In this conversation, I discuss the case for an open world with Johan Norberg. We discuss cosmopolitanism in the 21st century, the importance of open systems throughout human history, why merchants were looked down upon in ancient times, whether polytheistic cultures are more open than monotheistic ones, the medieval ‘cacophony of Europe’ and why the continent birthed modernity, different interpretations of neo-civilizationalism, why China is closing after decades of opening, the threat of populism in the West, how humanity’s contradicting impulses to compete and cooperate fit together, whether US-China competition may be advantageous for the world, and many more topics.
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Johan Norberg is an award-winning author, lecturer and documentary filmmaker. Born in Sweden, he has an M. A. in the History of Ideas from the University of Stockholm and is now a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute in Washington D.C. He has written several books, the latest of which is Open: The Story of Human Progress. Open was one of the Economist magazine’s books of the year for 2020 which described it as “clear, colourful and convincing”. You can discover more about Johan through his personal website johannorberg.net or follow him on Twitter at the handle @johanknorberg.