[Jamin Bogi]

Loving the book so far. It’s taking me awhile—not because the writing is difficult, but because every paragraph I sit back and marvel at how unaware of all of this I am, and how it all makes so much sense. I certainly received the standard incorrect education that this book dissects, as did every friend I’ve talked to about these issues. Some things that stand out:

Pp. 23-4 discuss “long-distance interaction spheres” that weren’t inherently related to trade, mentioning Iroquois vision/dream quests, Massim members taking dangerous voyages for the excitement and prestige, and both women gamblers and traveling entertainers/curers of North America. The modern parallels are too numerous to count, but modern humans do exactly the same thing. E.g., traveling across the country to dress up in  animal costumes and attend a Furry convention, walking the Camino de Santiago, trying to visit every MLB stadium, hiking the highest peak in each state, or any other similar journey. Not necessary, not made for direct trade, and yet central to many people’s identities.

P. 32 stating that pre-Columbus, there were little to no mentions of equality or inequality in the sense we are concerned with in English, French, Spanish, German, or Italian literature. Everyone was ranked and pegged, and this was considered “natural.”

All of the examples of ways to orient society and the flexibility inherent in them, and the attendant question not of the origin of inequality, but the origin of our inability to get unstuck in our present situation, where money equals political power.

The potential origin of private property as being linked to the idea of the sacred, and how the concept of property expanded and “how it eventually came to order so many other aspects of human affairs” (p. 163).

Really, there’s far too much that I find fascinating to be able to write it all out here. Very excited to be reading this and look forward to everyone’s comments.

[Author]

Replies