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← Farmers were the overwhelming majority of every pre-modern agrarian…
17 connected korrents · 16 moments on record from 24 Jul 2020 to 7 Sept 2026.
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China Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Same subject Read this korrent: Farmers were the overwhelming majority of every pre-modern agrarian society — 80 to 90 per cent of it — and that single fact shapes everything else about how those societies worked. Farmers were the overwhelming majority of every pre-modern agrarian society — 80 to 90 per cent of it — and that single fact shapes everything else about how those societies worked. Last stated 6 years ago
24 Jul 2020
BD
Bret Devereaux — holds since 2020-07-24 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A pre-modern countryside produces an enormous amount of food and almost no extractable surplus, which is the hard limit on everything the state above it can do. — tap to centre the map on it A pre-modern countryside produces an enormous amount of food and almost no extractable surplus, which is the hard limit on everything the state above it can do. Last stated 6 years ago
24 Jul 2020
BD
Bret Devereaux — holds since 2020-07-24 — tap for who they are
Same subject: However normal the rest of Sparta is argued to have been, its enslaved majority is not: no reconstruction of the population makes Sparta anything but extraordinarily enslaved. — tap to centre the map on it However normal the rest of Sparta is argued to have been, its enslaved majority is not: no reconstruction of the population makes Sparta anything but extraordinarily enslaved. Last stated 4 years ago
19 Aug 2022
BD
Bret Devereaux — holds since 2022-08-19 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Being a rich or efficient agrarian economy is not what produces an industrial revolution, or one would have happened much earlier and somewhere other than Europe. — tap to centre the map on it Being a rich or efficient agrarian economy is not what produces an industrial revolution, or one would have happened much earlier and somewhere other than Europe. Last stated 4 years ago
26 Aug 2022
BD
Bret Devereaux — holds since 2022-08-26 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Local self-provisioning cannot feed the world, because most people do not live within reach of enough fertile land. — tap to centre the map on it Local self-provisioning cannot feed the world, because most people do not live within reach of enough fertile land. Last stated 3 years ago
4 Oct 2023
GM
George Monbiot — holds since 2023-10-04 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Pre-modern subsistence farmers were minimising the risk of starvation rather than maximising output, and their apparently backward practices are rational once that is understood. — tap to centre the map on it Pre-modern subsistence farmers were minimising the risk of starvation rather than maximising output, and their apparently backward practices are rational once that is understood. Last stated 6 years ago
24 Jul 2020
BD
Bret Devereaux — holds since 2020-07-24 — tap for who they are
Same subject: It is false that the world needs no more food and only better distribution of the food it has. — tap to centre the map on it It is false that the world needs no more food and only better distribution of the food it has. Last stated a year ago
13 Jul 2025
MG
Michael Grunwald — holds since 2025-07-13 — tap for who they are
Same subject: The claim that higher yields backfire and end up increasing farmland is much weaker than the literature assumes. — tap to centre the map on it The claim that higher yields backfire and end up increasing farmland is much weaker than the literature assumes. Last stated 2 years ago
13 Mar 2024
LB
Linus Blomqvist — holds since 2024-03-13 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A romantic, low-yield farming system would need far more land and would produce more hunger, not less. — tap to centre the map on it A romantic, low-yield farming system would need far more land and would produce more hunger, not less. Last stated 3 years ago
28 May 2023
GM
George Monbiot — holds since 2023-05-28 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A company doing something at the edge of the Overton window has to hold two cultures at once — the true believers and the serious professionals who think they are crazy — and integrating them is what makes it work. — tap to centre the map on it A company doing something at the edge of the Overton window has to hold two cultures at once — the true believers and the serious professionals who think they are crazy — and integrating them is what makes it work. Last stated a month ago
7 Aug 2026
MH
Max Hodak — holds since 2026-08-07 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A new world order based on raw power is being drawn right now, and Europe has to fight for its place in it. — tap to centre the map on it A new world order based on raw power is being drawn right now, and Europe has to fight for its place in it. Last stated 12 months ago
10 Sept 2025
UL
Ursula von der Leyen — holds since 2025-09-10 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A tiny fraction of ancestry can carry the most important thing about a population: Yamnaya is only a few percent of DNA in India and yet it brought the language. — tap to centre the map on it A tiny fraction of ancestry can carry the most important thing about a population: Yamnaya is only a few percent of DNA in India and yet it brought the language. Last stated 4 months ago
8 May 2026
DR
David Reich — holds since 2026-05-08 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A Chinese crewed landing on the Moon before America returns would be a defeat for the free world. — tap to centre the map on it A Chinese crewed landing on the Moon before America returns would be a defeat for the free world. Last stated 3 weeks ago
18 Aug 2026
CH
Casey Handmer — holds since 2025-10-31 — tap for who they are
EB
Eric Berger — holds since 2026-08-18 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A country cannot fund its own industrial strategy and call the same policy cheating when China does it. — tap to centre the map on it A country cannot fund its own industrial strategy and call the same policy cheating when China does it. Last stated a year ago
15 May 2025
HR
Hannah Ritchie — holds since 2025-05-15 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A few square miles at the Moon's south pole are the only lunar real estate that matters, and whoever gets there first sets the terms. — tap to centre the map on it A few square miles at the Moon's south pole are the only lunar real estate that matters, and whoever gets there first sets the terms. Last stated 3 weeks ago
18 Aug 2026
EB
Eric Berger — holds since 2026-08-18 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A country cannot have radical technological breakthroughs and also refuse to tolerate uncomfortably rich people, because the financial system it resents is what funds the innovation. — tap to centre the map on it A country cannot have radical technological breakthroughs and also refuse to tolerate uncomfortably rich people, because the financial system it resents is what funds the innovation. Last stated a year ago
13 Aug 2025
KJ
Keyu Jin — holds since 2025-08-13 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A country's large trade deficit in manufactured goods reduces its manufacturing employment below what it would be with balanced trade. — tap to centre the map on it A country's large trade deficit in manufactured goods reduces its manufacturing employment below what it would be with balanced trade. Last stated yesterday
7 Sept 2026
PK
Paul Krugman — holds since 2026-09-07 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A large, sustained AI capability lead by either the US or China could shift the global balance of power between them. — tap to centre the map on it A large, sustained AI capability lead by either the US or China could shift the global balance of power between them. Last stated 3 days ago
5 Sept 2026
NS
Noah Smith — holds since 2026-09-05 — tap for who they are
At the centre
Farmers were the overwhelming majority of every pre-modern agrarian society — 80 to 90 per cent of it — and that single fact shapes everything else about how those societies worked.
Holds BD Bret DevereauxRead this korrent →
A pre-modern countryside produces an enormous amount of food and almost no extractable surplus, which is the hard limit on everything the state above it can do.
Holds BD Bret Devereaux
However normal the rest of Sparta is argued to have been, its enslaved majority is not: no reconstruction of the population makes Sparta anything but extraordinarily enslaved.
Holds BD Bret Devereaux
Being a rich or efficient agrarian economy is not what produces an industrial revolution, or one would have happened much earlier and somewhere other than Europe.
Holds BD Bret Devereaux
Local self-provisioning cannot feed the world, because most people do not live within reach of enough fertile land.
Holds GM George Monbiot
Pre-modern subsistence farmers were minimising the risk of starvation rather than maximising output, and their apparently backward practices are rational once that is understood.
Holds BD Bret Devereaux
It is false that the world needs no more food and only better distribution of the food it has.
Holds MG Michael Grunwald
The claim that higher yields backfire and end up increasing farmland is much weaker than the literature assumes.
Holds LB Linus Blomqvist
A romantic, low-yield farming system would need far more land and would produce more hunger, not less.
Holds GM George Monbiot
A company doing something at the edge of the Overton window has to hold two cultures at once — the true believers and the serious professionals who think they are crazy — and integrating them is what makes it work.
Holds MH Max Hodak
A new world order based on raw power is being drawn right now, and Europe has to fight for its place in it.
Holds
A tiny fraction of ancestry can carry the most important thing about a population: Yamnaya is only a few percent of DNA in India and yet it brought the language.
Holds DR David Reich
A Chinese crewed landing on the Moon before America returns would be a defeat for the free world.
Holds CH Casey HandmerEB Eric Berger
A country cannot fund its own industrial strategy and call the same policy cheating when China does it.
Holds HR Hannah Ritchie
A few square miles at the Moon's south pole are the only lunar real estate that matters, and whoever gets there first sets the terms.
Holds EB Eric Berger
A country cannot have radical technological breakthroughs and also refuse to tolerate uncomfortably rich people, because the financial system it resents is what funds the innovation.
Holds KJ Keyu Jin
A country's large trade deficit in manufactured goods reduces its manufacturing employment below what it would be with balanced trade.
Holds PK Paul Krugman
A large, sustained AI capability lead by either the US or China could shift the global balance of power between them.
Holds