Author name: D. B. Smith

D. B. Smith is an independent historian, ritualist, and comparative religion scholar specializing in the intersections of Western esotericism, Freemasonry, and Eastern contemplative traditions. He formerly served as Librarian and Curator at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial, overseeing historically significant artifacts and manuscripts, including those connected to George Washington’s personal life. __________________________________ Initiated into The Lodge of the Nine Muses No. 1776, a philosophically focused lodge in Washington, D.C., Smith studied under influential figures in the Anglo-American Masonic tradition. His work has been featured in national and international Masonic publications, and his efforts have helped inform exhibits, lectures, and televised documentaries on the history and symbolism of Freemasonry. _________________________________________________ Smith’s parallel study and practice of Soto Zen Buddhism—including ordination as a lay practitioner in the Katagiri-Winecoff lineage—has led him to investigate convergences between ritual, mindfulness, symbolic systems, and the evolving role of spiritual practice in secular societies. He is the founder of Science Abbey, a platform for interdisciplinary inquiry across religion, philosophy, science, and cultural history.

Community, Ethics & Society, Integrated Humanism, Politics & Economics, Soft Sciences

Anthropology and Sociology: Human Evolution and Social Hierarchy

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In the pages that follow, we will journey through the origins and development of anthropology and sociology, trace the history of social hierarchy and class division from ancient civilizations to the present global economy, and explore key social concepts—patriotism, nationalism, tribalism, individualism, and human rights—through a humanist lens.

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