Rational optimist Flashcards
What led to the exponential progress of humans? And no other species.
Exchange of goods, division of labor and the trust in reciprocity.
Male and female with sexual relations was the first division of labor that got extended to other communities later.
Barter with specialized products improved knowledge generation by generation and division of labor helped people save time over period of time.
What are the common myths about past and present?
Prosperity is reducing. No it is increasing, life expectancy has increased in every country rich or poor, diseases % in a population has been reduced malaria, cancer, heart strokes and more.
People are buying time to help them do new things which is helping in new innovations and properity.
What breeds technology?
Exchange of goods breed specialization which breeds technology. With each technology getting distributed, collective human effort reduces, humans get more time to innovate and prosper.
How did rules help during evolution?
So exchange was possible because there were unsaid rules initially. Rule of commerce, democracy, state of law, moral principles of religions that binded us together in harmony.
It was more of a culture evolution too.
Country’s economic freedom defines the prosperity. A world bank study of 123 countries revealed that top 63 countries with free economic laws were also the 2x fast growing and 4 times income than the rest.
Take an example of North Korea vs South Korea or Mexico vs America. Why do people migrate?
How old is agriculture and how it evolved?
It is probably 10000 years old.
First the hunters and gathers harvested wild crops.
Then they found ways to grow on virgin lands.
When a forest burns up, the soil is great for any type of crop. First it would have been an accidental due to a drop animal shit that developed into a crop. Someone observed and replicated.
Did agriculture pushed trade or trade pushed agriculture?
The prospect of storing food for longer time is great for survival. Traders find good value in it to distribute and hence bartered in exchange for meat and other stuff.
When meat ended, more reliance on agriculture grew so it exploded. Both agriculture and trade.
What was the impact of agriculture on population?
It brought the density together.
It helped in making new trades and good making possible like copper smelting for tools.
There was a need for specializations in various aspects in society.
What was the role of fertilizers?
During 1700s when the grain was not enough to feed the entire population, the deposits of penguin poops and gases created a unique mixture which when put in soil could produce great crop productivity. That saved the day.
Why did Borlaug got Noble peace prize in 1970
The Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1970 was Norman Borlaug. He is often called the “father of the Green Revolution.” Borlaug didn’t create a specific fertilizer, but he developed new types of wheat that could grow better and produce more food, especially when combined with fertilizers. His work helped save millions of people from hunger, especially in countries like Mexico, India, and Pakistan. The fertilizers helped these new wheat varieties grow even better, leading to much higher crop yields. This is why he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Why do people move to cities?
To specialize and exchange and have a better life.
Why do people move to cities?
To specialize and exchange and have a better life.
How did the trade follow its trail through various means of transport?
From donkeys, to water boats/ships to camels , at different points of trade and circumstances, humans have found a way to deal with it.
How did the trade follow its trail through various means of transport?
From donkeys, to water boats/ships to camels , at different points of trade and circumstances, humans have found a way to deal with it.
