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.