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For centuries, thinkers have grappled with the mystery of how humans first formulated the notion of equality. The species is quite territorial and, according to history, has demonstrated a violent streak. How could such a creature have developed the peaceful impulse to ensure everyone gets their fair share?

Some have surmised that equality was a last-gasp measure: the guarantee of peace to avert self-annihilation. However, a closer examination of the phenomenon across the existence of Homo sapiens illuminates a naturalistic solution to the puzzle. Lantz Miller traces the early advancements of our species to argue that, rather than concocting equality to forestall self-annihilation, it was forged through a lived condition of freedom over hundreds of thousands of years. Bringing together insights from both philosophy and anthropology, The Roots of Equality: Anthropological and Normative Sources investigates how our foraging ancestors came to thrive in egalitarian communities without sacrificing autonomy along the way.