On Humans

Ilari Mäkelä

Where do we come from? How did we get here? And what kinds of creatures are we? On Humans features conversations with leading scholars about the human story, making new research about humanity more accessible to everyone and more meaningful to the big questions about who we are. In addition to regular episodes, the show now includes longer series on some of the greatest arcs in the journey of our species, covering everything from the evolution of apes to the making of the modern economy. https://onhumans.substack.com/about

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On Humans

Episodes (107)

Thursday A View From the East: China, Japan, and the Other Paths to Prosperity ~ Debin Ma
Apr 29th Why Did the Industrial Revolution Happen in Britain? ~ Robert Allen
Apr 22nd Why Did So Many Inventions Come from Europe? ~ Joel Mokyr

On Humans

May 7, 2026
47½ minutes
43 MB

The tech gap between China and the West is closing fast. But why did the land that invented paper and gunpowder ever fall behind? Debin Ma is the world’s leading economic historian of East Asia. In this fourth episode of our Great Divergence series, he approaches the making of the modern world from an eastern perspective. We discuss why China fell behind, why Japan modernised early, and why East Asia has experienced so many economic miracles. We also discuss China’s recent transformation – a transformation that Ma has witnessed firsthand. LINKS AND REF...

On Humans

A View From the East: China, Japan, and the Other Paths to Prosperity ~ Debin Ma

Ilari Mäkelä

00:00 -46:39