Joseph Henrich

And this is one of the things that dominates our life.

We're always wasting time, saving time, losing time.

Time is this currency that we're trying to get more of.

Well, at that point in European history, the kinship systems, the families, the clans look like large extended families.

In Europe, there's patrilineal.

In lots of other places in the world, it's matrilineal.

People inherit through the family by custom.

Their societies are organized by clans.

The economic system, the political system is all very tied into these kin relationships.

So, for example, many kin groups have corporate responsibility, which means if someone else in your clan, or including especially your brother, commits a crime, then you can be held responsible.

So you're considered synonymous with your close kin.

If someone within your kin group does something shameful, then it actually brings shame on you.

So shame is contagious through these kin networks.

Marriages are often arranged.

People pay bride price or dowry.

This forms a bond between groups.

And people are also tending to marry endogamously, so with close kin, like cousins, things like that, or other relatives.

That's right.

So they're not only the core of the economic system, but they provided a social safety net.

So if your husband dies, a typical thing would be you would marry his brother and then you would maintain the bond.