The Michael Shermer Show | 30 June 2020 | 1h 13m | Listen Later | iTunes
Interview with Walter Scheidel about his book Escape from Rome: The Failure of Empire and the Road to Prosperity. Recounts the end of the Roman Empire and argues that Rome’s collapse cleared the path for Europe’s economic rise and the creation of the modern age. Discusses why the Roman Empire appeared; why nothing like returned to Europe; why Europeans came to dominate the world; the rich diversity of Europe that encouraged political, economic, scientific, and technological breakthroughs; why other parts of the world lagged behind; how empires are built and why they fail; America as an empire; income inequality and the only forces that change it significantly; and the future of human civilization.