ABSTRACT
In contending that human communities have gone from simple to complex, with a multiplication in social roles at the heart of this process, Herbert Spencer pointed out an essential truth. We operate on multiple cultural, structural, and institutional dimensions. We are also influenced by our biological, physical, and historical legacies. The linear, curvilinear, stage-oriented, and S-C-S or C-S-C patterns of change are thus insufficient to capture the complexities of the evolutionary marathon we have endured. We must also explore the consequences of the inverse force rule. The inverse force rule provides reasons why some forms of social organization enable societies to grow in numbers while also allowing them to remain well integrated and strongly motivated. The manner in which we evolved from hunter-gatherers into vast techno-commercial agglomerations is best introduced by way of an analogy. Families have been with us since before we were human. Empires were larger and typically incorporated peoples who spoke different languages and respected different customs.
