Bookshelf
| can't find it |

| browse books |
international
 

| book details |

The Origin of Politics: How Evolution and Ideology Shape the Fate of Nations

By (author) Nicholas Wade





This book is currently unavailable. Enquire to check if we can source a used copy


| book description |

The renowned New York Times bestselling author of Before the Dawn breaks down the startling ways that evolution explains why societies succeed and fail. In the modern world, human nature is seldom taken into account by those who would reshape society. Nicholas Wade argues that's a terrible mistake. Human nature, in the view of the progressive left, is easily ignored or else shaped into whatever the latest political doctrine may require. But the conservative view, that social engineering can never change human nature for the better, is not true either. In this deeply researched survey of biological and political history, Wade reveals the effect of ideologies that ignore human nature. Marx and Engels proposed to eliminate the family as a social unit. Their followers have sought to overturn the patriarchy and divert allegiance from the family to the state. In reality, while some policies influence human nature for the better, like those that have abolished tribalism, others, such as socialism, conflict with human nature and undermine the operation of a society. Combining the scope of Yuval Noah Harari with the political savvy of Francis Fukuyama, The Origin of Politics, Wade's work draws from anthropology, evolutionary biology, and historical analysis to explore how human nature shapes the direction of society--and how policies which ignore human nature risk chaos and even extinction. Political scientists agree that the roots of politics must lie in human nature, but then assume that human behavior is infinitely flexible. The Origin of Politics shows that limits set by human evolution cannot be ignored without penalty.

| product details |



Normally shipped | Enquiries only
Publisher | HarperCollins Publishers Inc
Published date | 9 Sep 2025
Language |
Format | Digital (delivered electronically)
Pages | 256
Dimensions | 0 x 0 x 0mm (L x W x H)
Weight | 0g
ISBN | 978-0-0633-7982-4
Readership Age |
BISAC | political science / government / international


| other options |


| your trolley |

To view the items in your trolley please sign in.

| sign in |

| specials |

The Memory Collectors: A Novel

Dete Meserve
Paperback / softback
320 pages
was: R 674.95
now: R 606.95
Forthcoming


Fifteen Dogs

André Alexis
Paperback / softback
176 pages
was: R 315.95
now: R 283.95
Available from overseas. Dispatched in aprox 4-8 weeks as local supplier is out of stock

A pack of dogs are granted the power of human thought - but what will it do to them? A surprising and insightful look at the beauty and perils of consciousness.

The Ballerina and the Bull: Anarchist Utopias in the Age of Finance

Johanna Isaacson
Paperback / softback
288 pages
was: R 336.95
now: R 303.95
This title will take longer to obtain, and should be delivered in 6-8 weeks

Our moment has seen the resurgence of an anarchist sensibility, from the uprisings in Seattle in 1999 to the Occupy movement of 2011.