The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity
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- Author：David Graeber
- ISBN：0141991062
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Summary
'Pacey and potentially revolutionary' Sunday Times
'Iconoclastic and irreverent 。。。 an exhilarating read' The Guardian
'This is not a book。 This is an intellectual feast' Nassim Nicholas Taleb
For generations， our remote ancestors have been cast as primitive and childlike - either free and equal， or thuggish and warlike。 Civilization， we are told， could be achieved only by sacrificing those original freedoms or， alternatively， by taming our baser instincts。 David Graeber and David Wengrow show how such theories first emerged in the eighteenth century as a reaction to indigenous critiques of European society， and why they are wrong。 In doing so， they overturn our view of human history， including the origins of farming， property， cities， democracy， slavery and civilization itself。
Drawing on path-breaking research in archaeology and anthropology， the authors show how history becomes a far more interesting place once we begin to see what's really there。 If humans did not spend 95 per cent of their evolutionary past in tiny bands of hunter-gatherers， what were they doing all that time？ If agriculture， and cities， did not mean a plunge into hierarchy and domination， then what kinds of social and economic organization did they lead to？ The answers are often unexpected， and suggest that the course of history may be less set in stone， and more full of playful possibilities than we tend to assume。
The Dawn of Everything fundamentally transforms our understanding of the human past and offers a path toward imagining new forms of freedom， new ways of organizing society。 This is a monumental book of formidable intellectual range， animated by curiosity， moral vision and faith in the power of direct action。
'Fascinating， thought-provoking， groundbreaking。 A book that will generate debate for years to come' Rutger Bregman
'Graeber and Wengrow have effectively overturned everything I ever thought about the history of the world。 The most profound and exciting book I've read in thirty years' Robin D。 G。 Kelley
'Iconoclastic and irreverent 。。。 an exhilarating read' The Guardian
'This is not a book。 This is an intellectual feast' Nassim Nicholas Taleb
For generations， our remote ancestors have been cast as primitive and childlike - either free and equal， or thuggish and warlike。 Civilization， we are told， could be achieved only by sacrificing those original freedoms or， alternatively， by taming our baser instincts。 David Graeber and David Wengrow show how such theories first emerged in the eighteenth century as a reaction to indigenous critiques of European society， and why they are wrong。 In doing so， they overturn our view of human history， including the origins of farming， property， cities， democracy， slavery and civilization itself。
Drawing on path-breaking research in archaeology and anthropology， the authors show how history becomes a far more interesting place once we begin to see what's really there。 If humans did not spend 95 per cent of their evolutionary past in tiny bands of hunter-gatherers， what were they doing all that time？ If agriculture， and cities， did not mean a plunge into hierarchy and domination， then what kinds of social and economic organization did they lead to？ The answers are often unexpected， and suggest that the course of history may be less set in stone， and more full of playful possibilities than we tend to assume。
The Dawn of Everything fundamentally transforms our understanding of the human past and offers a path toward imagining new forms of freedom， new ways of organizing society。 This is a monumental book of formidable intellectual range， animated by curiosity， moral vision and faith in the power of direct action。
'Fascinating， thought-provoking， groundbreaking。 A book that will generate debate for years to come' Rutger Bregman
'Graeber and Wengrow have effectively overturned everything I ever thought about the history of the world。 The most profound and exciting book I've read in thirty years' Robin D。 G。 Kelley
Reviews
Ezra
，
As always， a thought-provoking read from David Graeber。 Our modern way of life， in highly stratified states with very restricted freedoms， was in no way inevitable and is not guaranteed to endure。 I'm convinced by the basic thread through the book of various societies switching back-and-forth between hierarchical domination and relativity egalitarian lifestyles but the periods can last quite a long time， hundreds to thousands of years。There is a lot to think about here and the footnotes alone ar As always， a thought-provoking read from David Graeber。 Our modern way of life， in highly stratified states with very restricted freedoms， was in no way inevitable and is not guaranteed to endure。 I'm convinced by the basic thread through the book of various societies switching back-and-forth between hierarchical domination and relativity egalitarian lifestyles but the periods can last quite a long time， hundreds to thousands of years。There is a lot to think about here and the footnotes alone are a good resource for interesting books to look up。 This was supposed to be the first book in a series by Davids Wengrow and Graeber but Graeber's untimely death cut that short。 In a book about human possibilities， this is one that hits hard for anyone that likes joyful examinations of humanity。 。。。more
Steph Sorensen
，
I don’t agree with all of their conclusions （or even some of their inquiries）， but it didn’t really matter。 I love the stories from humanity’s past， the new understanding of forms of freedom and domination， and their hopefulness about making a better world。
Gabriel Sims-Fewer
，
One of the most important books ever written。 A fitting final masterpiece for David Graeber。
John
，
I applaud the authors tackling what they did in this book。 It meanders a little， but is well worth the read。 How naively arrogant it is to believe that neolithic societies all were similar in how they were structured。 That the brave Western thinkers were the first to come up with freedom and democracy。 The authors detail many， many alternative forms of governance besides the chieftain/warlord that archeologists have found。 It is eye opening。 The book is fairly easy to read。 There seems to be I applaud the authors tackling what they did in this book。 It meanders a little， but is well worth the read。 How naively arrogant it is to believe that neolithic societies all were similar in how they were structured。 That the brave Western thinkers were the first to come up with freedom and democracy。 The authors detail many， many alternative forms of governance besides the chieftain/warlord that archeologists have found。 It is eye opening。 The book is fairly easy to read。 There seems to be a purposeful attempt at casual writing， more like a conversation at times。 But it also seems to want to be both something for the masses as well as for academia。 In its attempt to appease academia， it gets a little long。 Here are some random ideas that struck me:“Human thought is inherently dialogic” p 94 I hadn't thought of this， that inner thought is often a conversation with ourselves。 We are wired for discussion。 So for hundreds of thousands of years we have been a species that discusses。 Thing of the many great ideas that were thought up and never recorded。 I was struck by Benjamin Franklin's （and others） observation that both white children raised by native Americans， and native children raised by whites， preferred the native way， and frequently returned to the native way when given the choice。 It made me think of the Amish tradition of Rumspringa。 80% or more Amish youth come back。 What does that say about our culture， and the culture of the whites in Franklin's time？ Hard to argue that it is superior。 The idea that all cultures borrow from each other， but what defines them is what they refuse to borrow， struck me hard。 We see it alive today with people refusing to get vaccinations， for example。 Or refusing social medicine。 Lastly， the separation of Care for a person and Domination of them - it is so obvious those are two different things， but the European/Christian traditions intertwines them to such great harm。 It is the Patriarchy， and all that is wrong with it， in a nutshell。 I can't help but think how much better America would be if we had adopted the many superior ideas the native Americans had about wealth/power/freedom。 。。。more
Euen
，
At last！ I've slain this behemoth of a book。 What a ride。 I'll never be able to look at conventional reasoning about human nature and the march of history the same。 At last！ I've slain this behemoth of a book。 What a ride。 I'll never be able to look at conventional reasoning about human nature and the march of history the same。 。。。more
Sean
，
RIP
Jennie Chantal
，
DNF 6%Out of date language （eg。 Amerindian， New World， Montagnais-Naskapi）， constant reference to Indigenous people as “Americans”， not using names of tribes “four Iroquoian speaking peoples”， out of date references， passive language in regards to colonialism “European kingdoms found themselves in control of…land”…etcNo thanks！
Markus
，
A fascinating survey of prehistoric and up to antique societies and a broad strike at the misconceptions that have been made in studying them。 The best non-fiction I habe consumed this year， maybe ever
pugs
，
after finishing， all i could think was "wow， kropotkin would have loved this。" there's so much information in this book i wouldn't know where to begin， so read someone's more in depth review （kevin 10。31。21 top review for example， always excellent）。 it's wild how programmed we are in the west to view society/life in general as "civilized" or "modern" only through the specific context of not just capital and empire， but the "real" way to live is through competition， and follow a specific pattern after finishing， all i could think was "wow， kropotkin would have loved this。" there's so much information in this book i wouldn't know where to begin， so read someone's more in depth review （kevin 10。31。21 top review for example， always excellent）。 it's wild how programmed we are in the west to view society/life in general as "civilized" or "modern" only through the specific context of not just capital and empire， but the "real" way to live is through competition， and follow a specific pattern of "democracy。" we don't challenge ourselves to view a better， communal world， thinking one couldn't exist， when it already has， many times over， and we are specifically not told about it， continuing our limited scope and imagination for livelihood。 'the dawn of everything' jumps around continents and looks at information long overlooked， or previously undiscovered。 it's creepy how many europeans went to indigenous populations claiming to be "fertility gods，" just had to get that out of the way。 the societies that would be more formally structured by season and work to be done was interesting。 and how many leaders would make laws across vast lands and people in other communities would ignore them， but since it wasn't hurting anyone， there was no punishment （no harm， no foul）。 many ideas of "the enlightenment" were expounded upon， and much earlier， among indigenous intellectuals as well， history conveniently leaving that detail out。 front loaded and back loaded work in terms of food was interesting。 catch and preserve fish/meat in bulk， up front， to make later months easier was one avenue， but that also leaves a community open to be ransacked。 continually foraging and eating with the season， more continuous effort， constant cracking， grinding， cooking， was a exhaustive， but safe。 the book often looks at the role of women in history， and just how much they are neglected and not given credit， one of the most interesting point brought up was through arts/activities/handicrafts - credit for those alone - but namely how something like bead work played in the creation of mathematics。 that's just a sliver。 so yeah， well written， well rounded， completely worth your time。edit: i want to add， also fascinating how people would do "play" farming， "play" king， war， sports， etc。 and how that could have led to "real" versions -- but then which is real if playing was first？ and so on。 。。。more
Hal Triedman
，
this book， like everything else that graeber writes， was unbelievable — sweeping， filled with interesting historical details， but ultimately conceptually cohesive。 i especially appreciated their focus on critiquing the origin of teleological questions full of assumptions like “how did inequality start？” i’ve definitely found myself in classes/books/discussions predicated on those same myths and assumptions， and now i feel like i have the vocabulary to call that fallacy out。
Dina ElMaamoun
，
It’s interesting and intense。 I admire how the authors take a swing at other similar books for making assumptions that to them seem unreasonable。I’d like to see how fans of Sapiens would react to it （I haven’t yet fed Sapiens so don’t have an opinion）
Kathleen Messmer
，
History is a fascinating story。 Read it。
Anthony Barberis
，
If I'd read this book a decade ago I think I would have felt attacked。 As an Anthropology undergrad， I preferred those systematic， totalizing theories that explained cultural evolution in terms of universal human nature and inevitable， materialist laws。 I had little patience for any approach that foregrounded human agency or treated creativity and play as anything more than epiphenomena。 I don't know if this book would serve as a compelling argument to someone still in that mode; in fact， I'm co If I'd read this book a decade ago I think I would have felt attacked。 As an Anthropology undergrad， I preferred those systematic， totalizing theories that explained cultural evolution in terms of universal human nature and inevitable， materialist laws。 I had little patience for any approach that foregrounded human agency or treated creativity and play as anything more than epiphenomena。 I don't know if this book would serve as a compelling argument to someone still in that mode; in fact， I'm confident it wouldn't。 But for me， after many years of progress in my own views on history， politics， biography， human nature， the importance of contingency and idiosyncrasy， and the meaning of human flourishing， reading this book felt like something of a mea culpa。 David Graeber was an idol of mine， and the world is a poorer place for his absence。 。。。more
Angel Martinez
，
Very thorough book with hella details。 Definitely makes me feel like there's so much more to being a human than our contemporary understanding of history allows for us to imagine。 One argument the authors present is that people of previous societies were able to consciously shift their societies so as to actively prevent the rise of social structures based on domination。 I feel like for that to be the case these past societies must have had some sort of "class consciousness" since they're aware Very thorough book with hella details。 Definitely makes me feel like there's so much more to being a human than our contemporary understanding of history allows for us to imagine。 One argument the authors present is that people of previous societies were able to consciously shift their societies so as to actively prevent the rise of social structures based on domination。 I feel like for that to be the case these past societies must have had some sort of "class consciousness" since they're aware of what their material interests are and how to secure them。 Anyway， neat book。 。。。more
Susu
，
Retelling human history and exploring the origins of society， power， equality - meandering through the ages and challenging old concepts at almost every turn。 It is worth to take your time with this one。
Carolyn
，
I think I liked the idea of this book better than the finished product。 It was informative and i love the ideas presented。 Maybe it was the length？ Fascinating subject matter and a nice dive into multiple ancient societies。 Was our current way of existence inevitable？
tJacksonrichards
，
I try to temper my excitement for a groundbreaking project like this with due critical framing and distance。 To that end， it's important to acknowledge that Graeber and Wengrow here are absolutely every bit as selective and biased in their treatment of data as the 'pop theories' they're rebutting （Pinker， Diamond， Harari etc） and I highly recommend weighing the critiques leveled against G&W in this excellent ongoing podcast review， this review by a fellow radical anthropologist， as well as this I try to temper my excitement for a groundbreaking project like this with due critical framing and distance。 To that end， it's important to acknowledge that Graeber and Wengrow here are absolutely every bit as selective and biased in their treatment of data as the 'pop theories' they're rebutting （Pinker， Diamond， Harari etc） and I highly recommend weighing the critiques leveled against G&W in this excellent ongoing podcast review， this review by a fellow radical anthropologist， as well as this reading group （hosted by a history prof） for a sense of just some of the ideological spin， cherry picking， bad faith arguments， straw-manning and theoretical blindspots put forth in The Dawn of Everything。 For myself， I'll highlight a glaringly bad faith engagement with Harari's work herein that deserves special clarification and defense: In Sapiens， when Harari （borrowing lines of thought from Jared Diamond and Richard Dawkins） asks us to imagine that humans might've been domesticated and enslaved by wheat via agriculture， he is obviously presenting a kind of thought experiment or parable dovetailing with his larger concerns regarding human freedom/agency divested by technology （which he calls The Luxury Trap）。 And yet the authors here take Harari's exercise literally （pgs 230-1） so that they can condemn it as a 'just so story' of ecological determinism。 However， there are two separate but equally important ethical issues engendering this polemical divide: Harari represents a classic check on sci/tech hubris: "People， you don't know what you're doing！" while Graeber and Wengrow are instead emphasizing humanity's political agency and revolutionary willpower: "People， never forget what you're capable of doing！" Hence their diverging investment in and interpretations of history。 True， Graeber and Wengrow present the latest archeological evidence to unseat overly teleological theories of history （to which Sapiens certainly contributes）， but I wish they'd responded to Harari's larger ethical concerns in good faith instead of opting for a cheap take-down - after all， I think our contemporary relationship with technology absolutely vindicates Harari's idea of the luxury trap。（Again， all these guys have spin， bias and blindspots but their projects are thriving and influential because of the core ideas behind the work - ie。 Diamond's sense of 'environmental determinism' is a crucial lens thru which to view broad history， though it was never intended to be the only lens。） With those critiques out of the way， I'll only reiterate how incredibly important and thrilling I think this book is。 By decoupling both material conditions （ie。 technology， mode-of-production， environment） and population size/density （ie。 Dunbar's number） from socio-political organization， G&W have forged a new path of historico-political analysis （for which they suggest a rubric - owing much to Nietzsche and Weber - focusing on control of violence， control of information and charisma）。 Also， by emphasizing the influence of the amerindian 'indigenous critique' on the enlightenment， they have greatly decentered ideas of historical progress。 And finally by introducing Bateson's notion of cultural schismogenesis （perhaps a simplified version， anyway） into popular consciousness they have provided a powerful tool for analyzing the increasing polarization and division in the contemporary cultural west。 So this is a project that deserves to change the way we understand， teach and hold conversations about history。 RIP GRAEBER！ 。。。more
Laika
，
Depending on what you're expecting， this can be a frustrating read。 It's primarily a response to the book Sapiens and to the idea that societies have one type of inevitable growth: the rise of hierarchy following the invention of agriculture。 The book is full of examples of societies in which that is not the case。 A core theme of the book is human agency， that people choose their governments， with the implication that the world doesn't have to be the way it currently is。 If you're wishing for mo Depending on what you're expecting， this can be a frustrating read。 It's primarily a response to the book Sapiens and to the idea that societies have one type of inevitable growth: the rise of hierarchy following the invention of agriculture。 The book is full of examples of societies in which that is not the case。 A core theme of the book is human agency， that people choose their governments， with the implication that the world doesn't have to be the way it currently is。 If you're wishing for more application of this idea to our modern， you'll be disappointed。 But if you can set your expectations solely to breaking down our common notions of the past， I'd recommend it。 。。。more
Johnny
，
A difficult but ultimately rewarding journey。Why difficult？ This is a very long book。 It is divided into only twelve chapters， which are not easily read in a single sitting。 The authors claim to be writing for a general audience， but while you certainly don’t have to be a professional anthropologist， archaeologist， or historian to appreciate this book， you probably do need to be of a fairly academic bent， comfortable in a lofty realm of abstractions。 There is not much of a story here， with chara A difficult but ultimately rewarding journey。Why difficult？ This is a very long book。 It is divided into only twelve chapters， which are not easily read in a single sitting。 The authors claim to be writing for a general audience， but while you certainly don’t have to be a professional anthropologist， archaeologist， or historian to appreciate this book， you probably do need to be of a fairly academic bent， comfortable in a lofty realm of abstractions。 There is not much of a story here， with characters and action to keep you motivated。 It felt a bit disjointed at times。 I wish the authors would have done a better job of informing the reader at the beginning of each section exactly what point they are trying to make before diving into the details of this or that ancient society。 It would have helped me to hold all the ideas together and understand how they relate to the bigger picture。 They seem to give you all the evidence first and then， finally， tell you what conclusion they draw from that evidence。 There’s nothing inherently wrong with that， except they bombard you with so much evidence that you become impatient to know what the point is。This book is a prolonged assault on deeply entrenched misconceptions about human history — most notably， the ideas that （1） there was an agricultural “revolution” that dramatically altered the human experience overnight， and （2） once a society scales up beyond a certain point， a decrease in individual freedom for the vast majority of its inhabitants is inevitable。 The authors convincingly argue that these are myths that we inherited from Enlightenment thinkers。 They provide many historical counterexamples， synthesize the latest archaeological and anthropological data， ask better questions than historians tend to ask， and generally develop new approaches for the study of social inequality。As I said， it was a rewarding journey。 I can honestly say that my understanding of human history has been radically transformed。 Much of our history has been characterized by playful experimentation with different sociopolitical arrangements。 Nothing is set in stone。 I am excited to see what the future brings。 。。。more
Μίλτος Τρ。
，
Ένας απέραντος πλούτος νέων ευρημάτων που δείχνει πόσα λίγα ξέρουμε για τον προϊστορικό κόσμο （και πόσα μάλλον δε θα μάθουμε ποτέ） και μια θέση που προκαλεί άπειρες συζητήσεις。 Must read。
Tamara Agha-Jaffar
，
The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity by David Graeber and David Wengrow is the product of a decade’s worth of extensive research on how new evidence in anthropology and archaeology inform our understanding of humanity’s past。 The authors debunk many of the conventional narratives and the assumptions on which they are based。 Graeber and Wengrow dismantle previous theories， including the concept of the child-like， noble savage of popular imagination; the origins of private property; t The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity by David Graeber and David Wengrow is the product of a decade’s worth of extensive research on how new evidence in anthropology and archaeology inform our understanding of humanity’s past。 The authors debunk many of the conventional narratives and the assumptions on which they are based。 Graeber and Wengrow dismantle previous theories， including the concept of the child-like， noble savage of popular imagination; the origins of private property; the inexorable force of agriculture in shaping a society; the egalitarian nature of hunter-gatherers; the definition of a city; the existence of hierarchies in large communities; the inevitability of a centralized administration in large cities; the late emergence of symbolic behavior; the beginnings of democratic institutions in Athens; and the linear and uniform progression from “primitive” to “civilized。” Through a wealth of examples from ancient sites around the world， the authors demonstrate repeatedly that human beings were not passive recipients of forces beyond their control。 They engaged in political debate and made collective decisions。 They made conscious and deliberate choices， rejecting one mode of social organization and adopting another。 Movement was never “linear” in that sense。 People frequently shifted between different forms of social organization depending on their values， on the season， or because they wanted to distinguish themselves from their neighbors。 The situation was fluid。 The Dawn of Everything fundamentally challenges our understanding of humanity’s past。 It exposes the cultural bias of historians of the past and critiques previous narratives of the progress of human history。 It is wide-ranging and expansive， provides a wealth of information， and is impressive in scope and scholarship。 The Notes and Bibliography together amount to 150 pages。 The style is conversational。 But the sheer volume of the work， the digressions， the repetitions， and the extensive number of examples it provides make it a challenging read。 It would have benefited from some serious editing。 The work is a formidable tome， intellectually fascinating for its challenge of our fundamental assumptions about our history。 Its critique of previous narratives， assumptions， and methodology; its impressive and exhaustive evidence; the questions it poses; and the implications it raises for what it means to be a free， civilized， and cultured society are groundbreaking and profoundly thought-provoking。My book reviews are also available at www。tamaraaghajaffar。com 。。。more
Caro
，
What do we really know about prehistory and early "civilizations？" The two Davids make the case that we find what we want to see。 There's plenty of evidence that， for example， the American Indians that the French encountered had complex political and social structures， but the French expected to find either Rousseauian innocents or "primitive" people， so that's what most of them reported。 In fact， some of the Indians' ideas may well have influenced the development of the Enlightenment。 But this What do we really know about prehistory and early "civilizations？" The two Davids make the case that we find what we want to see。 There's plenty of evidence that， for example， the American Indians that the French encountered had complex political and social structures， but the French expected to find either Rousseauian innocents or "primitive" people， so that's what most of them reported。 In fact， some of the Indians' ideas may well have influenced the development of the Enlightenment。 But this is a great simplification of the argument， and one thing the Davids are not is simplistic。 As a lay reader I found this stimulating， informative， provocative， and entertaining。 Of course， I felt the same way about Guns， Germs， and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies， which they find lacking， so perhaps I'm an easy mark。 I'm now on the trail of Cahokia， a complex city that thrived along the Mississippi River from the eleventh to the fourteenth centuries。 Why do these early complex civilizations get ignored in school？ US history seems to begin with the Pilgrims， but there's so much more to learn。 But I digress。 So good that I would almost go back and read it all again。 。。。more
Alan
，
A brilliant book and one that filled me with hope
Mathilde Gb
，
This was a very long read - but I really enjoyed it。 What I found most fascinating about the book is that it starts with the premise （which seems obvious but actually isn't） that humans in the past were creative， smart， imaginative， and that they have experimented with different socioeconomic projects and configurations， in a way that's wasn't linear or deterministic。 This reading of history makes it possible to break free from a number of myths which we take for granted。 It also allows us to be This was a very long read - but I really enjoyed it。 What I found most fascinating about the book is that it starts with the premise （which seems obvious but actually isn't） that humans in the past were creative， smart， imaginative， and that they have experimented with different socioeconomic projects and configurations， in a way that's wasn't linear or deterministic。 This reading of history makes it possible to break free from a number of myths which we take for granted。 It also allows us to better grasp what freedom and domination look like today - and what it could look like in the future。 I saw a review somewhere saying the book could have been cut down by at least a third without impacting the main arguments， which I think is true。 It sometimes felt like case studies were thrown in the mix without necessarily adding anything new。 I also read about some important flaws about regarding some key case studies。 I can't be the judge of that， but as a whole， I found the book very convincing in debunking some long-standing myths and inviting us to rethink the past， the present， and the future。 。。。more
Todd
，
I'm not going to rate it。 I gave up reading it though。 I got about 100 pages read， and the authors keep referring to other authors， or books。 Not being familiar with those， I didn't understand the points being made。 They seemed to contradict themselves， but this could be my not being a social scientist。 Usually I enjoy science books of this nature， but I need a more non-technical version。 Maybe the Coles notes version （if those still exist） I'm not going to rate it。 I gave up reading it though。 I got about 100 pages read， and the authors keep referring to other authors， or books。 Not being familiar with those， I didn't understand the points being made。 They seemed to contradict themselves， but this could be my not being a social scientist。 Usually I enjoy science books of this nature， but I need a more non-technical version。 Maybe the Coles notes version （if those still exist） 。。。more
Gilles
，
I felt I was reading an important book but it was difficult to read。 I had to push myself to finish it。
Karen Smith
，
Fascinating and revolutionary。 Reads well and painlessly。 My nonfiction book of the year。
Christopher
，
I was shocked by some of the negative reviews of this book claiming that the book is full of unsupported ideas， without giving a single example。 Do these reviewers have any self-awareness？Other criticisms: they don't come to a point。 That is the point。 The neat histories of progress from "primitive" to "advanced" social structures is not supported by actually looking at the evidence。 It is not a matter of other people's theories getting phases out of order， or not understanding what our eventual I was shocked by some of the negative reviews of this book claiming that the book is full of unsupported ideas， without giving a single example。 Do these reviewers have any self-awareness？Other criticisms: they don't come to a point。 That is the point。 The neat histories of progress from "primitive" to "advanced" social structures is not supported by actually looking at the evidence。 It is not a matter of other people's theories getting phases out of order， or not understanding what our eventual utopia will look like。 It is literally up to us to decide what utopia should look like， and they give many examples of increasing levels of organization not improving life for people living under it （the move from egalitarian organization in the land around the Tigris and Euphrates） and of people who saw what "more advanced" organizations， e。g。， theocracy could be and rejecting it （Eastern Woodland peoples）。 My whole understanding of America has changed。 Their evidence that "freedom" is a concept borrowed from the philosophy of Eastern Woodland peoples is detailed and just seems right。 It is one of the great ironies of our time that a "Freedom Convoy" sprang up to blockade the Ambassador bridge in Windsor， pretty much at the intersection of Wyandotte and Huron Church streets， not realizing that a Wyandotte person （Kandiaronk） patiently instructed the Jesuits and French aristocrats he met about Freedom。 Do they even know who the Wyandotte and Huron are， and why this intersection was named after them？Although the two Davids do not impose their own vision of utopia， they make a pretty good case that we would be better off today if more of the philosophy of the Wyandotte had been adopted by the settlers。 I read this book just before reading Kukum， by Michel Jean。 Reading them in juxtaposition was really enlightening， and really supports the analysis of the Dawn of Everything。 。。。more
Alex
，
Ow ow my brain is not big enough this is lots of information
Steve D
，