About this conversation
What does it take to build a truly pro-social world?
In this conversation, evolutionary biologist David Sloan Wilson brings Darwinian evolution into dialogue with the vision of the Third Attractor. We explore why cooperation is one of evolution’s greatest achievements, why good intentions alone are not enough, and how groups can create the conditions that allow people to work together for the common good.
Drawing on multilevel selection and Elinor Ostrom’s groundbreaking work on the commons, David explains the core principles that enable groups to become cooperative, resilient and self-governing. We also explore the relationship between inner transformation and social structures, the limits of individualism, and how cooperation might expand from small groups to communities, nations and ultimately the whole planet.
At the heart of the conversation is a hopeful possibility: perhaps a more pro-social future does not need to remain a utopian ideal. We already know a great deal about the conditions that make cooperation possible. The challenge is to begin putting them into practice.
