رفقة الغرباء

Humans are the only type of creature that has developed an extraordinary ability to subtly divide labor between strangers. A simple activity, like buying a shirt, is based on an amazing network of interaction and organization that covers the entire world. But unlike language - the unique feature of humanity - our ability to cooperate with strangers did not gradually develop during prehistoric times. Just ten thousand years ago - a blink of an eye from an evolutionary time perspective - humans, who used to hunt in groups, were deeply suspicious of strangers and fighting them. With the knowledge of agriculture, human beings made great improvements in the division of labor until we came to the point where we now live and work among strangers, and depend on our lives on millions of them. Every time we travel by train or on planes, we entrust our lives to people we do not know. So what institutions have made this possible?

In this book, the author provides us with an interesting account from an evolutionary and social perspective of the emergence of those economic institutions that not only manage markets, but also manage many other affairs in our life. The author draws on insights drawn from biology, anthropology, history and psychology to reveal how our evolving capacity for abstract thinking led to the emergence of institutions such as markets and cities. Hence, it provided the basis for social trust. This narrative shows us the astonishing vulnerability and strangeness of our daily life.