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A whimsical read, but not much in the way of accuracy or pragmatism. I’d compare it to a Terence McKenna lecture, fun to listen to, but near-worthless in the face of reality. Contending that life now is worse, and wealth is more stratified than it has been historically, is ridiculous at best. In the times of kings and serfs, life was horrible for everyone, and very few had even the most basic rights. Everyone toiled and fought for their ruler’s gain, until they got fed up or conquered. Even the impoverished today live better than kings then, who had everything available to them yet still so little. The author’s awe-inspiring overstatement of the occurrence and degree of historic matriarchies is but one of the many revisionist flaws invoked to appeal to our modern sensibilities. Re-imagining the basis of democratic society is just another step in the denigration of our values, and is literally the source of our woes, not a cure. You are not miserable because of capitalism and democracy, you are miserable because you have flouted the basic tenets your ancestors understood, and that were necessary for us to reach this point of comfort and safety. Cultures of the past praised rugged individualists and brave warriors, the people necessary to lead us out of hard times, but we shame those people now. EVERY society worldwide has been religious historically, but you’re too good for that now. Every society worldwide has historically had DIFFERENT roles for men and women, but we’re too good for that now. Just your typical sociological narrative. Nature and personal responsibility aren’t real, you’re just a soulless gray blob with no instinct or special potential, helplessly waiting to be shaped by the waves of society, blah blah blah.