Abstract
Charles Darwin during his travels on the Beagle noted the wretched primitive state of natives from Tierra del Fuego. He attributed it to their being egalitarians and to the lack of a leader among them. The Gini Index of inequality suggests strong inequality today in the richest, more developed countries. The paper discusses whether equality and civilization are really incompatible.
Highlights
This paper discusses whether equality and civilization are really incompatible, as Darwin seemed to imply
Charles Darwin during his 1831-1836 circumnavigation of the Globe on the British Navy brig “Beagle” had a chance to interact with the native inhabitants of the eastern and northern shores of Tierra del Fuego (Figure 1)
The Gini index estimated for various countries reveals strong variations in degree of inequality (Figure 3)
Summary
Charles Darwin during his 1831-1836 circumnavigation of the Globe on the British Navy brig “Beagle” had a chance to interact with the native inhabitants of the eastern and northern shores of Tierra del Fuego (Figure 1). The Gini Economic Index suggests strong inequality today even among the richest, more developed countries. The inhabitants of Tahiti, who when first discovered were governed by hereditary kings, had arrived at a far higher grade (of civilization) than another branch of the same people, the New Zealanders, - who, benefited by being compelled to turn their attention to agriculture, were republicans in the most absolute sense.
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