The book is a concise review of 200,000 years of human history. From an anthropological standpoint the author selected nine necessities from the 190,000-year Hunting and Gathering or tribal time. These “nine Pillars of History are 1) food, water and energy, 2) dwelling, 3) cleanliness, $) beauty, 5) free communication, 6) community support, 7) free religion, 8) access to medical help and 9) free trade.
From anthropological standpoint the Nine Pillars of History recognizes three historical time periods: hand, animal and machine transport of food.
The Nine Pillars of History are used as common denominators to analyze 10,000 years of political history in agricultural and industrial times.
From constitutional standpoint the Nine Pillars of History find only two kinds of leadership all through our political history: dogmatic or democratic.
Sexuality we have in common with all living species. The feminine identity is described from tribal to modern time.
The author uses philology to describe how religion, the 7th pillar, was perceived from words in our thought-process and how the Golden Rule from tribal time gave society its social and moral rules.
The Nine Pillars of History together with the Golden Rule are used as common denominators to analyze five world religions.
Access to Medicine, the 8th Historical Pillar, in modern US is compared to that of Sweden. The cost of access to this pillar-need is not sustainable vs. the other eight pillar-needs in either country. Doctor Sevelius’ book offers mitigating solutions.
Doctor Sevelius is a Swedish-American physician with a unique life history. He grew up in neutral Sweden during WW II. With Sweden surrounded by war-torn Europe he married a medical colleague from Estonia. He asked himself: Why do people go to war? Is something wrong with state constitutions?
After a busy life as a medical scientist, practicing physician, medical director at NASA and Lockheed Missile and Space Company and besides farming in both Sweden and California doctor Sevelius took again up the question of war.
On top of his medical education he received academic input from professors of history, anthropology, philology, theology, feminism and economy at Stanford and San Francisco Universities in the US and Lund University in Sweden.
After nine years of complimentary studies he has created a unique review of social history and human rights, free from religious and political prejudices.