The dynamics of inequality in the human story: a brief sketch

Abstract

Teaching contemporary inequality can be significantly enriched by being nested in its dynamics over the course of human history. This essay is intended to provide those teaching inequality with a brief sketch of: a) the original human condition of a high degree of equality that endured for 97 to 98 percent of our species' existence as foragers and early agriculturalists; b) the origin of extreme inequality that accompanied the rise of states and civilization about 5,500 years ago as weapons technology enabled a few to subjugate the producers; and c) why, despite political democracy, extreme inequality persists."Till there be property there can be no government, the very end of which is to secure wealth and to defend the rich from the poor" (Adam Smith 1978, 404)."…the ostensible serious occupation of the upper class is that of government, which, in point of origin and developmental content, is also a predatory occupation" (Thorstein Veblen 1934, 247).Abstract: Teaching contemporary inequality can be significantly enriched by being nested in its dynamics over the course of human history. This essay is intended to provide those teaching inequality with a brief sketch of: a) the original human condition of a high degree of equality that endured for 97 to 98 percent of our species' existence as foragers and early agriculturalists; b) the origin of extreme inequality that accompanied the rise of states and civilization about 5,500 years ago as weapons technology enabled a few to subjugate the producers; and c) why, despite political democracy, extreme inequality persists.Inequality is typically presented in most classrooms with statistics of trends of income and wealth shares in recent times with a discussion of their causes and consequences. However, should time permit, nesting this discourse in the deeper experience of inequality over our species' history can provide students with a more profound appreciation of why inequality exists, its tenacity, and the formidable challenges to reducing it.It is widely believed that inequality, if not extreme inequality, has always characterized the human condition. The biblical passage (Matthew 26:11) "The poor you will always have with you" suggests just this. This mistaken understanding can support a passive attitude that inequality is just part of what humans are all about and that although its degree might be dampened, it is inevitable, if not natural, so we will just have to live with it.This brief essay is meant to dispel this misunderstanding by providing teachers with a brief outline of the dynamics of inequality over the course of the human story. It does so by addressing: a) why the original human condition of a high degree of equality endured for 97 to 98 percent of our species' existence when we lived as foragers and early agriculturalists; b) how extreme inequality had its origin in the social transformation accompanying the rise of states and civilization about 5,500 years ago; and c) why, despite the high degree of political democracy that has been achieved in mod...