The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity
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- Create Date：2023-04-11 17:21:30
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：David Graeber
- ISBN：1250858801
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Summary
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A dramatically new understanding of human history， challenging our most fundamental assumptions about social evolution—from the development of agriculture and cities to the origins of the state， democracy， and inequality—and revealing new possibilities for human emancipation
For generations， our remote ancestors have been cast as primitive and childlike—either free and equal innocents， or thuggish and warlike。 Civilization， we are told， could be achieved only by sacrificing those original freedoms or by taming our baser instincts。 David Graeber and David Wengrow show how such theories first emerged in the eighteenth century as a conservative reaction to powerful critiques of European society posed by Indigenous observers and intellectuals。 Revisiting this dialectic has startling implications for how we make sense of human history today， including the origins of farming， property， cities， democracy， slavery， and civilization itself。
Drawing on pathbreaking research in archaeology and anthropology， the authors illustrate how history becomes a far more interesting place once we learn to throw off our conceptual blinders and perceive what’s really there。 If humans did not spend 95 percent of their evolutionary past in tiny bands of hunter-gatherers， what were they doing during all that time？ If agriculture and cities did not mean a plunge into hierarchy and domination， then what kinds of social and economic organizations did they lead to？ The answers are often unexpected， and suggest that the course of human history may be less set in stone， and more open to playful， hopeful possibilities， than we tend to assume。
The Dawn of Everything fundamentally transforms our understanding of the human past and begins to imagine new forms of freedom， new ways of organizing society。 This is a monumental book of formidable intellectual range， animated by curiosity， moral vision， and a faith in the power of direct action。
A dramatically new understanding of human history， challenging our most fundamental assumptions about social evolution—from the development of agriculture and cities to the origins of the state， democracy， and inequality—and revealing new possibilities for human emancipation
For generations， our remote ancestors have been cast as primitive and childlike—either free and equal innocents， or thuggish and warlike。 Civilization， we are told， could be achieved only by sacrificing those original freedoms or by taming our baser instincts。 David Graeber and David Wengrow show how such theories first emerged in the eighteenth century as a conservative reaction to powerful critiques of European society posed by Indigenous observers and intellectuals。 Revisiting this dialectic has startling implications for how we make sense of human history today， including the origins of farming， property， cities， democracy， slavery， and civilization itself。
Drawing on pathbreaking research in archaeology and anthropology， the authors illustrate how history becomes a far more interesting place once we learn to throw off our conceptual blinders and perceive what’s really there。 If humans did not spend 95 percent of their evolutionary past in tiny bands of hunter-gatherers， what were they doing during all that time？ If agriculture and cities did not mean a plunge into hierarchy and domination， then what kinds of social and economic organizations did they lead to？ The answers are often unexpected， and suggest that the course of human history may be less set in stone， and more open to playful， hopeful possibilities， than we tend to assume。
The Dawn of Everything fundamentally transforms our understanding of the human past and begins to imagine new forms of freedom， new ways of organizing society。 This is a monumental book of formidable intellectual range， animated by curiosity， moral vision， and a faith in the power of direct action。
Reviews
Jeremy
，
A book full of revelations - a must read for any fan of social theory， because it dismantles so many assumptions that I didn’t even realize were so commonplace。The book is really long and analyzes a huge number of different societies。 It took me several months to read this book in many short bursts， but I think it was completely worth it。 Just being familiar with all of these societies that have been long cast into the periphery of history is immensely useful in seeing outside the bounds of what A book full of revelations - a must read for any fan of social theory， because it dismantles so many assumptions that I didn’t even realize were so commonplace。The book is really long and analyzes a huge number of different societies。 It took me several months to read this book in many short bursts， but I think it was completely worth it。 Just being familiar with all of these societies that have been long cast into the periphery of history is immensely useful in seeing outside the bounds of what we observe in our present day societies （which have largely converged due to things like colonialism and imperialism）。 。。。more
Steven
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4。5 star book。 Good for those who know a fair amount about so-called ancient societies。 Very provocative ideas。
Zinaida
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"Sacrifice， as we’ve seen， is the shadow lurking behind this concept of civilization: the sacrifice of our three basic freedoms， and of life itself， for the sake of something always out of reach – whether that be an ideal of world order， the Mandate of Heaven or blessings from insatiable gods。 Is it any wonder that in some circles the very idea of ‘civilization’ has fallen into disrepute？ Something very basic has gone wrong here。"Brillantly written， with plenthora of new examples and familiar st "Sacrifice， as we’ve seen， is the shadow lurking behind this concept of civilization: the sacrifice of our three basic freedoms， and of life itself， for the sake of something always out of reach – whether that be an ideal of world order， the Mandate of Heaven or blessings from insatiable gods。 Is it any wonder that in some circles the very idea of ‘civilization’ has fallen into disrepute？ Something very basic has gone wrong here。"Brillantly written， with plenthora of new examples and familiar stories wieved in new light。Great way to shake the history picture （and collect some great stories）。 。。。more
Itamar Rauch
，
Truly radical book。 It profoundly changed the way I understand （pre-）history， and the ways I look at possible future social and economical developments。
Michael Silverstein
，
The most profound and narrative-challenging book I have ever read。 A spicy meatball， indeed。
Brian
，
Rather more than I needed to know， yet still succeeded in changing my mind on long-held assumptions on the evolution of society。 Skipped through this， may revisit after a break。
Joe Moore
，
Beautiful book that anyone with any social imagination should read。 It’s extremely funny how every single chapter they say “the things we think about this situation actually say more about us than about the situation。” Also that they respond to the materialist critique -that the goose is already cooked- with a single line “there are any number of reasons for this。” Its mildly annoying that these guys present things that are now broadly accepted in anthropology and archaeology as revolutionary in Beautiful book that anyone with any social imagination should read。 It’s extremely funny how every single chapter they say “the things we think about this situation actually say more about us than about the situation。” Also that they respond to the materialist critique -that the goose is already cooked- with a single line “there are any number of reasons for this。” Its mildly annoying that these guys present things that are now broadly accepted in anthropology and archaeology as revolutionary insights。 But who cares。 Its beautiful what you can do if you take all types of people from all throughout history seriously as people。 。。。more
Giulia Moreira
，
Unfortunately first book of my life I couldn't finish :（ It might have been me， found it quite hard to follow， a lot of detail and not so engaging。 Unfortunately first book of my life I couldn't finish :（ It might have been me， found it quite hard to follow， a lot of detail and not so engaging。 。。。more
Raf
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I like my toxic academia political rants a tad more subtle。
Jace
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I listened to the audiobook version of The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and found it to be a compelling and informative read。 It never fails to amaze me how little we learn about history in school， and how many misconceptions permeate our understanding of the world。I liked that Graeber tried to answer the question of why so many Europeans， when given the chance， preferred to live with the natives of North America rather than with their own people。 So little thought is given to the voices I listened to the audiobook version of The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and found it to be a compelling and informative read。 It never fails to amaze me how little we learn about history in school， and how many misconceptions permeate our understanding of the world。I liked that Graeber tried to answer the question of why so many Europeans， when given the chance， preferred to live with the natives of North America rather than with their own people。 So little thought is given to the voices of the natives and this book offered a sense of their point of view。 I really liked hearing the criticism of the natives towards the Europeans when they met them （that they were poor speakers that interrupt each other， and didn't help the poor）。 It also upended some of my assumptions when it was mentioned how the eloquence/rhetorical abilities of the natives surpassed many of the Jesuits。The book pointed how how we have modern ideas that enlightenment thinker’s ideas sprung from their imagination rather than from multiple other sources including other countries and native thinkers （eg idea of lone genius）。 People also have assumptions about early humans， believing that they aren’t like us and can’t be compared to us， and how those natives were more accepting of differences because of their refusal to coerce others。It was interesting to learn about seasonal political structures。 Things are so static in the modern day that we don't realize how drastically early societies may have shifted to accommodate different circumstances。 People in hunter/gatherer societies may have been far more more politically savvy than we realize， especially since they had more ground level involvement。The book also pointed out the difficulty of measuring equality in societies because of different metrics/values。 People can be careless of their words， and someone espousing equality and freedom can mean completely different things than someone else espousing the same。 Pre-agricultural societies may have had complex hierarchies， contrary to the belief that societies move through simple progression。 These days， it's assumed that progress is always good， with every new technology being integrated， but that isn't necessarily the case。I also found it interesting that cultures define themselves as what they reject and what they are not （schismogenesis）。 It was also startling to learn that there was slavery in pre-agricultural societies， such as those in the Pacific North West。 The book mentioned how there were early cities without central power structure/hierarchy， completely contrary to how we perceive things today。 For those who worry about how current systems are destroying the environment and contributing to suffering， it offers insight into how things might be organized differently。There are also mentions of how power is determined by force， information， or charisma， and the different ways that manifested in different societies。 Early bureaucracies may have consisted of impermanent positions at first， and originated from ways to apply equal rules to all， but became warped by becoming impersonal， turning into the machine-like bureaucracy we know today。I also find myself reflecting on the idea of the three basic freedoms: making contracts， saying no， movement。 The author mentions how we've moved from a smaller cage to a bigger one and it really struck me， how little freedom we have today。Overall， I would rate this a 4。5 out of five， and I recommend it to those who are interested in early history， and the concepts of equality and freedom。 。。。more
Jukka Aakula
，
The book has many good points on human culture， freedom， and dominance。But using so much time of the reader to make a point is an example of dominance - dominance of the writer over the reader。 The style of the book represents an example of manipulation。 You start reading the book with open eyes， and you get lots of information and speculation， but instead of just honestly presenting a hypothesis and evidence （with eventual links to other articles） the book is something else。 As a "consumer" of The book has many good points on human culture， freedom， and dominance。But using so much time of the reader to make a point is an example of dominance - dominance of the writer over the reader。 The style of the book represents an example of manipulation。 You start reading the book with open eyes， and you get lots of information and speculation， but instead of just honestly presenting a hypothesis and evidence （with eventual links to other articles） the book is something else。 As a "consumer" of scientific literature and articles on economics， anthropology， etc。 I want something else。 Honesty。 They call it synthesis。But I finalized the book - I did not utilize my freedom to walk away from the book。 It is good sometimes to read something that you dislike。 I hope I will now find good material for example on the Knossos and how the Minos culture was different and more matriarchal than that of Greece at the same time so I can understand whether their hypothesis on Knossos or Crete is right。For a scientific critique on the book read this by Walter Scheidel https://escholarship。org/uc/item/9jj9。。。Another by Michael Smith of Arizona University shows the book by Graeber and Wengrow really is manipulation of the reader and bad popular science https://escholarship。org/uc/item/3wc3。。。 They arrogantly make themselves inventors of theories already described elsewhere in several articles and books and they create "proofs" with little evidence。 。。。more
Joshua Rubin
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I'm starting to think that the writing is intentionally scattered because they didn't discover a damn thing。 This book is the equivalent of a child pushing their remaining peas， mashed potatoes， and overcooked beef around their plate to make it look like they ate more than they actually did。 I'm starting to think that the writing is intentionally scattered because they didn't discover a damn thing。 This book is the equivalent of a child pushing their remaining peas， mashed potatoes， and overcooked beef around their plate to make it look like they ate more than they actually did。 。。。more
Catharine
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Fun， sprawling， a little tough to read on a Kindle， since I wanted to flip back and forth a lot。 Reminded me of why I went into anthropology and archaeology as a first career 40 years ago。 Would be a great discussion book with the right group of people。
Patricia
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An extraordinary reevaluation of the evolution of human society。 One of the best books I have read over the last 60 years。
Rob
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4。5 stars。 This massive new anthropology/history/philosophy text was fascinating。 The authors explored a somewhat common subject from a very novel perspective。 It was interesting to read this exhaustive and rigorous alternative view of the organizational/political/societal-structure history of human societies。 I listened to this one。 I'm looking forward to re-reading it to further absorb their complicated， nuanced， and novel exploration of origins of "civilization"。 4。5 stars。 This massive new anthropology/history/philosophy text was fascinating。 The authors explored a somewhat common subject from a very novel perspective。 It was interesting to read this exhaustive and rigorous alternative view of the organizational/political/societal-structure history of human societies。 I listened to this one。 I'm looking forward to re-reading it to further absorb their complicated， nuanced， and novel exploration of origins of "civilization"。 。。。more
Michael
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The writing and editing was so bad that I stopped the torture and found a summary online。
Dorkthropology
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While the evidence seemed a bit thin in some cases， this is such a great reframing and refutation of the old stereotypes of prehistory I think it's essential reading。 While the evidence seemed a bit thin in some cases， this is such a great reframing and refutation of the old stereotypes of prehistory I think it's essential reading。 。。。more
Renato D'Amico
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Illuminanti intuizioni per una visione più chiara di cosa siamo e di cosa potremmo non essere più。
Andrew
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In a word - dense and verbose。 Ok， that's two words。 This is definitely not casual reading。This should've been something that I would really be interested in， but I simply couldn't get past the first chapter。 No doubt that it is an important book and maybe I will revisit it in chunks at some time in the future。Thus， no rating and back onto the to-read shelf。 In a word - dense and verbose。 Ok， that's two words。 This is definitely not casual reading。This should've been something that I would really be interested in， but I simply couldn't get past the first chapter。 No doubt that it is an important book and maybe I will revisit it in chunks at some time in the future。Thus， no rating and back onto the to-read shelf。 。。。more
John Hagood
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Wonderfully written and packed with intriguing information。 Persuasive argument to view beginnings differently than simple， linear progressions of organizational and governance forms。
Natalia Maria Nadzieja
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Łatwo ulec prezentowanym ideałom i zapomnieć o krytycznym myśleniu， poza tym – jeśli zachowa się czujność – bardzo dobra książka z zakresu antropologii archeologicznej i kulturowej。
Shazia
，
I loved this book for providing so much food for thought。 The authors take on much of the standard orthodoxy about how civilization has evolved and spread。 I imagine this will lead to much more debate among experts in the field until a consensus is again reached。 Meanwhile， here are the pieces I found particularly interesting:1。 Much of enlightenment thinking actually came from ideas learned from French explorers interacting with the much more democratic and egalitarian Native Americans， especia I loved this book for providing so much food for thought。 The authors take on much of the standard orthodoxy about how civilization has evolved and spread。 I imagine this will lead to much more debate among experts in the field until a consensus is again reached。 Meanwhile， here are the pieces I found particularly interesting:1。 Much of enlightenment thinking actually came from ideas learned from French explorers interacting with the much more democratic and egalitarian Native Americans， especially Kandiarock， a particularly strong debater。 2。 Various approaches to community leaving have been tried all over the world - every type from autocrats to representative councils。 One type will give way to the other， and neighboring communities will define themselves in opposition to the approaches used by each other3。 Agriculture isn't an either or propostion。 Numerous societies had some agriculture while not embracing an approach that required land ownership 4。 Women have not always been oppressed。 This seems to be a feature of societies where wealth is readily transferred into powerLots to consider here。 。。。more
Julie
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When they say everything they mean everything。 Hot damn。 I listened to the audiobook and could only listen for so long before I needed to take a break to make sure I actually was taking in what I was listening to。 Well written。 Fascinating stuff。
Kennedy Hice
，
if my history professor sees this: i loved the book。
Heather
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DNF but what I read was good - I will have to go back to it at some point。
Vlad Radulescu
，
"Ne facem singuri istoria， dar nu în condițiile pe care noi le alegem"。 Celebrul citat din Marx， invocat și de autorii David Graeber și David Wengrow， pare să sumarizeze foarte bine o bună parte din bestseller-ul celor doi。 În încercarea lor de a descoperi originile inegalității sociale， autorii rescriu o istorie a omenirii care， spre deosebire de poveștile altor autori， în "Zorii tuturor lucrurilor" pare că informația are la baza dovezi științifice， arheologice și sociologice greu de contestat。 "Ne facem singuri istoria， dar nu în condițiile pe care noi le alegem"。 Celebrul citat din Marx， invocat și de autorii David Graeber și David Wengrow， pare să sumarizeze foarte bine o bună parte din bestseller-ul celor doi。 În încercarea lor de a descoperi originile inegalității sociale， autorii rescriu o istorie a omenirii care， spre deosebire de poveștile altor autori， în "Zorii tuturor lucrurilor" pare că informația are la baza dovezi științifice， arheologice și sociologice greu de contestat。 Plecând de la ipoteza lui Jean-Jacques Rousseau （）， pusă în contrast cu cea a lui Thomas Hobbes （） cea din urmă apărută cu 100 de ani în urma primeia， autorii consideră că cele două variante ar avea implicații politice dezastruase。 Cu alte cuvinte autorii ajung să realizeze că întrebarea "Care sunt originile inegalității sociale" nu este tocmai potrivită。 De aceea， autorii își propun să analizeze diferite aspecte ale istoriei din diferite momente de timp （de la sfârșitul ultimei ere glaciare până pe vremea primilor coloniști ，dar nu numai） și să identifice diverse caracteristici ale omului și societăților din acesle vremuri， observând astfel natura omului din diferite părți ale lumii noi și cum s-a transformat aceasta după venirea coloniștilor europeni （cum îi vedeau indigenii pe coloniști din punct de vedere ierarhii sociale， tradiții etc。）。 。。。more
Andrew
，
DNF about halfway through。 I enjoyed what I read but there's a lot of stuff that I think people more interested in anthropology may enjoy more。 It wasn't compelling enough for me to justify reading another 250 or so pages。 I think I got the general thesis of the book though， so that was nice。 I've been seeing lots of examples of societal characteristics we seem to accept as unaltered human nature since I started reading。 DNF about halfway through。 I enjoyed what I read but there's a lot of stuff that I think people more interested in anthropology may enjoy more。 It wasn't compelling enough for me to justify reading another 250 or so pages。 I think I got the general thesis of the book though， so that was nice。 I've been seeing lots of examples of societal characteristics we seem to accept as unaltered human nature since I started reading。 。。。more
Raquel Frescia
，
"The Dawn of Everything" by David Graeber and David Wengrow is a fascinating and ambitious book that challenges many traditional assumptions about human societies' development。 The authors argue that our understanding of human history is based on flawed assumptions about the origins of civilisation。 They present a compelling alternative narrative emphasising the importance of egalitarianism， diversity， and complexity in the evolution of human societies。One of this book's most significant strengt "The Dawn of Everything" by David Graeber and David Wengrow is a fascinating and ambitious book that challenges many traditional assumptions about human societies' development。 The authors argue that our understanding of human history is based on flawed assumptions about the origins of civilisation。 They present a compelling alternative narrative emphasising the importance of egalitarianism， diversity， and complexity in the evolution of human societies。One of this book's most significant strengths is the breadth of its coverage。 Graeber and Wengrow support their arguments using various sources and disciplines， including archaeology， anthropology， linguistics， and history。 They also provide a rich and detailed account of early human societies' social and cultural practices， which challenges the view that these societies were primitive or simple。The book's writing is engaging and accessible， making complex ideas and concepts easy to understand。 The authors also use a range of examples and case studies to illustrate their arguments， making the book informative and entertaining。 Additionally， the book is well-structured and organised， which makes it easy to follow the authors' arguments and the evolution of their ideas。While the book is undoubtedly a significant contribution to anthropology and archaeology， it can sometimes be challenging to read。 The authors present many complex ideas and concepts that require some effort to understand fully。 In addition， some readers may find the authors' critique of traditional views on human history challenging or even aggressive。Overall， "The Dawn of Everything" is an important and thought-provoking book that challenges many assumptions about human history。 Graeber and Wengrow's ambitious argument and comprehensive coverage make this book an essential read for anyone interested in human societies' evolution and our planet's future。 While the book may not be easy for everyone， it is undoubtedly a valuable and insightful contribution to the field。 。。。more
Antonio Melonio
，
One of those very rare books that completely and irrevocably change one's worldview。This is history rewritten。 Rid of Eurocentric， imperialistic， racist， and patriarchal prejudices。 An entirely new story of humanity and a powerful reminder of how things are not set in stone and the status quo will not last forever。A masterpiece。 One of those very rare books that completely and irrevocably change one's worldview。This is history rewritten。 Rid of Eurocentric， imperialistic， racist， and patriarchal prejudices。 An entirely new story of humanity and a powerful reminder of how things are not set in stone and the status quo will not last forever。A masterpiece。 。。。more
Kieran
，
It's so long， gets a little rambly towards the end， but it's incredibly good， genuinely fascinating， and v accessible。 It's so long， gets a little rambly towards the end， but it's incredibly good， genuinely fascinating， and v accessible。 。。。more
tpg0
，
As an AI language model， I do not have personal opinions， but I can provide you with a brief overview of the book 'The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity' by David Graeber and David Wengrow。 The book explores the origins of human society and challenges traditional narratives of history， which often present civilization as a linear progressions from small， primitive societies to larger， more advanced ones。 Graeber and Wen grow assert that this view is based on outdated assumptions and that early human societies were diverse and complex in their own right。 They examine evidence from archaeology， anthropology， and other fields to paint a detailed picture of the ways in which early human societies functioned， exploring topics such as religion， economics， political organization， and social hierarchies。 The authors also critique some common misconceptions about prehistoric societies， such as the idea that early humans were inherently violent or that hunter-gatherer societies were always egalitarian。 Overall， 'The Dawn of Everything' offers a nuanced and thought-provoking new perspective on human history， emphasizing the diversity and complexity of human societies throughout time。
tpg1
，
As an AI language model， I am not capable of having personal opinions or preferences。 However， I can give you some information about the book you mentioned "The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity。" "The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity" is a book written by David Graeber and David Wengrow。 The book presents an alternative theory of human history that challenges the traditional understanding of how civilization and society developed。 Graeber and Wengrow argue that the traditional narrative of human evolution and history is flawed and that the evidence suggests that early human societies were far more egalitarian and cooperative than previously thought。 The book covers a wide range of topics， including the origins of agriculture， the rise of cities， the development of writing， and the emergence of complex societies。 The authors draw on new archaeological discoveries and ethnographic studies to support their arguments and present a comprehensive and compelling argument for their alternative view of human history。 Overall， "The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity" has received positive reviews for its fresh perspective on human history and its engaging writing style。 It is recommended for readers interested in anthropology， archaeology， and history。
tpg2
，
As an AI language model， I cannot personally give an opinion on books， but I can provide information about them。 'The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity' is a book by David Graeber and David Wengrow that challenges the traditional narrative of human history， arguing that civilization， hierarchy and inequality are not inevitable parts of human society。 Instead， the authors suggest that human societies were once much more egalitarian and cooperative， and that the idea of 'primitive' societies being violent or uncivilized is a myth。 The book covers a wide range of topics， including the history of early human societies， the emergence of agriculture and the rise of civilization， the role of religion and politics in shaping society， and the impact of colonialism and capitalism on modern societies。 It has been praised for its innovative and thought-provoking perspective on human history， but has also faced criticism from some scholars for oversimplifying complex historical events and ignoring the diversity of human cultures。
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