Coming soon · Book Profile
The Dawn of Everything
A sweeping reinterpretation of human history that argues social inequality, hierarchy, and the state were not inevitable consequences of agriculture or scale, but the result of self-conscious political choices that humans made—and frequently unmade—over tens of thousands of years.
A profile of this book is on the way.
What it’s about
Drawing on decades of new archaeological and anthropological evidence, anthropologist David Graeber and archaeologist David Wengrow demolish the dominant 'just-so' story of human history—the choice between Hobbes's brutish state of nature and Rousseau's egalitarian fall from grace. They show that our ancestors were not childlike innocents but imaginative, self-conscious political actors who experimented endlessly with social forms: seasonal hierarchies that dissolved each year, cities governed without kings, farming adopted and abandoned over millennia, and slavery rejected as often as it was embraced. Tracing the indigenous critique of European civilization that helped spark the Enlightenment, the authors reframe the real question of history not as 'what is the origin of inequality?' but 'how did we get stuck?'—losing the freedom to reimagine and reshape our societies. Provocative, erudite, and genuinely hopeful, the book invites readers into a new science of history that restores human agency and possibility to the deep past.
The through-line
- Who it’s for
- A curious, thoughtful reader who wants to understand where human societies came from and whether a freer, more equal future is genuinely possible.
- The problem
- The dominant accounts of human history (Hobbesian or Rousseauian) claim inequality and domination are inevitable outcomes of scale, agriculture, and civilization. This leaves the reader feeling trapped and pessimistic—unable to imagine that society could be fundamentally otherwise.
- The plan
- Abandon the question 'what is the origin of inequality?' and ask instead how humans came to lose their freedoms.
- Re-examine the archaeological and ethnographic record with fresh eyes, free of evolutionary assumptions.
- Recover the three basic social freedoms—to move, to disobey, to reshape relations—as a standard for evaluating societies.
- Recognize structures of domination as combinations of violence, knowledge, and charisma rather than a single inevitable 'state.'
- Treat past peoples as self-conscious political experimenters, and learn from the social possibilities they enacted.
- The payoff
- The reader sees human history as a field of genuine possibility rather than a march toward inevitable domination. · They gain conceptual tools to recognize how freedoms are gained and lost, and how power crystallizes. · They can imagine—and help create—alternative ways of organizing social life.
See our guide
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Additional reading
- The Organism · Kurt Goldstein
Maslow sources the term 'self-actualization' from Goldstein and builds upon his holistic view of the organism.
- Explorations in Personality · H. A. Murray, et al.
Cited as providing an 'excellent discussion' on the basic principle of centering motivation theory on goals rather than instigation or behavior.
- Social Interest · Alfred Adler
Maslow credits Adler and his followers for stressing the importance of the 'esteem needs,' which he felt were neglected by Freudian psychoanalysts.
- Wisdom of the Body · W. B. Cannon
Provides the foundational concept of 'homeostasis,' which Maslow uses as the starting point for his discussion of physiological needs.
- Multipliers · Liz Wiseman
Explores how leaders can either amplify ('multiply') or diminish ('diminish') the intelligence and capabilities of their teams, a key concept for creating a positive, low-anxiety environment.
- The Fearless Organization · Amy Edmondson
Provides the foundational research and practical steps for creating psychological safety, which the book identifies as crucial for reducing interpersonal anxiety and encouraging people to speak up.
- Mindset · Carol Dweck
Explains the difference between a 'growth mindset' and a 'fixed mindset,' which is presented as a key tool for helping employees manage perfectionism and see failures as learning opportunities.
- Crucial Conversations · Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, et al.
Recommended as a resource for employees to learn how to navigate difficult, high-stakes conversations, directly addressing the book's theme of moving from conflict avoidance to healthy debate.
- Better Allies · Karen Catlin
The author is quoted on specific, actionable steps for allyship, making her book a practical guide for implementing the principles in Chapter 7.
- Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People · Mahzarin R. Banaji and Anthony G. Greenwald
Explains the science of implicit bias, which is central to the book's argument that leaders need to be proactive allies because 'not being racist/sexist' isn't enough.