Anatomy of Slavery

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Slavery has been around for hundreds and thousands of years, e in more or less extreme forms. North atlantic slavery was a particularly extreme version where not only were people taken away from their original environments, transported thousands of miles in terrible conditions. But generally, they weren't kept apart in the way that the african slaves were kept together in the plantations. Generally, there were roots out of slavery, possibilities of buying their freedom, sometimes even marriage. The other form of slavery, which is very common everywere, is debt, bondage. That's also pretty bad. And i think the north atlantic Slavery was ways really just the, sort of, in some ways

Rulers throughout history have used laws to impose order. But laws were not simply instruments of power and social control. They also offered ordinary people a way to express their diverse visions for a better world. The variety of the world’s laws has long been almost as great as the variety of its societies.

In this conversation, Shermer speaks with Oxford professor of the anthropology of law, Fernanda Pirie, who traces the rise and fall of the sophisticated legal systems underpinning ancient empires and religious traditions, showing how common people — tribal assemblies, merchants, farmers — called on laws to define their communities, regulate trade, and build civilizations. What truly unites human beings, Pirie argues, is our very faith that laws can produce justice, combat oppression, and create order from chaos.