Summary of Thomas Piketty's A Brief History of Equality

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 Human progress exists, and it is a battle that can be won, but it is a battle whose outcome is uncertain. It is a fragile social and political process that is always ongoing and in question.

#2 The world has made great progress in health care and education since 1820. However, there are still deep inequalities in access to education and health care between global North and South.

#3 The most important progress in terms of life expectancy and literacy was achieved in the twentieth century, when the welfare state was greatly expanded. In the nineteenth century, social welfare budgets remained parsimonious, and taxes were regressive.

#4 The scope of the historical transformations involved is illustrated by the fact that human population and average income have both multiplied more than tenfold since the eighteenth century. The former rose from about 600 million in 1700 to more than 7.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: May 9, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822507852

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Insights on Thomas Piketty's A Brief History of Equality

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 8

Insights from Chapter 9

Insights from Chapter 10

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

Human progress exists, and it is a battle that can be won, but it is a battle whose outcome is uncertain. It is a fragile social and political process that is always ongoing and in question.

#2

The world has made great progress in health care and education since 1820. However, there are still deep inequalities in access to education and health care between global North and South.

#3

The most important progress in terms of life expectancy and literacy was achieved in the twentieth century, when the welfare state was greatly expanded. In the nineteenth century, social welfare budgets remained parsimonious, and taxes were regressive.

#4

The scope of the historical transformations involved is illustrated by the fact that human population and average income have both multiplied more than tenfold since the eighteenth century. The former rose from about 600 million in 1700 to more than 7.

#5

The world population has been increasing exponentially since the 1700s. However, if the central scenario of UN projections is correct, the world population may stabilize at around 11 billion humans by the end of the century.

#6

The increase in average income raises problems of interpretation. While it is true that the average income has risen significantly, it is important to consider the real distribution of wealth among social classes, within countries and at the global level.

#7

It is important to account for the fact that the general increase in population, production, and incomes since the eighteenth century took place at the price of overexploiting the planet’s natural resources. To address this issue, it is necessary to develop a series of indicators that allow social actors to define a balanced conception of economic, social, and environmental progress.

#8

We must take an interest in the unequal distribution of carbon emissions, both from the point of view of those who emit them and of those who will suffer the consequences. For example, most of the carbon emissions in the world come from North America, and their total emissions are higher than the combined emissions of the 50 percent of the planet’s inhabitants who emit the least.

#9

We must be wary of only using environmental indicators to