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In America, we enjoy the separation of church and state in theory if not always in practice.

Yet for most of civilization, such a separation would make no sense.

The trinity of finance, government and religion were functions of the same entity.

So 6,000 years ago, Sumerian temples housed politicians and bankers.

When you're dealing with 100 people in a tribe, justice is needed out by consensus and resources are distributed evenly.

But multiply that number by hundreds and even thousands and suddenly governing presents entirely new challenges.

The only way to make sense of such numbers is through story and so people started spinning them.

Tribal mythologies were likely traded and reconstructed as villages battled and united.

The invention of writing had nothing to do with poetry and myth, however.

It was for record keeping.

IOU this many sheep.

We have that many bushels of wheat.

Agriculture caused a nomadic species to settle down.

And it's been argued that there was a longer transition period.

It didn't just happen as once between nomads and agricultureists,

but it's still the general shape of our evolution.

So just as hunting and packs is advantageous when trying to take down stronger and faster animals,

...