I read through the summary, and it sounds a lot like how evolutionary development is perceived by the layperson vs. how complex it really is, including the deception that we are at some high point. So the next question in my mind, and based on the summary the authors left to explore as the answer is probably a difficult one to find - are there paths that could have been traveled which didn’t lead to similar messes like we find ourselves in? One assumption is always that capitalism and consumption and all that comes with them is inevitable. Maybe not? It would ruin this meme that I found very fitting for society, but that’s again based on an inevitable conclusion to be true.
The premise is that humanity has had 10,000+ years to experiment with different ways of living on all corners of the Earth, so it’s ridiculous to say that the modern system that we’ve evolved with division of labor and accumulated wealth is the only possible way (or the inevitable way) - which was kinda the premise of Sapiens. And then they back it up with a ton of modern archaeological evidence. It’s a little dry and admittedly academic, but really compelling once you dig into it.
I read through the summary, and it sounds a lot like how evolutionary development is perceived by the layperson vs. how complex it really is, including the deception that we are at some high point. So the next question in my mind, and based on the summary the authors left to explore as the answer is probably a difficult one to find - are there paths that could have been traveled which didn’t lead to similar messes like we find ourselves in? One assumption is always that capitalism and consumption and all that comes with them is inevitable. Maybe not? It would ruin this meme that I found very fitting for society, but that’s again based on an inevitable conclusion to be true.
The ancient Greeks remembered their hunter gatherer tribal ancestors as living in a golden age, when everyone was equal and the gods walked among men
The premise is that humanity has had 10,000+ years to experiment with different ways of living on all corners of the Earth, so it’s ridiculous to say that the modern system that we’ve evolved with division of labor and accumulated wealth is the only possible way (or the inevitable way) - which was kinda the premise of Sapiens. And then they back it up with a ton of modern archaeological evidence. It’s a little dry and admittedly academic, but really compelling once you dig into it.