#354 Agner Fog: Warlike and Peaceful Societies
RECORDED ON JULY 18th, 2020.
Dr. Agner Fog is associate professor of computer science at Technical University of Denmark. Dr. Fog does research in Evolutionary Anthropology, Cultural Anthropology, Social systems and Computer Science. His current project is ‘Theory of cultural change based on evolutionary psychology, evolutionary biology, and cultural evolution.’ He’s the author of “Warlike and Peaceful Societies: The Interaction of Genes and Culture”.
In this episode, we talk about warlike and peaceful societies. We discuss if war is part of human nature, and the ecological conditions that favor war and peace. We also mention the social structure of warlike societies. We ask why most warriors and chiefs are men. We then get into regality theory, and the differences between what Dr. Fog calls regal and kungic societies. We talk about the different types of war, focusing mostly on civil wars, and we also about terrorism and counterterrorist measures. We also refer to the Long Peace, authoritarianism on the right and the left, and scaremongering (in mass media). Finally, we talk about why Scandinavian peoples are the happiest in the world, and if regality theory can help us prevent and end wars, and change political systems.
Time Links:
Is war part of human nature?
The ecological conditions that favor war and peace
The social structure of warlike societies
Why are most warriors and chiefs men?
What is regality theory? What are regal and kungic societies?
Has war fueled innovation and civilization?
Different types of war
The conditions that favor civil wars
Terrorism
Do counterterrorist measures work?
Are military external interventions a good strategy?
The Long Peace
Authoritarianism, and the connection with tightness/looseness theory
Scaremongering, and the role of mass media
More distinctions between regal and kungic societies (fertility rates, treatment of children, religion, and the arts)
Why people in the Scandinavian countries are the happiest in the world
Can regality theory help us prevent and end wars?
Can we change societies?
Follow Dr. Fog’s work!
Follow Dr. Fog’s work:
Faculty page: https://bit.ly/3jfvXlK
Personal website: https://www.agner.org/
https://www.regality.info/
ResearchGate profile: https://bit.ly/2WvdzLO
Amazon page: https://amzn.to/2Wxgjse
Warlike and Peaceful Societies: The Interaction of Genes and Culture: https://amzn.to/30CLIuL