From the doomed paradise of Calhoun’s mouse utopia to the simmering tensions between Russia and the European Union, this essay traces a hidden force that shapes the fate of societies: the demand for recognition. Drawing on animal behavior, neuroscience, crime, and the cycles of war, it reveals how even in times of abundance, the denial of dignity, status, and belonging can unravel families, fuel violence, and push nations toward conflict. Only by understanding and rebalancing this invisible economy of recognition can we hope to escape the cycles of collapse and war that haunt both history and the present.
