Thanks very much David! The Lessons of History sounds like a good place to start and it really is short which is ideal for me as I tend to struggle with longer books. I'll definitely order that 👍 funny you mention Our World in Data, I'm actually reading a book called 'Storytelling with Data' by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic and I'm just finishing an introductory course in data science which introduced me to a lot of new tools and topics (my first experience of coding, working with Jupyter notebooks, Data wrangling, Data Analytics, Databases etc.) and this was one of the websites recommended for use in some of the project work. Anyway, thanks for these recommendations 👍
Hey David 👋 fascinating read as always 👏 this is off topic (as usual) but I have a massive gap in my knowledge of general world history and I'm wondering if you might have any short reading recommendations (I know that's probably not possible right, that can't really be short...) to try and help fill some of that gap. I was wondering if something like 'Sapiens' was the way to go but I had something fact based, kinda summarising major events in world history in mind. I realise that's a difficult request so if nothing immediately comes to mind no worries at all! Keep up the great work 👍
Hey William, nice to see you here, and glad you enjoyed the post! ...I must say, I don't consider myself to be particularly well read in history generally, but certainly more so than I was in the past. I don't know that I have a single great recommendation, but I have enjoyed the work of Will and Ariel Durant. They wrote this giant series on world history, most of which I haven't read, but I read the volume Rousseau and Revolution and found it fascinating. They have a short book called The Lessons of History that I would recommend. Really interesting. I think they may at certain times give the sort of "great man theory" thinking a little more credence than I would, but it's a fascinating look at some major themes in history. And that's a nitpick I'm not even sure about... Here's one more odd recommendation: check out the site Our World In Data. I often go there when I have a specific question that I think they may have data for, and their explanations will often send me down some historical rabbit hole. I find my learning to be much stickier when I start in with some question that's driving my search, rather than looking for a general overview of history. Maybe that's just me though!
Wow what a fun back story! I really love U.S. history, and this is especially interesting because I just so happened to see Hamilton last week. What a coincidence. I saw you mentioned in another comment that you've more recently become interested in history after not being so initially. I'll be teaching history next year, so this got me thinking. I know that some of my students won't be as interested in it as I am. Seeing as you've recently caught the history bug, what do you think sparked your interest in it after not being interested originally? Do you have any thoughts for what you wish your teachers did? (I know you'll say it was more you than them, but still.)
Man, you ask amazing questions. I'm going to have to think about that one. What got me interested... I'm not totally sure, but I think some of it really started in science, and working backward through the progression of ideas. A visceral example I remember was studying plate tectonics, which I took for granted as a revolutionary idea because I grew up in a world where the fact that the continents had moved was just a given to everyone. So I remember wondering why it was such a revolutionary idea, and as you go backward, you're basically going through the different models of the world that people held, and of course that then intersects with religion and cosmology, and the study of time in general. I found that "how" regarding ideas starting to change to be fascinating. I guess it's what I love in some non-fiction in a way, where there's a story you take for granted, and then someone gives you some info or insight that suddenly makes you see the story in an entirely new way. I actually think this is something Gladwell is brilliant at. He'll tell a story, then break to give you some tool to see it in a new light, and then return to the story but now it feels completely different. Like when the gang in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest takes the boat out and then returns to the same place, but they're forever changed. ...I think there was also just an element of starting to realize that people inherit history in as real a way in many cases as they inherit genetics, and trying to get a better understanding of that history can help understand where people are coming from and why certain conflicts happen. I'm going to have to think more about this, but I definitely got attracted to trying to understand the progression of ideas, or mental models that people use, and I think it's similar to what you mentioned about good art museums. You start to see these ideas in conversation with one another, and somehow you get a foothold that really enables more learning. But again, there were definitely specific examples of: "People thought X, and that was very reasonable because of Y and they weren't crazy — you likely would have felt this way too. But then Z happened...or someone asked question Q, and it didn't fit with the old model..."
And to continue our W&P allusions, I think I also got interested in reading about not just rulers, but what life was like, and social forces. I read a bit of Robert Gordon's work, and he argues that tech change has actually slowed down. I don't necessarily agree with that, but I certainly see his point when he points out: Someone born in 1860 wouldn't even know how to use a house in 1940, with electricity, indoor plumbing, a fridge, a phone, a car, etc. They would've been used to an outhouse, horses, candles. But then if you fast forward another 80 years, someone born in 1940 would largely understand a house in 2020. This is a total tangent, but it's just fascinating to think about the reality of change.
On a separate note, I believe I failed in our "master thought list" agreement! So sometime soon, I'm going to make that a short post.
This response is good. Really good. Your point about plate tectonics is a great example. I love natural history museums, but I usually tend to be least interested in the geology exhibit which inevitably features plate tectonics. But when you put it that way, it suddenly comes to life as a human story of understanding rather than just a fact about rocks that are incomprehensibly large. Like you said, I think anything becomes more interesting when you have a foothold to put it in context or conversation. (This, by the way, reminds me of a recent Austin Kleon piece where he wonders why he, a curious person, isn't curious about certain things: https://austinkleon.com/2023/03/24/curiouser/ -- I think I found out about him after seeing you guys interact on Twitter or something, so thanks!)
Also, I love the phrase that people "inherit history," and I think it's totally true. When I took Dan Lieberman's class on evolution in undergrad, he mentioned that cultural evolution is far outpacing biological evolution right now. At first, I didn't really understand what cultural evolution meant, but I think this gets at it. And your description of "People thought X, then Y, etc" reminds me of in Range when you take us through all of Kepler's analogies. It's so interesting to see it read that way.
As always, the W&P allusion is spot on. What an interesting point on tech change slowing down, especially the idea of knowing "how to use a house." Right now I'm reading SPQR, a book on the history of Rome, and the historian Mary Beard spends a lot of time discussing the daily lives of Romans in addition to the more-often-told stories about Roman emperors and consuls. It's fascinating for the same reason you said. Anyway, if there's anything you'd recommend by Robert Gordon I'm all ears.
I've never been so happy to win a bet. Can't wait for everyone to get to enjoy the master thought list! Thanks again.
Ps - I'm adding One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest to the reading list.
“cultural evolution is far outpacing biological evolution right now. “
Oh this is fascinating to me, Matt. I’m jealous you got to take a course with Lieberman. Of course it is true though, in developed parts of our world we are really thwarting biological evolution in so many ways.
A simple way I think about this is with C-Sections. Surely we are selecting ourselves, at some rate of speed, away from being able to give birth naturally. And I’m not complaining at all but it is happening! I don’t know enough to know what to call it exactly. Thwarting? Slowing? Reversing? Yet still we evolve. I guess this is still biological evolution it just might be more of a broadening evolution that a narrowing one. And the cultural take on evolution is certainly a great direction to send my thinking next. Thanks!
I love this thanks, Katie! The difference between a broadening evolution and a narrowing one is something I'd never thought of. And I love your phrase of talking about the direction of you thinking. What a fun thing to chew on. Thank you too!
I love this historical tidbit. I finally got around to watching Hamilton last year. It was amazing! It's amazing how much fascinating history can be with a little bit of narrative. Even this short article adds some much needed scummy personality (or infamy) to JPMorgan Chase. I think back to school and how specific history classes were some of my least and most favorite classes depending on the teachers.
Back to Hamilton, I find the whole "room where it happened" concept mysterious and intriguing. It seems like some of the shadiest deals and corruption in history and in our modern era come from these "rooms." I often hear politicians decrying this kind of behavior even when they are engaged in it. I wish there was a way of having more knowledge of the inner-workings of these corporation-government deals.
Hey Paul, nice to see you here again! I was so not interested in history when I was younger, and I'm so extremely interested in it now. I don't really know why, but I blame me more than the teachers. I was a bit of a late bloomer in terms of reading at all, actually.
In any case, this is pretty tangential, but I feel kind of lucky to live in a country where a large and stable bank was able to seamlessly take over the deposits of customers whose banks are folding. I think that adds a layer of stability to our financial system that just doesn't exist in a lot of the world. I digress...
In terms of the "room where it happened" idea, you made me think of local news. I think an enormous number of decisions that have real impact on peoples' lives happen at the local level, and with the gutting of local news, all those decisions have become less transparent. I'm hopeful that some new models can step in (and, full disclosure: my wife runs a non-profit, local-focused news business), but right now I think there's an enormous gap.
“but I feel kind of lucky to live in a country where a large and stable bank was able to seamlessly take over the deposits of customers whose banks are folding” John Pierpont Morgan would be happy to hear this. From what I remember from House of Morgan he used his bank for a lot of national level bank rescues.
I'm going to compliment myself and say great minds think alike. I'm writing my next blog post titled "An Ode to America." It is a check on the negativity about America coming from others and myself - a public gratitude journal entry of sorts. Sorry, I didn't mean this to sound so self-promoting (face-palm emoji here). Thank you, though, for bringing that up. It is so easy to assume the cup-half-empty perspective or even that nefarious business is going on when it might not be (kind of like Hanlon's Razor).
If you ever have the motivation and time, I would love to hear you expound on how the local news impacts people's lives, or, I guess, how it creates transparency for important decisions. I know very little about this. There was a Freakonomics episode ages ago that talked about the roles of mayors and how much of an impact they made versus less local politicians. I'm not exactly sure how similar this is to what you are saying, but it sounds like it relates. Maybe your wife can write a guest article!
Paul, first of all, that didn't sound self-promoting at all. I'm happy to be alerted to other relevant ideas or posts, and this is a great space to alert me. Looking forward to that post! And I'm also glad to be reminded of Hanlon's Razor, which I haven't thought about since I mentioned it right when Range Widely started, when a technical issue made it seem to some subscribers that I'd shared their email addresses without permission. Were you around for that one? If not, I'll share the link, since I was initially horrified but it turned out sort of funny...
Regarding local news, I have to see if I can dig up some research that showed that when Craigslist moved into a market, politicians soon started become less responsive to constituents, presumably because the local news started disappearing (having lost its revenue model). I think Craig Newmark became a big support of local news in part because of this realization. Here's one quick example I found from that work, along the same theme, at least: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3846243
I think that's a great idea to have my wife write a guest article. I'm going to pitch that to her! If she doesn't like the idea, I'm going to say it was yours;)
Here's a quote from the article you sent me about Craigslist and local news: "Finally, we document that reduced exposure to political news was associated with more partisan voting and increased support for ideologically extreme candidates."
That is shocking. It's the opposite of what I'd expect considering national media outlets, but maybe this is me being negative again. Or maybe local news is unique in being more balanced than national news outlets. Fascinating! Thanks for the share.
It's always crazy to know that almost all US institutions passed through the hands of like 20 people
This is a great comment, and I'm looking forward to checking out your Substack.
Thanks David!
Highly entertaining. Likewise, I am drawn more and more to these historical anecdotes. For me, they help explain the state of things today.
Heather Cox Richardson has an excellent blog on political history and today's events.
Thanks for putting this piece together!
Thanks very much David! The Lessons of History sounds like a good place to start and it really is short which is ideal for me as I tend to struggle with longer books. I'll definitely order that 👍 funny you mention Our World in Data, I'm actually reading a book called 'Storytelling with Data' by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic and I'm just finishing an introductory course in data science which introduced me to a lot of new tools and topics (my first experience of coding, working with Jupyter notebooks, Data wrangling, Data Analytics, Databases etc.) and this was one of the websites recommended for use in some of the project work. Anyway, thanks for these recommendations 👍
Hey David 👋 fascinating read as always 👏 this is off topic (as usual) but I have a massive gap in my knowledge of general world history and I'm wondering if you might have any short reading recommendations (I know that's probably not possible right, that can't really be short...) to try and help fill some of that gap. I was wondering if something like 'Sapiens' was the way to go but I had something fact based, kinda summarising major events in world history in mind. I realise that's a difficult request so if nothing immediately comes to mind no worries at all! Keep up the great work 👍
Hey William, nice to see you here, and glad you enjoyed the post! ...I must say, I don't consider myself to be particularly well read in history generally, but certainly more so than I was in the past. I don't know that I have a single great recommendation, but I have enjoyed the work of Will and Ariel Durant. They wrote this giant series on world history, most of which I haven't read, but I read the volume Rousseau and Revolution and found it fascinating. They have a short book called The Lessons of History that I would recommend. Really interesting. I think they may at certain times give the sort of "great man theory" thinking a little more credence than I would, but it's a fascinating look at some major themes in history. And that's a nitpick I'm not even sure about... Here's one more odd recommendation: check out the site Our World In Data. I often go there when I have a specific question that I think they may have data for, and their explanations will often send me down some historical rabbit hole. I find my learning to be much stickier when I start in with some question that's driving my search, rather than looking for a general overview of history. Maybe that's just me though!
Wow what a fun back story! I really love U.S. history, and this is especially interesting because I just so happened to see Hamilton last week. What a coincidence. I saw you mentioned in another comment that you've more recently become interested in history after not being so initially. I'll be teaching history next year, so this got me thinking. I know that some of my students won't be as interested in it as I am. Seeing as you've recently caught the history bug, what do you think sparked your interest in it after not being interested originally? Do you have any thoughts for what you wish your teachers did? (I know you'll say it was more you than them, but still.)
Man, you ask amazing questions. I'm going to have to think about that one. What got me interested... I'm not totally sure, but I think some of it really started in science, and working backward through the progression of ideas. A visceral example I remember was studying plate tectonics, which I took for granted as a revolutionary idea because I grew up in a world where the fact that the continents had moved was just a given to everyone. So I remember wondering why it was such a revolutionary idea, and as you go backward, you're basically going through the different models of the world that people held, and of course that then intersects with religion and cosmology, and the study of time in general. I found that "how" regarding ideas starting to change to be fascinating. I guess it's what I love in some non-fiction in a way, where there's a story you take for granted, and then someone gives you some info or insight that suddenly makes you see the story in an entirely new way. I actually think this is something Gladwell is brilliant at. He'll tell a story, then break to give you some tool to see it in a new light, and then return to the story but now it feels completely different. Like when the gang in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest takes the boat out and then returns to the same place, but they're forever changed. ...I think there was also just an element of starting to realize that people inherit history in as real a way in many cases as they inherit genetics, and trying to get a better understanding of that history can help understand where people are coming from and why certain conflicts happen. I'm going to have to think more about this, but I definitely got attracted to trying to understand the progression of ideas, or mental models that people use, and I think it's similar to what you mentioned about good art museums. You start to see these ideas in conversation with one another, and somehow you get a foothold that really enables more learning. But again, there were definitely specific examples of: "People thought X, and that was very reasonable because of Y and they weren't crazy — you likely would have felt this way too. But then Z happened...or someone asked question Q, and it didn't fit with the old model..."
And to continue our W&P allusions, I think I also got interested in reading about not just rulers, but what life was like, and social forces. I read a bit of Robert Gordon's work, and he argues that tech change has actually slowed down. I don't necessarily agree with that, but I certainly see his point when he points out: Someone born in 1860 wouldn't even know how to use a house in 1940, with electricity, indoor plumbing, a fridge, a phone, a car, etc. They would've been used to an outhouse, horses, candles. But then if you fast forward another 80 years, someone born in 1940 would largely understand a house in 2020. This is a total tangent, but it's just fascinating to think about the reality of change.
On a separate note, I believe I failed in our "master thought list" agreement! So sometime soon, I'm going to make that a short post.
This response is good. Really good. Your point about plate tectonics is a great example. I love natural history museums, but I usually tend to be least interested in the geology exhibit which inevitably features plate tectonics. But when you put it that way, it suddenly comes to life as a human story of understanding rather than just a fact about rocks that are incomprehensibly large. Like you said, I think anything becomes more interesting when you have a foothold to put it in context or conversation. (This, by the way, reminds me of a recent Austin Kleon piece where he wonders why he, a curious person, isn't curious about certain things: https://austinkleon.com/2023/03/24/curiouser/ -- I think I found out about him after seeing you guys interact on Twitter or something, so thanks!)
Also, I love the phrase that people "inherit history," and I think it's totally true. When I took Dan Lieberman's class on evolution in undergrad, he mentioned that cultural evolution is far outpacing biological evolution right now. At first, I didn't really understand what cultural evolution meant, but I think this gets at it. And your description of "People thought X, then Y, etc" reminds me of in Range when you take us through all of Kepler's analogies. It's so interesting to see it read that way.
As always, the W&P allusion is spot on. What an interesting point on tech change slowing down, especially the idea of knowing "how to use a house." Right now I'm reading SPQR, a book on the history of Rome, and the historian Mary Beard spends a lot of time discussing the daily lives of Romans in addition to the more-often-told stories about Roman emperors and consuls. It's fascinating for the same reason you said. Anyway, if there's anything you'd recommend by Robert Gordon I'm all ears.
I've never been so happy to win a bet. Can't wait for everyone to get to enjoy the master thought list! Thanks again.
Ps - I'm adding One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest to the reading list.
“cultural evolution is far outpacing biological evolution right now. “
Oh this is fascinating to me, Matt. I’m jealous you got to take a course with Lieberman. Of course it is true though, in developed parts of our world we are really thwarting biological evolution in so many ways.
A simple way I think about this is with C-Sections. Surely we are selecting ourselves, at some rate of speed, away from being able to give birth naturally. And I’m not complaining at all but it is happening! I don’t know enough to know what to call it exactly. Thwarting? Slowing? Reversing? Yet still we evolve. I guess this is still biological evolution it just might be more of a broadening evolution that a narrowing one. And the cultural take on evolution is certainly a great direction to send my thinking next. Thanks!
I love this thanks, Katie! The difference between a broadening evolution and a narrowing one is something I'd never thought of. And I love your phrase of talking about the direction of you thinking. What a fun thing to chew on. Thank you too!
I love this historical tidbit. I finally got around to watching Hamilton last year. It was amazing! It's amazing how much fascinating history can be with a little bit of narrative. Even this short article adds some much needed scummy personality (or infamy) to JPMorgan Chase. I think back to school and how specific history classes were some of my least and most favorite classes depending on the teachers.
Back to Hamilton, I find the whole "room where it happened" concept mysterious and intriguing. It seems like some of the shadiest deals and corruption in history and in our modern era come from these "rooms." I often hear politicians decrying this kind of behavior even when they are engaged in it. I wish there was a way of having more knowledge of the inner-workings of these corporation-government deals.
Hey Paul, nice to see you here again! I was so not interested in history when I was younger, and I'm so extremely interested in it now. I don't really know why, but I blame me more than the teachers. I was a bit of a late bloomer in terms of reading at all, actually.
In any case, this is pretty tangential, but I feel kind of lucky to live in a country where a large and stable bank was able to seamlessly take over the deposits of customers whose banks are folding. I think that adds a layer of stability to our financial system that just doesn't exist in a lot of the world. I digress...
In terms of the "room where it happened" idea, you made me think of local news. I think an enormous number of decisions that have real impact on peoples' lives happen at the local level, and with the gutting of local news, all those decisions have become less transparent. I'm hopeful that some new models can step in (and, full disclosure: my wife runs a non-profit, local-focused news business), but right now I think there's an enormous gap.
“but I feel kind of lucky to live in a country where a large and stable bank was able to seamlessly take over the deposits of customers whose banks are folding” John Pierpont Morgan would be happy to hear this. From what I remember from House of Morgan he used his bank for a lot of national level bank rescues.
Interesting! Thanks for that point, Doug. I'm going to add House of Morgan to my reading list.
I'm going to compliment myself and say great minds think alike. I'm writing my next blog post titled "An Ode to America." It is a check on the negativity about America coming from others and myself - a public gratitude journal entry of sorts. Sorry, I didn't mean this to sound so self-promoting (face-palm emoji here). Thank you, though, for bringing that up. It is so easy to assume the cup-half-empty perspective or even that nefarious business is going on when it might not be (kind of like Hanlon's Razor).
If you ever have the motivation and time, I would love to hear you expound on how the local news impacts people's lives, or, I guess, how it creates transparency for important decisions. I know very little about this. There was a Freakonomics episode ages ago that talked about the roles of mayors and how much of an impact they made versus less local politicians. I'm not exactly sure how similar this is to what you are saying, but it sounds like it relates. Maybe your wife can write a guest article!
Paul, first of all, that didn't sound self-promoting at all. I'm happy to be alerted to other relevant ideas or posts, and this is a great space to alert me. Looking forward to that post! And I'm also glad to be reminded of Hanlon's Razor, which I haven't thought about since I mentioned it right when Range Widely started, when a technical issue made it seem to some subscribers that I'd shared their email addresses without permission. Were you around for that one? If not, I'll share the link, since I was initially horrified but it turned out sort of funny...
Regarding local news, I have to see if I can dig up some research that showed that when Craigslist moved into a market, politicians soon started become less responsive to constituents, presumably because the local news started disappearing (having lost its revenue model). I think Craig Newmark became a big support of local news in part because of this realization. Here's one quick example I found from that work, along the same theme, at least: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3846243
I think that's a great idea to have my wife write a guest article. I'm going to pitch that to her! If she doesn't like the idea, I'm going to say it was yours;)
Haha, yes! I don't mind being thrown under that bus! Awesome, I'll check out the article soon! I wasn't around for that snafu. Send me the link!
Huh, I never would have ventured a connection between Craigslist and local news, but it makes sense.
Here it is! https://davidepstein.substack.com/p/my-ill-fated-newsletter-launch-21-09-16
...I wasn't happy about it at the time, but in the end had a lot of fun putting that post together.
Thanks!
Here's a quote from the article you sent me about Craigslist and local news: "Finally, we document that reduced exposure to political news was associated with more partisan voting and increased support for ideologically extreme candidates."
That is shocking. It's the opposite of what I'd expect considering national media outlets, but maybe this is me being negative again. Or maybe local news is unique in being more balanced than national news outlets. Fascinating! Thanks for the share.