Historian Niall Ferguson returns to talk about his new book (with a glorious, darkly comic cover), Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe. As Sven from SNL might say, this episode has it all: monkey’s paw swag-bags, the phrase “Hunnish data,” and the frighteningly named “three-body problem.” Allow Niall to explain the human tendency to prepare for one disaster scenario while another hits us square in the jaw, the reason why “we may be forced by companies to do Zoom” even after the pandemic ends, and why book tours are still delirium-inducing even when done from the comfort of one’s home. Oh, and stick around for a particularly fantastic celebrity impression in the show’s final moments.

Show notes:

Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe
Some incredible science fiction that has crossed over from China, The Three-Body Problem
Neal Stephenson’s Snowcrash, which is life-changingly good
Nick Bloom, “Why working from home will stick”
Feynman and the Challenger disaster
One of Niall’s previous books, The Great Degeneration
“Crazy ideas in Thucydides’ time”
Flagellant orders
Keith Thomas’ Religion and the Decline of Magic
The World Economic Forum’s interestingly-timed 2020 Global Risks Report

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Niall Ferguson: God Emperor of Doom