the right to be conscious and should not be controlled by other ethnic groups.
The Qin Dynasty unified the world, established a system, and burned books and harassed Confucian scholars.
cultural impact of empire
Empires can accelerate the spread of various ideas, institutions, customs and norms
easy to rule
strengthen legitimacy
cultural assimilation
There is no so-called pure culture existing on earth. At least part of existing human culture is the legacy of empires and imperial civilizations.
empire cycle
A small group of people build a large empire.
Formation of imperial culture.
The imperial culture was recognized and accepted by the subjects.
Subjects demanded equal status in the name of shared imperial values.
The founders of the empire lost their dominance.
Imperial culture continues to flourish and flourish.
A new global empire
It is united by a common culture and common interests.
Nationalism is rapidly losing ground.
Global problems are eroding the legitimacy of individual nation-states themselves.
The global empire is not governed by any particular nation or ethnic group.
Chapter 12 The Laws of Religion
Religion is a system of human norms and values.
Two qualities of religion
Universal qualities: The transhuman order it believes in must be universal.
Respect Life
Explaining the unexplainable - miracles
Promotional traits: It must also firmly spread this belief to the masses.
monotheism
The first monotheistic religion appeared in 1350 BC, when the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten declared Aten to be the Supreme Being of the Universe.
Judaism → Christianity; Islam emerged in the 7th century.
Unitarians are more fanatical and keen on preaching.
dualist religion
Believe in the existence of two opposing forces, good and evil.
Persian religion, also known as Zoroastrianism.
3rd-4th century AD, Manichaeism.
Pantheism → Polytheism (increasing the status of gods and humans) → Monotheism
Sakyamuni, desirelessness, the essence of human suffering is the way of thinking in everyone’s mind
Pain comes from desire. To be free from pain, you must let go of desire; and to let go of desire, you must train your mind and experience the nature of things.
laws of nature
Worship of non-gods: Jainism and Buddhism in India, Taoism and Confucianism in China, cynicism and hedonism in the Mediterranean.
Believe that God is also limited by the laws of nature.
Humanist religion: a religion that worships humanity
Liberal Humanism: Each person has unique and sacred qualities, and personal freedom is sacrosanct.
Conflict with Chivalric Christianity
Social humanism: making all people equal.
Evolutionary humanism: Represented by the Nazis, it is believed that humans will evolve into "saints" or degenerate into inhumans.
Chapter Thirteen The Secret of Success
learn history
Two important qualities of history
The fallacy of hindsight
In fact, the people who really knew the situation at that time were the ones least able to see the direction of history. But if you only have a partial understanding of a certain period, you will be easily affected by the results and only see those possibilities that finally come true.
What seems inevitable in hindsight was never obvious at the time. It is particularly important to emphasize that those things that seem most impossible in the contemporary era are often the things that finally come true. Such as the rise of Christianity in the ancient Roman Empire (previously it was just a mysterious Eastern sect).
History is chaos, not inevitable
Level 2 Chaos: It is subject to change due to predictions, so it can never be accurately predicted. For example, the weather is a "first-level chaotic system". Although the weather is also affected by countless factors, we can build calculation models and continuously add more and more factors to make weather forecasts more and more accurate.
Cleo, the Blind Goddess of History
The choice of history is never for the benefit of mankind.
Historical evolution does not care about the happiness of individual organisms.
It’s just that there are many possibilities, many of which may not come true
This event rather than that event. But if you only have a partial understanding of a certain period, you will be easily affected by the results. Only see the possibilities that finally come true.
An iron rule of history: What seems inevitable in hindsight was never obvious at the time. It is particularly important to emphasize that those things that seem most impossible in the contemporary world are often the things that finally come true. Such as the rise of Christianity in the ancient Roman Empire (previously it was just a mysterious Eastern sect)
Reasons for studying history
Not to know the future, but to expand our horizons and understand that the present is neither "natural" nor inevitable. The possibilities for the future are far greater than we imagine.
PART4 Scientific Revolution
Chapter 14 Discovering one’s ignorance
The starting point/definition of the scientific revolution
In 1500 AD, the scientific revolution brought about an astonishing growth in human power.
The historical process that brought humans to Alamogordo and the moon is called the "Scientific Revolution." In this revolution, mankind has gained tremendous new power because of its resources invested in scientific research.
Three major differences between the modern scientific system and previous knowledge systems
Be willing to admit your ignorance
The basis of modern science is the Latin prefix "ignorance," which means we don't know.
I don’t know that I don’t know
Centered on observation and mathematics
acquire new abilities
two scientific methods
Adopt a scientific theory but go against common scientific practice: claim it to be the absolute truth. For example: The Nazis claimed that their racial strategy was derived from biological facts.
Tell a story that everyone agrees with
Instead of adopting scientific methods, we resort to "non-scientific absolute truths." Liberal humanist strategy: The basis is to insist on advocating the special values and rights of human beings, but scientific research on Homo sapiens does not agree with this view.
The core of modern scientific research
Various empirical observations are collected and organized using mathematical tools.
Newton's three laws of motion, actuarial science, Malthusian demography...
The scientific revolution is not a revolution of knowledge, but a "revolution of ignorance." The great discovery that really started the scientific revolution was the discovery that "human beings actually know nothing about the most important problems."
The test of knowledge lies in practicality
eradicate poverty
Social poverty: refers to the fact that some people have opportunities but are unwilling to release them to others.
Biological poverty: refers to the lack of food and shelter that threatens people's survival.
Social poverty will always exist and cannot be eradicated, but in many countries, biological poverty is a thing of the past.
A plan to extend human lifespan, the Gilgamesh Project.
used in war
With the invention of the atomic bomb, mankind has the ability to change the course of history, and also the ability to end the course of history.
Thousands of years of history after the Agricultural Revolution can be summed up in one question: If human genes do not have the biological instinct for large-scale cooperation, how are all cooperative networks maintained? To put it simply, human beings have created an order constructed from imagination and invented writing, using these two to make up for the shortcomings in our genes.
Influenced by economic, political and religious interests
Science, as a means, is inseparable from politics, economy, and religion.
Scientific research is expensive and requires government, corporate, foundation and private funding.
It needs to join forces with certain religions or ideologies (imperialism and capitalism) to have the possibility of flourishing.
Scientists are in the minority who really control the progress of scientific development.
Ideology can rationalize the cost of research, and the price is that ideology can influence the scientific process and determine how research results are produced.
Chapter 15 The marriage of science and empire
Why Europe dominates the world
modern science
admit ignorance
seek new knowledge
navigation
Enrique, Dias, Magellan, Columbus, Vasco da Gama
In 1768, the Royal Society funded Captain Cook's expedition
Arriving in Australia and Greece.
Take away the disease and bring back the information. The colonization of Australia and New Zealand resulted in the extinction of native culture and the near-extinction of local aborigines.
Advances in the medical field include the discovery that citrus fruits can treat scurvy.
In 1798, Napoleon invaded Egypt and established the Egyptian University.
In 1831, Darwin formed the theory of evolution.
capitalism
Since 1850, Europe's dominance of the world has largely depended on cooperation in military, industry, science and other fields.
new territory new knowledge
In the 15th and 16th centuries, Europeans began to move forward one after another, using war and disease to fill the gaps in the world. The Fall of the Aztec Empire & the Inca Empire.
After accumulating a large amount of wealth and resources, Europeans were finally able to invade Asia, defeat major empires, and divide the spoils among Europeans.
For 300 years, the Americas, Oceania, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Pacific Ocean were completely dominated by Europeans.
,European maps are largely blank
an admission of ignorance about a large part of the world
The blank space on the map is a magnet, attracting Europeans to fill in the gaps one after another.
Zheng He's voyages to the West proved that European technology did not have an advantage, and the reason for victory → insatiable ambition
like invaders from outer space
China and Persia do not lack technology. What they lack are Western values, stories, judicial systems, and social and political structures. These took centuries to form and mature in the West. Even if they want to copy them, they cannot be internalized overnight. . Therefore, France and the United States can quickly follow the footsteps of the United Kingdom because they already share the most important set of stories and social structures.
The relationship between science and empire
Building an empire is like a scientific experiment; establishing a scientific discipline is like a nation-building project.
The driving force behind it is unsatisfied desires. There are poems in the distance, waiting for them to trample on them.
The empire funded and used science; science fed back, practical knowledge, ideological foundations and tools, making the empire scientific.
age of empires game
Chapter 16 Capitalist Dogma
Overview of the modern economy
It is another amazing display of human imagination. What allows banks and even the entire economy to survive and even prosper is actually our trust in the future. "Trust" is the only backing for most money in the world.
The focus of modern economic history is "growth".
For better or worse, in sickness and in health, the modern economy keeps growing like a hormonal teenager, devouring everything it sees.
credit concept
The monetary concept of "credit" represents goods that do not yet exist and exist only in the imagination. It is the concept of "credit" that allows us to advance the future and build the present. There is a basic assumption behind this, that is, future resources will definitely far exceed current resources; as long as we use future income to invest in the present, it will bring many new and wonderful business opportunities.
development changes
Are you willing to extend your credit?
Zero sum game, or a win-win situation
Adam Smith's "The Wealth of Nations" 1776
The economy is a win-win situation; profits from production must be reinvested in increasing output.
The profits of private enterprises are the basis of the overall wealth and prosperity of society.
The basis of all human wealth lies in the selfish desire to increase personal profits.
capitalism
Basic principle: Justice, freedom, and happiness all depend on economic growth, so it can be said that economic growth is the highest good.
Connection to science
Capitalism promotes scientific progress and determines the direction of most scientific research.
The development of science promotes the growth of capitalist economy.
connection with politics
How much credit a market receives depends not only on economic factors, but also on the impact of political events.
The joke made by Marx and other social critics was that Western governments were almost like trade unions for capitalists.
In addition to purely economic data, national credit ratings also take into account governance, social and even cultural factors.
imperial capitalism
A commercial empire is much more efficient at obtaining funds for conquest. After all, no one likes paying taxes, but everyone enjoys investing.
A strange cycle: Credit finances new discoveries, new discoveries lead to colonies, colonies lead to profits, profits build trust, and trust translates into more credit.
dogma
Die-hard capitalists believe that the government should not interfere in the economy and leave everything to market forces to operate freely.
The most influential school of thought is free marketism.
The free market is too naive to have a market that is completely free from political influence. Damage: Mississippi Bubble of 1719; U.S. Real Estate Bubble of 2007; Slave Trade.
Capitalist Hell
Free market capitalism cannot guarantee that profits will be earned equitably or distributed equitably. And on the contrary, because humans have the desire to pursue profits and economic growth, they will decide to blindly eliminate all possible obstacles. When "growth" becomes the supreme goal and is not checked by other moral ethics, it can easily lead to a disaster.
PART5 Industrial Revolution
Chapter 17 The Giant Ship of Industry
Two major cycles that dominate human history
plant growth cycle
solar energy cycle
Industrial Revolution
energy conversion
Harness and transform energy effectively.
The explosive development of human productivity
Solving the shortage of raw materials has brought various energy and raw materials.
The stages are limited, and when energy is almost exhausted, new replacements can always be found.
Mechanization of machines, mechanization of animals and plants. Metropolis Modern Times Tragedy
Modern animal husbandry only focuses on objective needs and does not pay attention to the subjective needs of animals.
Cancer is caused by biological accumulation of negative energy
Consumerism
The birth of consumerism: solving the problem of who will buy it after it is produced?
Agriculture requires billions of manpower, and factories and offices absorb an avalanche of new products. In the history of mankind, production has exceeded demand→Question: Who will buy these products?
New ethics: The rich continue to be greedy and make more money; the general public satisfies their desires and passions.
Chapter 18 An Eternal Revolution
Find new ways to convert energy and produce goods; the ecological environment deteriorates, triggering an ecological crisis.
Bringing about the concepts of timetables and production lines, the pursuit of precision and consistency; urbanization, the disappearance of the peasant class, the rise of the industrial proletariat, the empowerment of the general public, democratization, youth culture, and the disintegration of patriarchal society.
brought social revolution
Families and local communities collapsed; the state and the market intervened in family relationships, especially the relationship between parents and children.
Markets and states shape “imagined communities”
nationality
consuming public
lasting peace
The costs of war rise and profits fall. Nuclear peace.
There have been structural changes in the form of wealth, such as human capital, scientific and technological knowledge, etc., which cannot be obtained through war. Live in peace.
Peace became a good deal. To revitalize the economies of various countries through foreign trade, the leaders are shrewd pacifists.
Epidemic pauses rapid development
The same is true in today's society. Young college students want to work hard, but as a result, it becomes even harder to pay for huge loans. The convenience of communication does not save effort, but accelerates it to 10 times that of the past. I am busy and restless all day long.
We rely on nature and draw from it, but we have to isolate ourselves from nature and create a set of standards to live by.
Chapter 19 Live happily ever after
hapiness
The body emits sensual sensations of pleasure.
Feeling subjectively happy. It could be immediate pleasure, or it could be long-term lifestyle satisfaction.
Look at "pleasant moments more than painful ones"; look at life as a whole; look at important cognitive and moral aspects.
Money is not everything
Factors that influence happiness
people network
Subjective expectations and objective conditions
The concept of freedom: family, marriage, disease, community, money...; if individuals want freedom, then family, marriage, disease, community, money also need their freedom.
How to be happy?
Feel the meaning of life
From a purely scientific perspective as we know it → human life is inherently meaningless
any meaning we attach to life
Knowing yourself
Accept reality: not too happy, not too painful.
Buddhist perspective on happiness:
Happiness is neither a subjective feeling of pleasure nor a subjective feeling that life is meaningful. Instead, it lies in letting go of the pursuit of subjective feelings. Most people attach too much importance to their own feelings, thinking that pleasure is happiness and unpleasant feelings are suffering. As a result, humans crave pleasure and avoid unpleasant feelings.
The pursuit of subjective feelings is all-consuming and ultimately futile, only leaving us in thrall to the pursuit itself. The root of suffering is not feeling sad or in pain, or feeling like everything is meaningless. The real root of suffering lies in the "pursuit" of subjective feelings. No matter what it is, it will make people fall into continuous tension, confusion and dissatisfaction.
If people want to escape suffering and gain happiness, they must understand that all their subjective feelings are just momentary fluctuations, and stop pursuing certain feelings. In this way, although it hurts, it no longer feels miserable; although it is pleasant, it no longer disturbs the peace of mind. As a result, the mind becomes clear and at ease. The peace of mind this produces is so powerful that it is unimaginable to those who spend their entire lives frantically pursuing a happy mood.
Happy Mickey Mouse just keeps consuming
Chapter 20 The end of Homo sapiens
In the 21st century, intelligent design replaces natural selection
Bioengineering: Manipulating genes
Definition: Deliberate human intervention at the biological level, with the purpose of changing the appearance, abilities, needs and desires of organisms in order to realize certain preset cultural concepts.
example
In 1996, rats grew ears on their backs.
Genetically modified engineering: modifying E. coli, animals and plants.
Bringing back the Neanderthals.
Biomimetic engineering: innovation of similar biological elements
Definition: Combining organic and inorganic tissues to create biochemical humans.
example
The United States implants chips into flies or cockroaches.
Hearing aids, artificial retinas, biochemical arms...
Inorganic life engineering: computer programs and viruses that can evolve independently
Definition: To create completely inorganic life.
example
Genetic programming: imitating genetic evolution.
Computer programs that can evolve independently, computer viruses, the Blue Brain Project (complete reconstruction of the human brain using computers)...
singularity
As medical knowledge improves, new ethical dilemmas arise: DNA privacy issues.
The Gilgamesh Project: Create super humans who will live forever.
Singularity - Big Bang
Before this time, all the laws of nature that we know did not exist, and time did not exist.
We are approaching the next singularity, where the meaning of all worlds will be irrelevant.
In 1818, Frankenstein predicted that scientists created artificial creatures, but they lost control and caused chaos.
What do we really hope we want?
floating theme