⿻ 數位 Plurality: The Future of Collaborative Technology and Democracy

by E. Glen Weyl, E. Glen Weyl (contributor), Audrey Tang

In the vast, boundless expanse of Plurality, each life is a unique and precious existence...Regardless of how perilous external circumstances may be...(l)et us take positive action to allow the seeds of shared goodness to break through the earth and blossom into flower of empathy, joy and harmony.— His Holiness the Dalai Lama XIV of Tibet

In a technologically advanced, politically challenging, and rapidly evolving 21st century, what does a free and open future look like? Glen, Audrey and their coauthors offer a compelling view of a way forward.— Vitalik Buterin, Founder of Ethereum(D)emocracy has been a confrontation between opposing values. In Taiwan, however, (it) has become a conversation among a diversity of values. Audrey Tang has shown us how to create a "digital democracy" that transcends the constraints of ideology...the major contribution of this book.— Tsai Ing-wen, President of the Republic of China (Taiwan)They offer us a portal into a future where technology supports democracy, pluralism, and broad human flourishing. We know this future is possible because Tang has been building it in Taiwan. The conceptual foundations laid here usher in a much-needed paradigm change for modern life.— Danielle S. Allen, political philosopher, James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard, MacArthur Fellow, and author of Our Declaration and CuzWith wit, erudition and optimism, Audrey Tang and her collaborators argue that we can harness digital technology to confront authoritarianism, and that we can do so by leaning into, rather than shying away from, the principles of an open society.- Anne Applebaum, winner of the Pulitzer PrizeDigital technology threatens to tear free and open societies apart through polarization, inequality, and loneliness. But in the decade since the weekslong occupation of their parliament, a diverse island of resilience has shown another way is possible.

Taiwan achieved inclusive, technology-fueled growth, overcame the pandemic without lockdowns and the infodemic without takedowns, entrusted its people to tackle shared challenges like environmental protection while capitalizing on a culture of innovation to “hack the government.”

Here, the architects of Taiwan’s internationally acclaimed digital democracy share the secret of their success. Plurality (symbolized ⿻) harnesses digital tools not to replace humans or trust, but to channel the potential energy in social diversity that can erupt in conflict instead for progress, growth and beauty. From intimate digitally empowered telepathy to global trade running on social networks rather than money, ⿻ offers tools to radically enrich relationships while leaving no one behind.

⿻ thus promises to transform every sector from healthcare to media, as illustrated by the way it has been as a chorus of open, self-governing collaboration of voices from around the globe. Their work in public on this openly available text shows — as well as tells — how everyone from a devout African farmer to a Hollywood celebrity can help build a more dynamic, harmonious and inclusive world.

E. Glen Weyl is Founder of RadicalxChange, Microsoft Research's Plural Technology Collaboratory, & Plurality Institute & co-author of Radical Markets.

Audrey Tang is the inaugural Minister of Digital Affairs in Taiwan & the inaugural ⚧️ minister in the 🌐.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Science

584 pages, Paperback

Published April 16, 2024

Reviews

[Igor Shilov · Rating 3 out of 5]

The books navigates a tricky space of trying to be visionary, while still grounded in reality. Not always successfully.
It aims to propose an political alternative to both Libertarians and Technocrats - rooted in the network effects of communities, a very enticing proposition. I really enjoyed the parts focusing on acute problems of today, and existing solutions - proven to work on a small scale. The digital democracy tools of Taiwan, augmented deliberation, better voting systems and OSS community principles are all fascinating. It is incredible that as, as humanity, have figured out a way to harness the wisdom of the crowd, and to collaborate effectively across millions of people - now we just need to deploy the same principles at the bigger scale for the bigger problems.
On the other hand, however, the books often strays into the fantasy land promised by the next fancy technology. Blockchain-based societies, VR worlds teaching us empathy, etc - I am too sceptical about this to seriously consider blockchain and VR to be the big game changer of tomorrow.

[Andreea Iuliana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the concept of plurality and the numerous examples illustrating its applications. However, at times, the logical arguments felt somewhat repetitive. I would have preferred more case studies and a little less reiteration of the same points.

Overall, an excellent read—I highly recommend it!

[Arjun Pathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

If Douglass North, Elinor Ostrom, and a more progressive version of Elon Musk had a child, it would resemble this book. It is hard to read one of Weyl's works and not come away seeing the world in a different light; this book is no different. For far too long, governments in major developed economies have viewed democracy and technology as conflicting forces that threaten to tear each other apart. Ironically, this fear and indifference have led to the cutting edge of technology straying further and further away from the reach of democratic forces, further into the hands of profit-driven monopolists (think Google, Meta, Apple). The internet was born out of a dream for collaboration, - the embrace of diversity and collective progress - yet one would be hard-pressed to find authentic examples of this manifestation today. Taiwan and Estonia have proven that this indifference need not be the norm, and that when truly understood, technology can be an immensely powerful force for unity, not division. The growth of LLMs, even since the publication of this book in 2024, has demonstrated that the immense reasoning power of modern technology can enable innumerable insights into the most fundamental things humans share in common. The same can be said for countless other open source, collaborative technologies. As Weyl shows, though, this is a double-edged sword. It is easy to dream about the amazing possibilities that lie ahead while neglecting to guide their advance in a way that spreads prosperity. It is time to accept the reality (whether you view it as positive or not) that technology and democracy are fated to be intertwined. The question we face going forward is whether we will harness this power for widespread welfare or let it fall prey to harmful, purely profit-driven actors.

[Hisashi Suzuki · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Plurality” presents a compelling vision: a world where diversity is not just a buzzword but a genuine engine for progress. The book encourages us to imagine a society where a multitude of perspectives truly shapes our collective decisions and innovations.

In a world where many of us, myself included, are tired of the divisions amplified by internet echo chambers, “Plurality” feels like a breath of fresh air. It doesn’t pretend the challenges are easy or that the world is already on this path, but it does invite us to consider how we might begin to bridge those divides in our own ways.

That said, a bit of criticism: while the book is thought-provoking, it does cover a wide range of topics, and sometimes it’s a little hard to see how each piece ties neatly back to the core idea.

Overall, it’s a good read with a valuable message, even if it leaves some of the practical steps open to interpretation. For anyone looking for a hopeful perspective on diversity, it’s worth the read.

[Zow Ormazabal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I consider myself a technoptimist, this book was too optimistic and a bit naive for my liking. Still, it is very well organised and easy to follow. I appreciated the insights about Taiwanese history and how the idiosyncrasies in this country propitiated the adoption of some digital democracy tools. I wish LatAm followed suit in this regard, so that we could improve the transparency of our governments, face the corruption, and avoid horrible situations like the one Venezuelans are enduring right now. (If someone wants to work on a Spanish translation, I'd be happy to help)
The audiobook had some problems, certain passages were inaudible or slurred, so I will go back to the e-book version to reread my favourite sections.
I already starred the GitHub repo and I'm excited to see how this project continues to evolve.

[Trace Watkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was super cool. The author is clearly a genius, and, while I don’t agree with the specifics of everything they’re proposing, I do think there needs to be a revolution in the way we participate in our democracies. I really like the idea that technology can and should be integrated more into our system of governance to make the government more connected to the will of the governed while leveraging collective intelligence to pass smart policy that benefits everyone instead of either what corporations like or what appeals to the emotions of the masses.

[Cary · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of interesting ideas in here, though it gets a bit too rah-rah-tech-will-solve-everything at times.

My biggest complaint is specifically about the audiobook. It's of inexcusably low quality. The clarity of the recordings are good, but they did zero editing. So, it's full of mis-speakings, throat clearings, drinks being thumped down, and so on. There are open source tools to do this. They are not hard to use. And this is a bunch of tech enthusiasts. But... it's like they just didn't care about the AB quality.

[Takashi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book wasn't bad, but just not my taste.

[Chih-fu · Rating 3 out of 5]

there are some interesting points in the beginning considering how AI tools can and should be used to foster democracy, however, the rest are very repetitive and feel like self-promoting advertisement, especially given the role of Audrey Tang in taiwanese government... this would do a better job if it's an essay instead of a full book