The Evolution of Evolution: How the World Became the Way It Is
A summarised account of how we got from the ‘Big Bang’ to now. This account draws on both ‘Journey of the Universe’ and ‘Origin Story: A Big History of Everything’.
Read More
Issue: Current challenges
For the Good of the World: Why Our Planet’s Crises Need Global Agreement Now
In his timely new book, philosopher A. C. Grayling asks: can human beings agree on a set of values that will allow us to confront the numerous threats facing the planet, or will we simply continue with our disagreements and antipathies as we collectively approach our possible extinction? — amamzon.co.uk
Read More
Situation Critical: There are too many of us, and we are behaving too badly.
Many people are telling us what is wrong with the world – but “it is what it is”. As a species, we have flourished to the point where we occupy vast portions of the world’s land mass. And the way we behave collectively is destabilising the planetary systems which sustain life on earth—the reasons for our success and the damage we are doing lie in our fundamental human nature. So, suppose we want to repair dysfunctional relationships with our fellow people, the living planet, and its fractured ecosystems. In that case, we should match our efforts to control nature with a drive to understand how to harness the better angels of our nature.
Read More
The Significance of Stories
It is easy to take stories for granted, but they are an essential and unique element of human life. They are all around us; they shape our personalities and are the glue that binds groups of us together. In a genuine sense, they form our windows into the world. But each of us has our own unique set of windows, and they are more like “stained glass windows”, or even a fairground “house of mirrors” than panes of undistorting glass. So, even though there is a shared physical reality in which we all live, we all perceive it differently. Unfortunately, these differences in perception not only encourage tribalism and lead to conflict. They also allow us to persist in a collective lifestyle that severely threatens human life as we know it on our home planet.
Read MoreGardeners Not Mechanics: How to cultivate change at work
The world of work is an ecosystem of interdependent organisations, groups and individuals. So, if you want to make a sustainable change at work, you are more likely to succeed if you approach your change as a gardener, not a mechanic.
Read More