This book seeks to shed light on two question: how did humanity rise to it’s present level, and why is the growth not universal across cultures? These are huge questions. The author tackles them in an academic way while also being able to make the book interesting for the lay reader.
The first half of the book tackles the question of the progression of humans from hunter-gatherers to the level of our current highly technical civilization. I found the discussion interesting, but basically it is the traditional explanation. I recently read The Dawn of Everything by Graeber and Wengrow. It’s fascinating to compare the two explanations for the rise of civilization. Personally, I found the Graeber-Wengrow thesis more satisfying.
The second half tackles the question of the distribution of wealth. Why some areas succeeded and are still succeeding more than others. It’s a complex problem. I thought the author handled it well. Climate does have a great deal to do with the problem, but it’s not the only driver. Diversity is also a factor, but again the underlying reasons are complex.
The book is written for a college level audience. It’s not difficult to read or understand but it is dense and there is a great deal of technical vocabulary. However, I believe it’s well worth the time to discover the author’s ideas.
I received this book from Dutton for this review.
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