8.1: Ariel & Christina Discuss: What History Says About What It Takes to Level Inequality

We like to think that a rising tide lifts all boats. But, according to Stanford University historian Dr. Walter Scheidel, wealth and income inequality have almost always only grown drastically toward the maximum level a society can sustain in times of peace and prosperity. Instead, as he outlined in his book The Great Leveler: Violence and the History of Inequality from the Stone Age to the Twenty-First Century, true leveling of inequality between, for example, the rich and the poor, has almost always happened as a result of exceptionally catastrophically violent events that take the lives of a good chunk of the population (see, for instance: the Black Death, World War II, and the communist revolutions of the 21st century). 

This has shattered Christina’s previously strong faith in democracy, and we discuss just how and why that happened. Does human society stand any chance of leveling inequality voluntarily, intentionally, and peacefully aka, which is to say, without having to go through an event of widespread death, turmoil, destruction, and suffering? Join us as we wonder whether, in order to reach a solarpunk future world of justice, equality, and harmony, we will ever be able to escape this historical pattern.

Links:

• The Great Leveler by Walter Schiedel
• The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse Encyclopedia Britannica Entry
• “Government accused of hoarding Canadian history in 'secret' archives” CBC News article
• Ea-Nasir meme explainer
• Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar

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