Indeed.

In short, I think humans naturally tend to cooperation, specialisation and trade.

So even people wanting more venison will figure out the opportunity costs of joining an already crowded venison market, and realise a better use of their limited time on earth is to produce spears and arrow heads to trade with the venison hunters (for example)

These type of oversimplified theories all take as a base assumption that people are inherently selfish and bad. So the anointed must step in to save us.

Which says more about the narcissistic outlook of your typical academic than about reality.

But like you said, so much history to unpack 💨