[~70,000BCE] - The Cognitive Revolution: Language and the birth of Art, Religion, Shame and Execution

How language and cooperation shaped our world and human society.Discover how language transformed from simple signals to complex communication, enabling us to cooperate, create cultures, and build civilizations. We explore the evolution of human imagination, the role of gossip, the development of societal morals, and the paradoxical nature of human violence and compassion.Additionally, we discuss the future of communication technology and the potential mind-blowing implications of brain-computer interfaces. Packed with insights from anthropology, psychology, and neuroscience, this episode provides a comprehensive understanding of our past and a glimpse into our possible future.ABOUTHow to Change the World is an independent podcast on a mission to document the entire history of innovation. One world-changing event at a time. In the process we are building out frameworks and mental models to think more coherently about global change.ChangeTheWorldPod.comWritten, edited, recorded, and produced by Sam Webster Harris.Help from:Designs - Francisca Correia (available to hire)Mentorship - Jeremy Enns (available to hire)REFERENCESRichard Wrangham: Ape society lessons in human cooperation and violence - The Goodness Paradox | Demonic MalesNicholas Shea: How we make and use concepts - Concepts as Plug and Play Devices | Concepts at the InterfaceSteven Mithen: Evolution of the brain and language - Prehistory of the Mind | The Language PuzzleYuval Noah Harari: Cognitive revolution and myths - SapiensChristopher Boehm: How morals shape society - Moral OriginsTim Urban: Future of brain computer interfaces - Neuralink and the Brains Magical Future(See website for more)CHAPTERS00:00 The magic of co-operation02:26 Welcome05:09 The Compression problem08:50 ACT 1 - COGNITIVE BASIS OF LANGUAGE08:50 Biological history of languages13:46 The Interconnected Brain17:24 Complex words and stuff21:11 Teamwork22:08 ACT 2 - GOSSIP, MYTHS & RELIGION22:08 Gossip and the glue of society25:46 Myths and shared delusions30:40 Early Religions - Animism, art and penises33:37 ACT 3 - SELF-DOMESTICATION33:43 Shame and Blushing38:30 The Execution Hypothesis43:21 Reactive vs Proactive Violence46:55 Mealtimes Sharing and small town thinking52:12 ACT 4 - EVOLUTIONS OF LANGUAGE52:12 Language shifts55:59 Shame and Society58:49 Evolution of communication01:01:33 Magical Wizard Hats (Brain Computer Interfaces)01:03:58 Potential Limitations01:07:38 Predicting the future01:09:47 WRAP UP Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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If you want to change the world, you need to dissect the past to build a blueprint for tomorrow.Follow the epic journey through the history of invention, science and technology - told in chronological order.---Long before the rise of Empires,before the invention of the written wordand before humans ever tamed fire.Curiosity was shaping the fate of our species.This podcast breaks down the messy, complicated, often accidental ways humanity pushes forward—and shows you exactly how you can do the same.This isn’t surface-level history.Starting at the dawn of civilisation, we trace the thread of human innovation in the order it happened. Covering the stories of the world's greatest inventors and most powerful ideas.Each episode is a masterclass - with all the nerdy details and side-quests that matter across science, economics, psychology and more:From Maritime navigation to Interstellar explorationHammurabi’s legal code to Algorithmic governanceDa Vinci’s human dissection to Genome editingStudying the patterns of history and invention shows how every world-changing idea is but a conversation between what has been and what could be.Journey with us as we untangle the playbooks of the disruptors who change things here on earth and beyond. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.