The Human Web: A Bird's-Eye View of World History

The authors set the stage for their comprehensive elaboration of human history. Their choices in the Preface connect to their closing in Part 9. They sign the Preface together, with no indication of which thoughts belong to each author. (This is how most of the text proceeds, except Part 9, in which the authors sign their names to their separate conclusions about the implications of globalization and suggestions for the future.) In addition, the Preface notes that Stephen Hawking’s history of the universe inspired J. R. McNeill specifically (he compares the history of the universe and human history in Part 9).

The Preface alludes to the difficulties the authors faced in constructing a comprehensive and unified historical narrative by speaking of their “erroneous idea” and “the errors of [their] ways” ( xvii). They refer to themselves as “stubborn historians” and highlight their families tolerated their lengthy conversations, which “sputtered and flickered on and off for several years” (xvii). These self-deprecating elements create a light and humorous tone while illuminating that historical reconstruction is a painstaking process marked by sometimes unfillable gaps in knowledge. As the authors introduce the framework they use in subsequent sections of the book, they are explicit about the speculative elements of their history, especially concerning the earliest human societies.

Despite speculation, the authors establish their authority in the Introduction through a metaphor:

This book mixes old and new wine, and pours the blend into a new bottle. Some of the ideas and perspectives offered here are distilled versions of ones first proposed half a century ago. Others are set forth here for the first time. The new bottle, giving shape to the book, is the notion of the centrality of webs of interaction in human history (3).

By mentioning old wine, earlier proposals, and distillation, they signify their extensive study and familiarity with the discourse, alluding to their opening statement about their intended audience, “people who would like to know how the world got to be the way it is but don’t have time to read a shelf or two of history books” (xvii). The mention of new wine and a new bottle distinguishes the authors as innovative theorists who are not simply rehashing what has already been said but offering a novel interpretation that builds on previous literature.

The authors then define their key concept. Although their overarching framework is that of a human web, they note that “the human web changed its nature and meaning so much that [the authors] speak of webs in the plural” (4). This highlights the dynamism that underlies creation and maintenance of the human web and its constituent webs while also setting the stage for the linear manner in which the authors organize the history. The growth of smaller, looser webs into larger, tighter webs corresponds with the passage of time. In the Introduction, the authors identify and outline these webs in ascending order, providing more detail about each type of web they mention later in the book.

The text’s identification of the key characteristics of webs establishes the book’s themes. The “cooperative and competitive character” (5) of webs thematically corresponds to The Dynamics of Cultural Exchange and Conflict and The Development and Impact of Globalization, while the effects of human webs on Earth’s ecology thematically introduces The Role of Technology and Environment in Shaping Human Societies. The inclination of webs “to expand” and “their growing importance in history” (5) thematically allude to The Development and Impact of Globalization.