This episode I interview Felipe Fernández-Armesto, one of the most authored in volume, width and breadth, historian of our time.
We talk about the paradox of truth, comfort being the enemy of well-being, the wonder of imagination, if Europe is really a continent or just a plateau out of Asia, and a question you can use to escape out of chit chat.
Felipe is an exceptional author, and I encourage you to check out his work, especially Amerigo: the man who gave his name to America, and Truth: A history and guide for the perplexed.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0812972988/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_x_BKnOFbMGFV8M1
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0312242530/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_x_XLnOFbN5TWPXW
(0:00) - Episode Introduction
(5:12) - What Makes Felipe Fernandez-Armesto Happy?
(9:39) - Understanding History through a Cultural Lens
(15:05) - When reading history, one has to be aware of the dangers of narrative.
(19:03) - Gibbon's View on Christianity and the Fall of the Roman Empire
(26:13) - Did the Roman Empire fall, or just transform?
(34:52) - The Notion of Progress in History & The Absence of Intellectual and Moral Progress
(41:08) - Ancient Ideas that Continue to Resonate Today
(58:16) - Comfort, Truth, and the Resistance to Change
(1:19:15) - How the Renaissance Breaks the Rule and Intercultural Influences
(1:29:34) - The Effect of Geography on the History of Europe
