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This title debunks three false claims commonly accepted by contemporary political philosophers regarding property systems: that inequality is natural, inevitable, or incompatible with freedom; that capitalism is more consistent with negative freedom than any other conceivable economic system; and that the normative principles of appropriation and voluntary transfer applied in the world in which we live support a capitalist system with strong, individualist and unequal private property rights. The authors review the history of the use and importance of these claims in philosophy, and use thorough anthropological and historical evidence to refute them.

Frontmatter -- CONTENTS -- PREFACE -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION -- Chapter 2 MODERN POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY AND PREHISTORIC ANTHROPOLOGY: SOME PRELIMINARY ISSUES -- Chapter 3 THE HOBBESIAN HYPOTHESIS: HOW A COLONIAL PREJUDICE BECAME AN ESSENTIAL PREMISE IN THE MOST POPULAR JUSTIFICATION OF GOVERNMENT -- Chapter 4 JOHN LOCKE AND THE HOBBESIAN HYPOTHESIS: HOW A SIMILAR COLONIAL PREJUDICE BECAME AN ESSENTIAL PREMISE IN THE MOST POPULAR JUSTIFICATION OF PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS -- Chapter 5 THE HOBBESIAN HYPOTHESIS IN EIGHTEENTHCENTURY POLITICAL THEORY -- Chapter 6 THE HOBBESIAN HYPOTHESIS IN NINETEENTHCENTURY POLITICAL THEORY -- Chapter 7 THE HOBBESIAN HYPOTHESIS IN CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL THEORY -- Chapter 8 THE HOBBESIAN HYPOTHESIS IN ANTHROPOLOGY -- Chapter 9 NASTY AND BRUTISH? AN EMPIRICAL ASSESSMENT OF THE VIOLENCE HYPOTHESIS -- Chapter 10 ARE YOU BETTER OFF NOW THAN YOU WERE 12,000 YEARS AGO? AN EMPIRICAL ASSESSMENT OF THE HOBBESIAN HYPOTHESIS -- Chapter 11 IMPLICATIONS -- REFERENCES -- INDEX

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

This book looks at how modern philosophers pass on myths about prehistory.Why do political philosophers talk so much about the Stone Age? The state of nature, the origin of property, the origin of government, and the primordial nature of inequality and war are popular topics in political philosophy, but are they being used as more than just illustrative examples? Does the best available evidence from archaeology and anthropology support or conflict with the stories being passed on by political philosophers?This book presents a philosophical look at the origin of civilization, examining political theories to show how claims about prehistory are used and presents evidence that much of what we think we know about human origins comes not from scientific investigation but from the imagination of philosophers.