The Broken Ladder: How Inequality Changes the Way We Think, Live and Die

The discovery that capuchin monkeys are averse to receiving unequal outcomes, much like humans, suggests that these tendencies are evolved rather than learned.

We have now reached the same level of inequality that existed prior to the Great Depression.

The richest third of the population votes more Republican than the middle third, who vote more Republican than the bottom third.

We normally speak of conservatives and liberals, not conservative moments and liberal moments. The truth is that we experience both. Sometimes we think through an issue based on our principles and end up at an ideological conclusion. At other times we take our cues from a particular situation and find an ideology that fits the moment. When we refle

Understanding implicit bias requires taking a more nuanced approach to the individuals we are easily tempted to label as “racist” or “not racist.”

Social comparisons led to differences in political beliefs.

We not only make constant comparisons, but we make subtle assumptions about which comparisons count and which ones don’t.

these observations suggest that the rise in inequality that has occurred over the past few decades might be contributing to increasingly intense partisanship and political conflict.

Inequality affects our behavior, and differences in behavior can magnify inequality.