Foragers, Farmers, and Fossil Fuels

How Human Values Evolve

Ian Morris, Stephen Macedo, Richard Seaford , Jonathan D. Spence

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English

Princeton University Pres
02 June 2015

Social & cultural history; Philosophy; Ethics & moral philosophy; Social & cultural anthropology

Series: The University Center for Human Values Series

Most people in the world today think democracy and gender equality are good, and that violence and wealth inequality are bad. But most people who lived during the 10,000 years before the nineteenth century thought just the opposite. Drawing on archaeology, anthropology, biology, and history, Ian Morris explains why. Fundamental long-term changes in values, Morris argues, are driven by the most basic force of all: energy. Humans have found three main ways to get the energy they need--from foraging, farming, and fossil fuels. Each energy source sets strict limits on what kinds of societies can succeed, and each kind of society rewards specific values. But if our fossil-fuel world favors democratic, open societies, the ongoing revolution in energy capture means that our most cherished values are very likely to turn out not to be useful any more. Foragers, Farmers, and Fossil Fuels offers a compelling new argument about the evolution of human values, one that has far-reaching implications for how we understand the past--and for what might happen next.

Originating as the Tanner Lectures delivered at Princeton University, the book includes challenging responses by classicist Richard Seaford, historian of China Jonathan Spence, philosopher Christine Korsgaard, and novelist Margaret Atwood.

By: Ian Morris
Commentaries by: Richard Seaford, Jonathan D. Spence, Christine M. Korsgaard
Edited by: Stephen Macedo
Imprint: Princeton University Pres
Country of Publication: United States
Edition: Revised edition
Dimensions: Height: 216mm, Width: 140mm, Spine: 30mm
Weight: 539g
ISBN: 9780691160399
ISBN 10: 0691160392
Series: The University Center for Human Values Series
Pages: 360
Publication Date: 02 June 2015
Audience: College/higher education , College/higher education , Further / Higher Education , Primary
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Ian Morris is the Willard Professor of Classics and a fellow of the Stanford Archaeology Center at Stanford University. He has directed excavations in Italy and Greece and has published thirteen previous books, including Why the West Rules--for Now (Farrar, Straus and Giroux), The Measure of Civilization (Princeton), and War! What Is It Good For? (FSG). He lives in Boulder Creek, California.

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

I may disagree with some ideas in [Foragers, Farmers, and Fossil Fuels], but I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this excellent and thought-provoking book. More important, by putting forth a bold, clearly formulated hypothesis, Ian Morris has done a great service to the budding field of scientific history. --Peter Turchin, Science A provocative explanation for the evolution and divergence of ethical values... In the hands of this talented writer and thinker, [the] material becomes an engaging intellectual adventure. --Kirkus