Slavery at the beginnings of human existence

The podcast episode focuses on slavery at the very beginnings of human existence, exploring the nature of early societies and their political organization. The episode challenges the conventional narrative that attributes the rise of civilization to the exploitation of the masses by elites, including the presence of slavery. It highlights that hunter-gatherer societies developed various political structures before the advent of agriculture, proving that the conventional story is largely inaccurate. The evidence suggests that the shift towards civilization and hierarchy does not necessarily entail the amplification of negative human instincts, such as enslaving others. The episode showcases examples of early societies that flourished and achieved prosperity without resorting to the worst excesses of inequality and slavery.