It was supposed to be a tangent away from the focus on economics, but managed to show the economic influences behind what is collectively called the renaissance.
I learned a lot, previously knowing little more than the expression "renaissance man (or woman)", who tries to understand a little about everything.
It is fun seeing the forces, political or economic, that make human society function as it does.
This is a brilliant and revealing conversation. Please do what seems obvious to me: draw connections and analogies between the period when international connections were lost and goods from distant lands were not available, and the present tariff and trade wars. You're the one to do it, Dr. Krugman.
While listening to the interview, I was thinking of your book The Sparrow with the focus on the social structure of the “discovered” planet and hmans inability to understand it. Thanks for writing the book. Got any more?
Six others! Children of God is the sequel. Then there's A Thread of Grace (wwii) Del, Dreamers of the Day (the making of the modern Middle East), Doc ( truer portrait of John Henry Holliday) and Epitaph (a realistic look at the famous gunfight), and The Women of the Copper Country (about the young woman who lead a miners' strike in 1913).
Excerpted from History, Jorge Borges……………I saw not only Europe but the whole world. Americans and Japanese were doing a torch dance on the Island of Luzon, dancing so hard that slant-eyes and round-eyes alike lost buttons off their uniforms. But at the very same moment a tailor in Stockholm was sewing buttons on a handsome suit of evening clothes. Mountbatten was feeding Burmese elephants shells of every caliber. A widow in Lima was teaching her parrot to say, “Caramba.” In the middle of the Pacific two enormous aircraft carriers, done up to look like Gothic cathedrals, stood face to face, sent up their planes, and simultaneously sank each other. The planes had no place to land, they hovered helplessly and quite allegorically like angels in mid-air, using up their fuel with a terrible din. This was all one to the streetcar conductor in Haparanda, who had just gone off duty. He was breaking eggs into a frying pan, two for himself and two for his fiancée, whom he was expecting any minute, having planned a whole evening in advance. Obviously the armies of Koniev and Zukov could be expected to resume their forward drive; while rain fell in Ireland, they broke through on the Vistula, took Warsaw too late and Koningsberg too soon, and even so were powerless to prevent a woman in Panama, who had five children and only one husband, from burning the milk she was warming on her gas range. Inevitably the thread of events wound itself into a loops and knots which became known as History. I also saw that activities such as thumb-twiddling, frowning looking up and down, handshaking, making babies, counterfeiting, turning out the light, brushing teeth, shooting people, and changing diapers were practiced all over the world, though not always with the same skill. My head spinning with the thought of so much purposive movement, I turned back to the trial which was continuing in my honor…………..
Interesting story about the last of the Medicis who forbade the selling of the artwork. If a man like Trump had come along, he simply would have sent DOGE into the libraries and art galleries and had a fire sale. It is interesting that a lot of da Vinci artwork that he did outside of Florence did not survive because they did not have such scruples.
I just finished the book — it’s amazing, and really fun! Wish I could be one of Ada Palmer’s students! I got the book on Kobo after seeing just the cover from someone’s online post, so I didn’t notice at first how long it was going to be. After really diving in and enjoying the first ten or so chapters, I checked and — yikes, it’s ENORMOUS! But every page expanded my knowledge and understanding so much that it’s been impossible to put down. What a great style she has, both academically rigorous and at the same time irreverent; she can talk like my kids when that’s the best way to make her point. Thank you for giving us this conversation — it’s an excellent trailer. But everyone should read the entire book, on your digital device if the paper copy is too heavy to hold!
Wow, what a tour de force interview. I appreciate you taking time to get my mind off the current "WWF moment de jour" of the news cycle.
I learned more about actual history in this interview than I did in a whole history course in college.
Thanks to you both.
Great interview !
It was supposed to be a tangent away from the focus on economics, but managed to show the economic influences behind what is collectively called the renaissance.
I learned a lot, previously knowing little more than the expression "renaissance man (or woman)", who tries to understand a little about everything.
It is fun seeing the forces, political or economic, that make human society function as it does.
Very interesting.
An historian with formidable e PLA story powers. Loved it.
Great interview ! Best cultural /historical analysis I’ve read this year!
PS. Caused me to subscribe.
Thank you for this. The nugget I will take away is the danger of narratives that make us feel insignificant.
Think Greta Thunberg: Nobody is too small to make a difference. She changed my life, that's for sure.
This is a brilliant and revealing conversation. Please do what seems obvious to me: draw connections and analogies between the period when international connections were lost and goods from distant lands were not available, and the present tariff and trade wars. You're the one to do it, Dr. Krugman.
Excellent conversation on a fascinating topic, ending with a great reflection about what/who makes history.
Okay, I definitely need to read this book.
This entire conversation was WONDERFUL.
While listening to the interview, I was thinking of your book The Sparrow with the focus on the social structure of the “discovered” planet and hmans inability to understand it. Thanks for writing the book. Got any more?
Six others! Children of God is the sequel. Then there's A Thread of Grace (wwii) Del, Dreamers of the Day (the making of the modern Middle East), Doc ( truer portrait of John Henry Holliday) and Epitaph (a realistic look at the famous gunfight), and The Women of the Copper Country (about the young woman who lead a miners' strike in 1913).
I’ll find them. Thanks!
At first, I was going to pass this one by, but boy! am I glad I read on! What a great connection between history and economics! Thanks so much, Paul!
To what end is the pursuit of higher education? For a good life and to understand oneself.
Oh my Paul, this was delicious. Thank you for the refreshing talk.
micky ordover
Excerpted from History, Jorge Borges……………I saw not only Europe but the whole world. Americans and Japanese were doing a torch dance on the Island of Luzon, dancing so hard that slant-eyes and round-eyes alike lost buttons off their uniforms. But at the very same moment a tailor in Stockholm was sewing buttons on a handsome suit of evening clothes. Mountbatten was feeding Burmese elephants shells of every caliber. A widow in Lima was teaching her parrot to say, “Caramba.” In the middle of the Pacific two enormous aircraft carriers, done up to look like Gothic cathedrals, stood face to face, sent up their planes, and simultaneously sank each other. The planes had no place to land, they hovered helplessly and quite allegorically like angels in mid-air, using up their fuel with a terrible din. This was all one to the streetcar conductor in Haparanda, who had just gone off duty. He was breaking eggs into a frying pan, two for himself and two for his fiancée, whom he was expecting any minute, having planned a whole evening in advance. Obviously the armies of Koniev and Zukov could be expected to resume their forward drive; while rain fell in Ireland, they broke through on the Vistula, took Warsaw too late and Koningsberg too soon, and even so were powerless to prevent a woman in Panama, who had five children and only one husband, from burning the milk she was warming on her gas range. Inevitably the thread of events wound itself into a loops and knots which became known as History. I also saw that activities such as thumb-twiddling, frowning looking up and down, handshaking, making babies, counterfeiting, turning out the light, brushing teeth, shooting people, and changing diapers were practiced all over the world, though not always with the same skill. My head spinning with the thought of so much purposive movement, I turned back to the trial which was continuing in my honor…………..
Thank you for this excerpt.
Interesting story about the last of the Medicis who forbade the selling of the artwork. If a man like Trump had come along, he simply would have sent DOGE into the libraries and art galleries and had a fire sale. It is interesting that a lot of da Vinci artwork that he did outside of Florence did not survive because they did not have such scruples.
A fire sale? Madame, he would have set the volumes on fire! The Renaissance is way to woke for MAGA.
No fire - into the wood chipper..ugh.
Well, can’t he build a bonefire from what comes out of the chipper? Then we’ll both be right! Yahoo!
A lot of da Vinci artwork that he did outside of Florence did not survive Napoleon.
What a refreshing way of looking at history. Thank you
I just finished the book — it’s amazing, and really fun! Wish I could be one of Ada Palmer’s students! I got the book on Kobo after seeing just the cover from someone’s online post, so I didn’t notice at first how long it was going to be. After really diving in and enjoying the first ten or so chapters, I checked and — yikes, it’s ENORMOUS! But every page expanded my knowledge and understanding so much that it’s been impossible to put down. What a great style she has, both academically rigorous and at the same time irreverent; she can talk like my kids when that’s the best way to make her point. Thank you for giving us this conversation — it’s an excellent trailer. But everyone should read the entire book, on your digital device if the paper copy is too heavy to hold!
Just wonderful. I look forward to her discussing the woman of history with you in the future.
Thank you Professor Krugman.
Thanks to you two. I enjoyed that.