Abstract
In the previous chapters I have looked at some of the most notable attempts to solve some of the problems which I have termed the ‘riddle of our world’, that is the growth in the capacity of humans to produce resources, culminating, after 10 000 years, in a sustainable escape from agrarian civilization. All these encounters have thrown light on different aspects of the puzzle, seldom contradicting each other or differing on essentials. Indeed they show a surprising agreement and continuity of approach, while each adds a set of new insights to supplement the others. In this chapter I shall try to synthesize their insights into one composite answer to the riddle of the modern world.
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© 2000 Alan Macfarlane
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Macfarlane, A. (2000). The Riddle Resolved?. In: The Riddle of the Modern World. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781403913913_14
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781403913913_14
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-0-333-98450-5
Online ISBN: 978-1-4039-1391-3
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