Evolution of Humankind Lecture notes and Exam revision
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Course
73310005BY
Institution
Universiteit Van Amsterdam (UvA)
Book
Sapiens
This document provides a detailed and comprehensive overview of the UvA course Evolution of Humankind.
These notes are really long, but it's literally everything that was mentioned in the lectures and that will be in the exam. If you read this document through and understand the different key po...
Imperialism, Nationalism, Industrial Revolution, World
wars
3-step model of evolution
General
1. Combinations & transmission of information
2. Use of information in environment Selection
3. 1 + 2 + external causes (e.g. climate) = Environmental changes
Genes
1a. Mating of pairs of animals as well as nonsexual reproduction Genetic
combinations (often new)
1b. Transmission between bacteria
2. Use genes in the environment (i.e. behavior) Selection
3. Genetic pool changes as a consequence of new animals + selection of incumbents =
changes the gene pool for forthcoming generations
Culture
1a. Cultural combinations (new or replications)
1b. Transmission
2. Use of culture in social environment Selection of (cultural elements)
3. 1 + 2 + demographic and social network change = Social cultural environment
changes
Eurasian and American Networks (1490)
Europe 1400 – 1500
- Population recovery after black death
- No centralized control of markets
- Freedom commerce
- Europeans learned inventions from China, India, and Islamic world
- Start capitalism in Italy Beneficial to upcoming wealthy elites, problematic for
commoners
o First bank
o Private stock companies with dividends could muster investments and grow
large
o On account of Gun making, shipbuilding, mining (on which states
depended)
- Printing press (1455)
Eurasian and American webs connected : 1492
Imperialism
- Spanish, Portuguese, English, Dutch and French conquerors and traders sailed out
across the world Conquer the world, confiscated goods they thought were
valuable for their trade
, - Spanish to South America : Killed 90–95% of America’s inhabitants because they
brought diseases, they were not accustomed to
- Brought Christianity with them Rejected in some places, accepted in others
- Slave trade : 20 million people were taken against their will, brought mostly to
America
o Disruptive effect on the institutions in Africa Became more extractive
o No diffusion of inclusive institutions
o Africa : Land was not scarce, labor was Less (intense) wars compared to
Eurasia (about conquering land)
African elites (managed polities) : Much less pushed to increase the
quality of their bureaucracies + states (compared to Europe)
Plays a role in why bureaucracies were less developed
Not enough institutional basis for inclusive institutions
Imperialism and racism
- To legitimize slave trade : Europeans fantasized that Africans were of a different and
inferior race
o Same cultural construct had been done earlier by Arabs
- Slave trade was not a European invention : Slavery was common in most societies
with inequality
- European, American and African traders accumulated wealth
- Slavery, Network pattern : Can be seen as a form of brokerage
Shifting power in Europe & America (as a consequence of (slave)
trades)
- Rising bourgeoisie Due to trade, weakening aristocracy due to diminished role in
warfare (because of fire arms being available)
o Bourgeoisie : Bankers, notary, lawyers
- “Consent of the governed” : (Votes, elections) The authority of a government should
depend on the consent of the people
o Idea adopted by the rising bourgeoisie
o Bourgeoisie used it in relation to the king : The king depended on the
bourgeoisie for his wars
E.g. France, consent of the governed became part of the French
Revolution
o Made popular by John Lock Actually older idea from the Roman Empire
Ideological innovation : Nationalism
- Nationalism : Ideology that proclaims unity
o Unity of language (forced by education and coercion)
o Unity of religion (rarely the case in practice, preached in ideology)
o Shared history of the people in the territory of the state
Only heroic acts were left in All the armies, murders and rapes
were carefully left out
Much of it was based on fantasy
, - Nationalism completely ignores inequality : Preaches a fictitious fraternity among
equals
o In reality there was a lot of inequality, very little equality (only among
soldiers)
- The idea of nationalism : Became current in the French revolution, became much
more influential after the revolution/defeat of napoleon
o European countries : Do not want to be part of an empire, want to be
independent nations
o Nationalism diffused quickly/widely through the global network
- Nationalistic feelings Strengthened by books, education, museums, national
maps, national heroes, and other symbols
o Resulted in = Increased solidarity among the believers More willing to
fight and die for their nations
- Nationalism could take hold when :
o The aristocracy was weakened
o upstarts used this ideology to scandalize incumbent elites and recruit new
followers
Higher chance of success when Neighboring polities has recently
become nationalist states
o Other factors (e.g. Industrialization, literacy) Had no effect
Cultural evolution of Nationalism (cultural evolutionary model)
1. Ideas of self-governance + multi-fold unity (language)
o Enriched with flags, parades, other symbols
o Diffused within polities by education, military service, (rail)roads
o Diffused between polities by word-of-mouth and pamphlets
2. It was used successfully to increase solidarity (of citizens)
o In intra-elite (meso level)
o By national states competing with other polities (macro level)
Had a feedback effect into more widespread diffusion
Ultimately led to the demise of all polities that were non-national states
3. This diffusion + group selection = Changed the polity landscape
o To the extent that by the 20th century other polities that were non-national
states were non-viable
Industrial revolution : Network, resources, and institutions
- In 1500 Europe : There were already 50 relatively autonomous universitates
o First university (in Europe) was founded in the 13th century
o First university India, Second university North Africa
- In Europe there were no centralized polities that completely controlled their citizens
More intellectual freedom : To discover all kinds of things
Republic of letters : Continent-wide network of intellectuals exchanging these new ideas
- This is knowledge brokerage
- Not interested in money, more interested in reputation
- But they needed food to survive Asked for patronage to support them
, o Sometimes got into political conflicts : In local polities, where their ideas
were not appreciated
Consequently, they moved to another polity and gave their advice to
the local rulers In exchange for ideas
- Created institutions of : Openness, criticism, intellectual property rights, empirical
testing of claims rather than just believing by judgement
These institutions still apply to science + still greatly disliked by autocrats
(they do not like criticism, empirical testing of their ideas)
- The success of these ideas : People could show that they actually worked
o E.g. Steam engine, worked and could have many economic applications
- Autocrats + Christian church : They were against all this new intellectual freedom
o They were not powerful enough to block the new ideas in the long run
o But they were able to block some ideas for some time
- Conditions to turn this into an industrial revolution
o Beneficial economic factors
Was in place in Britain : Capitalism (banks), corporations looking for
opportunities to invest
o Important institutional factors
Business friendly laws
The London stock exchange
o Important material conditions
There should be a lot of coal + iron in the soil
o Important social conditions
The network of intellectuals should also connect to technicians and
entrepreneur’s
- Industrial Revolution Emergent phenomena through the network of people,
resources, and opportunities
o Accidentally happened in Britain :
Each individual small contributions
Together, under the right circumstances Resulted in the Industrial
Revolution
o If the same conditions would have held elsewhere (E.g. Bangladesh, Africa),
then the Industrial Revolution could have taken place there
Strengthening industrialization : Bureaucratic organizations
The industrialization quickly got intertwined with bureaucratic organizations
- Bureaucracy :
o Seen 2,000 years earlier (first in China + other large empires)
o Seen much later at the time of the Industrial Revolution (modern armies,
hospitals, factories, companies, railroads, prisons, etc.)
- Patronage + nepotism Receded, was pushed out of the way (but not completely)
o At the expense of upcoming bureaucracy
- Resulted in more meritocracy Through impersonal formal rules for job
qualifications, work, and for administration
o People were employed according to job specifications
Had to do their jobs according to formal rules
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