ABSTRACT
Witch beliefs express a division within humanity: there are pure, good men, and utterly vile men who do not belong with humanity at alI. Wehave argued that this dualism is fostered by the experience of living in smalI, elosed communities. We now turn to sodeties where this experience is lacking. Where a man is expected to build his own career by transacting with all and sundry as widely as possible to the best of his ability, there is a very different view of human nature. In these competitive conditions, men are not set on either side of a line dividing sheep from goats. They are seen to be unequally endowed with talents, but the inequality is random, unpredictable and unconnected with moral judgment.
