Reciprocity

Reciprocity begins with a simple but unsettling question: why have we come to believe that human beings are naturally self-interested, competitive and acquisitive? This galvanising, perspective-shifting book dismantles the myth of Homo economicus to show us the way towards a world whose realities align with our true selves.

Drawing on a variety of disciplines, including anthropology, archaeology, evolutionary biology, psychology, economics and social epidemiology, Richard Wilkinson demonstrates that the characteristics which we assume to be our human nature are in fact effects of the market societies we live in. He traces how various systems of exchange have created profoundly different forms of social life throughout the course of history, shaping our behaviours, motivations, and the kinds of people we become. Though it may often feel like it, the avarice and oppressions that defines the twenty-first century are not an unchangeable reality we simply have to live with.

The book explains why inequality, status competition and consumerism hold so much power over us and reveals the depths to which these forces are entwined with the ever-rising crises of mental illness, political polarisation and environmental destruction. Rather than asking how we can make individuals behave better, it makes a compelling case for restructuring our societies to make life happier, meaningful and more fulfilling for one and all.

Rigorously researched, bracingly practical and full of passion and hope in equal measure, Reciprocity offers a bold reinterpretation of the world we live in. It equips us with the necessary tools to look beyond and remake it in our very own, amiably human image.