Society Archives

What Was the Agricultural Revolution? Was It Good for Us?

What was the Agricultural Revolution? How did it affect homo sapiens, and how did it affect the rest of the animal kingdom? The Agricultural Revolution was the moment in human history, between 9500 and 8500 BC, when Sapiens started shifting from forager lifestyles to a life revolving around agriculture. The revolution started independently in China, the Middle East, and Central America. We’ll cover the causes of the Agricultural Revolution and how it impacted both humans and animals.

Why Does Money Have Value? Only Because We Trust Each Other

A dollar bill is just a piece of paper. Why is a piece of paper with Alexander Hamilton’s or Benjamin Franklin’s face on it worth more than the paper of books filled with words? In other words, why does money have value? How does money get its value? Money has value because we all believe it’s valuable. We trust other people value it, and trust is the foundation of our economic system. We’ll cover the varying values of ancient currencies, the role of mutual trust, and the difference between inherent and noninherent value in money.

3 Types of Humanism: How Humans Worship Themselves

What is humanism? What are the different types of humanism philosophies? Do humanist beliefs require a God? Humanism is the term for religions or belief systems that worship man rather than God or gods. This doesn’t mean that humanists don’t believe in God. There are four general types of humanism: liberal humanism, socialist humanism, and evolutionary humanism. We’ll cover how these three types of humanistic beliefs differ from one another, humanism meaning, and what the future of humanism looks like.

All Warfare Is Based on Deception: What Sun Tzu Really Meant

In The Art of War, Sun Tzu says, “All warfare is based on deception.” What does Tzu mean by this? Deception was an important element of Sun Tzu’s battle strategies. Learn why all warfare is based on deception.

Social Constructionist Theory: Our Life is Based on Myths

What is the social constructionist theory? How does the fact that our reality is socially and culturally constructed influence our beliefs and behaviors? The social constructionist theory is the theory that our societies function on shared assumptions and collective “myths.” These assumptions and beliefs aren’t natural–rather, they are created by society and culture itself. We’ll cover the origin of social constructs and how social constructionist theory explains many of your beliefs about what is “natural” or common sense, and what isn’t.

Individualism and Collectivism: What They Are + Why They’re Myths

What’s the difference between individualism and collectivism? What do they mean? How do these values diversely affect our behavior and what we see as “natural”? The difference between individualism and collectivism is that the belief in individualism emphasizes the rights of the individual, whereas the belief in collectivism emphasizes what’s best for the community. These two belief systems produce very different behaviors in society. We’ll cover how beliefs about individualism and collectivism that we hold are “true” are actually imagined orders. Still, they have a powerful impact on our behavior.

4 Surprising Effects of the Scientific Revolution

What were the effects of the Scientific Revolution? How did advances in science lead to the merging of science, imperialism, and capitalism? The effects of the Scientific Revolution include the merging of science with other institutions and the legacy of how we perceive the inevitability of death. These effects have touched almost every aspect of our governments and economies. We’ll cover the impact of the Scientific Revolution on politics, governments, and ethics.

History of Male Dominance In Society: 3 Theories on Why

What is the history of male dominance in society? Since the Agricultural Revolution, most cultures have valued males over females, regardless of how each culture defined men and women. Why? Is there a biological basis for this preference? We’ll cover the history of male dominance in society and why there’s not a clear explanation for its origins.

Homo Sapiens History: From Early Man to Modern Industry

In Sapiens, Yuval Noah Harari uses concepts from physics, chemistry, biology, and history to tell the story of us, Homo sapiens history. Homo Sapiens history is punctuated by four major revolutions: The Cognitive Revolution, the Agricultural Revolution, the Scientific Revolution, and the Industrial Revolution. Each revolution ushered in a new era of innovation (and, often, suffering) for humans. In this brief history of Homo sapiens, we’ll look at each revolution and how it dramatically redirected the course of the history of Sapiens.

What Is Social Stratification? How Historical Accidents Divide Us

What is social stratification? What are social stratification examples that make clear how class and ethnic divides create and foster inequality? How is social stratification based on mythmaking and accident? Social stratification is the ranking of people into imagined hierarchies. These rankings have no basis in reality–they’re created to maintain the status quo, allowing the most powerful to retain power. We’ll cover a social stratification example that looks at how imaginary hierarchies and random events created the race divide in America.