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The Company of Strangers: A Natural History of Economic Life
Human beings are the only species in nature to have developed an elaborate division of labor between strangers. Even something as simple as buying a shirt depends on an astonishing web of interaction and organization that spans the world. But unlike that other uniquely human attribute, language, our ability to cooperate with strangers did not evolve gradually through our prehistory. Only 10,000 years ago--a blink of an eye in evolutionary time--humans hunted in bands, were intensely suspicious of strangers, and fought those whom they could not flee. Yet since the dawn of agriculture we have refined the division of labor to the point where, today, we live and work amid strangers and depend upon millions more. Every time we travel by rail or air we entrust our lives to individuals we do not know. What institutions have made this possible?
In The Company of Strangers , Paul Seabright provides an original evolutionary and sociological account of the emergence of those economic institutions that manage not only markets but also the world's myriad other affairs.
Drawing on insights from biology, anthropology, history, psychology, and literature, Seabright explores how our evolved ability of abstract reasoning has allowed institutions like money, markets, and cities to provide the foundation of social trust. But how long can the networks of modern life survive when we are exposed as never before to risks originating in distant parts of the globe? This lively narrative shows us the remarkable strangeness, and fragility, of our everyday lives.
In The Company of Strangers , Paul Seabright provides an original evolutionary and sociological account of the emergence of those economic institutions that manage not only markets but also the world's myriad other affairs.
Drawing on insights from biology, anthropology, history, psychology, and literature, Seabright explores how our evolved ability of abstract reasoning has allowed institutions like money, markets, and cities to provide the foundation of social trust. But how long can the networks of modern life survive when we are exposed as never before to risks originating in distant parts of the globe? This lively narrative shows us the remarkable strangeness, and fragility, of our everyday lives.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
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May 5, 2015
An economist looks at evolutionary roots of human society and its structures. How does our evolutionary path shape current institutions and mutual trust?
p53 Remarkably, trust in non-relatives has become an established fact of social life.
p53 cites Carol Ember - myths about Hunter-Gatherers
p65 Social Capital (World Bank 1999) Dasgupta and Serageldin http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external...
p65 What all stable societies have in common is that the balance between reciprocity and self0-interest holds even when unscrupulous individuals test its strength.
p86 The best bank is now the the one with the shrewdest eye for sound investments. It is the most convincing purveyor of trust in the many claims made by would-be borrowers for the quality of their business propositions.
p153 The human species now produces around 50 times as much output, consuming over 75 times as much energy and over 60 times as much freshwater, as we did 200 years ago. (Bourguignonne & Morrison 2002; McNeill 2000)
p193 The more elaborate the division of labour the greater the possibilities for the web of trust that sustains it to unravel.
p206 Holmstrom & Milgrom (1991) when agents forced to work for a principal are forced to choose between tasks whose results are easy to verify and tasks that are important but hard to verify, they not only cut back on the tasks that are hard to verify but may even put too much effort into the easy ones!
p243 Human beings 10000 years ago had inherited a psychology that made them intensely suspicious of strangers and capable of savage violence toward them under some circumstances, but able to benefit spectacularly from institutional arrangements that made it reasonable to treat strangers as honorary friends.
p251 Strength of our trust-building institutions is how decentralized they are. We ourselves are the real police; those who wear uniforms are just the special forces, playing a crucial but minority role in overseeing the billions of daily interactions between strangers in our modern world.
p252 In a smoothly functioning modern society, you can trust me to to transact reasonably with you not because of my character or personality (about which you know little and care less), nor because you share my religion or my politics (which may repel you), nor because you know my family, but simply because of the social space we share. Such a social space (...) requires a degree of impartiality. (...) Schools in the 21st century need above all to teach children the one vital skill for the survival of humanity, namely, how to live peacefully and profitably with people whose community and religion are not one's own
p53 Remarkably, trust in non-relatives has become an established fact of social life.
p53 cites Carol Ember - myths about Hunter-Gatherers
p65 Social Capital (World Bank 1999) Dasgupta and Serageldin http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external...
p65 What all stable societies have in common is that the balance between reciprocity and self0-interest holds even when unscrupulous individuals test its strength.
p86 The best bank is now the the one with the shrewdest eye for sound investments. It is the most convincing purveyor of trust in the many claims made by would-be borrowers for the quality of their business propositions.
p153 The human species now produces around 50 times as much output, consuming over 75 times as much energy and over 60 times as much freshwater, as we did 200 years ago. (Bourguignonne & Morrison 2002; McNeill 2000)
p193 The more elaborate the division of labour the greater the possibilities for the web of trust that sustains it to unravel.
p206 Holmstrom & Milgrom (1991) when agents forced to work for a principal are forced to choose between tasks whose results are easy to verify and tasks that are important but hard to verify, they not only cut back on the tasks that are hard to verify but may even put too much effort into the easy ones!
p243 Human beings 10000 years ago had inherited a psychology that made them intensely suspicious of strangers and capable of savage violence toward them under some circumstances, but able to benefit spectacularly from institutional arrangements that made it reasonable to treat strangers as honorary friends.
p251 Strength of our trust-building institutions is how decentralized they are. We ourselves are the real police; those who wear uniforms are just the special forces, playing a crucial but minority role in overseeing the billions of daily interactions between strangers in our modern world.
p252 In a smoothly functioning modern society, you can trust me to to transact reasonably with you not because of my character or personality (about which you know little and care less), nor because you share my religion or my politics (which may repel you), nor because you know my family, but simply because of the social space we share. Such a social space (...) requires a degree of impartiality. (...) Schools in the 21st century need above all to teach children the one vital skill for the survival of humanity, namely, how to live peacefully and profitably with people whose community and religion are not one's own
September 15, 2010
This book is a profound and impressive view of economics. Its broad sweep of history - from pre-agricultural man to the present - and examination of the fundamentals of human interaction leave you with a feeling of "wow, this is deep". And it is meant to: Seabright argues convincingly and enjoyably that we aren't awed enough by the economies that humans have developed. These economies require massive amounts of trust, and as a species we are just not evolved to trust people to whom we aren't related. So we've developed some social norms and some institutions to help trust along and BOOM, we've developed this massive, sophisticated, and technological economy in only the most recent fraction of our species' existence. This economy, then, is as fragile as the trust we carry in strangers, as supported by these norms and institutions. I don't think I've read a book since "Guns Germs & Steel" that took on such a broad cut of explaining society.
The particularly impressive part is the range of disciplines he brings to bear on his subject: not just economics but also psychology, history, literature, anthropology, social sciences, etc. This breadth makes the book interesting and enjoyable. While his writing style is generally engaging, it can take on an academic feel. Fortunately he has organized it academically, with chapter and section introductions and summaries - my advice is if you feel your mind wandering, feel free to skip to the next summary. WIth the weight of feeling you need to read every word lifted, you'll be surprised how often you stay to read everything anyway.
The particularly impressive part is the range of disciplines he brings to bear on his subject: not just economics but also psychology, history, literature, anthropology, social sciences, etc. This breadth makes the book interesting and enjoyable. While his writing style is generally engaging, it can take on an academic feel. Fortunately he has organized it academically, with chapter and section introductions and summaries - my advice is if you feel your mind wandering, feel free to skip to the next summary. WIth the weight of feeling you need to read every word lifted, you'll be surprised how often you stay to read everything anyway.
November 21, 2021
هل امهلتني لحظة لجعل بعض أفكارك تتدفق وانت تراقبها؟
لا، لا أدعوك للتأمل.. او ليس تمامًا.. حتمًا هناك فكرة حول ان عليك رد معروف ما لأحدهم، عمل او حتى هديّة او رسالة واتساب، وهناك فكرة حول خوف ما من خيانة لمعروف انت قدمته... دع أفكارك تنساب وأنت في مجلس تحفظه، كمكان العمل أو حتى المنزل، كم من الحسابات تجري في عقلك؟ عن علاقات ومصالح مشتركة.. دقق اكثر من انسياب أفكارك عند التجول بمكان غير مألوف، الشارع، السوق.. غرباء وغرباء يسيرون في كل مكان، سائق الحافلة، بائع الخضار، متسول، وغيرهم الكثير... ماذا تشعر عند ملاقاتهم؟ تتفرس وجوههم بريبة حول هل هم جديرون بالثقة؟ هل يمكنني إيداع راتبي بالبنك؟ هل استطيع شراء سلعة بدون التعرض للخداع؟ هل سأصل لوجهتي دون أن يبتزني السائق؟
كل هذه الأفكار التي هي بالفعل متصدرة المشهد في عقولنا، هي محل البحث في هذا الكتاب العظيم..
يقدم لنا الكاتب التاريخ الطبيعي للحياة بين الغرباء، بمجموعة من العناوين الجذابة والمحتوى المشبع الذي يبدء من الرؤية الضيقة وينتهي بالسيادة بين الامبراطوريات...
دقيق وطويل نوعا ما وبحاجة لمجهود، لكن النتيجة تستحق♥️
لا، لا أدعوك للتأمل.. او ليس تمامًا.. حتمًا هناك فكرة حول ان عليك رد معروف ما لأحدهم، عمل او حتى هديّة او رسالة واتساب، وهناك فكرة حول خوف ما من خيانة لمعروف انت قدمته... دع أفكارك تنساب وأنت في مجلس تحفظه، كمكان العمل أو حتى المنزل، كم من الحسابات تجري في عقلك؟ عن علاقات ومصالح مشتركة.. دقق اكثر من انسياب أفكارك عند التجول بمكان غير مألوف، الشارع، السوق.. غرباء وغرباء يسيرون في كل مكان، سائق الحافلة، بائع الخضار، متسول، وغيرهم الكثير... ماذا تشعر عند ملاقاتهم؟ تتفرس وجوههم بريبة حول هل هم جديرون بالثقة؟ هل يمكنني إيداع راتبي بالبنك؟ هل استطيع شراء سلعة بدون التعرض للخداع؟ هل سأصل لوجهتي دون أن يبتزني السائق؟
كل هذه الأفكار التي هي بالفعل متصدرة المشهد في عقولنا، هي محل البحث في هذا الكتاب العظيم..
يقدم لنا الكاتب التاريخ الطبيعي للحياة بين الغرباء، بمجموعة من العناوين الجذابة والمحتوى المشبع الذي يبدء من الرؤية الضيقة وينتهي بالسيادة بين الامبراطوريات...
دقيق وطويل نوعا ما وبحاجة لمجهود، لكن النتيجة تستحق♥️
August 15, 2009
Starts strong and peters out. I find this is the case with many books with grandiose goals. Sections 1 and 2 are far better than 3 and 4.
November 28, 2021
كتاب رفقة الغرباء
تاريخ طبيعي للحياة الاقتصادية
الكاتب بول سيبرايت
نوع الكتاب اقتصادي اجتماعي
عدد الصفحات٤٦٥
دار النشر هنداوي
التقييم ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
يصف الكاتب طبيعة سلوكيات البشر من بداية اليشرية الى وقتنا الحاضر وتطور سلوكهم من مجموعات الصيد ومجموعات قطف الثمار والزراعة الى الحضارة
ياخذنا الكاتب بجولة تمتد لاربعة اجزاء
عن الانسان ومخاطر الطبيعة والعنف وكيفية تطوير علاقاتنا الاجتماعية والانسانية والعلاقات الماديةليستمر بعلاقاته بالمدن وتطويرها وانتظامه بالمصانع والشركات والموسسات ومعرفة تطور هذا البشري بدءا برموزه القديمة الى العولمة
البشر هم النوع الوحيد من الكائنات التي استطاعت تطوير قدرة فائقة على التقسيم المتقن والعمل بين الغرباء
هل نستطيع ان نمنح الثقة للغرباء هذا ما اثار تساؤل الكاتب
الكتاب رائع جدا
اسلوب الكاتب جميل ويخلو من التعقيد
تاريخ طبيعي للحياة الاقتصادية
الكاتب بول سيبرايت
نوع الكتاب اقتصادي اجتماعي
عدد الصفحات٤٦٥
دار النشر هنداوي
التقييم ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
يصف الكاتب طبيعة سلوكيات البشر من بداية اليشرية الى وقتنا الحاضر وتطور سلوكهم من مجموعات الصيد ومجموعات قطف الثمار والزراعة الى الحضارة
ياخذنا الكاتب بجولة تمتد لاربعة اجزاء
عن الانسان ومخاطر الطبيعة والعنف وكيفية تطوير علاقاتنا الاجتماعية والانسانية والعلاقات الماديةليستمر بعلاقاته بالمدن وتطويرها وانتظامه بالمصانع والشركات والموسسات ومعرفة تطور هذا البشري بدءا برموزه القديمة الى العولمة
البشر هم النوع الوحيد من الكائنات التي استطاعت تطوير قدرة فائقة على التقسيم المتقن والعمل بين الغرباء
هل نستطيع ان نمنح الثقة للغرباء هذا ما اثار تساؤل الكاتب
الكتاب رائع جدا
اسلوب الكاتب جميل ويخلو من التعقيد
November 9, 2012
In this book, Paul Seabright (a professor of economics) discusses a wide range of topics including how we have tamed our violent instincts, how human social emotions evolved, and the rise (and sometimes fall) of institutions such as money, banks, cities, firms, states, and empires. He calls our evolution from family bands to industrial cities "the great experiment" and ends up discussing how fragile this experiment is. He asks many interesting questions along the way, but his treatment of these questions often leaves something to be desired.
The chapters on violence advance the same general thesis as Steven Pinker’s brilliant work on the subject: The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined. The chapter on how the social emotions evolved is similarly congruent with Matt Ridley’s excellent The Origins of Virtue: Human Instincts and the Evolution of Cooperation (among some other similar books). Seabright is however a somewhat less engaging writer than Pinker and Ridley, and his analyses are not as deep and thorough as theirs.
The respective chapters on the development of cities and firms are interesting. In the latter, it is argued that the modern firm grew out of the traditional family. The chapter on water is very good in its own right, but it does not fit very well within the theme of the book as whole. The revised edition contains a new chapter on the recent financial crisis as well as a foreword by Daniel Dennett, but these add little of value.
Overall, it is a good read, but it promises somewhat more than it delivers. A much better book on a similar theme is Darwinian Politics: The Evolutionary Origin of Freedom by Paul H. Rubin. (see my review of Rubin's book here: http://www.oxymoronsreviews.com/oxymo...).
Fritz- Anton Fritzson
http://www.oxymoronsreviews.com
The chapters on violence advance the same general thesis as Steven Pinker’s brilliant work on the subject: The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined. The chapter on how the social emotions evolved is similarly congruent with Matt Ridley’s excellent The Origins of Virtue: Human Instincts and the Evolution of Cooperation (among some other similar books). Seabright is however a somewhat less engaging writer than Pinker and Ridley, and his analyses are not as deep and thorough as theirs.
The respective chapters on the development of cities and firms are interesting. In the latter, it is argued that the modern firm grew out of the traditional family. The chapter on water is very good in its own right, but it does not fit very well within the theme of the book as whole. The revised edition contains a new chapter on the recent financial crisis as well as a foreword by Daniel Dennett, but these add little of value.
Overall, it is a good read, but it promises somewhat more than it delivers. A much better book on a similar theme is Darwinian Politics: The Evolutionary Origin of Freedom by Paul H. Rubin. (see my review of Rubin's book here: http://www.oxymoronsreviews.com/oxymo...).
Fritz- Anton Fritzson
http://www.oxymoronsreviews.com
August 18, 2025
الثقة بين الأفراد والمؤسسات: قراءة في ضوء “رفقة الغرباء” لبول سيبرايت
يشكّل كتاب “رفقة الغرباء” لبول سيبرايت مرجعًا نظريًا مهمًا لفهم جذور الثقة وتفاوتها عبر المجتمعات، ولا سيما في البيئات التي تشهد تحولات حضرية واقتصادية عميقة.
من منظور علم النفس التطوري، يمكن تتبّع نشأة الثقة لدى البشر عبر مبدأ انتخاب الأقارب، حيث تبلورت قيم التعاون والتآزر والإيثار بشكل أوضح داخل الدوائر الضيقة للعلاقات الإنسانية. فالأسرة، باعتبارها الوحدة الاجتماعية الأصغر، تمثّل النموذج الأرقى للثقة المتبادلة. غير أنّ هذه الثقة تبدأ بالانحسار تدريجيًا كلما اتسعت الدائرة الاجتماعية؛ إذ تصبح أضعف داخل الجماعة الأكبر ثم في المجتمع العام. بهذا المعنى، فإن الثقة بين الأقارب فطرية وغريزية، بينما الثقة بين الغرباء ليست طبيعية، بل ثمرة تنظيم مؤسسي يتجسد في القانون، والعقوبات، والبيروقراطية، والسمعة، والإعلام.
يذهب بول إلى أن الإنسان تطوّر ليمنح ثقته لأقاربه فقط، لكن التجربة الحضارية للبشرية كانت محاولة متواصلة لتوسيع هذه الثقة الضيقة وتحويلها إلى تجربة إنسانية شاملة. ومع ذلك، يبقى الميل الطبيعي للانغلاق ضمن الأطر القَبَلية أو العائلية أو الدينية قائمًا. ولهذا السبب تحديدًا تصبح الهويات المذهبية أو القبلية أو الشخصية خريطة غير متساوية للثقة، حيث يتباين اعتماد الأفراد على المؤسسات الرسمية مقابل الشبكات الاجتماعية غير الرسمية.
في المجال الاقتصادي، لا يقتصر دور السوق على تبادل السلع والخدمات، بل يتطلب وجود مؤسسات تنظّم هذا التبادل وتؤسسه على قواعد أخلاقية أو نفعية. وفي المجتمعات ذات الانفتاح الاقتصادي الكبير�� حيث يزداد عدد الوافدين، يشكل التفاعل اليومي بين المواطنين والعمالة الأجنبية اختبارًا حيًا لفكرة “الثقة مع الغرباء”.
من هنا تبرز أهمية الثقة في المجتمعات المعاصرة: فهي لم تعد حبيسة الروابط الأسرية أو الدينية أو الجغرافية، بل أصبحت ضرورة ملحّة لتنظيم التفاعلات بين غرباء تجمعهم المدن الحديثة والأسواق المتنوعة والتعدد الثقافي. ولذا، لم تعد الثقة مجرد شعور شخصي، بل تحوّلت إلى نظام اجتماعي معقد يحدّ من التوترات، ويعزّز كفاءة المؤسسات، ويرفع من إنتاجية السوق.
بول سيبرايت يقدّم في هذا السياق نموذجًا مفاهيميًا يشرح الكيفية التي يمكن أن تتأسس بها الثقة في عالم يجهل فيه الناس بعضهم البعض، مستندًا إلى أربع ركائز أساسية:
1. الطبيعة البشرية المنغلقة: البشر لا يثقون بالغريب تلقائيًا، إذ جعلهم التطور البيولوجي أكثر ميلاً للدائرة القريبة.
2. المؤسسات كآليات لتوسيع الثقة: مثل القانون، السوق، النظام الضريبي، ومؤسسات الدولة، بما يتيح تفاعلات أكثر أمانًا وفاعلية بين الغرباء.
3. الطابع النفعي للثقة: فالثقة ليست فضيلة أخلاقية بحتة، بل كثيرًا ما تُبنى على المصلحة والسمعة أكثر من الإيثار.
4. هشاشة الثقة: فهي مهددة دائمًا، وإن لم تُصن بآليات الردع والتحفيز عادت المجتمعات إلى انغلاقها القبلي أو الطائفي أو المناطقي.
بهذا الطرح، يضع بول أمامنا رؤية متفائلة عن مستقبل المجتمعات الإنسانية: فعلى الرغم من نزوع البشر الطبيعي إلى الثقة بالدوائر الضيقة، استطاعت الحضارات أن تطوّر منظومات قانونية ومؤسساتية وثقافية مكّنتها من توسيع دائرة التعاون لتشمل “رفقة الغرباء”.
November 8, 2013
An excellent book!! it´s a must read for everyone interested in the dynamic of the relationship between our apparently simple life and the rest of society. As spicies, our success is completely due to our team work; but, at the same time, the biggest challenges for the continuity of the species are the outcomes of our team work. 100% recommended!!
September 6, 2022
📝الكتاب:رفقة الغرباء
🕵️الكاتب:بول سيبرايت
👀عدد الصفحات:462
🎬النوع:مزيج من الاقتصاد وعلم الاجتماع
🚦التقييم:🌟🌟🌟
💡"بينما تقرأ هذه الكلمات، ثمة شخص لم تقابله أبدا يعمل بجهد بالنيابة عنك. من شبه المؤكد أن كثيرين يعملون من أجلك؛ فثمة مزارع هندي يقود الثيران عبر أرضه حتى يتمكن من زراعة القطن الذي سيصبح القميص الذي ستشتريه في وقت ما من العالم المقبل، وثمة مزارع برازيلي يحصد حبوب القهوة التي ستستخدمها في وجبة إفطارك الشهر المقبل، وموظف حكومي يخطط تحسينات الطريق بالقرب من ذلك التقاطع الخطير الذي تمر به في طريقك إلى العمل....."
" كتاب عن الثقة الاجتماعية الثقة التى تُشكِّل أساس حياتنا الاجتماعية..والأزمات الاقتصادية
الكتاب يحمل فكره خلاقه كيفيه الربط بين التسلسل في العلاقات الانسانيه من العداء والخوف واللاامان الى المصالح المشتركه سواء بقصد و طرق مباشره او غير ذلك.
من القميص الى القهوة حتى الى جرائم قتل... سلسلة علاقات تلتف خيوطها حولنا..
يقول الكتاب تحت عنوان "الثقة الاجتماعية والأزمات المالية": تتسم المجتمعات الحديثة بالهشاشة، فثمة لحظات نادرة ولكن خطيرة تتسبب حينها رياح جديدة، تهب فجأة من جهة غير متوقعة، فى انهيار صروح تبدو صلبة من الناحية الظاهرية، ومثل هذه الانهيارات لا تقل فى خطورتها حين تتعلق بكيانات معنوية فى حياتنا الاجتماعية".
💡"البشر قد «يخرقون» غداً ما كانوا قد قبلوا باحترامه اليوم، أن الأعراف والقواعد الاجتماعية السائدة هي التي تحكم ردود أفعال البشر باعتبارهم أعضاء في مجموعات وليس مجرّد أفراد. ثم إن «المنظومة» هي التي تضمن سير آليات المجتمع. الأفراد يزولون لكن المنظومات بمجملها تتابع العمل."
الكتاب جميل والفكره تستحق واورد دراسات وارقام تاريخيه اثرت فكرة الكتاب وزادت قيمته ...طويل نوعا ما ومرهق لكنه يستحق العناء..
شكراً صديقتي سوزان على الاقتراح ...وشكرا مروه على الاهداء والكلمات الجميلة في بداية الكتاب ماكان حافزا قويا لي لاكماله ...
وشكراً 🇵🇸سجى محمود 🦋
🕵️الكاتب:بول سيبرايت
👀عدد الصفحات:462
🎬النوع:مزيج من الاقتصاد وعلم الاجتماع
🚦التقييم:🌟🌟🌟
💡"بينما تقرأ هذه الكلمات، ثمة شخص لم تقابله أبدا يعمل بجهد بالنيابة عنك. من شبه المؤكد أن كثيرين يعملون من أجلك؛ فثمة مزارع هندي يقود الثيران عبر أرضه حتى يتمكن من زراعة القطن الذي سيصبح القميص الذي ستشتريه في وقت ما من العالم المقبل، وثمة مزارع برازيلي يحصد حبوب القهوة التي ستستخدمها في وجبة إفطارك الشهر المقبل، وموظف حكومي يخطط تحسينات الطريق بالقرب من ذلك التقاطع الخطير الذي تمر به في طريقك إلى العمل....."
" كتاب عن الثقة الاجتماعية الثقة التى تُشكِّل أساس حياتنا الاجتماعية..والأزمات الاقتصادية
الكتاب يحمل فكره خلاقه كيفيه الربط بين التسلسل في العلاقات الانسانيه من العداء والخوف واللاامان الى المصالح المشتركه سواء بقصد و طرق مباشره او غير ذلك.
من القميص الى القهوة حتى الى جرائم قتل... سلسلة علاقات تلتف خيوطها حولنا..
يقول الكتاب تحت عنوان "الثقة الاجتماعية والأزمات المالية": تتسم المجتمعات الحديثة بالهشاشة، فثمة لحظات نادرة ولكن خطيرة تتسبب حينها رياح جديدة، تهب فجأة من جهة غير متوقعة، فى انهيار صروح تبدو صلبة من الناحية الظاهرية، ومثل هذه الانهيارات لا تقل فى خطورتها حين تتعلق بكيانات معنوية فى حياتنا الاجتماعية".
💡"البشر قد «يخرقون» غداً ما كانوا قد قبلوا باحترامه اليوم، أن الأعراف والقواعد الاجتماعية السائدة هي التي تحكم ردود أفعال البشر باعتبارهم أعضاء في مجموعات وليس مجرّد أفراد. ثم إن «المنظومة» هي التي تضمن سير آليات المجتمع. الأفراد يزولون لكن المنظومات بمجملها تتابع العمل."
الكتاب جميل والفكره تستحق واورد دراسات وارقام تاريخيه اثرت فكرة الكتاب وزادت قيمته ...طويل نوعا ما ومرهق لكنه يستحق العناء..
شكراً صديقتي سوزان على الاقتراح ...وشكرا مروه على الاهداء والكلمات الجميلة في بداية الكتاب ماكان حافزا قويا لي لاكماله ...
وشكراً 🇵🇸سجى محمود 🦋
September 13, 2020
It had me at "Foreword by Daniel Dennett." This one has been on my list to read for years, glad I finally made the time to do so. Not a quick read, because there is so much to think about. It's the kind of book that merits chapter-by-chapter discussions. The book is "a reasonable guess" about "the trust that underpins our social life, and in particular about what enables us to trust complete strangers with our jobs, our savings, even our lives." In other words, how/why did we evolve to trust strangers, said trust being the backbone of modern life since at least the agricultural revolution. An interesting hybrid of evolutionary psychology, economics, history, and political theory.
August 20, 2017
As with any 'history of ...' book, there are moments of insight mired in gross generalizations, polarities and platitudes. For Seabright 'Economic Life' means uncritical 'free market' capitalism and an end-of-history political order based on the State. Where I think he has it correct is his misgivings around our ability to collectively navigate degradation of the natural enviroment.
June 1, 2019
The language is not fluid. Still follows complex narration. Expected some more anthropological examples but turns out the author explains more than the examples should have done.
Some good, new perspectives on institutions and the under current is the need for branding (this is my interpretation of the author’s views).
You can skim through most portions with not mote than a glance.
Some good, new perspectives on institutions and the under current is the need for branding (this is my interpretation of the author’s views).
You can skim through most portions with not mote than a glance.
July 19, 2019
One of the finest things I've read in years. An account of how our behavior as individuals affects systems (economic, political, environmental) in the big picture. Wonderful mix of economics, history, and the natural sciences.
August 31, 2024
في عادة غريبة في معظم كتب الإجتماع المعاصرة وهي إنها مليانة حشو في صورة أمثلة وإستدلالات ملهاش غرض غير إنها تخلي حجم الكتاب يزيد الضعف بدون مبرر
كمان ده أول كتاب بحس إن مؤلفه بيتوه في النص فا لما يتوه يقوم راجع للفكرة الأصلية ويقعد يكرر فيها
كمان ده أول كتاب بحس إن مؤلفه بيتوه في النص فا لما يتوه يقوم راجع للفكرة الأصلية ويقعد يكرر فيها
August 30, 2017
thesis is that in order to transition beyond tribal hunter gather societies, a system of trust needs to evolve - trust between strangers. Today's economy is all about systems of trust.
foreward by D. Dennett
revised edition 2010 (address 2007-8 financial collapse, ie lost of trust)
Notes
p.
1 Intro to Revised Edition; Post 2007-8 financ. crisis. Amercian loan losts = $9K per person
2 trust is fundamental to our economy & life. When trust is broken, all hell breaks out. Past examples:
belief in witchcraft (Locke and Newton believed in it, BTW); modern day hysteria examples.
3 10K years ago, man became agrarian & things changed!
134 ch. 9; interesting (from the classics) story of the 'parasitic' defeated Greek army trying to maintain dignity/honor even though they must plunder and fight to get back home through areas where they are unwanted.
136 parallels to duty & Nuremberg Trials
137 the classic Greek narrative (honorable life) - agrarian - nobleman vs trades person
138 Indian Caste extreme example of defined public roles
144 'Good War' by Studs Terkel - bonding of men like hunting groups of yore - Richerson/Boyd theory. Narrative is we found evil Nazis but reality is we also committed some atrocities including rape. Politically liberal men at Law. Livermore Nuclear Lab design nuc. weapons
7 (147?) tunnel vision - division of labor - trust in others - individuals w/ narrow focus that melds w/ their society
foreward by D. Dennett
revised edition 2010 (address 2007-8 financial collapse, ie lost of trust)
Notes
p.
1 Intro to Revised Edition; Post 2007-8 financ. crisis. Amercian loan losts = $9K per person
2 trust is fundamental to our economy & life. When trust is broken, all hell breaks out. Past examples:
belief in witchcraft (Locke and Newton believed in it, BTW); modern day hysteria examples.
3 10K years ago, man became agrarian & things changed!
134 ch. 9; interesting (from the classics) story of the 'parasitic' defeated Greek army trying to maintain dignity/honor even though they must plunder and fight to get back home through areas where they are unwanted.
136 parallels to duty & Nuremberg Trials
137 the classic Greek narrative (honorable life) - agrarian - nobleman vs trades person
138 Indian Caste extreme example of defined public roles
144 'Good War' by Studs Terkel - bonding of men like hunting groups of yore - Richerson/Boyd theory. Narrative is we found evil Nazis but reality is we also committed some atrocities including rape. Politically liberal men at Law. Livermore Nuclear Lab design nuc. weapons
7 (147?) tunnel vision - division of labor - trust in others - individuals w/ narrow focus that melds w/ their society
September 7, 2013
"The predicament of unemployed steelworkers, coal miners, fishermen (not to mention the rich world's textile workers, secretaries, automobile assemblers - all those whose skills are less in demand than they used to be) is not at all new in history. But it has added to the risks with which our hunter-gatherer ancestors were more familiar, the risk of the natural world and its predators and the risk posed by human enemies, neither of which has disappeared. Our emotional reactions to risk are still shaped by that hunter-gatherer heritage. We treat those who suffer the hazards of life either as casualties of a blind chance that we may fear but cannot logically resent, or as victims - chosen sufferers of deliberate aggression to which the only emotional response is resentment and the only justifiable response, revenge. Even today the debate about the costs of economic change in an integrated world is polarized between those who see no casualties, only victims (like the doomed heroes who fought on picket lines to prevent the closing of British coal mines in the long and futile strike of 1984-85), and those who see no victims, only casualties (like those brisk prophets of globalization who are only concerned about reducing trade barriers and not about those who will be hurt as a result). The truth is that those who are hurt by economic change in today's world fall into a different category, one needing both an emotional and a practical response for which our history has poorly prepared us.
This brings us back to the theme which which we began. The practical intelligence that has evolved among human beings is very skilled at manipulating the natural environment and managing the interactions of small groups of individuals who see each other frequently and know each other well. It is only in the last ten thousand years - far too recently for genetic evolution to have been affected - that human beings have had to come to terms on a significant scale with the impact of strangers, and it is only in the last two hundred or so that this impact has become the dominant fact of everyday life. To manage the hazards imposed on us by the actions of distant strangers has required us to deploy a different skill bequeathed to us by evolution for quite different purposes: the capacity for abstract symbolic thought. In their response to risk no less than in their handling of conflict, modern political institutions seek to restrain by the slender threads of abstract reasoning the passions and resentments of the prehistoric tribe."
This brings us back to the theme which which we began. The practical intelligence that has evolved among human beings is very skilled at manipulating the natural environment and managing the interactions of small groups of individuals who see each other frequently and know each other well. It is only in the last ten thousand years - far too recently for genetic evolution to have been affected - that human beings have had to come to terms on a significant scale with the impact of strangers, and it is only in the last two hundred or so that this impact has become the dominant fact of everyday life. To manage the hazards imposed on us by the actions of distant strangers has required us to deploy a different skill bequeathed to us by evolution for quite different purposes: the capacity for abstract symbolic thought. In their response to risk no less than in their handling of conflict, modern political institutions seek to restrain by the slender threads of abstract reasoning the passions and resentments of the prehistoric tribe."
September 22, 2016
This book elucidates the reasons for why society operates the way it does. It can be dense at times but this does not takeaway the overall impact of what the author wants to get across. Why do we trust people we do not know? What assumptions do we make on a day-to-day basis, sometimes unknowingly, that allow us to function socially? Why are we comfortable with these assumptions? Far from a simple individual perspective, the author starts with genetics and proceeds to a macro-level, peeling the onion back and revealing why our society can operate, somewhat efficiently.
While the book takes mostly an economic slant to societal relations, it details principles that can easily translate to other facets of life. Further, it provides perspective on why a powerful country, such as the US, must accept limitations on its potential power when operating with a less powerful nation-state. In fact, one of the more poignant parts of the book describes how and why a weaker partner in a relationship must be made to feel a valuable part of society:
"If the Great Experiment is to survive an era of globalization, environmental degradation, and arms proliferation, international relations will need the weak to see the advantages of participation, and the strong will need to see the point of granting the such advantages."
Apply this to international relations but go one step further and apply it to the current US domestic disposition. This is a fine book in the best sense. Could have been shorter but gets an impressive and necessary point across, nevertheless.
While the book takes mostly an economic slant to societal relations, it details principles that can easily translate to other facets of life. Further, it provides perspective on why a powerful country, such as the US, must accept limitations on its potential power when operating with a less powerful nation-state. In fact, one of the more poignant parts of the book describes how and why a weaker partner in a relationship must be made to feel a valuable part of society:
"If the Great Experiment is to survive an era of globalization, environmental degradation, and arms proliferation, international relations will need the weak to see the advantages of participation, and the strong will need to see the point of granting the such advantages."
Apply this to international relations but go one step further and apply it to the current US domestic disposition. This is a fine book in the best sense. Could have been shorter but gets an impressive and necessary point across, nevertheless.
December 2, 2023
ثمَّة حقيقة دامغة حينما ننظر بملء البصيرة نحو العالم، وتتعلق بقدرة البشر على اختلاف مَشَارِبهم على التجاوب المشترك وتطوير ذلك على مدار التاريخ، فمن عدائية مفرطة إلى حذر إلى استطلاع القرب تجاه الآخر، إلى اقتراب وتعاون وربما يلي ذلك عداء من جديد؛ بَيْدَ أن الحركة والتغيير رِهان الحقيقة في هذا العالم، وتلك السمة يتفرد بها البشر من الكائنات على الأرجح.
ويحق للمرء أن يتأمل كيف اقترن هذا التجاوب والتعاون المشترك بالثقة في الآخر الذي لم يدركه من قبل وربما لن يدركه أبدا، كأن يستقل طائرة صنعها ويحلق بها غرباء إلى الأبد!
وقد أثمر رواج هذه الثقة منذ عهود الأُول عن نشأة المدن والأسواق وتطور التبضع عبر الأقطار النَائِيَةِ، وإذ يحلق بنا الكتاب في رحلة سردية شاهقة حول هذا التاريخ التطوري للبشر، يسأل في اِرْتِيَابٍ عن هشاشة هذه الثقة، وكيف يمكن أن تَتَداعَى مجددًا بما أنها تَداعت من قبل مرات ومرات؟!
وهل يمكن لوثبات الإنسان العاقل أن ترى في العولمة فرصة تعايش مشترك في كل الأرجاء عوضًا عن أصْفَاد الأسرة الصغيرة.
ويحق للمرء أن يتأمل كيف اقترن هذا التجاوب والتعاون المشترك بالثقة في الآخر الذي لم يدركه من قبل وربما لن يدركه أبدا، كأن يستقل طائرة صنعها ويحلق بها غرباء إلى الأبد!
وقد أثمر رواج هذه الثقة منذ عهود الأُول عن نشأة المدن والأسواق وتطور التبضع عبر الأقطار النَائِيَةِ، وإذ يحلق بنا الكتاب في رحلة سردية شاهقة حول هذا التاريخ التطوري للبشر، يسأل في اِرْتِيَابٍ عن هشاشة هذه الثقة، وكيف يمكن أن تَتَداعَى مجددًا بما أنها تَداعت من قبل مرات ومرات؟!
وهل يمكن لوثبات الإنسان العاقل أن ترى في العولمة فرصة تعايش مشترك في كل الأرجاء عوضًا عن أصْفَاد الأسرة الصغيرة.
August 18, 2013
This book takes a shot at one of the central questions of modern social science: how do social institutions, whether markets or political systems hold together when comprised mostly of anonymous strangers. Seabright explores the topic mostly through the lenses of evolutionary biology and game theory (skeptics of these fields on the left should pause to consider the positive reviews the book has received from Sam Bowles and Herb Gintis, among others). Unfortunately, while he offered scattered insights, Seabright's account never really coalesced for me. While the book is not badly written, I ultimately found it hard to sustain my interest.
April 1, 2013
This was a fascinating perspective on modern economic systems viewed through the lens of cultural anthropology and societal evolution. For anyone who wants to understand why humans have organized economic activity the way we have, this is a must-read. The evolution of trust between non-related members of the same species is fairly unique to humanity and I found the views presented in this book to be very interesting.
September 25, 2016
The book is very interesting, however the writer is very far right wing thinker and very capitalist. The book gave a nice introduction of the evolution of the mankind economy.Although, it neglected many eras of the mankind history, such as the era of the Islamic domination from the 6th till the 12th centuries. It also didn't consider all the negatives of the increasing influence of the corporations over the world economy and the governments and obviously the free markets.
March 6, 2009
Fairly interesting book about how economies develop through humans' treatment of complete strangers as "honorary friends."
Want to read
May 30, 2010Another title recommended by Dan Dennett in personal communication.
August 9, 2010
Well formulated, but if you've read similar books there is little new insight.
February 15, 2011
Pretty good book, interesting concepts. It was weird that he went into so many different disciplines.
Want to read
February 15, 2011
February 24, 2017
The starting chapters are pretty good but skimmed through the end chapters.
Want to read
June 14, 2011Recommended by Hal Varian, Google's chief economist. A good primer on intermediate economics.
August 31, 2017
«La paura degli estranei, recentemente risvegliatasi, disgrega l'intera tela di relazioni che legano insieme le persone in una sana società moderna e mina tutte le istituzioni da cui tale società dipende». Questo breve pensiero, inserito nella parte finale del libro, chiarisce la linea di ricerca che ha spinto Seabright a indagare le origini delle società moderne. La fiducia nei confronti degli sconosciuti è ciò che storicamente ci ha permesso da emanciparci dalle logiche dei clan e dei nuclei familiari, per costruire società ricche e complesse, sia dal punto di vista culturale che economico. Comprendere le basi di questa dinamica è fondamentale.
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