The company of strangers: a natural history of economic life

Who's in charge?

Man and the risks of nature

Our violent past

How have we tamed our violent instincts?

How did the social emotions evolve?

Money and human relationships

Honor among thieves : hoarding and stealing

Honor among bankers? : what caused the financial crisis?

Professionalism and fulfillment in work and war

The city, from ancient Athens to modern Manhattan

Water : commodity or social institution?

Prices for everything?

Families and firms

Knowledge and symbolism

Exclusion : unemployment, poverty, and illness

States and empires

Globalization and political action

Conclusion : how fragile is the great experiment?.

Pt. 1. Tunnel vision. Who's in charge? ; Prologue to Part II.

Pt. 2. From murderous apes to honorary friends: how is human cooperation possible? Man and the risks of nature ; Murder, reciprocity, and trust ; Money and human relationships ; Honor among thieves: hoarding and stealing ; Professionalism and fulfilment in work and war ; Epilogue to Parts I and II ; Prologue to Part III.

Pt. 3. Unintended consequences: from family bands to industrial cities. The city, from ancient Athens to modern Manhattan ; Writer: commodity or social institution? ; Prices for everything? ; Families and firms ; Knowledge and symbolism ; Exclusion: unemployment, poverty, and illness ; Epilogue to Part III ; Prologue to Part IV.

Pt. 4. Collective action: from belligerent states to a marketplace of nations. States and empires ; Globalization: how fragile is the great experiment?