Prehistory, Wellbeing, and Violence Myths

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Sam Miller McDonald is a writer and longtime Current Affairs contributor. He joins Nathan Robinson to discuss his new book Progress: How One Idea Built Civilization—and Now Threatens to Destroy It, a sweeping critique of the belief that history is a story of constant improvement.

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0:00-8:30 critiquing the Pinker-style narrative of progress
8:30-19:43 “progress” as destruction: industrialization and ecological collapse
19:43-23:34 what actually constitutes wellbeing
23:34-30:15 why the idea of “progress” is misleading
30:15-36:42 how “progress” justifies violence (Nazism, colonialism)
36:42-41:37 imagining values beyond “progress”

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