Modern industrial agricultural society has allowed for the accumulation of wealth. But because capital investment must be protected, along with that came laws that protect money. And then suddenly you have human rights laws. We are living in ways that are almost antithetical to our human evolutionary origins.
Journalist and author Sebastian Junger talks about his book, Freedom, with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. The book and conversation are based on a 400-mile walk Junger took with buddies along railroad rights-of-way, evading police, railroad security, and other wanderers. Junger discusses the ever-present tension between the human desire to be free and the desire to be interconnected and part of something. Along the way, Junger talks about the joy of walking, the limits of human endurance, war, and why the more powerful, better-equipped military isn't always the winner.