Transcription
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I don't know if you've ever wondered how humans became the dominant species on Earth. By what right are humans? Is it because there's a god backing us up, or are humans the chosen species? What force propelled humans from a group of ordinary animals to the pinnacle of civilization? Why are our pets, pets, and we are their masters? To our pets, we are like gods. You bestow food upon them, you care for them, you play with them, and in their eyes, humans are practically immortal. Imagine your cat. Although usually a bit arrogant, in their memory, from the moment they were born and saw you, you've looked like this. Until they grew up and had kittens, your appearance remained the same. And their kittens had kittens, and their kittens had kittens, and you still looked the same. Until they grew old and their eyesight failed, you would take them to the hospital, even send them on their final journey. But throughout their lives, your cat would never understand why its owner could live so long. Not only could it not understand, but its sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons couldn't understand either! Ah! Humans are gods. I think this explanation is probably the most acceptable one for cats.
This episode continues with Yuval Noah Harari's work, "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind." The Chinese title you're probably more familiar with is "A Brief History of Humankind," and another translation is "A Brief History of Humans." It's the same book. Since not every friend listens to every episode, I'll reintroduce it briefly. The author, Harari, received his PhD from Jesus College, Oxford University, in 2002, specializing in medieval history and military history. So, he is a medieval scholar, military historian, and popular science writer. He is currently a professor of history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The book we're discussing today, "A Brief History of Humankind," was published in 2011. His university lectures were always packed, even attracting people who didn't study history. Upon its publication, this book became a global bestseller. So, in this episode, we will follow the author to see how we, as humans, came to be and what our history is like.
I will first summarize the book in one sentence. This book narrates the developmental journey of humankind from the emergence of humans in ancient times to modern society, and even briefly touches upon the future direction of humanity. Therefore, this book is the prequel to "Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow," which we discussed last episode. The most impressive aspect of the author, Harari, is his interdisciplinary thinking. He can integrate knowledge from physics, chemistry, biology, anthropology, ecology, political science, cultural studies, psychology, and all other fields. So, you will definitely not find this book boring. The three core themes of this book are the Cognitive Revolution, the Agricultural Revolution, and the Scientific Revolution. We will focus on these three themes in this episode. Without further ado, let's begin today's content.
First, let's discuss how humans emerged. The author states that if we don't understand this history, we can easily fall into a misconception that humans evolved in a linear fashion, for example, from Australopithecus to Homo habilis, then to Homo erectus, then to Neanderthals, and finally to Homo sapiens. We might think it's a single, continuous process, but that's not the case. Over millions of years, many different human species coexisted on Earth simultaneously. Evolution is actually a process full of branches and competition. Different human species adapted to different ecological environments and thus developed different characteristics.
Let's first explain a simple concept: Genus. This refers to a classification like "genus" in biology, not the Chinese zodiac. What is a Genus? It refers to different species that evolved from the same ancestor. They all belong to the same genus. For example, lions, tigers, leopards, and jaguars are different species, but they all belong to the Panthera genus. This concept is well-preserved in Latin. Panthera is the genus name. So, a lion is called Panthera leo. The first word is the genus name, and the second word is the species name. So, when you hear Panthera leo, you know that a lion belongs to the Panthera genus. Similarly, a tiger is called Panthera tigris, a leopard is called Panthera pardus, and a jaguar is called Panthera onca. For example, the cheetah, which was voiced by Gao Kailin before, does not belong to Panthera. It belongs to the Acinonyx genus. So, the scientific name of a cheetah is Acinonyx jubatus. Following this logic, we are called Homo sapiens. Homo refers to the genus, and sapiens is our species name. Homo sapiens refers to modern humans. We are all descendants of Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens is currently the only known surviving species in human evolutionary history, first appearing in Africa about 300,000 years ago. Based on fossil evidence and genetic research, the ancestors of modern humans belong to Homo sapiens. Our ancestors migrated from Africa to all parts of the world, gradually replacing other ancient human species such as Neanderthals and Denisovans. Of course, they replaced them, but not entirely, because our genes also contain a small amount of Neanderthal and Denisovan DNA. This means our ancestors had some form of relationship with them. (Ooh, hello, do you want to play with me, White Horse Manite?) So, our ancestors had many close siblings. Humans have become accustomed to thinking of themselves as the only humans because, in the past 10,000 years, all our siblings have died, leaving only Homo sapiens. However, the word "human" truly refers to animals of the Homo genus, including Neanderthals, Denisovans, and Homo erectus. They are all humans. The common ancestor of all humans actually lived 2.5 million years ago, Australopithecus. Around 2 million years ago, these ancient humans began to migrate to different places, such as North Africa, Europe, and Asia. Those who went to Europe and Western Asia were Homo neanderthalensis, the Neanderthals, named after the Neander Valley in that region. They were also siblings of Homo sapiens. Neanderthals were more robust, with more developed muscles, and were well-adapted to the cold climate of the Ice Age on the Eurasian continent. Those who traveled all the way to Asia were Homo erectus, also our siblings. They were upright humans. So, you can see that according to the naming rules we discussed earlier, our ancestor is Homo sapiens, Neanderthals are Homo neanderthalensis, and upright humans are Homo erectus. They all have the same genus, Homo, in front of their names. This means they are all humans. They and we, Homo sapiens, are siblings of the same genus. The relationship is like that between lions, tigers, and leopards. Homo erectus lived in East Asia and survived for two million years before becoming extinct. It is currently the longest-surviving human species known. But don't think that those who lived in Asia are our ancestors. Actually, no. If we are lions, they are tigers, and Neanderthals are leopards. In Java, Indonesia, there was also an ancient human species called Homo floresiensis, the Flores man. This species adapted to the tropical environment. Also in Indonesia, on a small island called Flores, there were people who underwent a process of "pigification." That is, at that time, because the sea level was very low, people walked over from the mainland. After living there for some time, the sea level rose again, and they were trapped on the island with little food. Those who were large and tall needed more food, so the early ones starved to death on the island. On the other hand, those who were short had a survival advantage. After a few generations, the people living on this island became dwarfs, not exceeding one meter in height and weighing no more than 25 kg. They were also our close relatives, Homo floresiensis. And those brothers who went to Siberia were the Denisovans, Homo denisova. In fact, there are many caves, islands, and different climates all over the world. Not every species has the opportunity to leave fossils. Some become extinct and are lost, and no one finds them, so we don't know. So, how many close relatives and how many more relatives do we Homo sapiens have? This will always be a mystery. But without exception, they all evolved from our common ancestor, Australopithecus. Among our close relatives, some were quite tall, some were quite short, some were accustomed to hunting in open grasslands, some gathered food gently, some lived on islands, and some were spread across continents, migrating around. But wherever they were, they were Homo, they were all humans. So, current evidence shows that tens of thousands of years ago, there were at least six different human species on Earth. We were not the only humans. We can say with a clear conscience that we are the "dead quiet" species, the "dead quiet" human race.
Let's talk about another part: how humans conquered other animals and became the overlords of Earth. The human brain, relative to body size, is significantly larger than that of other animals. This is widely considered by scholars to be one of the key factors in human success. However, a larger brain capacity means we use more energy, and our physical structure is more fragile than other animals. The human brain accounts for 2-3% of our body weight, but even at rest, it consumes 25% of our energy. Our brains are very power-hungry. Compared to other primate species, such as monkeys and apes, they consume 8% more energy. What does such high energy consumption and waste of energy mean? It means humans have to spend more time and effort finding food, eating more to sustain brain function. At the same time, a larger brain capacity also leads to muscle degeneration. In a fight between humans and other animals, humans are at a distinct disadvantage. You wouldn't fight a bear. Even if it's just a kangaroo in front of you, you might still get knocked down. This is a trade-off. Humans sacrificed some physical strength for a more powerful brain. Therefore, human success is not purely based on brute force, but on intelligence and strategy.
Let's look at human infants. Compared to other mammals, human infants are premature. That is, many organs are not fully developed at birth, and they rely on parents and the community for a long time. This gives rise to the complexity of human social structures, as we need social cooperation to raise our offspring, which gradually evolves into close social relationships. Human infants also begin to receive education and socialization. This interdependence between individuals also promotes the cultural development of human society.
In fact, human society is very different from the animal world. We often have the idea that men are the breadwinners and women stay at home to take care of the children, that childcare is a woman's duty. Do you know you've been brainwashed by this idea? Last year, in an animal documentary called "The Queen of the Forest," you saw the cheetah, voiced by Gao Kailin, where all the females are hunters. When have you ever heard of a cheetah father hunting and bringing food back for the cheetahs to eat? The vast majority of animals responsible for finding food and hunting are females. In the animal world, females are better at hunting than males, mainly because they are lighter, smaller, and more agile, making them suitable for quick running and ambushing prey. Lions are females who hunt, and males protect the territory and the prey. In fact, the male lion stays at home to guard the territory, while the lioness does the hunting. Cheetahs are the same. Females need to raise their cubs and provide hunted food. But why is it reversed in humans? It's mainly because human infants are different from those of cheetahs and tigers. Their offspring are fully developed and can run shortly after birth. Your son cannot. Your son can only walk after a few years. Women need to spend a lot of time and energy on pregnancy, breastfeeding, and caring for these premature infants, making them unsuitable for leaving the tribe for extended periods and engaging in high-risk activities. What if the mother is eaten by a crocodile while hunting in the wild? The father cannot feed you. Lions, tigers, and leopards are different. They don't drink milk for long and can eat meat soon. Once the mother teaches them to hunt, her role begins to diminish.
Due to human vulnerability, for a long time, our ancestors, Homo sapiens, and other early humans were part of the food chain, often preyed upon by large animals. We were not at the top of the food chain. It wasn't until about 100,000 years ago, with the rise of Homo sapiens, that you began to make tools, such as knives, arrows, and swords. Animals that were once very strong and large to you could now be killed with a single blow. Our ancestors were very happy, saying, "You've had it today, you red man! I've wanted to hit your mother for a long time." In fact, as we discussed last episode, from this moment on, humans began to worship nature and animals, and then began to inflate their own importance. We started creating human myths and worshipping anthropomorphic gods. Because our ancestors had conquered most animals, we went from a species that feared fire to a species that worshipped fire. We gradually discovered that we feared tigers and wolves, so we worshipped tigers and wolves. To now being able to kill them with a single blow, and even tell them, "Hen hen, turn around and take a look. Don't say your master looks down on you. You used to chase dogs down the street, and now I chase you around the block and you can lick my toes. Lick your toes, lick him! Such poor service for a dead person!" Our ancestors experienced a leap in both reality and psychology. Of course, this process wasn't like worshipping tigers yesterday and worshipping ourselves today. It was a long, long process to reach this point.
This is the early history of humankind. We need to continue talking about the three revolutions of humankind. Let me tell you a secret. The previous sentence was recorded ten hours ago. It's now 1 AM. My daughter is taking an exam, so I was helping her revise and only now have time to continue recording. We were just saying that starting about 100,000 years ago, humans began to turn the tables, learning to make tools to hunt. And around 70,000 years ago, our ancestors, Homo sapiens, evolved again, as if reborn. At that time, they embarked on their second journey out of Africa. Not long after, the Neanderthals who originally lived in the Middle East and Europe were driven out and became extinct around 40,000 years ago. Shortly after, our ancestors, Homo sapiens, even expanded their territory to East Asia. The next target, of course, was Homo erectus living in East Asia. Then, by what method did they, subtly and indirectly, reach the isolated island of Australia? According to archaeological findings, between about 70,000 and 30,000 years ago, Homo sapiens invented boats, oil lamps, bows and arrows, and needles for sewing warm clothing. There is also definitive evidence that religion, commerce, and social stratification already existed in Homo sapiens societies. In caves, we can even find a human-lion head sculpture carved 32,000 years ago. It's not a sphinx, but a human-lion head sculpture.
What exactly was this Cognitive Revolution? What happened that greatly increased human intelligence, enabling the invention of such complex tools, and even art and social systems? We actually don't know much. This blank period provides much room for the theories of extraterrestrial creationism that we often hear about today. It's definitely because aliens came and modified the brains of Homo sapiens at that time, making them smarter, and even taught them how to farm and make tools. In fact, these claims have no substantial evidence to support them. They are more like conjecture or fantasy. When we discussed Occam's Razor before, we already talked about how to discuss these issues. If unnecessary, entities should not be multiplied. The more variables there are, the more likely it is to be false. Although we don't know why humans suddenly experienced a leap in intelligence and technology, proving that they found certain methods to enhance their intelligence is definitely easier than proving that aliens once came, and that aliens saw humans, taught them, and then disappeared without a trace. The things you need to explain and prove are at least three or four more. The credibility of these claims is much lower than simply proving that they became intelligent and smart for some unknown reason. This is where extraterrestrial creationism is not credible. Conversely, a mainstream theory widely accepted by scholars today is that Homo sapiens at that time experienced a genetic mutation that changed the way their brains were connected, allowing them to think and communicate in entirely new ways. This not only caused subtle changes in our brain structure but also altered human ways of thinking and social structures. From then on, humans began to walk a different path from other species. And this mutation only occurred in our ancestors, Homo sapiens, and not in other Homo species. The reason for this is still a mystery to this day.
However, this phenomenon, for example, if you keep pets, you must know that the smartest dog is the Border Collie. It has the intelligence of an approximately eight-year-old child, which is smarter than my daughter's current intelligence. And in the dog intelligence ranking, the Afghan Hound is the dumbest. It not only doesn't understand your commands but doesn't even comprehend them. Don't just talk about humans; even the dogs we see today have such vast differences. They are all dogs, but they can be so different. Speaking of animals, animals also have their own ways of communication. For example, dogs bark, cats meow, and birds chirp. But the language of Homo sapiens is significantly different from that of other animals. Although Homo sapiens can produce a limited range of sounds, the combinations of sounds they produce can generate infinite sentences and different meanings. This allows Homo sapiens to convey more complex messages to their companions. For example, if a monkey wants to convey, "Hey, there's a lion," it might say "hoo hoo ha ha ha." Monkeys hearing this will know there's a lion. But if a monkey says, "hoo hoo ha hei," the monkey will know, "Oh, this isn't about a lion. Ha hei means tiger." Different animals, including elephants, whales, and apes, can do this. These are generally considered their language abilities. But the messages conveyed by the sounds of Homo sapiens are even more complex. Not only can they tell you where the lion is, but they can also tell you how many lions there are, in which direction the lion is, and how you should deal with it. "Hey, you go up the mountain, or you climb a tree, aim an arrow at it, and I'll lure it from below." This means you can convey more complex and precise information. This flexibility allows humans to cooperate on a large scale and lays a solid foundation for further accumulation of knowledge. Besides telling you to avoid lions or how to kill them, language has another important function for humans: gossiping. Homo sapiens developed language as a tool for gossiping, allowing people to obtain and share information about each other's social relationships. For people living in groups, besides knowing that lions can harm you, you also need to know which people are annoying, who will harm you, what the relationships are between people, who dislikes whom, and who are reliable and honest people, and who steals old ladies' underwear. Even if a tribe or clan only has a few dozen people, they experience different things every day, and their interactions are constantly changing. So, if you want to analyze and store this information in a dynamic way, the amount of information our brains need to process is astonishing. For example, in a tribe of fifty people, the number of one-on-one relationship combinations is 1225. This is based on the assumption that there are no overlapping relationships between them. For example, Mr. A is not only your brother but also your sibling because you have the same wife, and you and your wife have a son. Your son not only has to call his own mother "mother" but also call his mother "aunt." Then your father-in-law also has a son with your wife. Your younger brother not only has to call your wife "mother" but also call your wife "sister." Then your daughter marries the son of your wife and father-in-law and has a son. This son not only has to call his own father "father" but also call him "uncle." Of course, you are also his father, but at the same time, he is your nephew, and he also has the identity of your son-in-law. Imagine if you have to process these complex relationships, how much information your brain has to process. You have to make sure you don't call people the wrong name in the tribe. You can't be unintelligent. Our brain structure becomes more and more complex.
The most unique function of the Homo sapiens language system is its ability to convey information about things that do not exist. This is something other species cannot do. What does this mean? Let me give you an example. Teacher Chen's ancestor, Chen Lao A, met a woman he liked in the tribe 30,000 years ago. If you want to play badminton with someone and have a child, you have to coax them. You have to say to them, "Oh, darling, I really want to have a chubby, fair baby with you." Don't underestimate this sentence. The baby doesn't exist yet, but you have to tell your girlfriend, and even make her imagine that you will have a baby with her in the future. This goes beyond the language capabilities of other species. Imagine your cat and a tomcat in heat on the street. They won't talk about this. They won't talk about having kittens in the future. Their meows can only convey "I want to play badminton with you." They can't say whether they will have a badminton after playing badminton. But the Homo sapiens language system can do this. For example, if Chen Lao A is the leader of the tribe and you mobilize people to attack Adi's tribe, you have to tell them, "After we occupy Adi's territory, we can snatch their women." But the key problem is that you can't snatch women now. How can you describe to people that you will be able to snatch their women in the future? This requires imagination. You have to describe things that haven't happened. This ability is actually very powerful. With the birth of this ability to generalize through language, humans could further create fictional stories, such as myths. Do you know that our ancestor was called Nuwa? She took mud by the river and molded us in her likeness, so we are all made by Nuwa. Jay: Yes, but Dad tells you, in the neighboring tribe, Adi's tribe, their people are of a lower class. Because Nuwa only made our tribe's people with great effort, molding and carving. She just made a batch of us. But later, she got a bit bored while making them and didn't want to bother. So, she started to be lazy and casually took a handful of mud and shook it towards the sky. Ah, then lower-class, lower-class humans appeared. For example, the people of Adi's tribe are inferior to us, so we are naturally meant to rule them. Because they were not molded by Nuwa herself, but made casually by Nuwa to make up the numbers, and they were created to be our slaves. Do you understand? So that's how it is? Dad, I understand. At first, I was thinking, after we conquer her tribe, asking her to lick my toes seems a bit impolite. But after hearing you say this, I think it's all reasonable. She was made by a god, so she is naturally meant to lick my toes and serve me. Come, son, go to bed early tonight. We'll go and raid her tomorrow. Okay. Hit her mother. Yes, hit her mother. Hehehe.
The evolution of the language system allows people within a tribe to work towards common goals, even if the goals are fictional. In fact, these subtle differences in the language system are enough to widen the gap between humans and other species. Of course, the results of this Cognitive Revolution are multifaceted. It not only affected human communication but also human behavior patterns and social structures. Although the examples I gave are a bit exaggerated, the reality is generally like this. You will find that in their communication, they gradually form a hierarchical relationship, and you will also find that religious ideas begin to form. This process makes Homo sapiens' connections increasingly close, and their ability to adapt to environmental changes becomes faster and stronger, even surpassing the limitations of biological evolution. The ability to create fictional stories becomes the basis for constructing future human social order and lays important prerequisites for the subsequent Agricultural Revolution, the rise of empires, and the Scientific Revolution, making large-scale human cooperation possible.
Thus, our ancestors, Homo sapiens, lived for another 20,000 years. About 10,000 years ago, another revolution was born: the Agricultural Revolution. The author states that this Agricultural Revolution did not begin solely in the Middle East but developed independently almost simultaneously worldwide. At that time, the Middle East was abundant in wheat and peas, Central America in corn and beans, South America in potatoes, and East Asia in rice and millet. The author presents a subversive viewpoint here: he believes that this Agricultural Revolution was not a process of humans domesticating plants, but rather plants domesticating humans. Taking wheat as an example, wheat was not actively domesticated by humans but used human labor to expand its range. Humans paid a great price to cultivate wheat, such as clearing large stones, weeding, irrigating, fertilizing, and preventing pests. Doing these things was not a natural instinct for humans, as it had negative health impacts, such as back pain and arthritis. And this Agricultural Revolution did not bring the expected ease and leisure; instead, it made human life more arduous. The author lists some negative impacts: First, after humans began to cultivate, their diet became monotonous, leading to insufficient nutrient intake. Second, it changed human lifestyles, forcing humans to settle in one place and abandon their originally freer nomadic life. Third, the spread of diseases. Increased population density made diseases easier to spread. Fourth, increased violent conflict. The emergence of private property led to more resources and land being contested by different people. Fifth, due to malnutrition and widespread disease, child mortality rates increased significantly at that time. Overall, violent conflict in agricultural societies was far higher than in previous hunter-gatherer societies.
Why did humans make such a choice at that time? Why did they fall into the agricultural trap? The author says that historically, humans constantly repeat mistakes. The reason is the same: people of an era or a generation cannot see the profound impact of what they are doing from a global perspective. Each generation or batch of humans only wants to do a little bit more. For example, "Why don't I use a hoe to till the field? My grandfather just scattered some seeds on the ground, and the harvest didn't seem great. Now, I'll loosen the soil with a hoe and then plant each seed carefully. Wow, the harvest has indeed increased. We don't have to starve anymore. Children can be watchmen in the fields." As an ordinary person, you only think this way. If I work a little harder every day and do a little more, your life will indeed improve. Then you do this, your neighbor does this, and the neighbor next door does this. Everyone does this, and everyone settles down. What happens if you cause trouble? Causing trouble is selfish desire. At the beginning, you play badminton, and the number of children increases. With more children, you can't help but work harder. You have to open more fields and plant more wheat. This is a vicious cycle. The more children you have, the more the population grows. In the past, infants might have been breastfed for three years, but now they can eat bamboo. They are weaned at eight months. Once this habit is formed, you need more wheat. Breastfeeding decreases, and children's immunity declines. Dad is busy with farming every day, and his eight-pack abs turn into a piece of pork belly. His physique also deteriorates, and his food sources become monotonous. In the past, you would eat raw pork, venison, and stewed bat soup, but now you can only eat porridge. Collective immunity declines, and it quickly becomes a breeding ground for diseases. Later, you discover that there are locusts in the world that eat all your grain, causing you to fail. Disaster! You have nothing prepared. Then people start dying, and epidemics occur. It's not easy to finally get through it. The epidemic is finally over. The ancient COVID is finally over. Then you discover there are bandits. Those nomadic people who don't farm see you have so much food and come to rob you. What do you do? You have to start defending against enemies and thieves. How do you defend? You have to call the strong men to build walls and watchtowers to see if enemy troops are coming. At this point, you are in a difficult situation. You cannot go back to being a nomad because your ancestors for generations or several generations have become farmers. Not to mention riding horses, you might not have even seen a horse. And your relatives are increasing in number. Leaving for another place is simply unrealistic. It's not like when there were only 50 people and you could go wherever you wanted. Now there are hundreds or thousands of people. Where to go? You might starve to death before you even leave. So, this lifestyle gradually becomes fixed.
Recent evidence suggests that humans' choice to settle down and live agriculturally may also be related to religious factors. Why is it related to religion? We see many megalithic structures all over the world. We often wonder what these megalithic structures were used for. These megalithic structures were usually used for religious rituals. But the megalithic structures you're talking about are difficult for modern people to build or move even with modern machinery. For people tens of thousands of years ago, the human and material resources required would have been enormous. Therefore, some scholars speculate that early humans might have built these giant stone structures for religious reasons, to worship gods. To build them, they needed many people to build them, so they had to be fed and given food. Thus, a large amount of food was needed. The amount of food obtained through foraging was too small, so they thought, "Why not grow wheat ourselves?" Because once you start growing it, you can grow a lot, covering vast areas, and feeding many people. We would have enough manpower to build temples and structures. This theory subverts our long-held understanding. We often think that we build temples because our population is growing, we are getting richer, and we have more leisure time. But this view is the opposite. We need to feed a large number of people to build temples, which leads to regional prosperity. "I don't worship gods, I don't build temples, so I won't farm here, and I won't have so many children." This theory is quite refreshing. I've never thought about it from this perspective before.
Let's continue with the previous part. Growing a large amount of grain and food will attract the envy of other nomadic peoples, who will come to rob you. So, we have to start building walls and raising soldiers to defend against foreign enemies. At this point, agriculture has enabled humans to settle down, population density has increased, and villages, cities, and states have gradually formed. Our ancestors, from small tribes, gradually became large cities, and then empires with hundreds of thousands or even millions of people. These empires include Egypt, Akkad, Rome, and the Qin Dynasty. This process gave rise to war, annexation, and integration. The emergence of empires represents the increasing organizational capacity of human society. At the same time, it also means that power structures began to move towards inequality, and social order became increasingly complex. To maintain these large-scale social orders, a core foundation is needed: the imagined order created by humans, i.e., the ideal state. This state, this order, did not exist before its appearance. Therefore, many orders are not based on biological instincts or objective facts, but on fictional stories that humans commonly believed at the time, such as what is justice, what is equality, and what are human rights. These concepts do not exist in nature; they are unique to humans, the product of collective imagination. It is precisely because of these fictional stories that these large societies have cohesion, making large-scale cooperation of the entire country and empire possible. Later, these consensus and fictional stories were gradually codified into laws. The most famous, of course, is the Code of Hammurabi. Before the Code of Hammurabi was compiled, many modern societal concepts were already written in it. And all these concepts are based on our ancestors' skill of telling bedtime stories and myths to children, and the skill of coaxing girls to have babies. As society becomes more complex and larger, language alone is not enough. These large societies require a large amount of information processing and management. Thus, writing systems emerged. Before the invention of writing, the medium for humans to store information was their brains. Information could only be passed down orally. You could only remember as much as you could, and then you would retell it to your children, and they would remember as much as they could. Therefore, without writing, the scale and complexity of society were severely limited. When writing systems were invented, this limitation was broken. The Sumerians invented cuneiform, the Andean culture invented quipu, and later the Arabs invented numbers. These events all marked significant breakthroughs in human information management. Because writing systems are not only tools for recording information but also change human ways of thinking and even promote bureaucratic systems and more complex social structures.
Besides laws, money is also an imagined order. Why? Because the value of money does not come from its material properties but from everyone's common belief in it. We all believe it has value. Gold might be easier to understand because it is beautiful. But think about what came before gold. It was shells. You can pick up shells on the beach for free now. Not to mention the beach, you can buy shells at the market. But don't worry about it. As long as everyone believes shells are valuable, they are currency. Even in our modern society, we have virtual currencies like Bitcoin. The form of money continues to evolve, but its fundamental characteristic remains unchanged: everyone's belief in it, their belief that it has value. The emergence of money has further promoted commercial development and globalization. But at the same time, money has also brought many negative consequences, such as inequality, greed, and moral decay.
After discussing the Cognitive Revolution and the Agricultural Revolution, we will talk about the last revolution: the Scientific Revolution. Starting about 1500 years ago, human society entered a new turning point: the Scientific Revolution. After the Cognitive Revolution, humans greatly desired to understand the world. Our ancestors invested a lot of time and effort hoping to find laws that could govern nature. The Cognitive Revolution gave rise to religion, so its narrative perspective was centered on religion. The Scientific Revolution is the opposite. It differs from the previous Cognitive Revolution in three key ways. The first difference is the willingness to admit ignorance. We admit that we are not omniscient. More importantly, we also have the magnanimity to admit that what we previously believed might be wrong when new knowledge and new concepts emerge. Therefore, since the advent of science, no concept, idea, or theory is sacred and unchallengeable. This is the first difference between the Scientific Revolution and the Cognitive Revolution. The second difference is the focus on observation and mathematics. After admitting our ignorance, we can no longer acquire new knowledge in the old way. We need a completely new method. First, we need to collect all sorts of observable things, then we need to use mathematical tools to analyze them, and finally, use data to derive a comprehensive theory. This is the second characteristic. The third characteristic is to acquire new capabilities. Creating theories alone is not enough for modern science. We also need to invent new things based on these theories, to invent tangible things. Based on these three characteristics, we can see that the Scientific Revolution is completely different from the religious cognitive system. The religious cognitive system is about knowledge. Whether it's Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, or Confucianism, their doctrines assume that God already knows all important matters, or that God's messengers already know. God directly or through his messengers, through scriptures or his words, passes this wisdom to future generations. So, for you, an ordinary person, what is your focus? You don't need to invent any new theories. You only need to study the ancient texts and classics I give you, learn how to understand them, and by understanding them, you will gain knowledge. Therefore, no one dares to question religious scriptures. "You garbage, how dare you slander the scriptures? You flesh and blood, how dare you presume to guess God's will? Burn you to death!" Even today, many people still think this way. So, the religious knowledge system is a knowledge revolution. I give you a pile of knowledge, and you slowly understand it. But the Scientific Revolution is not. It is a revolution of ignorance. The spirit of science is to constantly overturn oneself. Because I know nothing, I go to learn knowledge. Because I really want to learn knowledge, I must be careful and verify. I must prove step by step whether what you say is wrong or right. This revolution is actually a progress for humanity. In the world of science, nothing is sacred and inviolable.
How did this Scientific Revolution come about? The author says it is actually closely related to imperialism and capitalism at that time. For example, European imperial expansion required the development of weapons or navigation technology. When countries had money, they would heavily fund scientists and people with these technologies. After receiving funding, they would dedicate themselves to research. After successful research and invention of new things that other countries didn't have, you would compete. These new technologies would strengthen your empire's power. For example, with your navigation technology, your ship's firepower became much stronger, and you could conquer the world. To prevent sailors from getting sick or to heal wounded soldiers quickly, you would also develop various medicines, so medical and health care also developed. The stronger my country, the more I want to expand. The more funding I provide to these scientists, but there is always an end, even if the country has money. So what to do? Private merchants wanted a share of the pie. "Why not sponsor you? If you succeed, or if you are robbed, you give me a portion. If you don't want to give me a portion, it doesn't matter. I can lend you money, and you give me some interest." Gradually, the capitalist credit system and market mechanisms were formed. Science, empire, and capitalism formed a mutually promoting and mutually reinforcing virtuous cycle. The stronger the technology, the stronger the country. The richer the capitalists, the stronger the country. The more willing they are to invest in science and the more funds they provide, the faster science develops. Later, this led to colonialism. I believe modern people are already familiar with this history.
Besides affecting social systems, the Scientific Revolution also created a series of problems. For example, starting from the Industrial Revolution, human efficiency in the use of energy and raw materials greatly increased, leading to an explosive increase in productivity. However, in industrialized agriculture, for example, modern agricultural production has had an extremely negative impact on animal welfare. We confine animals, depriving them of their natural rights and instincts. We mentioned this last episode, so I won't repeat it. On the other hand, it has also caused a lot of environmental pollution. Another point is that with more goods, merchants want to sell their products, so how to coax you to buy them becomes their primary concern. From that moment on, consumerism began to affect every aspect of our minds and bodies. The technological revolution not only changed humanity's understanding of our world and endowed humans with unprecedented abilities but also brought us many new challenges and ethical dilemmas. We contemporary humans are at this historical turning point. Technological development may lead humanity to an unprecedented new era, and at the same time, it may also bring catastrophic consequences. What kind of consequences will it bring? The author will explore this question in his next book, which is called "Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow," the book we discussed last episode. The author predicts that in the next era, human society will see a technological religion. Technological religion may have two completely different directions. One is techno-humanism, where humans will use technology to upgrade our bodies and brains, turning each individual into a god-like being. We will maintain certain existing ethical rules but also become a symbiotic entity of another species and technology. The other is dataism, where humans will invent a data machine that surpasses humans, connecting all things in the world to this machine. It's equivalent to humans creating a god that surpasses humans. We will proactively hand everything over to this god that surpasses us, allowing us to continue to survive and reproduce. These are not plot points from science fiction novels, but the future that the author deduces for us through effective historical argumentation. If you are interested, you can listen to the previous episode.
I don't know if, after listening to my introduction to this episode, you have gained a deeper understanding of human history. Have there been any fundamental changes in your thinking about humanity's past and future? You are welcome to share with everyone in the discussion section. Our time for this episode has come to an end. Let's immediately move on to the comment section from the last episode. Congratulations to SIMCLUB for finally getting the first comment. SIMCLUB says, "Friend, Teacher Chai, thank you so much. I took a screenshot to avoid asking you again in the future. You are too kind, answering my questions in such detail. It took a full two minutes. Thank you very much. I've searched many places and only found iPhone 6s or Plus. The recorder icon is also black. I'll keep looking. You don't need to. Because you don't need to record for more than an hour or two like me, you won't have this problem. If you record for a shorter time, maybe within half an hour, twenty minutes, even the new version of the recorder will be fine. The best part is that it can be rewound at any time to overwrite the wrong parts and re-record, so you don't have to put your voice recordings on the computer to find where you made mistakes and delete them. This will save a lot of time. I use my iPhone for recording mainly for this reason. I can edit while recording. If you don't record for as long as I do, it's okay. Just use the black icon."
Track 1 says, "Second, I just picked up my phone and got a notification. Immediately came to leave a comment." Pudo says, "First to grab the top three spots. I'll listen tomorrow morning." Hitomi says, "Fourth." Hannah says, "Sixth. Can't get the first comment." Winston says, "Fifth." Chubby says, "Checking in first." Hannah says, "I've already screenshotted it. How can I get the first comment?" Same Club says, "Pay attention to Teacher Chai. Has he liked the previous video? If the previous video had toxic comments, you need to pay attention to whether he has liked the last comment. When he has liked the last comment, wait another 10 to 15 minutes. He should release a new video soon. In the last two times, he released Shorts first. When you see him release Shorts, you can infer that he will release a long video soon. So powerful! It's a strategy for grabbing the first comment. That's right. This is entirely my habit. How do I know if I've missed any comments? Because I do it this way: first, I open the discussion section, then I sort it from new to old, and then I start reading from the first one. After reading, I give it a heart. So, generally, I won't miss any comments. The reasons for missing them are only a few: first, I overlooked it; second, maybe the comment went into moderation, and I didn't know; or third, I've already released the video, and you noticed it later, so I couldn't read it. It's also possible." Kathryn laughs. Hannah says, "Thank you. I saw his Shorts, so I kept refreshing that video." Mila laughs. "That's right. If you see my Shorts have been released, then it's really a race against time. There's nothing we can do about that." Chakloy says, "Truly sharp eyes. All senior brothers and sisters have profound skills. I hope to get into the top ten. This is also a fun game of speed." Mila laughs. Ska says, "3732." Chris says, "I'm in Canada. Every morning when I wake up, the first thing I do is check if you've released a video. It's touching. Thank you. I recently heard that there's heavy snow in North America. Has it blown your way?" Pipi Wong says, "Top 10." Mao Yulunbi says, "Oh dear, I didn't make it into the top ten." Same Club says, "It should be thirteen." Rachel says, "Checking in. The new animation is beautiful." Dimitri says, "Ah Bao says, 'Humans always repeat the same mistakes.' Are you referring to Ah Lee by your Ah Bao?" Mama Lee says, "I'm here again to see what rank I am today. You are sixteenth today." Tony says, "Hi, Teacher Chai. New video again. Amazing. Keep it up. Thank you, Tony." Rachel says, "Thank you, Teacher Chai, for sharing this type of book. If I were to buy it myself, I wouldn't. It's not an easy book for me to get into, but listening to you makes it interesting and expands my knowledge blind spots. I think the books written by this author are actually quite easy to get into because the history he talks about is not boring like school books. It's not. And his narrative, logic, and cause-and-effect relationships are explained very well. This makes it understandable even for those who don't know much about history. So, I understand why his books are bestsellers and why so many people attend his lectures. He truly makes complex things simple. Pauling says, "Finally talking about this book. I have the first three. The fourth one, waiting for the cheap version." Don't worry, it should be soon. Xiao B says, "Number 22. Ah, hi everybody. Hi, hi." Angel says, "Angel, it should be a beautiful misunderstanding. You should be number 23. That is, at the moment you entered, about a dozen people should have entered." Haiming says, "Weeeee! I'm here to check in and listen to the book again. I really like your 'Weeeee!' I finally know why big data recommends you to me. Because it knows I like you being crazy. I also often talk about poop and pee. Birds of a feather flock together. How about it? Have you eaten poop today? Just kidding." Kenji says, "I didn't expect you to talk about this kind of book. I bought it but haven't read it yet." Jacky says, "Is there only an English version, or is there a Chinese version?" "Yes, there is a Chinese version. I am reading the Chinese version." Kenji says, "There is a Chinese version. Major bookstores in Taiwan sell it. Many online bookstores sell digital versions. Both simplified and traditional Chinese versions are available. The simplified Chinese title is 'Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow.' The traditional Chinese title is 'The Great Destiny of Humankind.'" Thank you for YKC's support. KDMA says, "You are really diligent. So soon there's a new delivery. The new background is very comfortable. I'll call out your name before sleeping. KDMA, go." Susana says, "You have a stuffy nose. Take care." "It's probably not a stuffy nose. It's probably just that I woke up. The first few sentences. I recorded right after I woke up. I'm not like a singer who has to warm up their voice before recording. I don't have time to warm up. I just start recording the program. Direct recording." Jody says, "Congratulations to 'Hundred Tigers Patrol.' What is your book title? When will it be sold in bookstores? I really want to tell you. I saw your name on D-dai before. So you also watch it. What is D-dai?" Vleung says, "I also want to know the book title. Soon. I don't know either. I'll make a special episode to talk about the book written by 'Hundred Tigers Patrol' then." Chili says, "25th place is good too." Roni says, "I like 'The Girl is Greater Than the Mistress.' I hope you'll pay more attention to it. This book is also very interesting. I thought it would be boring, but after listening to you, I don't find it boring. But I strongly believe that you have made this book more attractive than the original. You flatter me. Ah Dee, it turns out it's from the era of the "Call Gay" network of Hutchison. It immediately reminds me of Leon Lai's advertisement. Thank you, Ah Dee, for sharing his romantic story. I want to reply to the previous episode. Those fortune tellers said you would have a bloody disaster, and you said it hasn't happened yet. First of all, if those masters only talk about zodiac fortunes, it's obvious that people of the same zodiac will have the same fate in the same year. Their predictions are even if you use your birth chart, some can be accurate or inaccurate. Because masters can only predict the future based on you continuing to live in the past way, meaning they predict based on the person's behavior patterns. And people like you who defeat yourself every day, learn and correct yourself every day, are relatively difficult for masters to predict accurately because they cannot predict your changes. The direction of change can be many. I agree, I agree with your analysis. As long as you don't believe in your destiny, no one can guess your future. I don't believe anyone can guess my future, so I create a new future every day. I completely agree with your point of view. I remember when I was studying Human Design, I suddenly had an epiphany. Fortune telling and birth charts are like our factory settings. Based on these factory settings, you have a predetermined path. So, what you said is very true. If I continue on this path without any changes, at a certain point, certain things might really happen. But if your willpower is strong, you can break free. My life will not follow this plan at all, and no one will be able to predict it completely. Ah Dee says, "It's me who has been hitting Ah Lao Chen for twelve years. It's unavoidable that there are so many romantic stories. Actually, there's a more exciting second part, a twist and turn, but I'm very busy now." Vernie says, "Waiting for you to finish the second part." Ah Dee says, "Tomorrow. We'll talk about it tomorrow." Mila says, "You mentioning Zhuang Jingyi really tested Teacher Chai. Hutchison's 'Call Gay' network suddenly brings up vivid images. I have many unspoken words. I know this song, but I really don't know Zhuang Jingyi. It's truly beyond my era." HW says, "Humans are most likely to be greedy and hateful, leading to war and destruction. Famines will become more and more frequent, and eventually nuclear weapons will be banned. What will the future be like? Will our channel's comment section from the last episode be suspended due to nuclear explosions? We can only leave this to heaven to decide. We can do nothing." Max says, "Hello, Teacher Chai." Wss says, "Teacher Chai, you've released another video. Your book talks are super great. Thank you for being here. Thank you for your support. I made a gesture of clasped hands." Cyan says, "Amelian. Thank you. Thank you, Cyan." Maple says, "At 13 minutes and 42 seconds, I saw something funny on Facebook a couple of days ago. A guy in South Africa, for some reason, was possessed by a spirit and saved a crocodile in a pond and adopted it. Six years later, this man, perhaps because he didn't want to keep it or couldn't handle it, took it back to its original location and released it. He himself died in the pond afterwards, reportedly bitten by the crocodile. There are also pet piglets, and Novena, sticky dental floss, and fluffy cats. Now people are emboldened and keep more and more wild animals, like owls and guinea pigs. I don't know how many people in Japan are still like this. Speaking of which, I suddenly remembered the anime Natsume's Book of Friends. At 24 minutes and 10 seconds, according to the quantity of modern people, it's still a drop in the bucket. Although the spirit master's response was brilliant, I still focused on listening to support the narration. Thank you, Maple, for your detailed response. Received. Thank you." Gulami says, "I really like this topic. Thank you, Teacher Chai. Thank you for your support." Isabella says, "This should be my first comment. My daughter, year 8, loves reading history. I'll let her listen. Forgive me, but remember parental guidance. Sometimes you really don't know what I'll say. Parental guidance." Kith says, "Another new episode. I really can't keep up with Mr. Chen. It's okay. I'll listen again after a bath." Aster says, "The reason for docking animal tails is the same as human breast augmentation. Is it the same? There's a saying that breast augmentation is actually to fool oneself and boost self-confidence." Cc Mike says, "I originally didn't plan to listen because the topic seemed boring, but after seeing the comments, I decided to listen. Thank you for your brave attempt. Fortunately, I don't think it will be boring." Hui Jie says, "There are so many benefits to studying history. Why aren't you all listening quickly? Teacher Chai's exaggerated history." Marcus says, "Agreed, agreed. The content is very funny. Poop and pee are even more commonplace. Hearing your praise, Teacher Chen is so happy he's pooping himself. He's always pooping himself. It's really too much." Jenny says, "I often listen while thinking. Thank you, Jenny." Yan says, "Good morning. Thank you for accompanying me to work this morning. Scared you. Thank you for taking me to work. Do you feel like you're raising a ghost child? Like you're raising me? Always in your ear." AI says, "Yo, Lao Chen. AI has broken through the critical point. AI self-creation. AI is destined to have exponential growth in intelligence, soon to be infinitely greater than humans. We should consider ourselves lucky. We have about 10 to 20 years of a honeymoon period. In 5 years, the world should be full of AI robots replacing human jobs. All costs will decrease significantly. It should allow people to live a good life. After that, it's unknown. Also, I really like your discussions on legal knowledge. You are very knowledgeable. I recommend you to introduce the key points of economics from a legal perspective, such as property rights. I look forward to your research and sharing. Thank you. I also wish I could have a robot nanny at home, like Ah Ning, or a robot girlfriend. At least she could take care of me when I'm immobile and not be disliked. I think it's very good. But of course, this might only be the good side. Just as we discussed in this episode, many things that seem good on the surface might cause harm to other people or social groups. Just as you said, there will be massive unemployment. Will AI get out of control? These are all things we need to explore and think about in the future. Thank you for your suggestion. Regarding property rights, because they belong to civil law, my involvement is relatively limited. However, in recent years, my interest in economics has grown, so I think this is a good entry point. Thank you for your suggestion." MACRO says, "Thanks for sharing. Keep it up." Jessica says, "Good morning. The comments in these two episodes are very exciting. Talking about love and relationships will definitely resonate with many people. I also wanted to share, but besides my husband, my past romantic life has been more sad than happy, so it seems not worth mentioning. However, I sometimes reminisce about crushes. Someone suggested last time that you ask and answer yourself. How about we go back to Teacher Chen's 50 Questions? We ask, you answer. But you have to tell the truth. Also, when you receive the YouTube 100,000 subscriber silver plaque, remember to do an unboxing video. I'll be satisfied even if you and the nun don't appear on camera." "Actually, I don't do 50 Questions every day anymore. Basically, I answer the questions honestly, but I can't rule out whether I've embellished my answers. But I should be able to answer honestly. Generally, I answer everyone's questions honestly. Okay, okay. When the silver plaque arrives, I'll unbox it with everyone. Thank you, Jessica." Fan Jia Xiao Ming Xing says, "Good morning. Good morning." Xian Ren Yu Yu says, "Teacher Chen, this episode reminds me of the Ship of Theseus. If future people replace all the parts, is it still the original person? Is it that in the end, a person is just a collection of parts? Listening to this early in the morning is really brain-damaging." "Actually, I've fantasized about this before. Because I've always been someone who has quite strong opinions. People with opinions are actually very afraid of dying one day, of their thoughts disappearing. So, ten or twenty years ago, I fantasized about whether there would be some machine in the future that could transfer my brain, or perhaps my memories, my consciousness, into data, to be preserved forever, so that I could continue to think and speak, and continue to exist even without a physical body. I've thought about this. But in the last five or six years, I've given up this idea. I think I should disappear. I shouldn't live forever. Because if I do this, I will burden future generations. The more ideas I have, the less space my descendants will have to think. So, I cannot be so selfish. I must allow myself to disappear from this world. This is the best blessing I can give to my descendants. No matter how good my thoughts, my best ideas, or my many ideas are, they can only influence the people living in this world with me during my lifetime. After I leave this world, I should politely exit. And the Ship of Theseus you mentioned, I'm afraid other friends may not have heard of it, so I'll explain it simply. The Ship of Theseus generally refers to a ship where the wooden planks are replaced one by one until all the wooden planks of the ship are no longer the original ones. Is this ship still the original ship? Some people think it is still the original ship, while some philosophers think not, because all the parts have been replaced. Human organs, our bodies, arms, all replaced. Everything replaced. Even the brain is replaced. Are we still ourselves? This is indeed a very good question. My own view is that no matter what parts we replace, whether it's hands, feet, heart, lungs, or brain, I think the most crucial part is whether your will has changed. Has your consciousness changed significantly? If you only replace parts but your consciousness hasn't changed, then I think I am still the original person. But if after replacing parts, I have become another person, and my way of dealing with people and even my values have changed, then I think he is no longer the original person. This question you've raised is very profound. As we said in the last episode, if it's techno-humanism, where we turn humans into god-like beings, and we replace parts to upgrade ourselves, to what extent? Upgraded to the point where we are no longer ourselves, or are we still ourselves, just stronger and capable of making decisions beyond our own? I think if it's like this, we are still ourselves. But conversely, if we have deviated from our original way of life and our way of thinking has completely changed, then we are no longer purely human. That's great. Thank you for inspiring me and everyone's thinking. In the last episode, there was also a part that I didn't explain in detail. The author said that when we improve certain skills and abilities, our other traits will be weakened. For example, empathy. The more rational we are, the more our empathy will be weakened. So, when we become god-like beings, will our temperament change drastically? This is also a very important question. Thank you for your question and inspiration. Keef says, "Pure flower. We social animals are all like this. Yes, we are." Mu Yulunbi says, "I don't know why, but even though the video is longer than a minute, YouTube still treats it as Shorts. I don't know why. Now, videos under three minutes are treated as Shorts. It should have been changed at the end of last year. So, the Shorts you see now, I used to only have 59 seconds, but now I can release up to 2 minutes and 59 seconds. That's the reason." Leo Papaya says, "Thank you, Teacher Chai. I discovered this channel. This is my first comment. I started listening three months ago, wanting to learn more about new spirituality, and was recommended by YouTube. Who knew the universe really knows how to pave the way for people? What you want will be realized. Besides new spirituality, this is also a YouTube library of Agassi. It has everything. This morning, while making breakfast and feeding the cat, I listened to 'The Future Trends of Humankind.' It's amazing. It's very inspiring. The scenes of MATRIX, AI, etc., replayed in my mind. It's real, and I can also feel that human trends will go this way. But I don't know if I will be able to see the interaction between MATRIX, AI, and SKYLIGHT in my lifetime. I believe it will be a better, kinder MATRIX world. Thank you again, Teacher Chai, for bringing us this channel and platform. I've also shared it, hoping more people will know and support it. Wishing you and your loved ones happiness and peace. Thank you. Thank you for your support. I feel like this channel is like hot pot. It has everything. Whatever you want to eat, just take it and cook it. Cook it. Come, cook a new spiritual meatball. You can also listen to sweet stories while recording sweet shrimp. Sometimes you can even record some preserved egg and animal stories. So, you are welcome to have hot pot. Ah Dick says, "Lao Chen, I don't know when you will read this comment, but regardless, the city's handsome guy Di Di Zai has made an appointment with SIMCLUB for January 9th at 7 PM at FISH's shop. Everyone, please go automatically. Lao Chen, remember me. It's my high-quality comments and exciting stories that have helped your radio station increase its listenership. Also, HITWAY, my boss and I have to fight until New Year's Eve before we can have a holiday. BYE, SEE YOU. If anyone wants to get together, you're welcome to join, but I won't be there. You're welcome to light candles and reminisce about Teacher Chen. Reminder again: Where is FISH's shop? G/F, Tsim Sha Tsui, Ha Hang Wai, Do Fu Building, Anso. The shop name is Anso, a Japanese izakaya bar. If you want to have a drink and eat something, it's also a good choice. I look forward to everyone patronizing it and reminiscing about Teacher Chen, who has not yet been struck by divine retribution. Thank you all." Bruce says, "Brilliant." Winnie says, "Good morning, Teacher Chen. The narration is clear. I've listened twice and will listen again. My husband has many golden phrases. He often says, 'Everything can be worshipped.' That night, after listening to Teacher Chen, he said, 'Thank you, thank you, husband. Husband, thank you. I'll send you a copy of 'Husband's Secret Records' when I have time.'" JH says, "After listening to the first five minutes of Teacher Chen's interpretation, my ingrained view of studying history has already changed. Why didn't I have a Teacher Chen when I was a child? If I had listened to him then, I would definitely have become interested in history. So, I will share your narration with my friends and their children, so they can have more choices. Hey, remember to tell parents to provide parental guidance. I'm afraid of being beaten because you really don't know what I'll say. Thank you for your appreciation, thank you for your support." Mao Yulunbi says, "I really like what Teacher Chen said before: some people often demonize aborted fetuses or religions. Hey, big brother, they are just children. What are you doing? And religions that say you'll go to hell if you don't believe in God. They are meant to guide people to be good, but they are packaged like a triad. What is there to fear? There are so many people in this world. It's not easy for them to look at everyone, let alone spend time dealing with you. A while ago, my grandmother went to England. Before leaving, she reminded me to burn incense. She said if I didn't burn incense, her hemorrhoids would bleed. I was so embarrassed I almost fainted. You helped her consecrate it. I think you should believe her. You also eat cats while picking up Guanyin. You worship her. Don't you worship her because you think she is kind? Why do you think she will mess with you if you don't burn incense for her? What you're doing is insulting her. Will you bleed because you don't drink water or eat enough vegetables? I see you usually offer fruits and water to Guanyin. I thought you knew. Alas. So I didn't expose her in front of her. I really feel sorry for Guanyin. Some people say Guanyin was originally a man, but people paint her as a woman and call her 'godmother.' Guanyin didn't bless you to become a 'god-brother.' How could she be so petty? She is an immortal. That's great. I really like what you said. We can understand many things with simple rationality, especially the matter of punishment. How can there be punishment? We humans expect ourselves to be able to give unconditional love, let alone God. If God's love for you is conditional, is he still worthy of being God? But I know we really can't convince each other, and we know each other can't convince us. So, let it be. If she is happy and at ease, then so be it. Who is right and who is wrong? What does it matter?" Biano Kaiser says, "Let me answer the first question. Humans have free will. Giving up one's free will doesn't have to wait for the future; some people are already giving up their will now. Well said. This statement is well said. Second question: Decisions will definitely be handed over to more precise operations, such as autonomous driving, which can reduce our insurance premiums, reduce traffic accidents, and reduce medical expenses. This is irresistible. Unless individuals have too much money or are itching for trouble. Will human uniqueness exist? I believe everyone won't care about this question because it's not a question at all. Third question: What is the meaning of survival? Then new generations of Socrates, Plato, and other philosophers will emerge to think about or answer this question. Using old ideas is also possible. So, meaning should be created by humans. Just like Chen Jinnan in 'The Deer and the Cauldron,' 'reversing the situation and returning to clarity' is his life's meaning. This thinking is really good and profound. Sometimes we overthink. When the boat reaches the bridge, it will naturally straighten itself out. Thinking so much now, it may not happen. The things we worry about now may not be problems then, or someone will help us think about it then. Very brilliant reply. Thank you for your deep thinking. YW says, "If there is no mechanism to reduce wealth inequality, wars will continue. Wealth inequality is one of the causes of war. We have to quote books. Wealth inequality is a factor in war, but it is not the only factor, nor the sole determining factor. Because wealth inequality exists in all societies. Only when wealth inequality leads to social instability, and there is conflict in an unstable state, can it escalate to war. Several different parameters need to reach critical values simultaneously for war to break out. For example, everyone's relative deprivation reaches a critical point. What does this mean? The gap between the resources I think I can get and the resources I can actually get is very large. I think I deserve 100,000 yuan a month for my job, but you only give me a bun. Where is this critical point? It's related to the public's psychological tolerance and expectations. The second variable is whether there are channels for expressing dissatisfaction. Besides resorting to violence, are there ways to resolve it? If there are other ways to resolve it, this variable will not reach the critical value. But if you use high-pressure rule and don't let people speak, society will be like a pressure cooker and may reach the critical value. There is also a variable: whether the target of resentment is consistent. For example, the French Revolution. Besides wealth disparity, the common people were angry about the oppression of the nobility and royalty. The direction of anger was clear, and revolution eventually broke out. But if this direction is dispersed, some people think it's the ruler's problem, some think it's the capitalist's problem, some think it's the social welfare system's problem, and some might think it's my company boss's problem. Then it's hard to reach the critical value because your strength is dispersed. At this time, you also need to see if there are people in society who guide the public in a certain direction. Usually, these people will be arrested by the government. These three are basically the main variables. So, basically, I agree that reducing wealth inequality helps reduce the outbreak of war, but it is not the only variable. There are too many examples where wealth inequality is very high, and the Gini coefficient is terrifying, but no incidents have broken out because these factors did not reach critical values simultaneously. So, this did not happen. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to rethink this issue. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to quote books. I like thinking about these things. Don't mind, I'm just stimulating your thoughts. Sam Lee asks, "First, have you heard of AI reading books recently (reading a toxic one for you)? Have you tried it? No, I haven't. If you have, can you introduce how to do it? PS, I also really like 'Steel God.' Especially the theme song. Every time I hear it, I get energized. Seeing your 1988, it shows we are from the same era. Friends born in the Year of the Dragon. Let me pay attention. I don't know about AI reading books. I'll share with you later." Sexyman asks, "History is written by invaders, so its credibility is not high. Historical biographies might be an exception. This is exactly my cup of tea. I need to say a few words. Can history be credible? You need to see who wrote it and in which era it was written. For example, if a Qing Dynasty person writes about the Ming Dynasty, your conclusion should be valid. But if a Qing Dynasty person writes about the Yuan Dynasty or the Song Dynasty, they actually have no conflict of interest. On the other hand, we need to look at the identity and purpose of the person writing history. If the purpose of writing a piece of history is to prove the legitimacy of their current era, it is very likely to be biased. But if we can refer to some民间 versions, even unofficial histories, and some record-based historical materials, i.e., materials without subjective commentary, and compare them, we can roughly restore what the real appearance of an era was like. It's not necessarily all written by invaders. And in this era, I think the best thing is that people from different countries write about other countries' histories. I think this is great. We can have more different perspectives to look at the same event. This can help us distinguish which viewpoints are biased. Thank you. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to quote books again." Isa says, "I'm listening to the end to support you. Come, let's shake hands." Louisa says, "Thank you for sharing." Samantha says, "I originally thought this book would be boring, but after Teacher Chai's narration, combined with his analogies and thoughts, everything became interesting. I've now gotten used to listening to it every morning while brushing my teeth. However, I don't know if it's because I'm not fully awake yet. Then, after work, while washing dishes after dinner, I listen again. That is, I listen to each episode twice. Am I a bit addicted? Hearing that you listen twice really encourages me. But don't worry, these are good addictions. Indulge in them." SKW says, "Haha, Teacher Chai, I've listened to this episode three times. I still can't figure out how to answer those three questions. But after careful consideration, it seems that the future direction of humanity is indeed driven by collective consciousness. If life is just a short journey, we should fully experience the sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy flavors and the subtle joys and sorrows of each moment. At least, current technology and intelligence cannot yet simulate the unique sensory world of humans. But this perception is the most precious thing for humans, the most cherished wealth. Yes, I fully agree. I also don't hope that humanity will evolve to a point where there is no emotion, only rationality. I think that would be terrifying. Sometimes people need to be more complex, a bit crazy, a bit neurotic, to be rich and lovable. Occasionally doing one or two outrageous things will make our lives complete. So, you're right, this unique sensory world is the most precious wealth. Laysa says, "Hi, Yvonora Harari's books are indeed very forward-looking and enjoyable. There's a great line: Humans keep progressing, but happiness hasn't increased. Yes, happiness is the most important thing. Well said. Exactly. The most important thing is to be happy. For what? Don't you think? What do we do every day? The most important thing is to be happy. Hahaha. Is it?" Denkin says, "Human evolution should first develop new spirituality and then technological development. But the reality is the opposite. So, afterwards, there will mostly be imbalance or self-destruction. I think this should happen simultaneously. Those who develop technology develop technology, and those who develop new spirituality develop new spirituality. We cannot expect scientists to be masters of new spirituality. We cannot do that. But I think people who are interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral should exist. That is, I am a scientist, but I am also a person with a high spiritual level to assist communication between both sides and to balance them. I think this role is important. We cannot have a preconceived notion that all scientists are immoral or that new spirituality is low-level. Nor can we say that everything advocated by every master of new spirituality is scientifically sound. I think both sides are not wrong. They are like professionals, doing what they should do in their respective fields. The key is whether there is someone or some organization that can connect them. I think this is the important part. For example, if Buddha were a scientist, I think the whole thing would be perfect. Right? Even if this doesn't happen, if Buddha and Einstein were friends, I think that would be enough. The fusion of science and spirituality would occur. I am very much looking forward to that day. Marcus says, "If it really becomes the network of the 22nd century, it is indeed somewhat terrifying, somewhat chilling. Yes, crazy. I don't want to live in that world. Compared to me, I would choose the blue pill to destroy it." Angie says, "Teacher Chen, you haven't read my comments a few times. I haven't said anything dangerous or suggestive. I don't understand why YouTube blocked it. My Dream Yoga teacher, when talking about Little Red Riding Hood, turned it into a sweet story. Why don't you try telling one and see what flavors you get? Am I the first to comment? If I had released the video last night, you would have been the first. But I'm releasing it now, and there are four more gentlemen behind me. Don't mind. Maybe I overlooked it. Actually, if you remember, you can copy the comments I didn't read and post them on this video, and I will read them. I won't not read them. Even if some friends scold me, I will read them because it doesn't matter. What's the big deal? This is your opinion, your point of view. So it must be that I overlooked it. Don't mind." Dick Dick says, "Teacher's classes are too frequent. I can't keep up and have to skip classes. A person lives for a lifetime, how can they not skip classes? You must skip classes, but remember to know your limits, otherwise your name will be removed. I'll tell you." Mila says, "You're right. Why use K-shaped scissors to cut off someone's tail? OMG, exactly. Actually, I cut a sentence yesterday. You cut off someone's tail. Will you one day, because of your scissors, cut off your own tail? I see we're at the end, so not many children will hear this. So, I'll just say it. I said this sentence in the last episode, but I thought about it and decided not to. So I cut it out. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to say this." Van O says, "The biggest problem for humans is what to eat today. Golden phrase king." Serena says, "This time it's not me who got the first comment. Congratulations. It's really you who got the first comment. It's 6:22 AM now. Good morning, friends. Wishing you all a happy day. As for me, I'm about to go to sleep. Maybe we'll see each other again today. Let's see. Let's see if I release another video today. Goodbye." (CC Subtitle Production: Bell) (CC Subtitle Production: Bell) (CC Subtitle Production: Bell) (CC Subtitle Production: Bell) (CC Subtitle Production: Bell)