It is not "natural" for human beings to kill each other, for men to oppress women, for individuals to accumulate massive wealth and power, or to abuse nature. The roots of our current malaise lie in an "ego explosion" which occurred several thousand years ago. "Primitive," pre-civilization men and women were largely free of our social ills and had a more unified and harmonious state of being than us. This intensively-researched, highly praised book explains the origins of our problems and suggests what we can do to return to a state of harmony. It overturns the wisdom of the last few centuries and changes the way we think about the human race's past and future.