Tag Archives: culture

The year in 9 books

Posted on December 31, 2014 by jedstevenson

Some people send around a poem, a verse of scripture, or a pithy quotation at the end of the year. Not one to do things by halves, I hereby give you nine books. 1. Carbon democracy: Political power in the … Continue reading →

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The roots of egalitarianism

Posted on July 15, 2013 by jedstevenson

Are we natural democrats? Or will tyrants always be with us?   IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY, a handful of anthropologists, living with hunter-gatherers, described the workings of societies without leaders, where food seemed to be equally available to all. [1] … Continue reading →

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Why we’re blind to climate change

Posted on December 14, 2012 by jedstevenson

For most people in the developed world both the causes and the effects of climate change are essentially invisible. Hunkered in a mountain cabin in the 1960s, listening to the rain drumming on the roof, Thomas Merton reflected on the … Continue reading →

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About this blog

Posted on December 3, 2012 by jedstevenson

“THE INDEFINITE ARTICLE is not without its uses,” wrote Nicholas Humphrey in his book, A History of the Mind (1992: xv). (“While it would have been wrong to call this book ‘The History of the Mind’,” he went on, “I … Continue reading →

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