Did a society of feudal lords and knights actually manage the ultra-wealthy better than we do today? Let's look at the medieval mind to see how they handled the billionaire problem. From 14th-century merchants kitting out their own navies to modern tech CEOs, we explore how the ancient social contract between the ultra-wealthy and the rest of us completely broke down. This is a world history deep dive into why the wealthy don't care the way they used to. From ancient Mesopotamia to the fall of Rome to the medieval Three Orders to Thomas Aquinas to the meritocracy myth, we trace the collapse of the social contract between the rich and everyone else. Featuring the Code of Hammurabi, the Roman Republic, feudalism explained, and the philosophy behind why modern billionaires feel zero obligation to the public good.
If you've ever wondered why wealth inequality feels so medieval, it's because it literally is.
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