The Company of Strangers
Home > Business and Economics > Economics > The Company of Strangers: A Natural History of Economic Life
The Company of Strangers: A Natural History of Economic Life

The Company of Strangers: A Natural History of Economic Life

|
     0     
5
4
3
2
1




Out of Stock


Notify me when this book is in stock
About the Book

Human beings are the only species in nature to have developed an elaborate division of labor between strangers. Even something as simple as buying a shirt depends on an astonishing web of interaction and organization that spans the world. But unlike that other uniquely human attribute, language, our ability to cooperate with strangers did not evolve gradually through our prehistory. Only 10,000 years ago - a blink of an eye in evolutionary time - humans hunted in bands, were intensely suspicious of strangers, and fought those whom they could not flee. Yet since the dawn of agriculture we have refined the division of labor to the point where, today, we live and work amid strangers and depend upon millions more. Every time we travel by rail or air we entrust our lives to individuals we do not know. What institutions have made this possible? In "The Company of Strangers", Paul Seabright provides an original evolutionary and sociological account of the emergence of those economic institutions that manage not only markets but also the world's myriad other affairs. Drawing on insights from biology, anthropology, history, psychology, and literature, Seabright explores how our evolved ability of abstract reasoning has allowed institutions like money, markets, and cities to provide the foundation of social trust. But how long can the networks of modern life survive when we are exposed as never before to risks originating in distant parts of the globe? This lively narrative shows us the remarkable strangeness, and fragility, of our everyday lives.

Table of Contents:
Foreword xi Acknowledgments xv Trust and Panic: Introduction to the Revised Edition 1 Part I: Tunnel Vision 15 Chapter 1: Who's in Charge? 17 Prologue to Part II 33 Part II: From Murderous Apes to Honorary Friends: How Is Human Cooperation Possible? 35 Chapter 2: Man and the Risks of Nature 37 Chapter 3: Our Violent Past 55 Chapter 4: How Have We Tamed Our Violent Instincts? 65 Chapter 5: How Did the Social Emotions Evolve? 80 Chapter 6: Money and Human Relationships 91 Chapter 7: Honor among Thieves: Hoarding and Stealing 106 Chapter 8: Honor among Bankers? What Caused the Financial Crisis? 116 Chapter 9: Professionalism and Fulfillment in Work and War 134 Epilogue to Parts I and II 147 Prologue to Part III 151 Part III: Unintended Consequences: From Family Bands to Industrial Cities 155 Chapter 10: The City, from Ancient Athens to Modern Manhattan 157 Chapter 11: Water: Commodity or Social Institution? 172 Chapter 12: Prices for Everything? 186 Chapter 13: Families and Firms 204 Chapter 14: Knowledge and Symbolism 226 Chapter 15: Exclusion: Unemployment, Poverty, and Illness 244 Epilogue to Part III 263 Prologue to Part IV 265 Part IV: Collective Action: From Belligerent States to a Marketplace of Nations 269 Chapter 16: States and Empires 271 Chapter 17: Globalization and Political Action 288 Chapter 18: Conclusion: How Fragile Is the Great Experiment? 302 Notes 317 References 343 Index 365


Best Sellers


Product Details
  • ISBN-13: 9780691124520
  • Publisher: Princeton University Press
  • Publisher Imprint: Princeton University Press
  • Height: 235 mm
  • No of Pages: 320
  • Sub Title: A Natural History of Economic Life
  • Width: 152 mm
  • ISBN-10: 0691124523
  • Publisher Date: 07 Aug 2005
  • Binding: Paperback
  • Language: English
  • Returnable: Y
  • Weight: 454 gr


Similar Products

Add Photo
Add Photo

Customer Reviews

REVIEWS      0     
Click Here To Be The First to Review this Product
The Company of Strangers: A Natural History of Economic Life
Princeton University Press -
The Company of Strangers: A Natural History of Economic Life
Writing guidlines
We want to publish your review, so please:
  • keep your review on the product. Review's that defame author's character will be rejected.
  • Keep your review focused on the product.
  • Avoid writing about customer service. contact us instead if you have issue requiring immediate attention.
  • Refrain from mentioning competitors or the specific price you paid for the product.
  • Do not include any personally identifiable information, such as full names.

The Company of Strangers: A Natural History of Economic Life

Required fields are marked with *

Review Title*
Review
    Add Photo Add up to 6 photos
    Would you recommend this product to a friend?
    Tag this Book Read more
    Does your review contain spoilers?
    What type of reader best describes you?
    I agree to the terms & conditions
    You may receive emails regarding this submission. Any emails will include the ability to opt-out of future communications.

    CUSTOMER RATINGS AND REVIEWS AND QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS TERMS OF USE

    These Terms of Use govern your conduct associated with the Customer Ratings and Reviews and/or Questions and Answers service offered by Bookswagon (the "CRR Service").


    By submitting any content to Bookswagon, you guarantee that:
    • You are the sole author and owner of the intellectual property rights in the content;
    • All "moral rights" that you may have in such content have been voluntarily waived by you;
    • All content that you post is accurate;
    • You are at least 13 years old;
    • Use of the content you supply does not violate these Terms of Use and will not cause injury to any person or entity.
    You further agree that you may not submit any content:
    • That is known by you to be false, inaccurate or misleading;
    • That infringes any third party's copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret or other proprietary rights or rights of publicity or privacy;
    • That violates any law, statute, ordinance or regulation (including, but not limited to, those governing, consumer protection, unfair competition, anti-discrimination or false advertising);
    • That is, or may reasonably be considered to be, defamatory, libelous, hateful, racially or religiously biased or offensive, unlawfully threatening or unlawfully harassing to any individual, partnership or corporation;
    • For which you were compensated or granted any consideration by any unapproved third party;
    • That includes any information that references other websites, addresses, email addresses, contact information or phone numbers;
    • That contains any computer viruses, worms or other potentially damaging computer programs or files.
    You agree to indemnify and hold Bookswagon (and its officers, directors, agents, subsidiaries, joint ventures, employees and third-party service providers, including but not limited to Bazaarvoice, Inc.), harmless from all claims, demands, and damages (actual and consequential) of every kind and nature, known and unknown including reasonable attorneys' fees, arising out of a breach of your representations and warranties set forth above, or your violation of any law or the rights of a third party.


    For any content that you submit, you grant Bookswagon a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, transferable right and license to use, copy, modify, delete in its entirety, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from and/or sell, transfer, and/or distribute such content and/or incorporate such content into any form, medium or technology throughout the world without compensation to you. Additionally,  Bookswagon may transfer or share any personal information that you submit with its third-party service providers, including but not limited to Bazaarvoice, Inc. in accordance with  Privacy Policy


    All content that you submit may be used at Bookswagon's sole discretion. Bookswagon reserves the right to change, condense, withhold publication, remove or delete any content on Bookswagon's website that Bookswagon deems, in its sole discretion, to violate the content guidelines or any other provision of these Terms of Use.  Bookswagon does not guarantee that you will have any recourse through Bookswagon to edit or delete any content you have submitted. Ratings and written comments are generally posted within two to four business days. However, Bookswagon reserves the right to remove or to refuse to post any submission to the extent authorized by law. You acknowledge that you, not Bookswagon, are responsible for the contents of your submission. None of the content that you submit shall be subject to any obligation of confidence on the part of Bookswagon, its agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, partners or third party service providers (including but not limited to Bazaarvoice, Inc.)and their respective directors, officers and employees.

    Accept

    New Arrivals

    Inspired by your browsing history


    Your review has been submitted!

    You've already reviewed this product!