WHAT IS POLITICS?
10.2 The Dawn of Everything: How Graeber & Wengrow’s book sets us up to fail like Occupy Wall Street
Episode guests
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
- Human social structures are shaped by practical conditions, not just conscious choice.
- Understanding political vocabulary is crucial for effective social movements and governance.
- Theories of human nature and social structure choices impact societal organization throughout history.
Deep dives
Critique of Grayburn Wengrow's Book 'The Dawn of Everything'
Critiquing Grayburn Wengrow's book 'The Dawn of Everything' and its impact on political theory. Emphasizing the importance of understanding political theory for effective political actions and societal change. Highlighting the consequences of bad political theory on political instincts and actions.
Misconceptions in Political Terminology
Exploring the misconceptions and ambiguity surrounding political terminologies such as left, right, socialism, and capitalism. Discussing how lack of consensus definitions and understanding of political vocabulary can hinder effective social movements and governance. Pointing out the need for clear definitions to avoid confusion and promote meaningful political discourse.
Human Nature and Social Structure Choices
Examining the theories of human nature and social structure choices presented in the podcast episode. Reflecting on the contrasting views of inherent selfishness versus altruism and their implications on social organization. Questioning the idea of societal evolution and the concept of choice in shaping social structures throughout history.
Human Social Organization and Exploration of Different Forms
Graber and Wengro challenge the standard scenario by rejecting analytical tools and emphasize the importance of exploring different forms of social organization throughout history. They argue that the ability to experiment with various social structures is inherent to human nature and influenced by practical conditions. The authors debunk the idea that a hierarchical social structure is a democratic choice, highlighting how social structures are shaped by the balance of power in a society, often influenced by practical and environmental conditions.
Influence of Material Conditions on Social Structure and Equality
The debate on whether human social structures are determined by conscious choice or material conditions arises, with Graber and Wengro focusing on the impact of practical conditions on societal organization. They challenge the idea of equal wealth and power distribution, emphasizing decision-making capacities as the crux of human history. The authors highlight that hierarchy often stems from unequal access to resources, debunking the notion that wealth does not translate into power. Furthermore, they critique the focus on individual choices impacting social structures, advocating for a deeper understanding of how material conditions shape society.
In this episode we cover chapter 1 of David Graeber & David Wengrow’s book The Dawn of Everything, entitled Farewell to Humanity’s Childhood; or Why This isn’t a Book About the Origins of Inequality.
In doing so, we look at the following:
How the book’s underlying thesis: that human social structure is ultimately a matter of choice and experimentation, is fundamentally incoherent, and how this idea sets us up for future dramatic political failures, similar to those of Occupy Wall Street or the Great Peasant’s Revolt of 1381.
What the standard narrative of human origins actually is, vs. the caricature elevator pitch version that Graeber & Wengrow claim to be debunking.
Why most anthropologists believe that human beings began as egalitarian hunter-gatherers despite knowing about all of the evidence that Graeber & Wengrow present in order to argue the otherwise.
How and why Graeber & Wengrow flush down the toilet the analytical tools that they need in order to answer their own questions about how we got stuck in dominance hierarchies.
How social structure actually works.
How Graeber & Wengrow’s arguments are great material for right wing talking points.
Why there is room for deliberate social change in a world where social structure is largely a matter of conditions and relative bargaining power, rather than a matter of “choice”.
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