You think about these things: At what point does a barbarian society become civilized? Where is the difference between revenge and justice?; and you want to wade thru the classic scholars to get a clear view. But, it's like a huge wall you've got to scale to get to the heights, and as you approach this "unassailable" cliff, you find someone has put in a stairway just for you. This book is like those stairs, a clear, concise explanation, often humorous way to seek out the truth. In this first installment in the "Stacks of Books" series, the author explores the transition from lawless barbarism to civilization. There's no way this can happen without inventing the concept of justice - both in society and in the individual. But how do we invent justice? Do we see it through purely rational insight? Through conversation with others? Or does justice merely reflect the imbalance of power between the haves and the have-nots?