What People are Saying About This
From the Publisher
“Mind expanding – this book will change your view of the world forever. Michael Muthukrishna is one of our greatest and most creative thinkers.”
—Matthew Syed, author of Rebel Ideas
“Michael brings the reader up to date on this powerful theoretical framework—including much of his own innovative work on corruption, cooperation, and collective intelligence—and thoughtfully discusses how this framework can be applied to address pressing societal issues, ranging from diversity to taxation to free speech.”
—Moshe Hoffman, Visiting Lecturer on Economics, Harvard University; coauthor of Hidden Games
“Muthukrishna has a heart as big as his intellect, which is saying something. In this original, fascinating, and provocative book he dives deep into who we humans are and what makes us tick. His hopeful message is that once we understand ourselves better we’ll coexist better. Let’s prove him right.”
—Andrew McAfee, author of The Geek Way and coauthor of The Second Machine Age
“A Theory of Everyone is your guide to some of the most important advances in the social sciences, written by a foremost researcher, beautifully illustrated, and positively overflowing with fascinating facts and ideas.”
—Erez Yoeli, Director, Applied Cooperation Initiative, MIT; coauthor of Hidden Games
“Do you know your own species? You might think so, but Muthukrishna will make you think again. With clarity, humor, and energy, he opens new vistas on how genes and cultures shaped who we are and how we can improve our lives together. A Theory of Everyone is for everyone.”
—Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, Chauncey Stillman Professor of Practical Ethics, Duke University; author of Think Again: How to Reason and Argue
“A Theory of Everyone uses the latest social science research to answer the critical question of how all human communities can be made to work better. Magisterial in scope and practical in application, this book should be required reading for CEOs, community organizers, head teachers, and presidents.”
—Jamie Heywood, CEO, zolar; Former Head, Uber, Northern and Eastern Europe
“The best book I’ve read in a decade. A sprightly page-turner that entertains with specifics, astonishes with universals, and reframes the big issues facing humanity.”
—Robert Klitgaard, Professor, Claremont Graduate University; author of Policy Analysis for Big Issues
“Buzzing with ideas, A Theory of Everyone encourages us to rethink what it is to be human. A compelling and essential read for anyone interested in building a better, more sustainable future.”
—David Bodanis, author of The Art of Fairness
“This book, which I read with great fascination, shows how we can move beyond neoclassical economics with a firmer foundation in the natural sciences and energy. This is extremely important as the world will soon face, and Europe already faces, increasingly urgent energy shortages. I hope this book helps more people understand the critical importance of energy in generating our current affluence, and its diminution as a probable root cause of future inflation. A failure to understand these relations is likely to cause our societies to become impossible to govern.”
—Charles Hall, ESF Foundation Distinguished Professor, State University of New York; inventor of the EROI metric; author of Energy and the Wealth of Nations
“A Theory of Everyone delivers both an overarching theory and a practical toolkit for understanding and improving the human condition. What could be more important than that?”
—David Sloan Wilson, author of This View of Life: Completing the Darwinian Revolution
“I loved this book. A Theory of Everyone is a ‘big book’ bustling with ‘big ideas,’ taking on some of humanity’s most intractable issues—securing energy abundance, fostering innovation, increasing human cooperation between different groups, and figuring out how to leverage godlike technologies for good. The book lays out a path, along with various evidence-based strategies, for us humans to resolve these wicked problems so that together we can create a more prosperous, abundant, and flourishing future. Required reading for anyone interested in the most important questions of our time.”
—Kurtis Lochart, Executive Director, Charter Cities Institute
“One of today’s most brilliant minds weighs in on what ails us and how to fix it. Muthukrishna breaks life’s biggest questions down into their component parts, then reveals how artificial intelligence, physics, history, evolutionary biology, and psychology can together answer them, in a way that will keep you up at night. The most important book you will read this year—good luck not telling your friends about it!”
—Brian Hare, Professor, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University
“An astonishing book that will change the way you think about human history and our future.”
—Nichola Raihani, Professor of Evolution & Behaviour, University College London; author of The Social Instinct
“If you hear the engine of human prosperity sputtering and see the world going dark, Michael Muthukrishna is knocking on your door with a lantern and a toolbox. With wisdom and precision, A Theory of Everyone makes sense of our historical moment and gives credible hope that, after some retooling, human energy and ingenuity can prevail.”
—Joshua Greene, Professor, Harvard University; author of Moral Tribes: Emotion, Reason, and the Gap Between Us and Them
“The world is breaking and society is becoming ever more polarized—yet a better realm is around the corner, if only we can stimulate our collective brains. In his magnificent A Theory of Everyone, polymath Michael Muthukrishna teaches us how to govern in the twenty-first century, how to address inequalities, and how to trigger creative explosions, improve the internet, and become brighter—all by harnessing the power of cultural evolution. A marvelous, rich, and entertaining read.”
—Kevin N. Lala, Professor, Centre for Biological Diversity, University of St Andrews
“Rooted in a new theory of human nature, A Theory of Everyone flavorfully mixes a stunning breadth of scholarship with an impressive knowledge of pop culture and current issues, boldly going where most social scientists fear to tread. Lucidly discussing ideas surrounding IQ, race, sex differences, inheritance taxes, religion, Microsoft, and even monogamy, Muthukrishna treats readers to a fascinating intellectual flight that thoughtfully offers many new perspectives on old issues. Buckle up!”
—Joseph Henrich, Professor of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University; author of The WEIRDest People in the World and The Secret of Our Success
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