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The Social Singularity: How decentralization will allow us to transcend politics, create global prosperity, and avoid the robot apocalypse
The world is rapidly decentralizing.
In this decentralization manifesto, futurist Max Borders shows that humanity is already building systems that will “underthrow” great centers of power. Exploring the promise of a decentralized world, Borders says we - Reorganize to collaborate and compete with AI;
- Operate within networks of superior collective intelligence;
- Rediscover our humanity and embrace values for an age of connection. With lively prose, Borders takes us on a tour of modern pagan festivals, cities of the future, and radically new ways to organize society. In so doing, he examines trends likely to revolutionize the ways we live and work. Although the technological singularity fast approaches, Borders argues, a parallel process of human reorganization will allow us to reap enormous benefits. The paradox? Our billion little acts of subversion will help us lead richer, healthier lives—and avoid the robot apocalypse.
In this decentralization manifesto, futurist Max Borders shows that humanity is already building systems that will “underthrow” great centers of power. Exploring the promise of a decentralized world, Borders says we - Reorganize to collaborate and compete with AI;
- Operate within networks of superior collective intelligence;
- Rediscover our humanity and embrace values for an age of connection. With lively prose, Borders takes us on a tour of modern pagan festivals, cities of the future, and radically new ways to organize society. In so doing, he examines trends likely to revolutionize the ways we live and work. Although the technological singularity fast approaches, Borders argues, a parallel process of human reorganization will allow us to reap enormous benefits. The paradox? Our billion little acts of subversion will help us lead richer, healthier lives—and avoid the robot apocalypse.
208 pages, Paperback
Published June 16, 2018
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487 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 10, 2019
Really not a very inspiring work. Mr. Borders begins the book with some interesting notions and makes some salient points but quickly devolves into a hodgepodge of strange assertions proposing so-called social progress for the sake of progress.
Individually some portions of the book are interesting and may hold merit. Overall it just does not come together well. And, frankly, the argument of social-liberalism as the foremost point of social evolution is not a very convincing argument for me.
I really became dissatisfied by the portion of the book positing that not only is liberalism a forgone conclusion, to the exclusion of most other forms of society, but that drugs such as LSD may be necessary for some to be able to transcend the tiers of social evolution.
I am certain this is a book that some people may find ideal, but for me it became the mildly interesting castoff thoughts of a person who is too much entranced with the allure of what is to come in his socio-scifi-liberal future.
Individually some portions of the book are interesting and may hold merit. Overall it just does not come together well. And, frankly, the argument of social-liberalism as the foremost point of social evolution is not a very convincing argument for me.
I really became dissatisfied by the portion of the book positing that not only is liberalism a forgone conclusion, to the exclusion of most other forms of society, but that drugs such as LSD may be necessary for some to be able to transcend the tiers of social evolution.
I am certain this is a book that some people may find ideal, but for me it became the mildly interesting castoff thoughts of a person who is too much entranced with the allure of what is to come in his socio-scifi-liberal future.
April 22, 2020
The author is very well read and has attempted to pull together ideas from many sources. The book contains some interesting ideas and ideals, but wanders a lot. The author makes many unsubstantiated statements and attempts to combine ideas that have conflicting foundations. I found many of his conclusions to be based on what appears to be an assumption that we create our own reality. As such, it winds up being a utopian type book.
October 11, 2020
It’s just ok
Too abstract, too up its own you know what. Not enough deep dive into the social “singuLarity” part. While I enjoyed the read, I wouldn’t recommend it.
Too abstract, too up its own you know what. Not enough deep dive into the social “singuLarity” part. While I enjoyed the read, I wouldn’t recommend it.
January 27, 2022
Have you ever imagined life without centralized, hierarchical social controls like a government or a fiat-money banking system?
Mr. Borders does a good job explaining why it is high time we allow all of the things that have failed us just dissolve into the past. He helps the reader look back to understand why education was fated to fail, why government and media were fated to collude, and why science gets things wrong more than it gets things right. The replacement for the corrupted structures that surround us will be peer-to-peer collaboration. One quote regarding science to help illustrate:
In other words, a million million amateurs, a million million different perspectives, a million million people challenging orthodoxy and creating, in real time, will produce a better result that a handful of (often) bootlicking toadies. A network of superior collective intelligence is the light and the way. Yes, it is intriguing. (This book was published pre-Covid).
I especially like how he repeatedly invoked the Blue Church vs. the Red Religion throughout. These words/phrases were coined by Jordan Hall. Blue Church is the top-down process we see everywhere. It is describes a pro-governance, pro-gatekeepers, pro rules and pro following of the rules unquestioningly. The Red Religion uses a bottoms-up process, a decentralized way of sharing intel. It bypasses the gatekeepers. It's the reason we had Donald Trump for president surprising all the Blue Church members. It's the reason so many families are pulling their kids out of public schools. The war that is being waged today by these two very different philosophical systems is referred to again and again in this book. This helped me know where to hang some of the information in this book.
Exactly how a peer-to-peer life would play out ... this is not covered very deeply. It is still an idea, but the blockchain lays the groundwork. Cryptocurrency, though still volatile, will be the enabler. Smart contracts will keep us honest.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, because I am a beginner in the meta-verse, so two thumbs up. If I were a veteran in this space, I might find it unsatisfying.
Mr. Borders does a good job explaining why it is high time we allow all of the things that have failed us just dissolve into the past. He helps the reader look back to understand why education was fated to fail, why government and media were fated to collude, and why science gets things wrong more than it gets things right. The replacement for the corrupted structures that surround us will be peer-to-peer collaboration. One quote regarding science to help illustrate:
"The best thing that can happen to science is for it to open itself up to everyone, even people who are not credentialed experts, then let the checkers start to talk to each other. Leaders, influencers and force multipliers will emerge. You might think of them as communications hubs or bigger nodes in a network. Some will be cranks and hacks. But the best will win out, and the cranks will be worked out of the system in time."
In other words, a million million amateurs, a million million different perspectives, a million million people challenging orthodoxy and creating, in real time, will produce a better result that a handful of (often) bootlicking toadies. A network of superior collective intelligence is the light and the way. Yes, it is intriguing. (This book was published pre-Covid).
I especially like how he repeatedly invoked the Blue Church vs. the Red Religion throughout. These words/phrases were coined by Jordan Hall. Blue Church is the top-down process we see everywhere. It is describes a pro-governance, pro-gatekeepers, pro rules and pro following of the rules unquestioningly. The Red Religion uses a bottoms-up process, a decentralized way of sharing intel. It bypasses the gatekeepers. It's the reason we had Donald Trump for president surprising all the Blue Church members. It's the reason so many families are pulling their kids out of public schools. The war that is being waged today by these two very different philosophical systems is referred to again and again in this book. This helped me know where to hang some of the information in this book.
Exactly how a peer-to-peer life would play out ... this is not covered very deeply. It is still an idea, but the blockchain lays the groundwork. Cryptocurrency, though still volatile, will be the enabler. Smart contracts will keep us honest.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, because I am a beginner in the meta-verse, so two thumbs up. If I were a veteran in this space, I might find it unsatisfying.
December 17, 2021
Well, I can't be sore about this -- I kind of knew what I was getting myself into reading a book on futurism, especially one that declares itself to be a "manifesto." The arguments are not always entirely careful or very detailed, but the central ideas are at least intriguing.
The titular "social singularity" is (as near as I can tell) a projected moment in a possible human future in which our ability to connect with each other and to organize our efforts toward the creation and maintenance of a valued social reality, becomes a dominant force. At that moment, the need for centralized, hierarchical social control falls away to be replaced by rule-based, iterative forms of emergent, localized social cohesion. There certainly is evidence that such social organization takes place, to good effect, on a small scale, but this book asks readers to consider what such emergent social cohesion would look like on a larger scale, replacing institutions like The Economy, The Government, and The Law. As one might expect with a book like this, there is a lot of big picture argumentation about ideals and not nearly as much detailed argumentation about implementation outside of some overly exuberant (for me) observations and predictions about cryptocurrency and the blockchain model of rule-based social organization that supports it.
The titular "social singularity" is (as near as I can tell) a projected moment in a possible human future in which our ability to connect with each other and to organize our efforts toward the creation and maintenance of a valued social reality, becomes a dominant force. At that moment, the need for centralized, hierarchical social control falls away to be replaced by rule-based, iterative forms of emergent, localized social cohesion. There certainly is evidence that such social organization takes place, to good effect, on a small scale, but this book asks readers to consider what such emergent social cohesion would look like on a larger scale, replacing institutions like The Economy, The Government, and The Law. As one might expect with a book like this, there is a lot of big picture argumentation about ideals and not nearly as much detailed argumentation about implementation outside of some overly exuberant (for me) observations and predictions about cryptocurrency and the blockchain model of rule-based social organization that supports it.
July 2, 2019
An interesting take on the decentralization of politics and other realms of human interaction. I appreciated the connection between the three prominent culture frameworks and spiral dynamics. There are some good insights on how decentralization and transcending the limited arbitrarily dividing perspectives of the present.
Borders gets a little too “kumbaya” toward the end of the book with suggestions of drug or meditation fueled mass human awakening to the interconnectedness of all things. But if you can forgive the rose-colored view of human relations in the future, there are some thought provoking concepts to consider.
Borders emphasizes the technology supported diminishing usefulness of defining political with respect to geographical borders. We are already seeing humans connecting and interacting meaningfully in digital communities. As the differentiation between digital and traditional interactions blurs, how much will the importance of geographic borders lessen?
This is a well thought out overview of the inevitable questions that will arise regarding the necessity of centralized government as technology advances.
Borders gets a little too “kumbaya” toward the end of the book with suggestions of drug or meditation fueled mass human awakening to the interconnectedness of all things. But if you can forgive the rose-colored view of human relations in the future, there are some thought provoking concepts to consider.
Borders emphasizes the technology supported diminishing usefulness of defining political with respect to geographical borders. We are already seeing humans connecting and interacting meaningfully in digital communities. As the differentiation between digital and traditional interactions blurs, how much will the importance of geographic borders lessen?
This is a well thought out overview of the inevitable questions that will arise regarding the necessity of centralized government as technology advances.
June 6, 2019
Overall, Max Borders tries to present a decentralized future which is very promising and optimistic. However, the book failed to deliver. The author made a lot of assumptions and often contradicted himself. He tried to bring in many references and research to prove a point but ended up showing only a fraction of what the original wanted to elaborate.
August 22, 2019
I didnt like how the book was written. Max Borders good thoughts and ideas about decentralization. Borders provided many positive applications for decentralization in the future. I was happy to read about the new ideas, but the language of the book tasted bias and mundane at best. 4 stars for the ideas, -1 star for weak writing.
March 4, 2021
A really great read, very well-researched and cited. I now have 4 or 5 more books I would like to read in follow up. The most important message comes in at the end very loud and clear without any soupy pretension or preachy overtures.
I do so highly recommendeth this slim scratch and carry. I might even read it over again and take more rigorous notes along the way.
I do so highly recommendeth this slim scratch and carry. I might even read it over again and take more rigorous notes along the way.
June 10, 2020
...Provoking...
I read to think via new, to me, ideas. This work fulfills that. The messaging is both underpinned with logic and facts and unapologetic in its positions. Provocative!
I read to think via new, to me, ideas. This work fulfills that. The messaging is both underpinned with logic and facts and unapologetic in its positions. Provocative!
March 13, 2019
Honestly, could have been distilled to a 50 page book. The premise is intriguing.. and some ideas are worth going further in depth on (i.e. Spiral Dynamics), but it at times felt like a long rant.
June 26, 2019
Warning: will make your head explode. The future is going to be nuts
May 24, 2020
Insight into how the world is changing.
Especially interesting now during the global viral pandemic.
Especially interesting now during the global viral pandemic.
August 24, 2024
Good stuff.
June 13, 2019
Simply amazing. It's been a few months since I read this book but never got around doing my notes. At the time of reading, I already felt I completely agreed with Borders on his grand view of where things are heading, however, 2 months later I have seriously made some steps in my own thought processes around creating incentive systems around values to make society more resilient...
Reading back my notes now has amazed me how much this book seems to have influenced my thinking in the past months already. In my last written article, I am even moving towards a framework based on individual and collective values, from a complexity perspective.
However, I am not sure about polycentrism. It seems to me that government forms need certain stability in citizens for welfare systems to work. You can't base a healthcare system on the number of peopl you have and when half of them doesn't like it, they just walk out. However, maybe we can develop more 'light' forms of this, where we create global and peer-to-peer credit, pension, insurance systems. Really decentralizing law in separate jurisdictional virtual bodies is wild, is sexy and speaks to the imagination, for sure, but won't get much of my attention in my work. Decentralizing and incentivizing values and virtues, that's the way forward.
Reading back my notes now has amazed me how much this book seems to have influenced my thinking in the past months already. In my last written article, I am even moving towards a framework based on individual and collective values, from a complexity perspective.
However, I am not sure about polycentrism. It seems to me that government forms need certain stability in citizens for welfare systems to work. You can't base a healthcare system on the number of peopl you have and when half of them doesn't like it, they just walk out. However, maybe we can develop more 'light' forms of this, where we create global and peer-to-peer credit, pension, insurance systems. Really decentralizing law in separate jurisdictional virtual bodies is wild, is sexy and speaks to the imagination, for sure, but won't get much of my attention in my work. Decentralizing and incentivizing values and virtues, that's the way forward.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews