The History of Being Human

Hitler was a failure who achieved the opposite of nearly all of his stated intentions. But was he insane as well? His life and legacy might argue he was, but what do the experts say? If he was insane, what was the diagnosis? And if he was not insane, how do you account for his actions? Was he a meth head, dragon chaser, narcissist, psychopath, schizophrenic, oedipal conflicted anal regressive, or what? In this episode we explore the body of literature devoted to explaining the motivations and actions of Adolf Hitler, and ask the question of whether he should be explained at all.

He's one of the most reviled people in Western history -- a man whose cruelty, jealousy, and violence are proverbial. And yet his legacy is much more nuanced, his person more complicated than most of us know. One thing that is not in question is that he died a miserable death; in pain, angry, and resentful. Was it, as Josephus said, divine justice? Was it foul play? Spoiler: as bad as it was, it appears to have been neither, and can be easily explained.

I have released my first TouTube video and this is the audio -- see the episode here: https://youtu.be/uVfn5Ar1rmg?si=e3TE_6tCWEuQxf7h Schrodinger's Cat Quick and Easy Yes, this is based on a longer podcast episode -- but hey, you've got to start somwhere!

The OG, greatest generation of Human ever! At least if your metric is a dogged determination to keep existing. For 2 million years these prehistoric hominins wandered far and wide, high and low, filling every available lakeshore and riverbed. What can we know about them? Their looks, abilities, traits? Did they use fire? Language? Clothing? Where did they come from and get to? And why, after such a successful run, did they exit the world stage? Today on the History of Being Human, the essential guide to all things Erectus.

This week I wander off the topic of Life Extension (more next episode) to take advantage of an opportunity to interview an anthropologist about the White Sands footprints. Not since the Laetoli Australopithecus prints has a set of human footprints rocked the world of paleontology like those found in White Sands, New Mexico. Studies have dated these prints to 21-23,000 year ago, more than 6000 years older than humans were known to have arrived in the Americas! Many scientist are convinced the date is accurate; but if it is, it means a reshaping of an entire paradigm. In this episode I speak with Dr. Edward Jolie about his work, and about those prints. Dr. Jolie is the Clara Lee Tanner Associate Professor of Anthropology (School of Anthropology) and Associate Curator of Ethnology (Arizona State Museum) at the University of Arizona. In this wide-ranging discussion we cover: 0: 00 Intro to Dr. Jolie and his work 12:10 Were the Anasazi (Ancestral Pueblo people) cannibals? (Sorry, I couldn't resist the Man Corn debate!) 14:40 The White Sands footprints 16:40 The "Clovis First" paradigm (ie., the "Standard Model" of peopling of Americas 20:50. Why the White Sands prints are potential paradigm changers 28:40 The reliability of oral cultural transmission 30:40 Two objections to the 21-23K year old dating Thank you to Dr. Jolie for sharing his insights with us. See him here: https://www.nps.gov/media/video/view.htm%3Fid%3DA09EF77D-2A1B-47FD-A9B9-B9F1EC9BD00E Graphic by Ian Armstrong

It is time to take a trip to that Undiscovered Country and visit our greatest teacher. How long do we live, how long did we live, and why don't we just keep on going? Never mind that we do the world and our gene pool a great service by only taking up space for a finite time, what are the chances we can extend our time for a while? Indefinitely?

In this episode we cover the underpinnings of the either/or, cause-then-effect, deterministic, distance-separates-things, no-info-travels-faster-than-light, orderly world of classical physics. It is the world inhabited by such luminaries as Newton and Einstein. Then we descend into the merely probabilistic, action-at-a-distance, neither/both world of Quantum Physics to cover the most bafflng and counter intuituve (nay, SPOOKY in the words of Einstein) phenomenon in nature -- Quantum Entanglement. If you have not listened to the episode on Schrodinger's Cat (HBH 50) it is recommended you do so first. Superposition is a necessary precursor to this topic also. For more info: https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/proving-that-quantum-entanglement-is-real#:~:text=The%20Freedman–Clauser%20experiment%20was,2010%20Wolf%20Prize%20in%20physics. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/quantum-entanglement-isnt-all-that-spooky-after-all1/ Art by Ian Armstrong

To paraphrase Richard Feynman: If you think you understand quantum mechanics, you don't understand quantum mechanics. Along the same lines, if you have made sense of Schrödinger's Cat thought experiment, you don't understand it. But that's not to say it can't be explained. Which is exactly what we do in this episode of the history of being human - present one of the most enduring, and most popularly recognizable, legacies of early quantum theory.

At Long Last - Pilate's Old Question Will Get an Answer!

In this episode, the massive, rapacious king power lizards of the Cretaceous are finally taken off the board by an asteroid. We trace the origins and progress of the skulking night vermin that are unleashed in their absence. These night vermin, with their whiskers and fur and fancy new brains, become the superpowers of the Cenozoic (our current era). This is the story of the mammals, from a time long before their origin until the last common ancestor between humans and chimpanzees. Although this is a re-release of a previous episode, it contains never-before released material about the latest estimates of warm-bloodedness ariiving on the stage. Illustration by Ian Armstrong

Continuing with the origins of everything that is, I present the history of planet Earth, from its birth to the age of mammals. Included: And much more...information that sounds, admittedly, tedious, but only because it is. But! Can you truly know about yourself without knowing about the universe, solar system, and planet that are a part of you?

In this episode: 9 billion years of prehistory made dangerously accessibleThe broadest, easily understood, fascinating ideas of the "Big Bang"This episode is an updated and expanded presentation of episode 11a. A key element in understanding current thought on our own nature.

Attention: This is the episode that started the podcast -- the story of the maxim Know Thyself, the Prophetess at Delphi, Apollo and the python, Zeus and the omphalos, and the much more ancient Egyptian origins of the injunction. What did it mean to the ancients? Is it still relevant today, or has it cone the way of alchemy and phrenology?

In this brief announcement I discuss the philosophy and rationale for content choices and discuss a few changes coming to the podcast. It is my belief that these changes will add value to my listeners, albeit indirectly, as they will enable me to produce more content and extend the reach of the podcast. Thank you for all your support. I am excited to be moving the podcast to the next level and hope you will continue to listen!

From the new Studio P, provided by Peyton, comes the death of Poe. In a sad case of life imitating art, Edgar Allen Poe, the master of the macabre and father of the mystery story presents us with a real-life masterpiece of both genres in his own tragic death. Poe boarded a train, disappeared for days, and turned up in a gutter outside a tavern/polling station wearing someone elses clothing. He was rushed to a hospital where he languished for day before dying. In his feverish delirium, he was never able to say what had happened to him or where he had been, but called out an unknown name several times during his last hours. Here, dear listeners, is one of the most puzzling of mysterious deaths in history, in all its lurid detail. Special thanks to Jess for the episode idea Cover Art by Ian Armstrong

Alexander was a prodigy in all things military and administrative, as unaccountably great in his own field as Mozart was in music or Michelangelo in art. By age 32, he had conquered the mightiest empire ever known and extended the boundaries of his kingdom to the edges of the known world. Against men, beasts, and entire armies, Alexander never lost a battle. But in the prime of his life and the apex of his power, he became ill and soon died. What, exactly, conquered the greatest conqueror the world had ever known? Infectious disease? Battle wounds? Prodigious drinking? Neurological or hereditary illnesses, or murder most foul and insidious? On this episode we speak with Professor Philip Freeman, author of the acclaimed biographgy of Alexander, about the death (and life) of one of the most influential figures in the history of being human. Please see Dr. Freeman's bio and bibliography here: philipfreemanbooks.com. Buy his book on Alexander, Hannibal, St. Patrick -- they are all highly readable and accessible but represent the best scholarship you would expect from a chaired professor of classical philology. Art Work by Ian Armstrong

At the age of 44, Friedrich Nietzsche, one of the most influential philosophers and writers of his age, suffered a psychotic breakdown. For the next 11 years until his death from pneumonia, he evidenced profound dementia and was totally dependent on the care of others. For many years Nietzsche's decline was blamed on syphilis, but lately that diagnosis has come under increasing scrutiny or outright attack. In its place researchers have posited tumors, hereditary illnesses, rare metabolic disorders, and rapidly progressive forms of dementia. What is the truth? Can we ever know? Fear not, intrepid listener, this episode of The History of Being Human will deign to [attempt to] answer all mysteries around the death of Friedrich Nietzsche.

Even King Tut had a mother. Once. And not for very long, it seems. This episode is actually several mysteries in one. Who was King Tut's mother? Why did she die, esecially so young? Was it sickness, childbirth, accident, or murder most foul? A story of 18th Dynasty Egypt, tomb robbers, trauma before and after death, sneaky priests and vile heretics, sprinkled with rather dry medical research. Links: Tour of KV 35, where Younger Lady was found (down to the exact chamber): https://youtu.be/AzhDlLrwEZ0 Photos of the Younger Lady including facial reconstruction: https://melissaindenile.com/2021/06/07/mummy-monday-the-younger-lady/

Tutankhamen died at 19 years old. No one is sure why or how. His tomb, his mummy, and his DNA offer some tantalizing clues, but no definitive answer. Here is the life and death of one of the best known mummies, from one of the least known Pharohs, in ancient history; a dive deeper than any other podcast is capable or willing to take. It is a tale of sorrows and pains, of bizarre family dynamics, of deformities and deat, and of intrigue and possible murder. In the end, we answer what can be answered about the life and mysterious death of the most famous of all Pharaohs, King Tut.

The third and final member of the Milesian school, once considered the weak little sister of the philosphers, now appreciated in all his Air-udite glory. This is his story, as we have it, which may or may not correlate roughly to some things he actually said or did. As a synthesizer of the works of Thales and Anaximander, he held onto the best and abandoned the worst of their ideas, and in so doing became a father of empirical science.