From 600+ conversations with the world’s leading thinkers.
The concentration of power in technology corporations is a moral and political problem that we simply don't have a precedent for. More people use Facebook than speak English for example, so the implications of Facebook, as just one platform, are at the scale of language itself.
As children we experience a domestication process the same way animals do, where rather than having who we are, our authenticity, our essence unlocked for us, instead we have put upon us layers and layers of rules. We take this very complicated, confusing, and demoralising code of behaviour into our adulthood with us.
Few have the boldness to assert, 'Not my circus, not my monkeys,' choosing to focus on select issues rather than superficially ticking off an extensive list.
Art, for him, is a crucial means for turning thinking into doing in the world.
I think music is a way for God to speak to humans. We have a connection through music that we can't find anywhere else. I believe that's why music is so important for society- its connection- its healing.
For four decades, real wages for Americans haven't experienced any significant growth. Prior to the pandemic, it was reported by the Brookings Institute that 53 million Americans were trapped in low wage jobs, where their earnings failed to adequately cover their needs. This cyclical deprivation extends beyond monetary constraints, manifesting in heightened levels of stress, health concerns, and impaired cognitive functioning.
income inequality, as a measure of relative depravation, was consistently associated with violent crimes.
The politics of identity has gone very wrong in many cases. Politicians often forget that people are much more complex, and are a mix of many identities – and each of these identities can be of differing importance to the individual. A Muslim man from Somalia, who is a chess player, may have his chess-playing as his main source of identity, for example.
If one wants to treat societal problems, then philanthropy and government spending are fine. If one wants to cure societal problems, one has got to come up with sustainable solutions- and that means attracting for-profit capital.
The bottom line is that this goes back to the fact that, like all primates, we are an intensely social species, and having our friends, cohorts, and acquaintances close is important to our general success. In these senses 'keeping the wheels oiled' is critical, hence why we like gossip, and hence why biographies and fiction so wildly outsell anything else in the books market.
I made a principled decision that none of my wealth will be passed on as inheritance, that my capital will work for philanthropic causes. In other words, philanthropy is the reason I make money.
A lot of aid goes to displacement camps, which are necessary in the immediate aftermath of a crisis but are short-term and frankly undignified band-aids. The community feels hopeless in that environment where every day is the same and there are no opportunities to rebuild their lives.