The Parable of the Tribes: The Problem of Power in Social Evolution

Schmookler, Andrew Bard

ISBN 10: 0395400058 / ISBN 13: 9780395400050

Published by Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1986

About this Item

First PB Edition, First Printing., Soft cover 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall in illustrated wraps. Near Fine. Bottom front corner bent and delaminated, covers lightly scuffed; square w/flat spine and firm binding, interior clean and unmarked. 400pp inc. Bibliography, Index. Winner of the 1984 Erik Erikson Prize. 400 p.

Seller Inventory # 026967

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Parable of the Tribes: The Problem of Power in Social Evolution
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin, Boston
• Publication Date: 1986
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0395400058
• ISBN 13: 9780395400050
• Binding: Trade Paperback
• Edition: First PB Edition.
• Condition: Near Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: Wraps
• Book Type: Book
• Seller catalogs:
  • Non-Fiction

About this title

Synopsis

This is a new view of the role of power in social evolution. It shows how, as human societies evolved, intersocietal conflicts necessarily developed, and how humanity can choose peace over war.

"Goes far beyond our common folk knowledge about power." -- New York Times Book Review

The Parable of the Tribes provides a new way of analyzing the human condition. This panoramic work, which incorporates history, philosophy, anthropology, and psychoanalytic theory within its sweep, is troubling and difficult; nevertheless, it is surprisingly readable and, in the end, hopeful." -- Esquire

"In an age of intellectual timidity, Andrew Bard Schmookler's Parable of the Tribes is a work of immense scope and boldness. It makes a serious contribution to our understanding of war, peace, and civilization in a world spinning out of control." -- Daniel Yankelovitch

"Imagine a group of tribes living within reach of one another. If all choose the way of peace, then all may live in peace. But what if all but one choose peace?" From this basic premise, Andrew Bard Schmookler has built a towering work of intellectual and spiritual insight, a book that will shatter many preconceived notions about how civilization has developed and why human history has been so filled with torment. In this new edition, Schmookler shows how, with the end of the Cold War, we now have an unprecedented opportunity to solve the problem of power that has plagued civilization.

The Parable of the Tribes is a new vision of the story of humankind. It presents a radiant new synthesis of history, evolutionary biology, political theory, and psychology.

About the Author

Andrew Bard Schmookler is the author of a number of books, including Out of Weakness: Healing the Wounds That Drive Us to War; Sowings and Reapings: The Cycling of Good and Evil in the Human System; Fool's Gold: The Fate of Values in a World of Goods; and The Illusion of Choice: How the Market Economy Shapes Our Destiny. His cultural and political commentaries appear frequently in newspapers, magazines, and journals and on the radio. The original edition of The Parable of the Tribes was winner of the 1984 Erik Erikson Prize.