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#1019 - Fin Taylor & Horatio Gould - History is a Freakshow

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#1019 - Fin Taylor & Horatio Gould - History is a Freakshow

Modern Wisdom

2025/11/13
Modern Wisdom

Modern Wisdom

2025/11/13
OverviewShownoteHighlightsTranscriptChaptersPins

Shownote

Fin Taylor is an English comedian, writer and podcaster. Horatio Gould is also an English comedian, writer, and podcaster. History is basically one long reminder that no matter how bad your day is, someone in the past was probably getting catapulted off ...

Highlights

In this wide-ranging conversation, two sharp-witted thinkers dive into the absurdities and tragedies of history, exploring how cultural values, irony, and trauma shape our understanding of the past and present. From ancient rituals to digital subcultures, they navigate the fine line between humor and horror, questioning what we’ve learned—and what we keep repeating.
06:41
A Japanese soldier was found in 1974 still fighting World War II.
23:30
Idi Amin sent vegetables to starving Brits during the 1970s energy crisis
30:59
World War II is appealing to 30-year-old white guys, likened to ASMR
42:58
The Aztecs practiced large-scale human sacrifice during a 'festival of blood', killing about 80,000 people.
58:05
Excessive online irony can disconnect people from reality
1:06:58
Frau Troffea started dancing in July 1518 and could not stop, sparking a deadly epidemic of dance.
1:20:40
Embryo selection using polygenic risk scores could lead to consumer-driven eugenics.
1:27:33
Gene therapy could lead to a slippery slope in parental expectations.
1:32:18
Free access to a curated list of 100 best personal-growth books available at chriswillx.com/books.

Chapters

What Can Japan’s History of Honor Teach Us About Modern Identity?
00:00
How Did Post-War Britain Lose Its Way Economically and Politically?
13:41
Why Were So Many 20th-Century Leaders Shaped by Broken Fathers?
26:09
Is the Rise of Pro-Hitler Content Just Ironic—or Something Worse?
33:03
How Do Internet Personalities Blur the Line Between Truth and Performance?
45:01
Why Can’t We Tell If People Are Serious or Just Messing Around Online?
58:05
What Caused the Mysterious Dancing Plague That Killed Dozens in 1518?
1:06:58
How Did Eugenics Go From ‘Scientific’ Ideal to Modern Ethical Nightmare?
1:11:19
Should Parents Be Allowed to Choose Their Children’s Traits?
1:23:03
What Comes Next for Comedy, Culture, and Understanding Ourselves?
1:30:02

Transcript

Chris Williamson: you are historians now. Yes, very much so. Fin Taylor: Big pivot, Yeah, hard pivot. Into academia. Speaker 1: I mean, this is what the manosphere has come to. Fin Taylor: Yeah. Speaker 1: If you're speaking to historians, you'll get u...