The History of Being Human

Know Thyself 15: Adapt or Die Edition

Know Thyself 14: Aliens, Complexity, and Ethics with Philosopher Kelly Smith, PhD

Know Thyself 13: Rise of the Night Vermin

Know Thyself 12: Dr. Thomas Carr, Paleontologist, on the Half-Billion Year Experiment

Know Thyself 11: Life on the Installment Plan

Know Thyself 10: Paul M. Sutter, Astrophysicist

Know Thyself 9: Cosmogony Myths

Know Thyself 8: Rachel Herz on Eating and Disgust

Know Thyself 7: War Crimes and Aggression Cannibalism

Know Thyself 6: The Siege of Leningrad and Crusader Cannibals

Know Thyself 5: Will Bagley on the Donner Party

Know Thyself 4: STRANDED CANNIBALS EDITION

We look into the evidence from primatology and archaeology to find the roots of human cannibalism in nature or nurture. Along the way we find shadows our own dual nature between sexy hippy bonobos and hawkish war chimps; learn how homo sapiens slept with their food; visit a stone age cave of nightmares in Britain; and join the debate over what might have been a temporary fad for eating humans among the Ancestral Pueblo.

The injunction to "Know Thyself" has a long and storied history. Older than you know. In this introductory episode, we track its origins and significance in myth and history, from the Pythia at Delphi to the Inner Temple at Thebes of the Thousand Gates. Giant snakes, dolphin gods, triangulating eagles, hidden messages, the belly button of earth, and the most powerful woman in the ancient world. What more could you ask for?