Films with: Salkeld, Adam

Clever & greedy

Provides a concise overview of brain evolution in early hominids and what appears to be barter behavior in chimps. Traces the rudiments of the human wealth orientation as it developed at Wadi Faynan, a prehistoric agrarian settlement, at the ancient town of Çatalhöyük, and at Uruk, a major Sumerian trading city. Considers the transformative effect of farming, the commercial impact of obsidian, and the invention of proto-cuneiform as an accounting tool.

DVD 2736

End of the beginning?

Asks whether, just as there was once a time without wealth, might there come a time without poverty? Scrutinizes the attempts by Great Britain, Russia, the People's Republic of China, and Tanzania to stabilize and recharge their economies during the last half-century. Presents interviews with citizens who have lived through both good times and bad, which reveal the mixed results of governmental and institutional efforts to raise their standards of living. Looks ahead to the year 2300 and makes intriguing predictions as to the state of the world's economy.

DVD 2637