The World's Best Book Summaries
Where does our group mentality come from? How does it benefit us? In his book The Righteous Mind, Jonathan Haidt argues that we can’t fully understand morality until we understand group mentality. He explains how we’ve learned to work together for the betterment of the whole, not just ourselves. Read more to learn about the origin of group mentality and how it relates to morality.
When was the last time you experienced civility in politics? How can it be achieved? When we find ourselves at odds with someone politically, it is likely that we have different moral matrices. To find common ground—or at least achieve respectful interaction—we would do well to identify which of the six moral foundations are at the heart of the issue. This can help us practice empathy, which in turn can help us achieve civility in politics. Read more to learn the key to finding civility in politics these days.
How does the hive mentality manifest in politics? Is it beneficial or detrimental? A hive mentality is one of group interest rather than self-interest. Just as bees work together for the benefit of the hive, we can do the same when we flip the hive switch and move from self-interest to group interest. Jonathan Haidt, in his book The Righteous Mind, discusses what this looks like in the context of politics. Read more to learn about the hive mentality in politics, including its pros and cons.
Why do humans have a tendency toward group cooperation? Is it always a good thing? People are groupish. We love to gather with others, and we often thrive on group cooperation. Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt argues that group cooperation and morality go hand in hand. While groupishness can lead to negative tribal thinking, it also can help us rise above detrimental self-interest. Read more to learn about the evolution and implications of group cooperation.
How can the hive switch help us be less self-interested? What are some ways that we can flip the switch and become more group-interested? Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt asserts that we are mostly self-interested. We only become group-interested, like bees, when we coalesce as hives of people. Haidt explains how the hive switch is a key to this change. Read more to learn how to be less self-centered by flipping the hive switch.
How can caring about what others think of us make us better people? What power does this kind of pressure have? In The Righteous Mind, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt argues that caring about what others think of us can cause us to make better moral judgments. When we’re concerned about our reputation, we behave better. Read more to learn how caring about what others think of us can make us better people.
What was Roger Revelle’s impact on the climate change debate? How did doubt-mongering threaten to discredit him? In their book Merchants of Doubt, Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway take on individuals or groups who seek to discredit science that they perceive to be a threat to their agenda. One of the targets of a doubt-mongering campaign was Al Gore’s mentor—Roger Revelle. Read more to learn about Roger Revelle and the merchants of doubt.
Is your business up and running, but you wonder how to keep it going strong? Are you ready for a business growth plan to take your company to the next level? In The E-Myth Revisited, Michael E. Gerber shares three elements of an effective business growth plan for ongoing success. It involves three activities: innovation, measurement of results, and execution. In the book, he explains why this process is critical to realizing the American small business dream. Keep reading to learn about the three key pieces of a successful business growth plan.
What is the early history of climate change science? What role did doubt-mongering play? Addressing climate change involves regulating energy use, the keystone of economic activity. This has made it a target of doubt-mongering—an attempt to discredit the science behind it. Historians Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway discuss the early debate about climate change science in their book Merchants of Doubt. Read more to learn about early climate change science and the merchants of doubt.
What is the truth about anthropogenic global warming? Is global warming caused by humans? These questions have been part of the climate change debate, especially since the 1992 Rio Conference. Some people and organizations see their agenda or ideology at risk, so they seek to discredit science that points to climate change—and anthropogenic global warming in particular. Historians Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway discuss this in their book Merchants of Doubt. Read more to learn about the debate surrounding the issue of anthropogenic global warming.