In The Company of Strangers (Princeton University Press, £12.50/$18.95), Paul Seabright tries to track down the foundation of economic life. He contends that the Neolithic revolution, which saw the beginning of farming, changed not only the environment but also human nature. Settling down to tend fields promoted societies based on trust. Today, he says, all our economic institutions rely on trust. Some of his evidence resembles Just-So stories, but it is a provocative read.
Why we trust
28 September 2005
