Prehistoric Myths in Modern Political Philosophy

Description

How modern philosophers use and perpetuate myths about prehistory The state of nature, the origin of property, the origin of government, the primordial nature of inequality and war - why do political philosophers talk so much about the Stone Age? And are they talking about a Stone Age that really happened, or is it just a convenient thought experiment to illustrate their points? Karl Widerquist and Grant S. McCall take a philosophical look at the origin of civilisation, examining political theories to show how claims about prehistory are used. Drawing on the best available evidence from archaeology and anthropology, they show that much of what we think we know about human origins comes from philosophers' imagination, not scientific investigation. Key Features Shows how modern political theories employ ambiguous factual claims about prehistory Brings archaeological and anthropological evidence to bear on those claims Tells the story of human origins in a way that reveals many commonly held misconceptions Preface......Page 8 Acknowledgments......Page 13 Chapter 1 Introduction......Page 16 Chapter 2 Modern Political Philosophy and Prehistoric Anthropology: Some Preliminary Issues......Page 24 Chapter 3 The Hobbesian Hypothesis: How a Colonial Prejudice Became an Essential Premise in the Most Popular Justifi cation of Government......Page 39 Chapter 4 John Locke and the Hobbesian Hypothesis: How a Similar Colonial Prejudice Became an Essential Premise in the Most Popular Justifi cation of Private Property Rights......Page 80 Chapter 5 The Hobbesian Hypothesis in Eighteenth-Century Political Theory......Page 94 Chapter 6 The Hobbesian Hypothesis in Nineteenth-Century Political Theory......Page 105 Chapter 7 The Hobbesian Hypothesis in Contemporary Political Theory......Page 113 Chapter 8 The Hobbesian Hypothesis in Anthropology......Page 127 Chapter 9 Nasty and Brutish? An Empirical Assessment of the Violence Hypothesis......Page 147 Chapter 10 Are You Better Off Now Than You Were 12,000 Years Ago? An Empirical Assessment of the Hobbesian Hypothesis......Page 191 Chapter 11 Implications......Page 234 References......Page 260 Index......Page 280