A Reformulation of the Transition Debate

“Is there not in short, whatever the society and whatever the period, an insidious law giving power to the few? An irritating law, it must be said, since the reasons for it are not obvious. Yet, it is a stubborn fact; taunting us at every turn. You cannot argue with it. All evidence agrees.”

Fernand Braudel, Civilization and Capitalism, vol. 3: The Persp…