DigeeBooks

A bold, provocative history of our species finds the roots of civilization's success and failure in our evolutionary biology.

We are living through the most prosperous age in all of human history, yet people are more listless, divided and miserable than ever. Wealth and comfort are unparalleled, and yet our political landscape grows ever more toxic, and rates of suicide, loneliness, and chronic illness continue to skyrocket. How do we explain the gap between these two truths? What's more, what can we do to close it?
 
For evolutionary biologists Heather Heying and Bret Weinstein, the cause of our woes is clear: the modern world is out of sync with our ancient brains and bodies. We evolved to live in clans, but today most people don't even know their neighbors' names. Survival in our earliest societies depended on leveraging the advantages of our sex differences, but today even the concept of biological sex is increasingly dismissed as offensive. The cognitive dissonance spawned by trying to live in a society we're not built for is killing us.  
In this book, Heying and Weinstein cut through the politically fraught discourse surrounding issues like sex, gender, diet, parenting, sleep, education, and more to outline a provocative, science-based worldview that will empower you to live a better, wiser life. They distill more than 20 years of research and first-hand accounts from the most biodiverse ecosystems on Earth into straight forward principles and guidance for confronting our culture of hyper-novelty.

A Hunter-Gatherer's Guide to the 21st Century by Bret Weinstein

In his provocative and thought-provoking book, A Hunter-Gatherer's Guide to the 21st Century, Bret Weinstein argues that modern life is fundamentally at odds with our evolutionary history as hunter-gatherers. This mismatch, he argues, is the root cause of many of the problems we face today, from chronic diseases to mental health issues to political polarization.

Weinstein draws on a wide range of disciplines, including anthropology, biology, psychology, and economics, to make his case. He shows how our hunter-gatherer ancestors lived in small, egalitarian groups, where everyone had a clear role to play and a sense of belonging. In contrast, modern life is characterized by large, impersonal societies, where people often feel isolated and disconnected. This, Weinstein argues, is a recipe for stress, anxiety, and depression.

Weinstein also explores the ways in which modern technology is exacerbating our evolutionary mismatch. He argues that social media, for example, is designed to exploit our natural desire for social connection, but it often ends up making us feel more isolated and alone. Similarly, he argues that the constant barrage of information we are exposed to every day is overwhelming our brains and making it difficult for us to think clearly and make sound decisions.

A Hunter-Gatherer's Guide to the 21st Century is a challenging and provocative book that will change the way you think about the world. Weinstein's insights are sure to spark debate, but they are also essential for understanding the challenges we face today and for finding ways to create a more sustainable and fulfilling future.