Most people in the world today think democracy and gender equality are good and that violence
and wealth inequality are bad. But most people who lived during the 10 000 years before the
nineteenth century thought just the opposite. Drawing on archaeology anthropology biology
and history Ian Morris explains why. Fundamental long-term changes in values Morris argues
are driven by the most basic force of all: energy. Humans have found three main ways to get the
energy they need--from foraging farming and fossil fuels. Each energy source sets strict
limits on what kinds of societies can succeed and each kind of society rewards specific
values. But if our fossil-fuel world favors democratic open societies the ongoing revolution
in energy capture means that our most cherished values are very likely to turn out not to be
useful any more
