So Much Stuff: How Humans Discovered Tools, Invented Meaning, and Made More of Everything

by Chip Colwell

How humans became so dependent on things and how this need has grown dangerously out of control.

 

Over three million years ago, our ancient ancestors realized that rocks could be broken into sharp-edged objects for slicing meat, making the first knives. This discovery resulted in a good meal and eventually changed the fate of our species and our planet.

 

With So Much Stuff, archaeologist Chip Colwell sets out to investigate why humankind went from self-sufficient primates to nonstop shoppers, from needing nothing to needing everything. Along the way, he uncovers spectacular and strange points around the world—an Italian cave with the world’s first known painted art, a Hong Kong skyscraper where a priestess channels the gods, and a mountain of trash that rivals the Statue of Liberty. Through these examples, Colwell shows how humanity took three leaps that led to stuff becoming inseparable from our lives, inspiring a love affair with things that may lead to our downfall. Now, as landfills brim and oceans drown in trash, Colwell issues a timely call to reevaluate our relationship with the things that both created and threaten to undo our overstuffed planet.

 

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Anthropology, Cultural, Science, Psychology

331 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 6, 2023

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed most of the book which took a look at humanity’s relationship to “stuff” through an archaeological/ anthropological viewpoint. But the last couple chapters weren’t as good.

[Michelle Mallette · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Why do we have so much stuff?” That’s the question author Colwell’s sister posed to her archaeologist brother, spurring him to investigate why and how humanity went “from needing nothing to needing everything.” It clearly resonates with modern Western culture – decluttering articles abound; Marie Kondo encourages us to rid ourselves of anything that doesn’t spark joy; we watch episodes of “Hoarders” with morbid fascination and not a little fear that it could happen to us. In fact, Colwell makes the argument that as we keep buying the latest shiny gadgets, we are all hoarders, simply keeping most of our stuff in landfills instead of our homes. Over a relatively short but superbly researched 250 pages, Colwell examines humanity’s full history and concludes three big leaps got us to where we are today – we developed tools to feed ourselves and protect us from the environment; second, we began to ascribe meaning to objects and the world around us, creating art, religion, and the concept of ownership; and third, the Industrial Revolution allowed the creation of abundance, followed by the marketing of desire: “… production was only half the equation. The other half was consumption. Supply needed demand” (p. 182). This last section was the most interesting to me, especially Colwell’s personal discussion of his family’s attempt to “buy slow” – severely limiting their purchases. It ain’t easy. But we are going to have to do something. We are drowning in our stuff, and it’s killing our planet. To conclude, Colwell makes a pitch for a fourth “big leap” – to reduce our consumption and change our relationship to stuff, to be mindful of our purchases, and redefine what wealth means to us, and to shift to a circular economy where materials must be recycled and reused, not stored in giant landfills. Colwell includes a lot of interesting endmatter – after the acknowledgements, there’s an interesting glossary of terms (wish I’d known it was there while I was reading the book), endnotes, a very lengthy reference list of more than 30 pages, and an index. My thanks to the Grand Forks (B.C) & District Public Library for including this title in its adult nonfiction collection.

[Lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

✨ Synopsis:

SO MUCH STUFF is an archeologist’s perspective on how humankind started with needing little to having an insatiable desire for possessions. The cost has been high, filling landfills and oceans with trash. Colwell, in SO MUCH STUFF, encourages us to change our current practices regarding the possession and acquisition of things, to take better care of our planet.

✨My thoughts:

• Colwell is friendly and approachable, not at all arrogant or preachy.

• Given my academic background, I appreciate how organized, researched, and well-presented the book is.

• Some of the stories captivated me, such as the priestess channeling the gods, reaction to the phonograph when it was first introduced, and his family’s decision to reevaluate the acquisition of possessions in their own lives.

• My quandary is as follows: If this book is encouraging everyone to live more intentionally minimal lives, the writing might be more attractive to those who are interested in archeology, history, or academic presentations.

That aside, perhaps we can start with something smaller and more attainable. We could begin, for example, with figuring out how we can reduce the need to rent a storage unit or fill a garage or room to the brim with stuff.

Overall, I believe Colwell’s work is a good book, encouraging us to rethink how “stuff” takes hold of our lives and makes us poorer stewards of the earth.

[Jerusha]

Heard about this book through Denver Museum of Nature and Science. It's a topic I'm really interested in, so it was enjoyable to get a deep dive into how we as humans got to this place of having more things than we could every possible need. I skimmed the first section as I just wasn't as interested in the early progress of Man. But the subsequent 2 section on how stuff started to have meaning then how we started to want more were both fascinating. Really well written and informative. Especially enjoyed the last bit where the author talked about his personal relationship to stuff and gave advice on how we as individuals can support broader change.

[Licho · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really great read, delving a bit into the "why" of humanity creating and collecting so many things. Some obvious, like an easy way to signal status to each other, to more obscure psychological reasons (the chapter on religious items and the Guanyin statue was particularly interesting). And while I'm someone who loves a good tchotchke, I think the ideas in this book are important for evaluating our relationships with the stuff we fill our lives with.

[Chad Schultz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting. Starts in pre-history with how our ancestors evolved to use tools, and how using tools shaped our evolution, then goes on to the Industrial Revolution and modern day marketing, materialism and hoarding. A bit light on action steps, but still an enlightening read.