The Dawn of Everything - IV

Chapter 12 starts by reviewing the competing theories for the origin of human society: either a fall-from-grace story or the progressive alternative. The authors argue against a (purportedly dominant) view of history, with an essential split between pre- and post-Enlightenment phases. The former consisted of traditional societies, and any revolutionary movement was either regressive or religiously inspired. Only in the latter would human beings really have agency.

The Dawn of Everything - III

Chapter 10 deals with the origins of the state (or lack thereof). The first difficulty is giving a general definition for the state, which applies throughout history. At a nodal point of the argument, the authors unfortunately use a sleight of hand: after exposing the difficulties of such a definition, they conclude that many complex social and cultural systems existed in the absence of a state. This sounds like an ontological argument in reverse: "We cannot conceive of a state, so it must not exist".