The Penguin and the Leviathan
How Cooperation Triumphs over Self-Interest
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For centuries, we as a society have operated according to a very unflattering view of human nature: that, humans are universally and inherently selfish creatures. As a result, our most deeply entrenched social structures – our top-down business models, our punitive legal systems, our market-based approaches to everything from education reform to environmental regulation - have been built on the premise that humans are driven only by self interest, programmed to respond only to the invisible hand of the free markets or the iron fist of a controlling government.
In the last decade, however, this fallacy has finally begun to unravel, as hundreds of studies conducted across dozens of cultures have found that most people will act far more cooperatively than previously believed. Here, Harvard University Professor Yochai Benkler draws on cutting-edge findings from neuroscience, economics, sociology, evolutionary biology, political science, and a wealth of real world examples to debunk this long-held myth and reveal how we can harness the power of human cooperation to improve business processes, design smarter technology, reform our economic systems, maximize volunteer contributions to science, reduce crime, improve the efficacy of civic movements, and more.
For example, he describes how:
• By building on countless voluntary contributions, open-source software communities have developed some of the most important infrastructure on which the World Wide Web runs
• Experiments with pay-as-you-wish pricing in the music industry reveal that fans will voluntarily pay far more for their favorite music than economic models would ever predic
• Many self-regulating communities, from the lobster fishermen of Maine to farmers in Spain, live within self-regulating system for sharing and allocating communal resources
• Despite recent setbacks, Toyota’s collaborative shop-floor, supply chain, and management structure contributed to its meteoric rise above its American counterparts for over a quarter century.
• Police precincts across the nation have managed to reduce crime in tough neighborhoods through collaborative, trust-based, community partnerships.
A must-read for anyone who wants to understand the dynamics of cooperation in 21st century life, The Penguin and the Leviathan not only challenges so many of the ways in which we live and work, it forces us to rethink our entire view of human nature.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
August 9, 2011 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780307969118
- File size: 219006 KB
- Duration: 07:36:15
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Benkler, professor of entrepreneurial legal studies at Harvard, discusses the humanistic preference for collaboration over the fundamental self-interest espoused in business, technology, and culture. Marc Cashman's narration is unhurried, relaxed, and amiable. The author makes a strong argument for the possibility of world transformation through human cooperation and shared goals. However, despite Cashman's vocal energy, the book is by turns repetitive and academic. Interesting references to Obama's presidential campaign, the Toyota shop floor, and the international cooperation of lobstermen flesh out the discussion. W.A.G. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine -
June 6, 2011
For the last several centuries, many of our deeply held beliefs have been shaped by the view that human beings are fundamentally motivated by self-interest. In his latest work, Benkler (The Wealth of Networks) challenges this long-held view, asserting that the spirit of human cooperation is stronger than selfishness a view that will likely revolutionize business, economics, technology, government, and human interaction in the future. To make his point, Benkler draws on the philosophy of 17th-century scholar Thomas Hobbes, whose seminal book, Leviathan, used the metaphor of the Leviathan, a monstrous biblical sea creature, for his image of a strong sovereign power protecting a selfishly motivated society. In today's world, however, says Benkler, there is considerable evidence that self-interest and the failure of Leviathan-like governments have actually led to the collapse of our economic systems. Instead, he asserts, individuals are more likely than ever to act altruistically and actually prefer a culture of collaboration. Benkler maintains that we already see the rise a new cooperative economic structure, and he cites as evidence the explosion of social media, open source software, and new business models like Zipcar or the NUMMI (New United Motor Manufacturing Inc.) joint venture between General Motors and Toyota. While Benkler has a distinctly academic point of view, his voice and tone are conversational, and his pertinent examples bring his ideas to life.
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