Mark’s Reviews > The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity > Status Update
Mark
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Rousseau discourse on the origin and the foundation of inequality among mankind: we were hunter gatherers living happily in small bands that ended following the agricultural revolution and the rise of cities.
In Leviathan Hobbes argues that life before civilization was poor, nasty, brutish and short.
Human society in this view is founded on the collective oppression of our baser instincts.
— Sep 22, 2026 06:33PM
In Leviathan Hobbes argues that life before civilization was poor, nasty, brutish and short.
Human society in this view is founded on the collective oppression of our baser instincts.
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Mark
is on page 2 of 692
Arguing about whether humans are fundamentally good or evil makes about as much sense as arguing about whether humans are fundamentally fat or thin.
— Sep 22, 2026 06:26PM
Mark
is on page 11 of 692
Jared Diamond's conclusion that large populations can't function without leaders, executives in bureaucrats, and that the anarchist dream of living without state government is unrealistic, is a dismal conclusion not just for anarchists but for anybody who ever wondered if there might be a viable alternative to the current current status quo.
— Jun 25, 2026 06:12PM
Mark
is on page 11 of 692
For Rousseau, Fukuyama and Diamond, what put an end to the equality of hunter-gatherer tribes was agriculture tribes leading to chiefdoms with hierarchies and leadership, but there is no reason to believe that small-scale groups are especially likely to be egalitarian.
— Jun 19, 2026 10:36PM