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← Farmers were the overwhelming majority of every pre-modern agrarian…
17 connected korrents · 16 moments from 13 Dec 1968 to 20 Aug 2026.
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demographics
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Europe
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government 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: There was a long, unexplained gap between the first domestication of crops and the emergence of the first agrarian states. — tap to centre the map on it There was a long, unexplained gap between the first domestication of crops and the emergence of the first agrarian states. Last stated 10 months ago
13 Jan 2026
SJ
Steven Johnson — holds since 2026-01-13 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Agriculture did not need every band to adopt it; one settled band was enough to spread it — tap to centre the map on it Agriculture did not need every band to adopt it; one settled band was enough to spread it
YH
Yuval Noah Harari — holds since c. 2011–2015 — 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: The agricultural revolution empowered the collective but made the lives of most individuals worse — tap to centre the map on it The agricultural revolution empowered the collective but made the lives of most individuals worse Last stated 10 years ago
21 Feb 2017
YH
Yuval Noah Harari — holds since 2017-02-21 — 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: A finite world can support only a finite population, so population growth must eventually reach zero — tap to centre the map on it A finite world can support only a finite population, so population growth must eventually reach zero Last stated 58 years ago
13 Dec 1968
GH
Garrett Hardin — holds since 1968-12-13 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A mass death does not by itself produce a boom afterwards: expecting a pandemic to renew an economy on its own misreads what followed the Black Death. — tap to centre the map on it A mass death does not by itself produce a boom afterwards: expecting a pandemic to renew an economy on its own misreads what followed the Black Death. Last stated 6 years ago
4 Jun 2020
AP
Ada Palmer — holds since 2020-06-04 — tap for who they are
Same subject: A model fitted only to trends in its own outcome cannot forecast anything, because it contains no variable anyone could change. — tap to centre the map on it A model fitted only to trends in its own outcome cannot forecast anything, because it contains no variable anyone could change. Last stated 2 months ago
20 Aug 2026
LS
Lyman Stone — holds since 2026-08-20 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Governments should pay a lot for children and let the people who respond reveal which cultural compromises are acceptable, rather than deciding in advance which value to give up. — tap to centre the map on it Governments should pay a lot for children and let the people who respond reveal which cultural compromises are acceptable, rather than deciding in advance which value to give up. Last stated 3 years ago
3 Oct 2023
RH
Robin Hanson — holds since 2023-10-03 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Improving entertainment technology raises the bar parenthood has to clear, because people have children when it looks more fun than the alternatives. — tap to centre the map on it Improving entertainment technology raises the bar parenthood has to clear, because people have children when it looks more fun than the alternatives. Last stated a year ago
1 Jul 2025
AE
Alice Evans — holds since 2025-07-01 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Most people should get married and have kids much earlier than the current average, and have more of them. — tap to centre the map on it Most people should get married and have kids much earlier than the current average, and have more of them. Last stated 2 years ago
13 Jan 2025
KD
Kent C. Dodds — holds since 2024-12-29 — tap for who they are
KD
Kent C. Dodds — holds since 2025-01-13 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Immigration cannot hold a rich country's working-age population steady, because doing so would require it to become 40 to 50 per cent foreign-born. — tap to centre the map on it Immigration cannot hold a rich country's working-age population steady, because doing so would require it to become 40 to 50 per cent foreign-born. Last stated 2 years ago
1 Nov 2024
AE
Alice Evans — holds since 2024-11-01 — tap for who they are
Same subject: Immigration is irrelevant to the real problem low fertility creates, because that problem is people having fewer children than they wanted. — tap to centre the map on it Immigration is irrelevant to the real problem low fertility creates, because that problem is people having fewer children than they wanted. Last stated a year ago
14 Oct 2025
LS
Lyman Stone — holds since 2025-10-14 — tap for who they are
Same subject: The return of inflation is what made Donald Trump's second presidency possible, and therefore what makes everything that presidency changes possible. — tap to centre the map on it The return of inflation is what made Donald Trump's second presidency possible, and therefore what makes everything that presidency changes possible. Last stated 2 years ago
19 Jan 2025
JB
Jennifer Burns — holds since 2025-01-19 — 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 Read 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
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
There was a long, unexplained gap between the first domestication of crops and the emergence of the first agrarian states.
Holds
Agriculture did not need every band to adopt it; one settled band was enough to spread it
Last stated c. 2011–2015
Holds
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
Local self-provisioning cannot feed the world, because most people do not live within reach of enough fertile land.
Holds
The agricultural revolution empowered the collective but made the lives of most individuals worse
Holds
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
A finite world can support only a finite population, so population growth must eventually reach zero
Holds
A mass death does not by itself produce a boom afterwards: expecting a pandemic to renew an economy on its own misreads what followed the Black Death.
Holds
A model fitted only to trends in its own outcome cannot forecast anything, because it contains no variable anyone could change.
Holds
Governments should pay a lot for children and let the people who respond reveal which cultural compromises are acceptable, rather than deciding in advance which value to give up.
Holds
Improving entertainment technology raises the bar parenthood has to clear, because people have children when it looks more fun than the alternatives.
Holds
Most people should get married and have kids much earlier than the current average, and have more of them.
Holds
Immigration cannot hold a rich country's working-age population steady, because doing so would require it to become 40 to 50 per cent foreign-born.
Holds
Immigration is irrelevant to the real problem low fertility creates, because that problem is people having fewer children than they wanted.
Holds
The return of inflation is what made Donald Trump's second presidency possible, and therefore what makes everything that presidency changes possible.
Holds