The theory set forth is, oversimplistically, that humans "went wrong" ~10,000 years ago, with agriculture. It may be a little simple to pin it to one point in time (as has been done before with the industrial revolution), but it is a fun read, and less dense than some of the other recent books (see [The Powers That Be by Walter Wink]?, and [Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond]?) drawing attention to the long-term evolution of culture and/or its co-evolution with technology.