The Origins and Dynamics of Inequality: Sex, Politics, and Ideology

The struggle over income, wealth, status, and privilege-inequality-has been the principal, defining issue in human history, and provides a novel framework for understanding inequality today. This book grounds the origins and dynamics of inequality in evolutionary psychology and accords central importance to ideology in legitimating inequality.

Format: Hardback
Length: 528 pages
Publication date: 12 October 2022
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc

Introduction:
In recent years, there has been a growing recognition of the importance of understanding the origins and dynamics of inequality. While President Barack Obama declared inequality as the defining issue of our time, Jon D. Wisman argues that it is the defining issue of all human history. This book seeks to provide a novel framework for understanding inequality today.
The Struggle Over Income, Wealth, Status, and Privilege:
Throughout history, the struggle over income, wealth, status, and privilege has been the principal, defining issue in human history. Wisman argues that this struggle has been the underlying force driving human history's unfolding. He draws on the dynamics of inequality to re-interpret economic history and society.
The Central Role of Inequality:
Wisman contends that inequality has played a central role in shaping human history. He argues that the distribution of resources, power, and status has determined the course of human societies and cultures. Moreover, inequality has been a source of conflict and social unrest throughout history.
The Failure of Social Scientists and Historians:
One of the novel aspects of this book is that it transcends the general failure of social scientists and historians to anchor their work in explicit theories of human behaviour. Instead, Wisman grounds the origins and dynamics of inequality in evolutionary psychology, specifically Darwin's theory of sexual selection.
The Importance of Ideology:
Wisman also accorded central importance to ideology in legitimating inequality. He argues that ideology has been used by elites to justify their exploitation of others and maintain their power and privilege. Despite the fact that workers in advanced capitalist countries gained the franchise to become the overwhelming majority of voters, inequality continued to increase due to the persuasive ideology of elites.
The Explosion of Inequality:
The explosion of inequality over the past forty years has not been an anomaly. It is a return to the political dynamics by which elites have taken practically everything for themselves, leaving all others with little more than the means with which to survive. This book provides a fresh perspective on why economic inequality exists and how its dynamics have shaped human history.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, The Origins and Dynamics of Inequality provides a novel framework for understanding inequality today. By grounding the origins and dynamics of inequality in evolutionary psychology and ideology, Wisman offers a fresh perspective on why economic inequality exists and how its dynamics have shaped human history. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the complex issues surrounding inequality and its impact on society.

Weight: 842g
Dimension: 169 x 246 x 45 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780197575949