Rethink: How We Can Make a Better World

by Amol Rajan

After darkness, there is always light

In a time of increasing uncertainty, Rethink offers a guide to a much-needed global 'reset moment', with leading international figures giving us glimpses of a better future after the pandemic. Each contribution explores a different aspect of public and private life that can be re-examined - from Pope Francis on poverty and the Dalai Lama on the role of ancient wisdom to Brenda Hale on the courts and Tara Westover on the education divide; from Elif Shafak on uncertainty and Steven Pinker on Human Nature to Xine Yao on masks and Jarvis Cocker on environmental revolution. Collectively, they offer a roadmap for positive change after a year of unprecedented hardship.

Based on the hit BBC podcast, and with introductions by presenter and journalist Amol Rajan, Rethink gives us the opportunity to consider what a better world might look like and reaffirms that after darkness there is always light.

RETHINK List of contributors

WHO WE ARE
Carlo Rovelli - Rethinking Humanity
Pope Francis - Rethinking Poverty
Peter Hennessy - Rethinking Democracy
Anand Giridharadas - Rethinking Capitalism
Jared Diamond - Rethinking a Global Response
Ziauddin Sardar - Rethinking Normality
The Dalai Lama - Rethinking Ancient Wisdom
C.K. Lal - Rethinking Institutions
Jarvis Cocker - Rethinking an Environmental Revolution
Clare Chambers - Rethinking the Body
Steven Pinker - Rethinking Human Nature
Tom Rivett-Carnac - Rethinking History
Jonathan Sumption - Rethinking the State

WHAT WE DO
David Skelton - Rethinking Industry
Emma Griffin - Rethinking Work
Caleb Femi - Rethinking Education
Gina McCarthy - Rethinking Activism
Tara Westover - Rethinking the Education Divide
Kwame Anthony Appiah - Rethinking the Power of Small Actions
Charlotte Lydia Riley - Rethinking Universities
K.K. Shailaja - Rethinking Development
Samantha Power - Rethinking Global Governance
KT Tunstall - Rethinking the Music Industry
Rebecca Adlington - Rethinking the Athlete's Life
Brenda Hale - Rethinking the Courts
Nisha Katona - Rethinking Hospitality
Katherine Granger - Rethinking the Olympics
David Graeber - Rethinking Jobs
James Harding - Rethinking News
Carolyn McCall Rethinking Television

HOW WE FEEL
Mohammad Hanif - Rethinking Intimacy
H.R. McMaster - Rethinking Empathy
Carol Cooper - Rethinking Racial Equality
Paul Krugman - Rethinking Solidarity
Amonge Sinxoto - Rethinking Safety
Reed Hastings - Rethinking Togetherness
Kang Kyung-wha - Rethinking Accountability
Lucy Jones - Rethinking Biophilia
Colin Jackson - Rethinking Our Responsibility for Our Health
Mirabelle Morah - Rethinking Ourselves
Nicci Gerrard - Rethinking Old Age
Brian Eno - Rethinking the Winners
Jude Browne - Rethinking Responsibility
Elif Shafak Rethinking Uncertainty

HOW WE LIVE
Amanda Levete - Rethinking How We Live
Niall Ferguson - Rethinking Progress
David Wallace-Wells - Rethinking Consensus
Margaret MacMillan - Rethinking International Cooperation
HRH The Prince of Wales - Rethinking Nature
Onora O'Neill - Rethinking Digital Power
Matthew Walker - Rethinking Sleep
Henry Dimbleby - Rethinking How We Eat
Eliza Manningham-Buller - Rethinking Health Inequality
Pascal Soriot - Rethinking Medical Co-operation
Xine Yao - Rethinking Masks
George Soros - Rethinking Debt
Mariana Mazzucato - Rethinking Value
Douglas Alexander - Rethinking Economic Dignity

WHERE WE GO
Peter Frankopan - Rethinking Asia
Stuart Russell - Rethinking AI
DeRay McKesson - Rethinking the Impossible
V.S. Ramachandran - Rethinking Brains
Seb Emina - Rethinking Travel
Aaron Bastani - Rethinking an Aging Population
Rana Foroohar - Rethinking Data
Anthony Townsend - Rethinking Robots

Genres: Philosophy, Psychology, Politics, Nonfiction, Society

352 pages, Hardcover

Published May 27, 2021

Reviews

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve often wondered how the world will be a different place after the pandemic. This book is a series of essays by different authors giving their view about how the world will be changed. There is a wide range of topics, so something you can dip in and out of, some more interesting than others and summarised well by Amol. The drawback for me is that we are in an ever changing situation and with so many unknowns ahead of us, some of it is already dated.

[Valentina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book overall, it touches on a range of different topics and it's thought provoking. However I was late to the party....the book was written in 2020, in the middle of the pandemic and some of the ideas and concepts are already outdated as we moved on and half of the book is not relevant anymore

[Vicki Mustard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating collection of essays talking about post-Covid life - one for dipping in & out of - excellent read!

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comprised of sixty-five essays by leading authors, philosophers, journalists and thought-leaders which address five leading questions; who we are, what we do, how we feel, how we live and where we go.

Each essay is introduced by the author Amol Rajan, host of Radio Four ‘Rethink’ who writes an excellent introduction and with contributions from Steven Pinker, Carlo Rovelli, Samantha Power, Elif Shafa, Mariana Mazzucato and even Pope Francis there is an essay for everyone covering every subject.

[Kitty Davies · Rating 2 out of 5]

didn’t realise but this book is all about covid - for me it’s a bit too soon to be thinking so intensely about it, despite knowing we have to to make the most out of it.
for me, every 1 in 10 essays was interesting/sparked an emotion. easy essay is by a different specialist in the field, but they all talk of covid, so there is a lot of reputation of themes/ discussions. boring, apart from a few outstanding essays