The Unworshipped Engine : Why Humans Worship Gold and Ignore What Actually Keeps Them Alive
Language: English
Published by Amazon Digital Services LLC - Kdp Aug 2026, 2026
- Softcover
- New
Seller: AHA-BUCH GmbH, Einbeck, GermanyAHA-BUCH GmbH
AbeBooks seller since August 14, 2006
Condition: New
£ 16.87
Quantity: 2 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
Neuware - Why does gold make people fight wars, while the minerals your body burns for energy every second receive no reverence at all THE UNWORSHIPPED ENGINE opens in the strange hush of a jewelry store - the same instinctive silence found at royal tombs, colonial mines, and central bank vaults across ten thousand years of history - and asks the question that silence never quite explains: why do humans organize so much of civilization around materials that do almost nothing, while the substances that actually keep us alive go almost entirely unnoticed Drawing on evolutionary biology, neuroscience, and economic history, Dr. Stefan Stoev traces this one instinct from the peacock's tail to the modern gold market - through Mansa Musa's gold-crashing pilgrimage and the Fugger banking dynasty's collapse, the silver mines of Potosí and the phosphate island of Nauru, Leopold's Congo and the origins of blood diamonds, all the way to the AI data centers and critical-mineral stockpiles reshaping global power in 2026.Along the way, the book turns the same unflinching lens on: - Why people display wealth more readily than they share it, and what that reveals about status itself- The hidden costs of holding what you've acquired, from private security to sovereign wealth funds- How gold, diamonds, cattle, and even virtual real estate reveal the same instinct wearing different costumes- What Blue Zones research, hedonic-treadmill studies, and mortality-salience science actually say about a well-lived life- Why central banks are buying gold and dumping Treasuries for the first time since 1996- The uncomfortable colonial history, and the present-day cobalt economy, still shaping who profits from extraction and who pays for it- What eight billion people, a straining climate, and an accelerating population curve mean for the century aheadThis is not a book that tells you to stop wanting beautiful things. It argues, with rigor and genuine warmth, that the instinct behind that wanting is ancient, permanent, and not the problem. The problem is where our attention has been trained to look. Stoev, an Austrian mining entrepreneur and cultural diplomat, writes with the rare authority of someone who has spent decades on both sides of this divide: extracting materials from the ground, and studying what cultures do with meaning once the material leaves it.Part evolutionary psychology, part economic history, part practical philosophy, THE UNWORSHIPPED ENGINE closes with a quietly radical claim: humanity does not need to outgrow its oldest instinct. It needs to build, faster than that instinct can outrun it, the institutions that redirect it toward what actually sustains a life, and a civilization, worth having.Taking is an instinct. Giving is a culture. This book is an argument for which one writes the next chapter.…
Seller Inventory # 9798193876595
- Title
- The Unworshipped Engine : Why Humans Worship Gold and Ignore What Actually Keeps Them Alive
- Author
- Stefan Stoev
- Publisher
- Amazon Digital Services LLC - Kdp Aug 2026
- Publication year
- 2026
- Condition
- Neu
- Binding
- Taschenbuch
- Language
- English
- ISBN 13
- 9798193876595
- Item weight
- 236 grams
- Dimensions
- 229x152x12 mm
THE UNWORSHIPPED ENGINE opens in the strange hush of a jewelry store - the same instinctive silence found at royal tombs, colonial mines, and central bank vaults across ten thousand years of history - and asks the question that silence never quite explains: why do humans organize so much of civilization around materials that do almost nothing, while the substances that actually keep us alive go almost entirely unnoticed?
Drawing on evolutionary biology, neuroscience, and economic history, Dr. Stefan Stoev traces this one instinct from the peacock's tail to the modern gold market - through Mansa Musa's gold-crashing pilgrimage and the Fugger banking dynasty's collapse, the silver mines of Potosí and the phosphate island of Nauru, Leopold's Congo and the origins of blood diamonds, all the way to the AI data centers and critical-mineral stockpiles reshaping global power in 2026.
Along the way, the book turns the same unflinching lens on:
- Why people display wealth more readily than they share it, and what that reveals about status itself
- The hidden costs of holding what you've acquired, from private security to sovereign wealth funds
- How gold, diamonds, cattle, and even virtual real estate reveal the same instinct wearing different costumes
- What Blue Zones research, hedonic-treadmill studies, and mortality-salience science actually say about a well-lived life
- Why central banks are buying gold and dumping Treasuries for the first time since 1996
- The uncomfortable colonial history, and the present-day cobalt economy, still shaping who profits from extraction and who pays for it
- What eight billion people, a straining climate, and an accelerating population curve mean for the century ahead
This is not a book that tells you to stop wanting beautiful things. It argues, with rigor and genuine warmth, that the instinct behind that wanting is ancient, permanent, and not the problem. The problem is where our attention has been trained to look. Stoev, an Austrian mining entrepreneur and cultural diplomat, writes with the rare authority of someone who has spent decades on both sides of this divide: extracting materials from the ground, and studying what cultures do with meaning once the material leaves it.
Part evolutionary psychology, part economic history, part practical philosophy, THE UNWORSHIPPED ENGINE closes with a quietly radical claim: humanity does not need to outgrow its oldest instinct. It needs to build, faster than that instinct can outrun it, the institutions that redirect it toward what actually sustains a life, and a civilization, worth having.
Taking is an instinct. Giving is a culture. This book is an argument for which one writes the next chapter.
"Synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping rates from Germany to U.S.A.
| Item | 7 to 10 business days | 5 to 7 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | £ 29.35 | £ 37.74 |
Payment methods
- Bank Wire Transfer
- Check
- Paypal
Store description
Das Unternehmen AHA-BUCH GmbH: Seit der Gründung von AHA-BUCH im Juli 2005 ist unser Hauptziel, zufriedenen Kunden so schnell und so preisgünstig wie möglich ihren Bücherwunsch zu erfüllen. Unsere Firma beschäftigt 16 Mitarbeiter, die nur ein Ziel kennen: den Kunden und seine Wünsche! Auf über 3700 m2 Fläche haben wir über 100.000 Bücher, Modernes Antiquariat und Spiele auf Lager.
Specialty
Kinderbücher & Kinderhör Casetten, German Books, Software, Natur & Tiere, Ratgeber, Sachbücher, Englische Bücher, Medizin & Gesundheit, Universität & StudiumSeller's business information
AHA-BUCH GmbH
Garlebsen 48
Einbeck, Germany 37574
Terms of sale
Imprint
Seller Info:
AHA-BUCH GmbH
represented by the managing director Christel Glass
Garlebsen 48
37574 Einbeck
Deutschland
Telefon: 055639996039
Telefax: 055639995974
E-Mail: abebooks@aha-buch.de
USt-IdNr.: DE261904229
registered at Commercial register Amtsgerichtes Göttingen
Handelsregisternummer HRB 200691
Alternative dispute resolution:
The European Commission provides a platform for out-of-court online dispute resolution (ODR platform), which can be accessed under https://ec.europa.eu/odr.
We have been a member of the "FairCommerce" initiative since 25.05.2018.
For more information, see www.fair-commerce.de.
Right of withdrawal
If you are a consumer you can withdraw from the contract in accordance with the following. Consumer means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft or profession.
Information regarding the right of withdrawal
Statutory right to withdraw
You have the right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.
The withdrawal period will expire after 14 days from the day on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the last good or the last lot or piece.
To exercise the right of withdrawal, electronically fill in and submit a clear statement on our website, under "My Purchases" in "My Account". We will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a withdrawal on a durable medium (e.g. by e-mail) without delay.
To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.
Effects of withdrawal
If you withdraw from this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (except for the supplementary costs arising if you chose a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us).
We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.
We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to withdraw from this contract.
We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.
We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back, or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest.
You shall send back the goods or hand them over to AHA-BUCH GmbH, Einbeck, Germany, without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your withdrawal from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.
Exceptions to the right of withdrawal
The right of withdrawal does not apply to:
- The delivery of newspapers, journals or magazines with the exception of subscription contracts; and
- The supply of digital content which is not supplied on a tangible medium (e.g. on a CD or DVD) if you accepted when you placed your order that we could start to deliver it, and that you could not withdraw once delivery had started.
Shipping terms
We ship your order after we received them
for articles on hand latest 24 hours,
for articles with overnight supply latest 48 hours.
In case we need to order an article from our supplier our dispatch time depends on the reception date of the articles, but the articles will be shipped on the same day.
Our goal is to send the ordered articles in the fastest, but also most efficient and secure way to our customers.