When Strangers Cooperate: Using Social Conventions to Govern Ourselves

by David W. Brown

A sociological essay examines unspoken social agreements known as conventions, explaining how they originate, how they are used to solve problems, and how they can be created to address current concerns such as energy consumption, public health, and race relations.

Genres: Nonfiction

214 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Borna Safai · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was written 20 years ago, and it feels like it shows when reading it. As an example, the Internet is portrayed as something new and possibly interesting coming up.

When Strangers Cooperate talks about how social conventions can help govern our actions and make us behave better and cooperate more. He provides a couple of examples, such as queuing up in a line when we are more people waiting. There's also a good critique of what people might respond in return, with a focus on liberty and individuality.

It feels like something is missing though, as there isn't really much of a conclusion (a short paragraph at the end) nor much on how to actually go about with it. The suggestion is that conventions are good, and that there should be more of them. Sure, sounds good, but not worth writing and reading a book about.