Winter '24 Reading Recommendations

There seems to be a hastening urgency amongst thinkers to understand the changing nature of our world, society and lives judging from both the volume and state-of-the-world tone of the books released recently.

As a reading addict (is there is a recovery plan?), I believe the gains outweigh the pains of trying to keep abreast of new ideas, but how to sever links with the overwhelming piles that threaten to engulf the living and working spaces of both Outside and the Gomes’ home?? I know some of you have the same problem; perhaps a recent piece in the Financial Times might offer some reconciliation. I see a reckoning coming next year if I don’t want to seem like some slightly eccentric hoarder. But let’s get into the best of what I’ve consumed since my last reading check-in with you in the summer.

For the Soul

Let’s start with some upbeat titles that could take you to the next level in fulfilling your potential. I loved Oliver Burkeman’s continued exploration into the value of embracing our finitude as a countermeasure to the unsustainable striving to do more with less. In Meditation for Mortals, he provides a series of reflective thought experiments that he suggests you read over four weeks as a ‘retreat for the mind.’? ?A similarly life-affirming read is David Robson’s The Laws of Connection.? In common with his previous work, he introduces us to research that can bring transformative changes to our lives. As our social connections become increasingly strained, he outlines powerful and practical techniques that feel genuinely new and exciting.? In Hyper Efficient, Mithu Storoni explores how a small blue knot of neurons in our brains, the locus coeruleus, controls our ‘gears’ of thinking, suggesting ways to increase learning, creativity, focus and alertness. ?

In Awe, Dacher Keltner shares the new science of everyday wonder.? This uplifting tour of how we can change our relationship with the world is highly recommended, particularly as a meditation during the holidays.

Even to the casual football viewer, the microcosm of triumph and despair of the penalty shootout cannot fail to move you. In Pressure, sport psychology Professor Geir Jordet dissects each excruciating element of the shootout's duel and the human stress mechanisms it triggers and reveals.? There are many transferable insights about how seemingly tiny decisions in high-pressure moments impact the future course of our lives. An excellent present for the football fan in your life.

One of the true joys of this year was being introduced to The Beautiful Truth, a genuinely magnificent magazine and community that celebrates the people and businesses who are embracing life with purpose - to create a more empathetic, more equitable, and greener world. I'd heartedly recommend buying physical copies of the magazine as they are things of beauty.

?Navigating the Age of Outrage

Much of societal rage is driven by three forces: feeling unhopeful about the future, that things are rigged against them and that the only option is to find solace in othering those who hold opposing positions.

Let’s switch tacks and explore ideas on leading in a polarising world. In The Age of Outrage,Karthik Ramanna, looks at how to manage an increasingly angry set of stakeholders. Much of this rage is driven by three forces: feeling unhopeful about the future, that things are rigged against them and that the only option is to find solace in othering those who hold opposing positions. The culmination is the rise in the zero-sum mindset I recently explored.? Ramanna describes five steps that offer the beginnings of a blueprint to navigate with greater grace through an angrier world.

In All the Rage, Josh Cohen seeks to rethink the nature of anger, distinguishing righteous, failed, cynical and usable rage. As the moral responsibility of the very few leaders with the ability to create world-changing technologies seems to be faltering, there’s an urgent need to discuss the ethical reasoning of Musk, Zuckerberg, Altman and the politicians who need to maintain the checks and balances in place.? A good primer is The Invention of Good and Evil, by Hanno Sauer, who takes us on a world history of morality. Polarisation is causing a moral crisis as opponents don’t just disagree, they see the other side as evil and their beliefs as threats to their very wellbeing. In common with many other researchers and thinkers in this field, Sauer points optimistically to the fact that it’s the 15% of people at the margins that get all the airtime because they make the time and are now seen by publishers and social media as revenue generators, thus becoming empowered. 70% of us essentially have more in common than what sets us apart.? That’s a useful thing to remember.

Inside the Political Mind by Greg Power considers how political systems could be improved if they were less concerned with the rules and processes of institutions but built on the understanding the logic of human belief and behaviour. A great for politics nerds. On Freedom by Timothy Snyder is the companion to his influential work, On Tyranny. In it, he outlines the habits of mind that allow for governments to be developed in which we can flourish. One important theme is that our bodies are the centre of our opposition to the dehumanising impact of screen culture. ?We need to engage physically with the world if we want freedom. “Power wants your body softening in your chair and your emotions dissipating on a screen. Get outside. Put your body in unfamiliar places with unfamiliar people.”

Embracing Uncertainty

Differentiating between risk (probability) and uncertainty has become a significant focus of our work in recent years. The realisation that it lay at the heart of what held back judgement and decision-making in innovation and ethical decision-making encouraged us to look at the root causes.

Differentiating between risk (probability) and uncertainty has become a significant focus of our work in recent years. Realising that it lay at the heart of what held back judgement and decision-making in innovation and ethical decision-making encouraged us to look at the root causes.? This year’s blockbuster in the field is The Art of Uncertainty by David Spiegelhalter. For a mathematics book, this is a joy to read. The concepts are easy to understand and brought to life through fascinating examples.? What’s refreshing is Spiegelhalter’s belief that uncertainty is a subjective experience rather than a fundamental truth that maths can solve:? a conclusion being echoed by neuroscientists such as Ellen Langer.? On The Edge by Nate Silver, whose 2012 statistical forecast called all 50 states correctly in the US election, looks at the world’s biggest risk takers and what we can learn from their contrarian mindset.? In Everything is Predictable, Tom Chivers, looks at the huge impact and future potential of Bayes’ Theorem has to help us improve decision-making and avoid prediction errors. The Politics of Time by Guy Standing offers a fascinating exploration of how we can regain control of time in the age of chronic uncertainty.

The Changing World

Should the pursuit of shareholder value should be scrapped and companies shift to a reliance on intellectual rather than financial capital? In other words, profit is not a return on financial capital but an economic rent achieved by providing goods and services to customers

In The End of the World is Just the Beginning, Peter Zeihan, lays out his analysis of how globalisation is imploding and a new order is emerging.? John Kay’s The Corporation in the 21st Century suggests that the pursuit of shareholder value should be scrapped as companies shift to a reliance on intellectual rather than financial capital. In other words, profit is not a return on financial capital but an economic rent achieved by providing goods and services to customers. As surveillance capitalism has reshaped the value exchange between ourselves and companies, Timandra Harkness’s Technology is Not the Problem explores how we can reclaim our humanity. Similarly, The Future is Analogue, by David Sax, looks at how we can benefit from technology but value and benefit from what only human experiences offer.

Finally

If I could leave you with one final thought to raise our sights to a better future and feel more hope, it’s to draw on Oliver Burkeman’s constructive meditation on our finitude. In The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking, he points out the essential difference between Stoicism and the modern-day 'cult of optimism.' “For the Stoics, the ideal state of mind was tranquillity, not the excitable cheer that positive thinkers usually seem to mean when they use the word 'happiness.' And tranquillity was to be achieved not by strenuously chasing after enjoyable experiences, but by cultivating a kind of calm indifference towards one's circumstances.”

I wish you some stoic tranquillity as we contemplate the wonders that will be 2025.

Jean

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