The 30 in the first series include: 1. Introduction to Philosophers, Explained 2. Immanuel Kant’s ‘Copernican’ Revolution in Philosophy 3. Plato on the Allegory of the Cave 4. Galileo Galilei on Reconciling Science and Religion 5. Ayn Rand on Individual Rights 6. Jean-Jacques Rousseau 7. René Descartes on Radical Doubt 8. Jean-Paul Sartre on Existentialism as a Humanism 9. Socrates on Defending Philosophy 10. Martin Heidegger on Why Being Exists 11. Arachne and Athena and Divine vs. Human Justice 12. Aristotle on Ethics and Virtue 13. Albert Camus on the Myth of Sisyphus

The way that intelligence evolves over centuries/millennia, is that certain environmental, geographic circumstances make problem solving either more, or less adaptive. The two most important environmental variables to select for intelligence, are agriculture, and cold weather climate. These both involve, figuring out how (in a cooperative fashion with other people) to discover new ways of surviving against the elements, (instead of feuding with people amidst abundant, accessible food and resources,) and/or figuring out how to develop new ways of growing the maximum amount of food, or optimally specializing in certain crops in certain places, while trading with neighbors for foods that grow better on their land, etc. So, traits agreeableness and conscientiousness tend to combine with increased general intelligence, in the RELATIVE MAJORITY of ethnic group members, for example in West Africa where agriculture has long been present, or in approximately Central and Northern Europe, with either cold weather, agriculture or both, same for Northeast Asia, Eurasia. This topic becomes contentious, if one fails to emphasize, that these trends only generalize to relative majorities, at the group level. There are however, many variations in individual cases, within sizable local, minority groups, all over the world. India is an excellent example, of how such an enormous population, produces lots of variation in psychometric profiles. Two specific cases relevant for this Voltaire episode, are Britain and Japan. Also, another important variable over the centuries is defensibility of nation-states. And, a particularly important point for the advancement of society, involves the profile and origin, of genius intelligence. In terms of defensibility, Japan and Britain are both islands. The 'natural motes' around both nations, were enormously beneficial relative to the adaptive dynamics described above. However, the remaining variable is a complicating factor, which is genius intelligence. While neuroticism and decreased intelligence are correlated, as are conscientiousness/agreeableness and increased intelligence, outlier high intelligence is actually correlated, once again, with increased neuroticism. Additionally, outliers are more likely to be born from within an increased intelligence, conscientious/agreeable population. These considerations created a kind of specific equation, evolutionarily, historically, whereby a 'conservative' intelligent population needed to be, not only unusually defensible and advanced, but also have an evolved cultural practice of maximizing the number of children born from within an intelligent population, to sufficiently increase the chances of numerous geniuses being born, to ultimately facilitate unprecedented societal advancement. Medieval Japan came close to meeting these criteria, so did the late Roman Empire. However, only Britain ultimately met all these criteria, and the result was the Industrial Revolution, and the birth of the modern world. Fortunately, the 'cultic' Christian practice of outlawing abortion, happened to prove importantly adaptive in the specific case of Victorian Britain, because never before had such an intelligent population so consistently maximized the number of children born. Thus, the odds were in their favor. Ultimately, with the benefit of hindsight and the clarity of modern science, we can see that Voltaire was correct. Why was England 'special'? Is there some chauvinist nationalist, or permanent immutable ethnic reason? No, the island and cultural idiosyncrasies, just happened to match the 'perfect laboratory conditions,' to facilitate the optimal neurological function of the human species. No people, or country, permanently 'owns' the template for a healthy nervous system (like copyright infringement, lol). With our modern knowledge, we want to recreate these optimal conditions and accompanying, adaptive societal conventions, for as many people, in as many places as possible, for our mutual benefit. Edit: we could say that, it was not so much due to some 'forced eugenic policy,' but rather due to a sincerely held belief among the majority of the intelligent populace, that Victorian England maximized childbirths under advantageous circumstances. Today, superstitious religious notions seem hardly practical, with our modern knowledge. However, a comparable humanist sentiment certainly seems viable, wherein intelligent populations CHOOSE to increase childbirths, for their own betterment, and for the health of the human species.