Foragers, Farmers, and Fossil Fuels: How Human Values Evolve

Most people today believe in democracy, gender equality, and oppose violence and wealth inequality. However, people in the 10,000 years before the 19th century had the opposite views. Archaeologist Ian Morris explains this using insights from archaeology, anthropology, biology, and history. Morris argues that fundamental long-term changes in values are driven by energy. Humans have three main energy sources: foraging, farming, and fossil fuels. Each source limits societal success and rewards specific values. However, our fossil-fuel world favors democratic societies, and ongoing energy capture may render our cherished values obsolete. Originating as the Tanner Lectures at Princeton, the book includes responses from classicist Richard Seaford, historian Jonathan Spence, philosopher Christine Korsgaard, and novelist Margaret Atwood.

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