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Paths / Path 11

Society and Hierarchy

Why every society ranks people, how class and status work, and what the data says about moving up.

For: anyone who has felt out of place in a room, or wondered why some people start ahead.

8readings
2.6 hoursof reading
2stages
1 quick read · 1 read · 6 deep dives
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Stage 1

Start

2 readings · 10 min
  1. 01Quick readQuiz4 min

    Reading a Room — Status, Tone, and Cues

    Status cues you already read without noticing.
  2. 02ReadQuiz6 min

    The Political Spectrum, Fairly Presented

    Where the political spectrum disagrees about inequality.
Stage 2

Go deep

6 readings · 2.5 hours
  1. 03Deep diveQuiz22 min

    The Pecking Order: Why Every Society Has Hierarchy (and Why Some Have Less)

    The pecking order: why every society has hierarchy.
  2. 04Deep diveQuiz21 min

    Class, Status and Power: Marx, Weber and Bourdieu

    Class, status and power: Marx, Weber, Bourdieu.
  3. 05Deep diveQuiz23 min

    Castes, Estates and Classes: How Societies Have Ranked People Through History

    Castes, estates and classes through history.
  4. 06Deep diveInteractiveQuiz27 min

    Climbing the Ladder: What the Data Says About Social Mobility

    Social mobility: what the data says.
  5. 07Deep diveQuiz26 min

    Institutions: The Invisible Rules That Shape Us

    Institutions: the invisible rules that shape us.
  6. 08Deep diveQuiz29 min

    Status in the Age of Followers: Hierarchy Online and Off

    Status in the age of followers.
When you finish

Distinction (Bourdieu), The Spirit Level (Wilkinson & Pickett) and its critics, Opportunity Insights' data tools.

Next path →

The Big Questions

What is real, what can we know, what should we do, and what makes a life good.