Synopsis
“In the modern tradition of Big Books of human history like Yuval Noah Harari’s Sapiens and David Graeber and David Wengrow’s The Dawn of Everything, Goliath’s Curse provides a novel theory of civilizational development. . . . [It] feels something like reading the French economist Thomas Piketty filtered through Mad Max: Fury Road.” —Ed Simon, The New York Times Book Review
NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE CONVERSATION AND KIRKUS • A NEXT BIG IDEA CLUB'S MUST-READ BOOK • SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER • A radical retelling of human history through the cycle of societal collapse
“Deeply sobering and strangely inspiring. . . . Read it now, or your descendants will find it in the ruins.” —Johann Hari, author of Stolen Focus
In Goliath’s Curse, Cambridge scholar Luke Kemp conducts a historical autopsy on our species, from the earliest cities to the collapse of modern states like Somalia. He traces the emergence of “Goliaths”: large societies built on a collection of hierarchies that are also terrifyingly fragile, collapsing time after time across the world. Drawing on historical databases and the latest discoveries in archaeology and anthropology, he uncovers groundbreaking revelations:
- More democratic societies tend to be more resilient.
- In our modern, global Goliath, a collapse is likely to be long-lasting and more dire than ever before.
- Collapse may be invisible until after it has occurred. It’s possible we’re living through one now.
- Collapse has often had a more positive outcome for the general population than for the 1%.
- All Goliaths contain the seeds of their own demise.
As useful for finding a way forward as it is for diagnosing our precarious present, Goliath’s Curse is a stark reminder that there are both bright and dark sides to societal collapse—that it is not necessarily a reversion to chaos or a dark age—and that making a more resilient world may well mean making a more just one.
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About the Author
LUKE KEMP is a research affiliate at the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk at the University of Cambridge. He has lectured in the fields of economics and human geography, and has advised the World Health Organization, the Australian Parliament, the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, and many other institutions. His research has been covered by media outlets such as The New York Times, the BBC, and The New Yorker.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
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Goliath's Curse: Why Societies Collapse and What It Means for Our Future
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Hardcover. Condition: new. Hardcover. In the modern tradition of Big Books of human history like Yuval Noah Hararis Sapiens and David Graeber and David Wengrows The Dawn of Everything, Goliaths Curse provides a novel theory of civilizational development. . . . [It] feels something like reading the French economist Thomas Piketty filtered through Mad Max: Fury Road. Ed Simon, The New York Times Book ReviewNAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY THE CONVERSATION AND KIRKUS A NEXT BIG IDEA CLUB'S MUST-READ BOOK SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER A radical retelling of human history through the cycle of societal collapseDeeply sobering and strangely inspiring. . . . Read it now, or your descendants will find it in the ruins. Johann Hari, author of Stolen FocusIn Goliaths Curse, Cambridge scholar Luke Kemp conducts a historical autopsy on our species, from the earliest cities to the collapse of modern states like Somalia. He traces the emergence of Goliaths: large societies built on a collection of hierarchies that are also terrifyingly fragile, collapsing time after time across the world. Drawing on historical databases and the latest discoveries in archaeology and anthropology, he uncovers groundbreaking revelations:More democratic societies tend to be more resilient.In our modern, global Goliath, a collapse is likely to be long-lasting and more dire than ever before.Collapse may be invisible until after it has occurred. Its possible were living through one now.Collapse has often had a more positive outcome for the general population than for the 1%.All Goliaths contain the seeds of their own demise.As useful for finding a way forward as it is for diagnosing our precarious present, Goliaths Curse is a stark reminder that there are both bright and dark sides to societal collapsethat it is not necessarily a reversion to chaos or a dark ageand that making a more resilient world may well mean making a more just one. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780593321355
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Hardcover. Condition: New. 12,000 years ago, human history changed forever when the egalitarian groups of hunter-gathering humans began to settle down and organize themselves into hierarchies. The few dominated the many, seizing control through violence. What emerged were "Goliaths" large societies built on a collection of hierarchies that are also terrifyingly fragile, collapsing time after time across the world. Today, we live in a single, global Goliath--one that is precariously interdependent--under threat from nuclear war, climate change, and the existential risks of AI. The next collapse may be our last. In Goliath's Curse, Cambridge scholar Luke Kemp conducts a historical autopsy on our species, from the earliest cities to the collapse of modern states like Somalia. Drawing on historical databases and the latest discoveries in archaeology and anthropology, he uncovers groundbreaking revelations: More democratic societies tend to be more resilient. A modern collapse is likely to be global, long-lasting, and more dire than ever before. Collapse may be invisible until after it has occurred. It's possible we're living through one now. Collapse has often had a more positive outcome for the general population than for the 1%. All Goliaths contain the seeds of their own demise. As useful for finding a way forward as it is for diagnosing our precarious present, Goliath's Curse is a stark reminder that there are both bright and dark sides to societal collapse--that it is not necessarily a reversion to chaos or a dark age--and that making a more resilient world may well mean making a more just one. Seller Inventory # 9780593321355
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