Conclusions

Are states maladaptive organizations, as the archaeologically documented declines and ‘collapses’ seem to suggest? Not necessarily. Most early states were highly successful, long-lived organizations - even those that did eventually collapse. It is also true that the vast majority of people inhabiting the Earth today live comparatively well in state-type societies. Still, it is clear that things can go wrong very quickly for even the most successful sociopolitical organizations. If we turn our focus to contemporary society, we can, in fact, see many of the same problems that plagued the early states: rapidly expanding populations, increasing levels of pollution and environmental damage, and the concentration of greater wealth and power in the hands of fewer people in fewer countries. We also see the world’s elite striving to maintain the status quo (and their lifestyles) at all costs. There is, in fact, a general resistance to change throughout society (not just amongst the rich and powerful), and a continued, undying devotion to the current economic system - regardless of the long-term costs to people and the environment. Some have even argued that the inability to see the long-term impact of our actions may be characteristic of our society.

The question remains, are we nearing a point in time when our states will be running at peak capacity in terms of their available social and ecological resources (or ‘capital’), with no new energy sources or technologies on the horizon to help us maintain our ‘growth’? If so, the severe environmental fluctuations that are predicted to be on our doorstep have the potential to be particularly detrimental, because we will be unable to react effectively to the resulting downturn in production. Our archaeological investigations imply that, given such a scenario, a planned ‘collapse’ may be the best option. Nevertheless, our story is not yet fully written, and we may yet find ways to keep our current ‘pyramid scheme’ going for a few more centuries.

See also: Americas, Central: Classic Period of Mesoa-merica, the Maya; Asia, West: Mesopotamia, Sumer, and Akkad; Asia, South: indus Civilization; Political Complexity, Rise of.