Maps illustrating properties of dominance hierarchy
My upcoming book treats dominance hierarchy as a core part of how our culture became the way it is. Dominance hierarchies form when there is a necessary resource that can be controlled with no alternative. The first most important such resources have been surplus grains, legumes, and animals that could be domesticated, which largely depend on arable land. Later, as states grew, other such resources were developed, such as education, justice, security, technology, and weapons. This model predicts that the appearance and durability of tyranny and slavery will depend on arable land. Thus, when I was listening to a podcast on slavery in the state of Arkansas and heard the host ask the guest, an author and professor on slavery, about differences of intensity of…
