The Human Swarm. The Natural History of Society

«This book is dedicated to an exciting and important theme for anyone — the awareness of oneself as part of society and the examination of the phenomenon of society through the lens of evolutionary processes in the animal world. Mark Moffett compares human society to the social structures of social insects, and these comparisons are entirely appropriate. His subsequent interest in the structure of social systems among a wide range of vertebrates, from fish to apes, is not accidental. As an evolutionist, his interests are related to uncovering the causes and factors influencing the transformations of social behavior among different taxa, the role of ecology in complicating social ties, and finding connections between morphological and psychological changes that ultimately led to the emergence of our species. Homo sapiens, unique in its development of speech, culture, technology, and art. Unique in its quest to understand the mysteries of the boundless universe … but still remaining vulnerable in a world of conflicts and violence, created by itself». (M. L. Butovskaya)
«Although humanity has transitioned from small societies to vast ones, we have retained a supernatural ability to understand who fits in and who does not. Whether this is good or bad, for reasons I hope to clarify, distinctive features remain, alongside equally obvious and often destructive differences that exist within the societies themselves. How we approach the examination of similarities and differences defines the nature and future of societies». (Mark Moffett)