The Human Swarm: How Our Societies Arise, Thrive, and Fall by Mark W. Moffett (2019)

If a chimpanzee ventures into the territory of a different group, it will almost certainly be killed. But a New Yorker can fly to Los Angeles–or Borneo–with very little fear. Psychologists have done little to explain this: for years, they have held that our biology puts a hard upper limit–about 150 people–on the size of … Continue reading The Human Swarm: How Our Societies Arise, Thrive, and Fall by Mark W. Moffett (2019)

Rebalancing Society: Radical Renewal Beyond Left, Right, and Center by Henry Mintzberg (2015)

Enough of the imbalance that is causing the degradation of our environment, the demise of our democracies, and the denigration of ourselves. Enough of the pendulum politics of left and right and paralysis in the political center. We require an unprecedented form of radical renewal. In this book, Rebalancing Society,  Henry Mintzberg offers a new … Continue reading Rebalancing Society: Radical Renewal Beyond Left, Right, and Center by Henry Mintzberg (2015)

A Rational Approach to Politics Is to Treat Societies as Ongoing Experiments Steven Pinker

A real society comprises hundreds of millions of social beings, each with a trillion-synapse brain, who pursue their well-being while affecting the well-being of others in complex networks with massive positive and negative externalities, many of them historically unprecedented. It is bound to defy any simple narrative of what will happen under a … | Steven Pinker Continue reading A Rational Approach to Politics Is to Treat Societies as Ongoing Experiments Steven Pinker

The Importance of Harnessing Diversity to Unite Society Five critical skills for constructive conversations

Gurteen Knowledge Blog   May 21, 2023, 14:56. In this video, Irshad Manji highlights the importance of harnessing diversity to unite society. She shares five critical skills for constructive conversations: deep breathing for rational thinking finding common ground genuinely exploring others’ perspectives active listening to learn encouraging further dialogue She proposes that adopting these skills fosters healthier outcomes … Continue reading The Importance of Harnessing Diversity to Unite Society Five critical skills for constructive conversations

From Moral to Market Sentiments by Mark Carney Reith Lectures 2020 – How We Get What We Value

Gurteen Knowledge Blog   December 2, 2020, 14:51. I caught this first Reith Lecture of 2020 From Moral to Market Sentiments by Mark Carney (former Bank of England governor) on Radio 4 this morning, where he reflects that whenever he could step back from what felt like daily crisis management, the same deeper issues loomed. What is value? … Continue reading From Moral to Market Sentiments by Mark Carney Reith Lectures 2020 – How We Get What We Value

We Have Not Touched the Deeper Causes of Our Troubles David Bohm

For both the rich and the poor, life is dominated by an ever-growing current of problems, most of which seem to have no real and lasting solution. Clearly, we have not touched the deeper causes of our troubles. It is the main point of this book that the ultimate source of all these problems is in thought itself, the very thing of which our … | David Bohm Continue reading We Have Not Touched the Deeper Causes of Our Troubles David Bohm

Liars and Outliers: Enabling the Trust That Society Needs to Thrive by Bruce Schneier (2012)

In the book, Liars and Outliers, Bruce Schneier examines the role of trust in enabling healthy, functioning societies. Schneier argues that some level of trust is essential for large-scale social coordination and cooperation. Without trust, societies cannot thrive, and individuals are forced to avoid interactions or spend heavily on protection from abuse and cheating. The … Continue reading Liars and Outliers: Enabling the Trust That Society Needs to Thrive by Bruce Schneier (2012)

Reflections on the Future of Knowledge Management Societal Knowledge Management

Gurteen Knowledge Blog   February 24, 2021, 17:25. Introduction I want to examine Knowledge Management’s future, but I have a warning—it may not be what you expect. In the last few years, my work has focused on the big picture of the evolution of human knowledge and how we need to think differently to tackle the long list … Continue reading Reflections on the Future of Knowledge Management Societal Knowledge Management

Social Reasoning The Argumentative Theory of Human Reason

Gurteen Knowledge Blog   May 7, 2021, 15:34. I recently came across a fascinating theory concerning the evolution of human reason known as “The Argumentative Theory of Human Reason”. However, I prefer to use the term “theory of social reasoning” or simply “social reasoning”. The theory proposes that the primary function of reason is not to improve our … Continue reading Social Reasoning The Argumentative Theory of Human Reason

Public Discourse Is Like Having a Fight Deborah Tannen

Our public interactions have become more and more like having an argument with a spouse. Conflict can’t be avoided in our public lives any more than we can avoid conflict with people we love. One of the great strengths of our society is that we can express these conflicts openly. But just as spouses have to learn ways of settling their differences … | Deborah Tannen Continue reading Public Discourse Is Like Having a Fight Deborah Tannen

Munk Debates and Dialogues Excellent debates and dialogues

Gurteen Knowledge Blog   October 2, 2022, 18:41. I recently discovered Munk Debates and the Munk Debate website. They have some excellent debates, and I love their mission. Interestingly, they also have Munk Dialogues though I find them a little disappointing as they are not dialogues (conversations between equals) but soft interviews – in other words, the interviewer … Continue reading Munk Debates and Dialogues Excellent debates and dialogues

The De-voicing of Society: Why We Don’t Talk to Each Other Anymore by John L. Locke

  AustraliaAustriaBrazilCanadaChinaCzech RepublicEgyptFranceGermanyGlobalIndiaItalyJapanMexicoNetherlandsPolandSaudia ArabiaSingaporeSpainTurkeyUAEUnited KingdomUnited States   As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission when you purchase a book via this site. The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity The Discussion Book: 50 Great Ways to Get People Talking Tags: global society (21) | voice (4)Google Web Search Photo Credits: Midjourney (Public … Continue reading The De-voicing of Society: Why We Don’t Talk to Each Other Anymore by John L. Locke

Wisdom of Crowds of Crowds Crowds within a crowd outperform 'wisdom of the crowd'

Psychological Safety ** Introduction: Small Group Conversations Close Pop-up all posts in this chapter What’s the Vibe? Please be patient as this may take up to a minute to load… Close The wisdom of crowds is the concept that large groups of people are collectively smarter than individuals regarding problem-solving, decision-making, and predicting. However, the … Continue reading Wisdom of Crowds of Crowds Crowds within a crowd outperform ‘wisdom of the crowd’