The best-selling author of Why the West Rules—for Now examines the
evolution and future of human values Most people in the world today
think democracy and gender equality are good, and that violence and
wealth inequality are bad. But most people who lived during the 10,000
years before the nineteenth century thought just the opposite. Drawing
on archaeology, anthropology, biology, and history, Ian Morris
explains why. Fundamental long-term changes in values, Morris argues,
are driven by the most basic force of all: energy. Humans have found
three main ways to get the energy they need—from foraging, farming,
and fossil fuels. Each energy source sets strict limits on what kinds
of societies can succeed, and each kind of society rewards specific
values. But if our fossil-fuel world favors democratic, open
societies, the ongoing revolution in energy capture means that our
most cherished values are very likely to turn out not to be useful any
more. Foragers, Farmers, and Fossil Fuels offers a compelling new
argument about the evolution of human values, one that has
far-reaching implications for how we understand the past—and for
what might happen next. Originating as the Tanner Lectures delivered
at Princeton University, the book includes challenging responses by
classicist Richard Seaford, historian of China Jonathan Spence,
philosopher Christine Korsgaard, and novelist Margaret Atwood.
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Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9781400865512
Publisert
2015
Utgiver
Vendor
Princeton University Press
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter