SKU: 38665080735

The Origin of Politics : How Evolution and Ideology Shape the Fate of Nations by Nicholas Wade

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The Origin of Politics : How Evolution and Ideology Shape the Fate of Nations by Nicholas WadeSocieties that ignore social disintegration and collapsing birth rates are putting their future in peril. So why are we ignoring the signs?? In The Origin Of Politics, Nicholas Wade explains how our political systems compete with a more ancient set of rules for organizing societythose developed by evolution. Modern ideologies are in constant tension with structures inherent in human social behavior, such as the family, the tribe, and male dominated

Societies that ignore social disintegration and collapsing birth rates are putting their future in peril. So why are we ignoring the signs??In The Origin Of Politics, Nicholas Wade explains how our political systems compete with a more ancient set of rules for organizing society—those developed by evolution. Modern ideologies are in constant tension with structures inherent in human social behavior, such as the family, the tribe, and male-dominated institutions. This tension plays out in various ways. Sometimes nature prevails over politics, as in the proposal by Marx and Engels to eliminate the family, the basic unit of society. The founders of the kibbutz movement put this radical idea into practice, only to find that the conflict with human nature was unsustainable. In other cases, culture has successfully modified evolutionary behaviors, replacing polygamy with monogamy and dissolving the bonds of tribalism to make way for modern states. But the evolutionary framework of human societies is not infinitely flexible. The nation-state, especially in the case of the United States, is prone to disintegration if disruptive ideologies are allowed to undermine the cohesive affinities that hold its disparate cultures together. The worldwide decline in fertility in most countries except those in Africa signals a severe derangement in the behaviors evolution has devised for ensuring that a population will maintain itself. If the causes of this disruption cannot be understood and reversed, human societies will embark on an unsought path to extinction. Other fraught issues in which human biology and politics conflict include the innate specializations of the sexes, the stratification of society by ability, and the mismatch between the inequalities of wealth-creating societies and the egalitarian ethic inherited from our hunter-gatherer ancestors.

We live in an iridescent bubble, the intoxicating richness of modern culture. Shielded from the natural world, we have lost our awareness of the evolutionary forces that still guide our motivations and shape the foundations of our societies. The Origin of Politics explores the risks of underestimating evolution’s fundamental role in human affairs.

  

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Binding: Hardback,
Pagination: 256 pages
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SKU: 38665080735

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Brittany
Bozeman, US
★★★★★ 5
As expected
Scent: vanilla orange
Love the scents of this soap. It's gentle on my skin and leaves me clean, fresh and soft.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2026
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Sea Dog (retired)
Chelsea, US
★★★★★ 5
A Comprehensive Balanced History of the Guadalcanal Campaign -- Must Read!
Format: Hardcover
I've read a number of good books on the Guadalcanal campaign, and always thought that "Neptune's Inferno" by Hornfischer was the absolute best. I was wrong. Although Hornfischer does a superb account of the Navy and its travails and triumphs, Inferno doesn't delve deeply into the Marine (and Army) land battles. This book does both. Moreover, it provides a continuous timeline of both, and does so in such a way that the reader better understands both as related actions. For instance, I was never really aware that for the first three and a half months the Americans controlled the seas during daylight, and the Japanese at night (sounds a little like Viet Nam). The November 13 sea battle between Americans and Japanese -- in which US cruisers took on Japanese battleships and two American admirals died -- was in fact a clash of a major last ditch effort by the Japanese to reinforce their troops and destroy Henderson Field, which would have allowed them to control the seas both day and night. By that time there had been multiple bloody battles ashore between the Marines and Japanese, with the balance favoring the Marines, but if the Japanese had wrested control of the airfield and seas that would have been old history. The book includes a good view from the Japanese perspective, and some little known historical tidbets as well, e.g., Guadalcanal received its name from the Spanish home town of a ships officer who accompanied Spanish explorer Don Alvaro Medana, who discovered the island during a 1568 expedition to discover the fabled King Solomon's gold mines. Who knew? :-) Bottom line: I highly recommend this book, both for its balanced coverage of the entire campaign, land and sea, and even more for its integrated narrative -- you know what was taking place (or had taken place) on almost a day-by-day basis, which allows the reader to fully appreciate how actions ashore influenced those at sea, and vice versa. IMO, a must read, even for those who thought (like me) that they knew it all!
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Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2017
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Jeffrey T. Munson
Whiting, US
★★★★★ 5
The Island Of Death
Format: Hardcover
On August 7th, 1942, American Marines stormed ashore on Guadalcanal. What lay before them was a six-month odyssey of fighting against the best of what the Japanese had to offer. In this fine book, author Joseph Wheelan describes the battle that turned the tide in the Pacific War. The Japanese had started construction of an airfield on Guadalcanal. If completed, Japanese aircraft would be able to harass American convoys and threaten Australia. The Americans seized the airfield and eventually, planes from the Cactus Air Force began attacking the Japanese. Throughout the book, the reader learns about all phases of the Guadalcanal campaign, including the battles of Alligator Creek and Bloody Ridge. On the sea, the Americans and Japanese slugged it out at Savo Island, as well as the great naval battles of November, 1942. Names such as Chesty Puller, John Baslone, "Archie" Vandegrift, Joe Foss, and "Bull" Halsey became household names in the United States. Each side lost many men, ships, and planes, but the tenacity and, finally, the industrial might and the ability to rapidly replace losses, led the Americans to victory. Never again would the Japanese regain the offensive in the Pacific War. "Midnight in the Pacific" is a very good book, and the author has done a good job of describing all of the main points of the battle. Each chapter is broken down into a single month's worth of action, and the narrative is well-written. Highly recommended.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2017
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Laurence J. Rusiecki
Boise, US
★★★★★ 4
Good Narrative History
Format: Hardcover
The account of the Guadalcanal campaign was well-written. It has several good maps but it falls short with the two carrier battles associated with the action. There should have detailed maps for the Battle of the Eastern Solomons and the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. Aside from this shortcoming, the book provides an excellent, readable history of a crucial confrontation between the US and Japan.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2019
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Donald J. Hanson
Boise, US
★★★★★ 5
A Very Thorough Accounting of One of the Most Savage Battles of World War 2
Format: Kindle
My father served in the United States Marine Corps during World War 2 and fought in the first offensive battle by the US during the war, the battle for the island of Guadalcanal. He was seriously wounded there and evacuated back to the states where he spent a year in a naval hospital. As a result, I have read many of the books about this battle. This book was particularly interesting because the author described the battle from the perspective of both the allied forces and the Japanese, drawing from historical records and other books. It was a very thorough accounting and demonstrated what a monstrous battle this was. I only wish my father were still alive so that I could have discussed it with him. His experience at Guadalcanal was not something he would often talk about, but considering savagery of what he saw and endured, I understand. If you are interested in Guadalcanal, I recommend this book.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2017

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