Microns for Purchase – 2
Day 3: Excerpt from the book
This is a book about a radical idea.
An idea that’s long been known to make rulers nervous. An idea denied by religions and ideologies, ignored by the news media and erased from the annals of world history.
At the same time, it’s an idea that’s legitimised by virtually every branch of science. One that’s corroborated by evolution and confirmed by everyday life. An idea so intrinsic to human nature that it goes unnoticed and gets overlooked.
If only we had the courage to take it more seriously, it’s an idea that might just start a revolution. Turn society on its head. Because once you grasp what it really means, it’s nothing less than a mind-bending drug that ensures you’ll never look at the world the same again
So what is this radical idea?
That most people, deep down, are pretty decent.
Day 4: Interviews with the author
- NPR: “If we can actually trust each other, if we do have the courage to move to a more realistic, hopeful view of human nature, then we can move to a very different kind of society as well — and build very different kinds of schools and democracies and workplaces.”
- Time: “I think everything starts with your view of human nature, because what you assume about other people is often what you get out of them. So if we assume that most people deep down are selfish and cannot be trusted, then you’ll start designing your institutions around that idea. And you’ll create exactly the kind of people that your view of human nature presupposes.”
- YouTube: An interview with Aaron Bastani for Novara Media
Day 5: Book reviews
- Washington Independent: “The premise of Bregman’s book is that evolving into big-brained homo sapiens demanded extensive cooperation, so we’re hard-wired to be social, work in groups, and consider what’s best for the collective. He suggests our innate eagerness to please and to be liked — and, crucially, our ability to feel shame — makes us more like “homo puppy.”
- The Guardian: “There will always be a battle between our altruistic and selfish instincts, our openness and our protectiveness – it is the very stuff of human drama. Still, if the devil has all the best tunes, it makes a welcome change to read such a sustained and enjoyable tribute to our better natures.”
- From an Amazon review: “This is an uplifting and hopeful book which has arrived at just the right time to lift spirits and to increase solidarity. It picks interesting and varied case studies to make its points, arguing the central thesis that even in what appear to be the worse situations, humans kind nature always bobs to the surface. I am enjoying reading it, however it is not really an academic text, more a text written for the popular market.”
That is what microns are – just-in-time, contextual, pithy (can be read in 15-30 seconds), and informative. They come to us in our inbox. We can read and either act or simply move on. They are short enough that we can read them in a glance rather than wait for later. Would these not be far more effective in nudging us towards a purchase after we have shown an interest in the book?
