Social networks

(19 Dec 2020)

What has controlled the evolution of our societies, prosperity and innovations? And what do social networks have to do with it? Two distinguished historians, Professor William McNeill and his son wrote an impressive and fresh view on the world history: The Human Web: A Bird’s Eye View of World History. They explain the development of our societies from the point of view of social networks. The network-based explanation of the world history shows how human communication (exchange of information and matter) may have dominantly controlled the course of our history. The development of our societies has apparently been the most prominent in those regions where the network has been dense and allowed formation of such networks where communication is fostered, creating innovation, spread of ideas, specialication and competition.